Home gyms are multi-station gyms that fit into a corner of a room, usually the garage or basement, in your home. They originated in the mid-20th century for commercial health clubs. Walter Marcyan revolutionized these single station gyms in the early 1960s by using a barbell that was able to perform a variety of exercises with the change of a single pin.
Nowadays, many different brands have come up with different machines. This complete buying guide will outline the benefits of a home gym, considerations when purchasing one, and reviews for the best home gyms on the market.
Top 10 Best Home Gyms Comparison Table
Product Name | Target Muscle Group | Foldable? | Weight Stack | Our Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bowflex PR1000 Home Gym | Multiple | Yes | 300lbs |  | $$ |
 Marcy Diamond Elite Smith Cage | Multiple | No | 300lbs | | $$$$ |
 Powerline BSG10X Home Gym | Multiple | No | 160lbs | | $$$$ |
 Bowflex Blaze Home Gym | Multiple | Yes | 210lbs | | $$$ |
 Marcy Combo Smith Machine | Multiple | No | 400lbs |  | $$$ |
 Body Solid EXM3000LPS | Multiple | No | 420 lbs | | $$$$$ |
 Gold’s Gym XR 55 | Chest and Arms | No | 330 lbs | | $$ |
 Gold’s Gym XRS 50 | Multiple | Yes | 280 lbs | | $ |
 Powerline P2LPX | Multiple | No | 160lbs |  | $$$$$ |
 Bowflex PR3000 | Multiple | No | 210 lbs | | $$$ |
Benefits
- Home gyms are more time-efficient since you will not have to wait for someone to finish their set on a particular piece of equipment you want to use. Also, you won’t have to drive back and forth to the gym several times a week.
- They cut down on your expenses because you won’t have to pay a membership fee. After two or three years, you will get back your investment on your own gym equipment that does not depreciate in value.
- They offer you the freedom to exercise your body when you want to and wear whatever you feel like when you’re working out.
- Because there is less foot traffic, you are less likely to catch the cold or flu when you work on your fitness at home.
Considerations
Weight Stack
Most home gyms use a vinyl weight stack because they are cheaper. Cast iron and steel are more expensive. You want to have plenty of weight to let you gradually increase your strength; the more you train, the stronger your body will become. Beginners should look for home gyms that have a maximum weight stack of 70kg, while intermediate to advanced trainers should look for weight stacks above 80kg.
Workout Stations
The purpose of a home gym is to be able to train all your major muscle groups with a variety of different strength training exercises. Most multi-gyms have, at minimum, the following stations: chest press, pec dec, high pulley or lat pulldown, and low pulley or leg developer. Others include additional stations like shoulder and leg press. This combines a lot of equipment all into one, which is great to work on your overall fitness.
Adjustability
If you are not aligned correctly when performing an exercise, you may be working a muscle you are not supposed to, which may result in injury. Find a home gym that has a seat height adjustment so you can be aligned correctly with every strength training exercise.
Pulleys & Cables
Cheaper home gyms use plastic nylons and bushings that add weight to the resistance due to friction. Plastic pulleys and cables also cause a juddering and grinding motion that impedes on the smoothness of your exercise. For a seamless and smooth glide, opt for machines that use 2000 pound tensile aircraft cables, which also last for quite some time.
Build Quality
The last thing you should be when exercising is distracted. Poorly built machines will wobble and rabble due to poor welding, weak framework, or less than ideal tubing. A good way to gauge how sturdy a home gym can be is to check the maximum weight capacity. The higher the capacity, the sturdier the piece of equipment will be.
Top 10 Home Gym Reviews List
1. Bowflex PR1000
With the Bowflex PR1000, you can strengthen your muscles and add a little bit of cardio with over 30 strength exercises and a rowing station built-in. This home gym features up to 210 pounds of Power Road resistance that can be used to exercise your abs, arms, chest, back, shoulders, and lower body. This model has a sliding seat rail, multi-use hand-grip or ankle cuffs, a workout placard that displays workout descriptions, four-inch upholstered roller cushions for leg extension and leg curl, a horizontal bunch press, and triple function hand grips for lat pull downs. It folds for easy storage and has a maximum user weight of 300 pounds.
The Bowflex PR1000 is great for novice exercisers. The lowest weight setting is 5 pounds, and the weights can be adjusted fairly quickly and easily by hooking or unhooking rods to increase and decrease weight. However, 210 pounds of resistance may not be enough weight for serious bodybuilders. Also, this model does not include an instructional DVD, common with other home gyms available on the market.
2. Marcy Diamond Elite Smith Cage
The Marcy Diamond Elite is a smith style machine that features Ultra-Glide linear bearings, a dual-function leg developer and press bar, a low pulley with a foot rest, six Olympic weight plate storage pegs, heavy gauge square steel tubing, high density foam and two-toned vinyl upholstery, contoured foam roller pads, and an adjustable curl pad.
The Marcy Diamond Elite Smith Cage is able to do every major strength training exercise, which is more than a hundred different types of exercises. This home gym is safe and looks great. However, the assembly of the Diamond Elite is difficult due to unclear instructions and the many different pieces to sort through.
3. Powerline BSG10X
With the Powerline BSG10X, the user can perform more than 40 strength training exercises. It features a traditional press bar, a lat pulldown station, 2,200-pound tension strength with military-grade aircraft cables, an 11-gauge mainframe construction, a telescoping, chrome-plated, adjustable seat post, impact-resistant, fiberglass-reinforced nylon with precision-machined steel ball bearings, and a 160-pound weight stack.
