A Gym in a Suitcase: The Amazing Journey Gym

Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide – Day 5

With freezing temperatures on the horizon it’s always temping to wrap up in a sweater and forget your active summer routine.  This is especially true as the holidays approach and all the baked goods are there for the taking, but this is actually one of the best times to have a good workout regimen and stay healthy as it will make swimsuit season next year that much easier if you aren’t trying to lose all the fall and winter pounds most people gain.

Journey GymOne of my new favorite tools for staying fit even when it’s too blustery to leave the house is the Journey Gym, the first all-in-one portable workout system that can easily fit in a linen closet, under a bed, and is even perfect for traveling.  At first glance, the Journey Gym looks like a large briefcase, with a carrying handle and a rectangular shape that could just as easily hold a laptop and paperwork. 

Upon opening the Journey Gym you see a series of colored resistance bands that run through the case with quick attachment clips at the end.  To use the Gym, you simply open the case all the way, attach the 8 “feet”, and remove the handles with connection clips and then turn over so the base rests firmly on the ground.  Within minutes of opening the box we had journey Gym set up in our living room and were impressed by the quality of the bands, connectors, handles and commercial grade step as well as the design of the system. 

Journygymjpg-781d830777cff476_largeReally, the more I played with it and realized how many different ways you could use it, the more genius it seemed.  Even though it is based on a pretty basic idea of resistance bands and a workout step, it’s the execution of the Journey Gym that makes it rave-worthy.  With the Journey Gym you don’t need to find a place to store big and bulky workout equipment when you’re not using it.  Because it uses resistance bands instead of traditional free weights that are large and awkward, you don’t have to designate an entire room in your house just to weight training. 

Then, since it works by merely clipping your handle or strap to the resistance band of your choice, changing your workout by varying the amount of resistance or your point of connection is also easier because it takes mere seconds.  It’s this flexibility that gives you the ability to do an insane amount of different exercises and easily switch between them during the course of your workout, allowing more time for actual working out. 

Journey Gym UndersideI was absolutely shocked when I got to try the Journey Gym and realized how completely versatile and expandable the system is for whatever your fitness level or preferred workout is.  While I’ve been a fan of resistance bands before, what I really love about the Journey Gym is the integrated step that allows you to add cardio to your workout.  It can really be used by both beginners as well as experienced weight trainers and can mimic just about any exercise you can imagine and work every muscle group. 

Since I’m recovering from an auto accident and can’t do high-impact workouts, I love that the resistance band workout with the Journey Gym is so smooth.  This means that even my physical therapist approves of me using the Journey Gym at lower resistance levels since it doesn’t have the jerkiness of typical weightlifting and instead allows you to use more fluid motions.  All of this reduces impact on your joints and decreases the possibility of injury, which are paramount for me as I heal.

In addition to a great workout tool, what’s really cool about the Journey Gym system is how much they want you to succeed.  The gym ships with a workout video that can be completed in either 10 or 20 minutes and each routine alternates between strength training and cardio.  The 10 minute video has a female lead and the 20 minute has a male lead and they have different exercises.  I personally like this as it allows me to alternate what video I watch each day and helps vary it up a bit while still getting in circuit training. 

Journey Gym exercises
But, while the video is actually a good workout and I look forward to doing the routine each day, what makes the system so expandable is that they have a website that allows you to create your own workout video.  By selecting your own specific exercise and dragging it into your timeline, you can create your own routine and even add music and remove the instructions before each exercise, something that would certainly be nice if you are doing a workout every day. 

Using the Journey GymSpeaking of doing the routine every day, I am happy to report that we love the Journey Gym so much that my husband and I are committed to doing it every. single. day.  We developed a system where we alternate the 20 minute routine with the 10 minute routine each day, 7 days a week.  What’s really cool about our plan is that we have a deal that while the other person is working out, we will clean up the main areas of the house.  This means that not only are we getting a great 10 or 20 minute workout, we are
also getting an additional 10 or 20 minutes of cleaning exercises also.  Bonus: our house has never looked better!

