Workout At Home with the Best Home Gym
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Bowflex Revolution Home Gym -
Powertec Fitness Home Gym -
Body Solid G9S Home Gym -
BodyCraft Elite Home Gym -
Powerline P2X Home Gym -
Buyer's Guide
If you’re really dedicated to living a healthier lifestyle then you probably own - or are looking to own - a home gym. There are many of home gym systems available and they’re all different from one another including their size to the number of stations they provide. Quality and size are big factors when it comes to choosing the perfect home gym for your exercise room, but there are a few other things to consider.
These best home gyms in 2022 were selected because of abundant stations like the leg press and lat pull down, the amount of weight they offer and the occasional double stack of weights to allow more than one user at a time, as well as including assorted special features like extra bars, cuffs, instructional DVDs, and accessory racks.
The Best Home Gym Models of 2022 in Detail
Bowflex Revolution Home Gym - Best Home Gym Overall
Bowflex has transformed the home gym industry with innovative products like the Revolution. This home gym offers almost anything you could want in a home gym with an impressively small footprint. The SpiraFlex resistance technology feels like a free weight system and with additional equipment, the Revolution can offer up to 300 pounds of resistance for upper body movements and 600 pounds for lower body exercises.
This home gym is like a Transformer with the way it moves around to provide you with over 100 exercises in laying, sitting, and standing positions. Along with the arms, Bowflex also offers ankle cuffs and a leg curl/extension for your workout as well as an exercise DVD and optional accessory rack to enhance your experience. It doesn’t have a traditional lat pull down, but that’s ok as this machine offers multiple variations that are just as effective. As if that were not enough, Revolution offers a built in row machine for cardio and folds up to save space when not in use.
Powertec Fitness Home Gym - Runner Up
Power Tec is perhaps better known for their gym machines, but the Work Bench MultiSystem is made for the serious home strength trainer and probably one of the largest home gyms on the market today. Unlike other home gyms relying on weight stacks, the MultiSystem uses traditional weight plates for more weight variation options while allowing up to 500 pounds on some exercises. Using weight plates also allows up to three people to use this gym at the same time since you’re not all sharing one weight stack at once.
This home gym doesn’t have a leg press machine, but it does provide a standing squat bar and wide base designed to work the same muscles as a leg press in a slightly more traditional manner. The base model is missing a few stations but it offers plenty of add-ons to make up for it like a curl station, leg extension, pec/fly extension, weight plates, and an accessory holder.
Body Solid G9S Home Gym - Honorable Mention
Body Solid offers a lot of really nice home gyms but the G9S has to be the best overall. This multi-station, two stack home gym has pretty much anything you could ever ask for in a home gym. Two weight stacks offer 210 pounds of weight each with the option to add an additional 50 pounds on each stack. The two stacks also mean multiple people can use this weight system, especially fitness-loving families. The multiple stations allow you to duplicate nearly any gym exercise within the comfort of your own home. This home gym comes with a ton of add-ons as well like an accessory rack, leg press, power tower, and various mechanical upgrades.
BodyCraft Elite Home Gym - Consider
Body Craft is one of those companies with a few select products deserving a little attention. For starters, a double up feature unique to this home gym allows you to use up to 400 pounds of resistance for some exercises. The Elite has an awesome design which packs a lot of stations into a tiny foot print making it one of the most comprehensive home gyms available. It boasts pretty much every station you could possibly need for a total body workout with the option of adding a leg press machine. Unfortunately it only has one weight stack but it more than makes up for that fact with an abundance of accessories including bars, cuffs, a DVD, water bottle, and a workout book.
Powerline P2X Home Gym - Best Home Gym
The Powerline PX2 is a prime example of what a Home gym should be. It has a small footprint but has a wonderfully design to give you pretty much every station you could possibly need, including the lat pull down and row; however, it’s missing the leg press which is available as an extra add-on.
What makes this leg press add-on special compared to other home gyms is it can be mounted on either side of the gym to better suit your needs. This home gym also uses uses a two-to-one pulley ration to double the amount of weight for the leg press.
The best weight offered is a little disappointing at 160 pounds, but the option to add another 50 pounds to the stack slightly makes up for this shortcoming. This home gym doesn’t come with any extra features other than the weight stack and leg press but this helps to keep the price down and the systems overall footprint small. Additionally, the Powerline brand is owned by Body Solid so you know you’re getting a dependable product.
Buyer's Guide
Meta description: We take you through the things you need to consider when looking for best home gym for a killer workout session.
A home gym or multi-gym is a piece of equipment that allows you to execute many workouts at one station. They combine bench press, leg extension, and pulley stations. These are also called multi-gyms. They are made to save space, and so you can enjoy working out from home.
