Buyer Beware: ALWAYS check public reviews of any company prior to giving them your money irrespective of how long they may have been trading. Over the last few months we've been inundated with customers checking availability of items ordered from several gym company's and their off-shoot Ltd companies. It only takes 2 seconds to type the company name and the word reviews into google for a snapshot of their current state of trading. Trust pilot and Google Reviews are a great place to start. Remember a Ltd company is called "limited" because they have a "limited liabillity" to repayment of debtors.

Being only 500m from Avonmouth Docks we regularly supply ships and craft with gym equipment when they're in port. Yesterday's short notice call was for a #WaterRower and Assault #AirBike to go on this Jack-Up barge. less than 24 hours from order we're on our way to deliver their kit. #offshore

This single bench is part of our GymRatZ heavy-duty Core Gym Equipment range made as part of a large shipment going to USAF at RAF Mildenhall (UK). The bulk of the equipment is still in manufacturing but should be with them shortly however the guys that make the GymRatZ Core Range for us matched the paint code and contrast stitching to ensure it mates up perfectly with the rest of the new machines and benches when they're delivered. You want one in your gym?

New and improved - PowerBlock Adustable Dumbbells have had a re-vamp. The most significant difference being the removal of the top rails which gave a very enclosed feel that some people felt uncomfortable with. This re-work increases the handle opening width by 2" making them more appealing to those previously put-off by the design. Sport EXP 90 is the replacement for the Sport 9.0 and shipping immediately.

StingRay Review submitted on 16th April 2017 by Daniel "I've been looking for something to help me with my quads as my gym is a bit limited with equipment. Having the product arrived, I was gutted, it looks like two chicken fillets on some cable. I equally hesitated when I brought it to the gym, as no one wants to be that guy who has all the gear. Never the less I got over the inital questioning and began using it. I can't remember a product becoming such a staple part of my training so quickly. I have gone from 25kg a side to 50kg on the front squat in just over 3 weeks. It brings so much comfort and stability to the movement." #frontsquats #crossfit #legdevelopment

Product Awareness - MantaRay and StingRay When we started GymRatZ in 1999 one of the very first items we started to import was the MantaRay back-squat pad and the StingRay Front-Squat pad. To this day I still use mine taken from the very first batch we bought in and they're still working as well today as they were 18 years ago. The #MantaRay has always out-sold the #StingRay by around 10:1 most likely due to how few people appreciate the benefit of performing front squats and those that do are put-off by #FrontSquat discomfort which also limits amount of weight used however Front-Squats are coming back into fashion and the StingRay Front Squat Pad is worthy of a look.

Still nothing comes close to the WaterRower: https://www.gymratz.co.uk/brand-reviews/b-waterrower.php

Trigger Point and the ball - a new discovery. I've never felt the need to delve into trigger point massage/therapy. Always seemed a bit sadomasochistic to me and I'd never had the kind of pain I felt needed deep probing to fix until very recently... I don't know how it happened but I managed to get a muscle twinge just below my left shoulder-blade which had been giving me grief for the last 3 weeks and wasn't showing signs of self healing so now felt like the ideal time to get nasty and try some targeted pain therapy of Trigger Point Grabbed a Lacrosse ball from the shop shelf and wedged it between my back and the van seat for the 20 minute drive home. As I wiggled and writhed around trying to find the right spot I finally found a lumpy bit over which the ball kind of "clunked" in an awkward and painful way which felt like it was where the action was required. Trying this while driving wasn't perhaps the best idea but it was a time I knew I wouldn't be distracted. Next day nothing had improved but I left the ball in the dashboard cup-holder and gave it another hammering on last nights drive home. Today, sat here I can honestly say I'm mended. No pain, no aches, just "back-to-normal" So I've gone from a skeptic to a believer over-night and at what cost? a few quid for a lacrosse ball and acceptance that a short period of increased self-inflicted pain may (in the absence of someone willing to walk on my back wearing stilettos while singing a Nancy Sinatra song) fix me. And with this new found appreciation of TP therapy in mind We may just add a whole new range of #TRIGGERPOINT branded #massage and #therapy products to our line-up. What TriggerPoint products do you use yourself?

After a long while of product destruction and de-valuation it looks like TRX are finally weeding out the rogues retailers so we've now got a marketable range once more. Still significantly more expensive than many other suspension trainers on the market but some things are worth a little more. TRX FORCE Tactical Kit - Now comes with a 12 week conditioning program app. #TRX #suspensiontrainer #BodyConditioning (Search "TRX FORCE" on our site)

Nike Romaleo 3 Lifters have hit the shelves in America but have they taken a step in the wrong direction? There are already mixed reviews on Nikes' own web-site and as a number of customers reported issues with later batches of Romaleo 2 (lack of Q.C. allowing significant flaws to hit the market) initial reviews of Romaleo3 indicate this is just as bad with the 3's and, from the reviews I've seen a large percentage show that Romaleo 2's are actually a far superior lifting shoe to the 3's! Roamleo3 are expected to reach the UK sometime in May so there is a rush to shift current stock of 2's which means that although prices went up recently they're back down again. ALSO where people insist on buying shoes that are too small there are some cracking 2nd hand "un-used" bargains on e-bay. My advice based on initial reviews and indications is, if you find some "un-used" 2's in your size for a great price then snap-em up! don't be a style snob, colour won't make you lift more! An awesome shoe doesn't become a 2nd rate shoe just because the marketing machine brings out a new version.... sometimes quite the reverse is true! #romaleos #romaleo3 #lifters #crossfit