If you are searching for a great present for someone fitness-minded this holiday season or are looking at getting back in or staying in shape yourself, you should definitely check out Journey Gym and see how awesome of a system it really is.  Hey, if it can get my family excited {and I do mean excited} about working out, it’s got to be pretty cool, right?

Price: $245 ARV.  Find out more about the Journey Gym, its many features, and where to buy at journeygym.com

And Now For the Giveaway!

Want to win an awesome Journey Gym for yourself?  Of course you do!

To enter, simply visit the Journey Gym site and comment on this post telling me what you like about the system and where the most unusual place that you would use it!

 And, as always, there are extra entries available!  {Please leave a separate comment for each completed}

2 Extra Entries – Like Journey Gym’s Facebook page and comment with where you would use the Journey Gym if you won and @ tag Rave & Review

2 Extra Entries {per method} – Follow Rave & Review! Subscribe by RSS feed, Subscribe by email, become a fan of R&R on Facebook or add R&R to your blogroll or sidebar.

1 Extra Entry {daily} – Twitter.  Simply tweet the following after following us both:

Have you heard of a gym in a suitcase? Enter to #win a super cool @JourneyGym #giveaway with @RaveAndReview! http://t.co/ypugszeY ARV $245!

3 Extra Entries – Blogger Bonus.  Blog about this giveaway linking back to this post and leave an address where I can find your writeup

1 Extra Entry – Comment love.  Enter any of my other Giveaways and/or comment on any non-giveaway post!

On December 20th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email.  Winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen.  Giveaway open to US and Canadian Addresses.

This giveaway is now closed.  Thank you to all who entered and congratulations to:

Leanne Signature 2A big thank you to Journey Gym for providing the information and giveaway for one lucky giveaway winner.  All opinions are 100% ours and no monetary compensation was received in exchange for this Rave Review.

526 thoughts on “A Gym in a Suitcase: The Amazing Journey Gym”

  1. I like that there’s an online community available with the system. It lets you track your progress as well as share it with others. I’d probably just use it at home.

  4. I like that it’s portable and the most unsual place would be our camp.
    henglish at nb dot sympatico dot ca

  22. This is incredible! I would love this to take camping and we bought an RV so we will be travelling in 2012, this would be so awesome!! Thanks!

  41. I like the online tracking and support with this program. An unusual place I would use it out my back door on the patio.

  68. I left a first comment but I don’t see it so I’ll do it again. I love the portability of the system. Finally a system that can give me a full work out but I can take it anywhere I need! I don’t have any unusual places to use it, just the office at work, our small bedroom, or our small living room. This would give me choices!

  76. I like that the system is so portable and organized. The most unusual place I would use it is in the bus station while I am waiting between layovers!!!

  79. I think that it’s size is the feature I like best and I would use it in my family room. Not very creative.

  91. I love how portable the system is! I could use it anywhere in our home plus as an added bonus I could take it outside with me.

  111. telling me what you like about the system
    I love the portability
    and where the most unusual place that you would use it!
    I’d use it in on the patio at my condo in Florida…

  119. I love that will be able to use this while travelling. The most unusual spot I would use this is probably in a hotel room.

  134. I like that you can take it anywhere with you and it is so versatile. I would be taking the journey gym with me to mexico this winter
    bluebelle0367(at)hotmail(dot)com

  147. I love that it travels and still gets the job done. I can’t think of an unusual place other than taking with me when we travel lol

  150. I learned journey gym is the world’s first truly portable universal gym. I would use this at work in the locker room! Thanks

  155. I like the prtability. Hubby could take it on his upcoming deployment. Guess that would be the most unusual place either of us would use it.

  172. I like how it comes with a free membership to the online community. That would help with keeping track and coming up with new routines to do.
    katie at coverbutton dot net

  173. Forgot to say the most unusual place I would use it would be my garage. It would give me the most space to spread out.
    katie at coverbutton dot net

  175. I like that it’s portable and everything is all pack in one case. I don’t have any unusual place to use it. I would just use it at home.