There are plenty of reasons to use a home gym and plenty of products on the market. Buying the best home gym might seem like a daunting task, but there are several factors and features you can consider to make the task easier.
Continue reading to find out more.
Reasons to use a home gym
You can stick to your fitness routine
Sometimes the hardest part about using the gym is finding the motivation to go in the first place. You need to pack your things and possibly contend with heavy traffic on the way. A home gym bypasses all these problems, leaving you to palace all of your energy into your workout.
You can save time
Not only will you save time traveling to and from the gym, but you will also save time waiting in lines to use the equipment.
You can work out when it works for you
With a home gym, you can work out whenever you want, not just when you know the traffic and your chosen gym will be quiet. Of course, you can also watch your favorite show whilst you lift weights.
You have control over your environment
You don’t need to worry about a dress code in your own home, so feel free to strip off if you are too hot! Similarly, you can adjust the thermostat, open windows, or put a fan directly upon your home gym station to stay cool.
You get privacy
It isn’t a nice feeling to be watched when you work out. Working out from home alone solves this problem.
You can design your ideal home gym setup perfect for you
Whatever goals you have in mind will be achieved quicker by having the right equipment you need in one place.
Things to consider when buying a home gym
Frame
The base of a multi-gym is usually an adjustable bench with multiple purposes. It also usually has a backrest. Multi-gyms also possess lower and upper pulleys. The wire ropes on the multi-gym should be made of durable materials for safety reasons. Look for multi-gyms that use nylon-covered steel rope.
Multi-gym categorization:
Multi-gyms come in two categories, either with weight plates or weight discs. Weight plates all measure the same diameter but have varying weights. Weight discs have varying diameters to match the varying weights.
Some people prefer weight discs because the visual progression weight assists you with the progress you are making. For instance, swapping a disc for a visually larger disc might help you visualize becoming closer to completing your goals.
Alternatively, you may prefer the physicality of having plates that get thicker but are the same diameter; the choice is yours.
Multi-gym types
You can choose a multi-gym based on what kind of workout you want to achieve. For example, if you want to train your chest and trapezius muscles, you may opt for a bench press multi-gym. This can be attached to the frame of the multigym. However, we recommend getting a setup that allows you to train all muscle groups - pulley and bench press combined. This will allow you to train trapezius muscles, triceps, and biceps.
Leg extension stations include leg presses, squat extensions, additional leg curl extensions, and others.
We recommend buying a combined multi-gym. This includes a bench press and pulley with an additional leg press. It will help you exercise every part of the body, so one device is enough to provide regular workouts.
With this machine, you can exercise your chest muscles, biceps, and legs. Strengthen your back muscles and arms with the upper pulley, and simulate a rowing movement with the lower pulley. Side pulleys are used to bulk biceps, and leg extensions will strengthen your legs.
If you have a considerable budget to splash out on your gym, you can find machines that allow you to perform lateral raises too.
Maximum weight limit
For many home multi-gym products on the market, the weight limit is up to 130 kg. However, you may be able to find some that support weights of up to 150 kg. You must follow the manufacturer’s guidance regarding how much weight you apply to your home multi-gym.
If you work out intensely at home, investing in a sturdy frame to support the weights you want is important.
Space available
When making room for a multi-gym, you should clear space of about 2.5m in height and 3 m in length. When shopping, consider the features you need. For instance, if you know you only want to train your upper body at home, you can save space on a leg press.
There are space-saving home gyms available if you are very short on space.
Storage
You might want to consider how easily your home gym stores away, although most people are happy to leave their home gym set up all the time.
Assembly
Only buy a home gym if the manufacturer will set it up for you. This ensures that the product will remain sturdy and safe to use.
Warranty
Make sure that your multi-gym comes with at least a 5-year warranty. Multi-gyms are expensive, and a manufacturer should be confident in their product to offer this to you.
Home gym price range
For a decent multi-gym, you should budget between $415 and $1000. Of course, you can spend much more than this, but you should be able to create a multi-gym that exercises all parts of your body for this price.
FAQs
Can you build up muscle with a multi-gym?
Yes, you can build up muscle with a multi-gym. However, a multi-gym can only hold a certain amount of weight. When you become too strong for this, you might want to invest in free weights.
What are some exercises for the shoulders, legs, and abs?
- Dumbbell lunge
- Dumbbell squats
- Standing shoulder press
- Dumbbell upright rows
- Romanian dumbbell deadlift
- Seated calf raises
- Lateral raises
- Crunches with legs elevated
What are some exercises for the chest and back?
- Dumbbell bench press
- Dumbbell bent-over rows
- Dumbbell fly
- One-arm dumbbell rows
- Pushups
- Dumbbell pullovers