6 Best X3 Bar Alternatives That Will Make Your Muscles Burn

Exercise bars have picked up in popularity thanks to their compact nature. They provide excellent workouts at a fraction of the space. If you’ve looked at the X3 Bar, though, you might have scoffed at the expensive price and decided to find an X3 Bar alternative. 

The best X3 Bar alternative is the OYO Personal Gym, though we have other options on the list depending on your specific needs. Keep reading this X3 Bar review to find out which X3 Bar alternative can save you money. 

1. Closest Match to the X3 Bar — OYO Personal Gym

The OYO Personal Gym does everything the X3 Bar does. The OYO gives you a total body workout that builds muscle, tones fat, and can strengthen any muscle group you seek to target. 

OYO Fitness director Nick Bolton even created over 60 workouts you can use with the OYO Personal Gym, which includes HIIT, cardio, resistant training, pilates, and more. 

The technology in the OYO Personal Gym’s SpiralFlex resistance technology mirrors what NASA astronauts use to maintain muscle mass in space.

You can get lean fast thanks to the OYO’s DoubleFlex activation that provides more resistance using a compact band. You can save time while building a toned, muscular body. 

The OYO Personal Gym comes with FlexPacks in 5 and 10 lbs going up to 25 lbs. The smooth, linear resistance feels like free-weights to help you strengthen and shape your body. 

2. Most Resistance Offered — Gorilla Bow Portable Home Gym

3. Best for Full Body Workouts — BodyBoss 2.0

Simulate thousands of dollars worth of gym equipment with the BodyBoss 2.0 Home Gym. You can workout your upper and lower body. There’s the cardio resistance boxing option, as well as the body part focus workout. No matter what your fitness goal is, the BodyBoss delivers. 

Having raised over $1 million on Kickstarter and Indiegogo, BodyBoss developers designed this product to be the most lightweight, compact, and versatile as possible — all while keeping it at an affordable price. You can achieve your fitness goals wherever you are thanks to the BodyBoss 2.0. 

4. Best Value — Tension Toner

The Tension Toner gives you five latex-free resistance bands: 10 lbs, 16 lbs, 22 lbs, 24 lbs, and 36 lbs. All five bands are stackable to reach 108 lbs of tension. You also get a door anchor, instruction booklet, and cinch bag to fit all your materials inside. 

The Tension Toner home gym also gives you a workout program that includes over 70 exercises. You also get access to 25-minute HIIT exercises with the Tension Trio muscle building program. 

This home gym allows you to workout out your pulling and stabilizer muscles when keeping middle straps tight. You can use your larger muscles while working out to build strength and endurance. The patented adjustable tension levels provide three levels of resistance all from one bar. 

Get a thorough workout with the highly portable Tension Toner. The bar weighs less than 2 lbs and measures 16 inches long. You can fit all your materials in the convenient carrying bag for a total body workout wherever you are. 

5. Best Budget Option — Black Mountain Resistance Band Set 

If you want a tension-based home gym system that doesn’t break the bank, look no further than the Black Mountain Resistance Band Set.

You get five color-coated resistance bands: yellow (2-4 lbs), blue (4-6 lbs), green (10-12 lbs), black (15-20 lbs), and red (25-30 lbs). All bands come in at 48 inches. When stacked, the bands provide up to 75 lbs. 

The metal clipping system includes soft-grip handles and ankle straps. You also get a door anchor, exercise chart, starter guide, and carrying bag. All Black Mountain Products include a manufacturer’s lifetime warranty, so you don’t have to worry about the product breaking any time soon.

6. Most Compact Option — Tribe Resistance Bands Set

The Tribe Resistance Band Set gives you 16 total pieces and five color-coded resistance bands that all fit into a waterproof carrying case. Target all major muscle groups. 

The tension tube bands go from 5 lbs, 10 lbs, 20 lbs, 30 lbs, and 40 lbs. Combined, you get a total of 105 lbs. You also get four color-coded loop bands, two cushioned handles, one door ankle, two ankle straps, one waterproof carry bag, and an advanced exercise eBook that’s downloadable online. 

You can do bicep curls, chest presses, and a total body workout anywhere. You can build serious muscle at home or while traveling. The resistance bands are made from fiber-reinforced and unbreakable polymer nylon bands. You don’t have to worry about snapping a band mid workout. 