  208. Hello, what I like about the Journey Gym is that it is compact and the most unusual place if you can call it would be when I babysit, I would bring it with me. Thanks for a great giveaway!

  221. I like that you can turn it into a step for aerobics workouts! I need a step desperately and by themselves heymare crazy expensive. The most unusual place I would use this is my living room.
    Blue65829 at aol dot com

  230. I like that there’s an online support community to keep you motivated. The most unusual spot I’d use this is my garage. Plenty of room out there and cool enough so that I won’t overheat.

  240. Like the fact that I can use it anywhere – really liked the videos – how he starts off with a laptop and ends up with gym in a suitcase, liked also the tips. I would use in front of my TV for certain exercises and at my hair stylist’s – they have a huge washroom and there is always a waiting period !

  255. I am a 47-year-old female who has been working out for close to 30 years now. What I like about the Journeygym is that it utilizes resistance bands.I am interested in using them in more of my workouts to target different muscles and increase my strength. The most unusual place I would use it would be in a hotel room or my brother’s backyard.

  265. I like that I could do so many arm and back movements with the attached bands. I don’t really have an unusual space. The space is home. We have a small place and there is really no room for equipment so the compactness of this kit is awesome.

  281. I like that it is so compact.I don’t think I would use it in an unusual place,but I would use it in my familyroom.

  297. I like that you can take it with you anywhere. The most unusual place I’d use it would probably be my parents back yard.

  317. I just love that you really don’t have to skip a workout because you can use it wherever. I think I could use it in the break room at work! We have a shower, and I never take the full hour to eat lunch.

  334. I love that it’s completely portable and easy to store (like under the couch) 🙂 I would use it in our workout room … in the chilly basement. Thanks for the chance to win!!
    lambeaugal at charter.net

  378. i like that you can do many things on it yet it is so compact that you can really take it places and i like how they compare it to a lapstop.

  387. i like that the workouts are short so i can fit them in my busy schedule! the most unusual place i would use this is probably work.. i could do it on my break!

  390. Its best feature is that its
    so compact and easy to use.
    I would use this at home,
    unlike the exercise equipment
    I currently own.
    With my arthritis it’s hard
    to pull the equipment out and
    set it up.
    This solves that problem.

  413. I watched the video. I like that it uses circuit training that is only in five minute intervals. Anyone should be able to do five minutes. The most unusual place I would use it would be on my trip to Hawaii. Need to get in shape for a bathing suit.
    diane dot wortman at gmail dot com

  427. I love that the journey Gym is so portable and easy to take with me.
    I would use it in the big green field behind my parents house when we go to visit.
    jweezie43[at]gmail[dot]com

  447. I love that it has actual training plans and you can upload your own videos!
    I rarely get anywhere so I doubt I’d travel with it but it is perfect for our smaller home where I don’thave to worry about it taking up lots of space!

  453. like that it’s portable and the most unsual place would be our barn ( do you think the horses would mind)

  463. What I like about this system is that it is portable so I don’t have a excuse not to exercise! I would use this at the park.

  491. i like the customizable resistance system and i probably wouldn’t use it anywhere terribly unusual… just my living room. it would be the perfect gym for our tiny home 🙂

  495. I like that there is an online community for support and I’d probably use it in my breakroom at work.

  501. I like that it’s so portable. Due to my husband and I sharing a car, I get to work at least an hour early every day. With this, I could find a quite spot (storage room, conference room) and do a little workout instead of starting the workday early (unpaid). Work is probably the most unusual place I would use it.

  502. Thanks for the giveaway…we like that it provides a total body workout and will allow anyone to use it as their primary source of resistance, cardiovascular, and circuit training; could use it at the office !
    senorpiero [at] yahoo [dot] com

  522. I like the customizable resistance system of 5 to 75 pounds per side. I think an unusual place for me would be in the middle of my neighborhood during mom walk!

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