The Powerline BSG10X is fairly easy to assemble and has a small footprint – four feet of floor space and six feet tall. This model is easy to use without the need to change cables, or add or remove free weights. However, you need to place a mat on the ground before you assemble the machine. If you forget, then you need to lift 344 pounds off the floor. Also, the 160-pound weight stack is not enough for a gym buff, and there’s no way to upgrade the weight.
4. Bowflex Blaze
With the Bowflex Blaze, users can perform more than 60 strength training exercises for all your major muscle groups. It features a lower pulley or squat station for working your glutes, hamstrings, and quads, a lat tower with an angled lat bar to help build back and shoulder muscles, 210 pounds of Power Rod technology resistance (which can be upgraded to 310 or 410 pounds), and a leg extension or leg curl attachment.
The Bowflex Blaze is versatile and can be easily stored. It makes very little noise and is easy to assemble. This model uses patented Power Rod technology for a safer and more intense workout. However, users have complained that the resistance feels lighter than when using free weights. Also, the lat bar does not rest securely, so it does tend to fall off if you move the machine. Those that are taller than 6’4” may find that using this machine isn’t very comfortable.
5. Marcy Combo Smith Machine
The Marcy Combo Smith Machine is a full feature home gym that has a Smith-style press bar with adjustable safety stops. It features a big, 14-gauge steel tubing construction, an independent motion upper pulley system for cable crossovers, a multi-position seat and back pad that adjust to incline, flat, and decline poses, a total leg developer, a chin-up bar, and two storage posts for Olympic-size weight plates (which are not included).
The Marcy Combo Smith Machine is durable and made of high-quality materials. There is no wobble in the pull up bar, and the guide rods are nice and smooth as well as all the pulleys and cables. However, this home gym is very difficult to assemble due to unclear instructions and loads of similar-sized pieces. Also, if you are taller than 6’4”, you might feel some discomfort with some of the exercises.
6. Body Solid EXM3000LPS
The Body Solid EXM3000LPS has plenty of workout options while taking up minimal space. It features a multi-press station, a leg press or calf press station, a perfect pec station, a lat pulldown or high pulley station, an ab crunch or mid pulley station, a leg extension or leg curl station, a seated row or low pulley station, dual 210-pound alloy steel weight stacks, DuraFirm pads, and weight stack shrouds. It comes with a workout poster and DVD.
The Body Solid EXM3000LPS is well-built with solid welds, strong frame, and highly durable padding. This home gym allows two users to exercise simultaneously. Although this piece of workout equipment has many functions, it does not take up a lot of space. The weight stacks are sufficient at 210 pounds each, offering a leg press maximum resistance of 420 pounds. However, assembly of this home gym is very difficult. The manual is difficult to follow and there are many similar looking pieces to assemble.
7. Gold’s Gym XR 55
The Gold’s Gym XR 55 is an all-in-one strength training system. It features a 125-pound weight stack offering 330 pounds of resistance, high and low pulley systems, chest press and fly stations, a four-roll leg developer, a lat bar, and an exercise chart designed by a certified personal trainer.
The Gold’s Gym XR 55 is great if you are starting a strength training routine. It is very basic and offers little resistance compared to other home gyms. This model is not as sturdy in design and is made to fit those who are shorter in height.
8. Gold’s Gym XRS 50
The Gold’s Gym XRS 50 is able to target your entire body with a wide range of strength training options. It features a combination chest press and butterfly arm station, a 4-roll leg developer, high and low pulleys, a lat bar, a 112-pound vinyl weight stack, and a workout chart designed by a certified personal trainer.
The Gold’s Gym XRS 50 is easy to assemble compared to other home gyms. This model is meant to be used by beginner strength trainers and does an adequate of covering the basics. However, users complain that there is limited range of motion on most exercises, which is a problem if you are above average height.
9. Powerline P2LPX
The Powerline P2LPX is user-friendly with multiple functions. It features an ergonomically correct press arm, a functional training arm, comfortable, multi-position hand grips, an adjustable seat height, functional pulleys, and a swivel to adjust for a variety of different exercises.
The Powerline P2LPX is a sturdy piece of equipment. It comes with a manual with an addendum of corrections, but the instructions are still lacking. Also, there is no instruction manual depicting all the exercises you can perform on this machine.
10. Bowflex PR3000
The Bowflex PR3000 offers a great way to strength train without having to change cables. It features an innovative pulley system, 210 pounds of Power Rod Resistance (which can be upgraded to 310 pounds), 4” upholstered roller cushions, a vertical bench press, triple function hand grips, triple function ankle cuff grips, and a workout placard.
The Bowflex PR3000 is easy to assemble and is foldable for easy storage. It has a wide range of strength training exercises to choose from. The power rods resistance system works better for your muscles than traditional free weights. However, the 210 pounds of resistance that you get with this model may not be enough if you are a serious gym enthusiast. Also, if you are used to free weights, then the power rod system might take some time to get used to.
Summary
Home gyms are all-in-one machines that allow you to strength train all you major muscles using a variety of different exercises. They are time-efficient, save money, allow more freedom, and are less likely to cause illness when compared to going to a health club. When purchasing a home gym, you should consider the weight stack, weight stations, adjustability, pulleys and cables, and build quality. Using our reviews for we are confident that you will now be able to choose the best home gym for you, your lifestyle, and your home.
One Response
In my opinion, the Marcy Diamond Elite Smith Cage ranks number 1. Also, I think the Bowflex Xtreme 2SE ranks number 2 and the BodyCraft Galena Pro stands at number 3. Ah, I don’t see these two instruments in your list at all.