The X3 Bar is a total body home gym created by Dr. John Jaquish (rights reserved). It provides a full body workout that provides results faster than conventional gym machines. 

Upon purchasing the X3 Bar, you get the complete home gym including the bar, base, and resistance bands. You also get the X2 12-week program to add some guidance to your fitness journey. The standard X3Bar provides up to 300 lbs of tension. 

The four X3 resistance bands provide up to 30% more traction than other layered latex bands. The heavy duty alloy steel ground plate guards your ankles from the high workout forces. 

The X3 Bar home gym is simple, but it provides exceptional results. The only downside is that it costs over $500 for the standard model. If you want 600 lbs of resistance, that will cost you nearly $700. 

While the X3 Bar is effective, not everyone has that sort of money. That’s why you should make sure to look into X3 Bar substitutes if your budget doesn’t allow you to spend that much money on a portable home gym. 

Your X3 Bar alternatives should first and foremost have a much lower price than the X3 Bar. They should also be hitting the following categories. 

Resistance

Your X3 Bar substitutes should give you more than 100 lbs of resistance. Beginners will have no problem struggling against 100 lbs of tension. Those with more strength may need home gyms with higher resistance pressure, such as the Gorilla Bow Portable Gym. 

Portability

Home gyms that fit into a cinch bag? Yes please. That’s pretty much the standard for X3 Bar alternative portability. Folding bars allow you to get added portability without sacrificing workout efficiency. 

The cinch bag standard also means that the manufacturer mustn’t overload the user with frivolous accessories. Only items necessary for workouts go into the carrying bag, which makes for a minimalistic yet effective workout. 

Weight

The home gym shouldn’t weigh much. If it weighs more than five pounds total, you’ve got a problem. The bar, while high-quality, should weigh around two to three pounds. Rubber, nylon, or latex should comprise the tension bands, and they should weigh next to nothing at all. 

Five pounds is our cut off. If your X3 Bar substitute weighs more than 10 lbs, you should question whether the materials the manufacturer gives you is really worth it. 

The materials the bar is made from greatly impacts the unit’s weight. We like bars to feel sturdy and resist breaking, as the bar must resist tension in order to provide your workout. A heavy metal construction would add durability but reduce portability. 

Size

We like it when the home gym fits into a simple cinch bag, like with the Black Mountain Resistance Band Set, Tension Toner, or Tribe Resistance Band Set. The BodyBoss 2.0 also provides excellent compactability, folding up into a portable size. 

Whatever the case, your X3 Bar alternative should fold up into a small size. Foldable bars are a plus, but not necessary. While your home gym will be far less bulky than standard gym equipment or free weights, you should purchase your X3 Bar substitute with the highest portability possible. 

Ease of Use

There’s no need to get fancy with these types of home gyms. Your X3 Bar alternative should be simple to use. Convoluted machines only increase the odds that you don’t actually use it. 

When we say easy to use, we mean that the tension bands add intuitively onto the bar. You can get the at home gym set up quickly so that you can jump right into a workout. The more fuss you have to do, the less we like. 

Exceptional players in this category include Tension Toners and the Gorilla Bow, though all the X3 Bar alternatives on this list are pretty easy to use. 

How Many Exercises Can You Do With It? 

You should be able to hit all the necessary muscle groups: shoulders, upper body, lower body, back, glutes, core, and chest. If an X3 Bar alternative can’t do that for you, you don’t want it. 

More exercises allow you to tone muscles how you want to. You can sculpt your body as you like it. But when manufacturers tout more than 100 workouts, it’s likely that they’re overcompensating for a poorly constructed machine or they’re trying to over sell it. It’s likely that you’re going to stick to around 30 exercises max to tone your body. 

The resistance band sets on this list all provide you with ample numbers of exercises without overdoing it. 

Does It Include Workout Programs? 

Workout programs aren’t necessary. It’s likely that you can figure out what exercises serve your workout routine the best, creating your own exercise regimen. 

But we like it when manufacturers include free workout programs. They reduce the learning curve for your new home gym and allow you to create an exercise regimen that fit your fitness goals faster.