BJ,
I hear you about commercial gym hassles, that's why I decided to invest in myself.

On the Chuck Norris machine (the Total Gym), it uses your body weight for resistance, and does so in increments of 10%. So when ever you hit a desired number of reps, you have to raise the resistance 10% (for you about 23 lbs) which is too great a jump. The recommended amount is 2%. If money is an issue with Bowflex, look at the Crossbow ($500). Trainer Dan uses one, you can find him in the exercise forum.