If you’re itching to get to our recommendations for the best home multi gym on the market then simply click below. If not, read on our buyer’s guide…..
It’s a sad fact to report, but obesity levels in the UK and USA are rising fast – for the UK alone, over 35 million adults are classed as overweight or obese. That’s an almost unbelievable 63% of the population! For reference, obesity is classed as a BMI of over 30.
The best ways to counteract this depressing trend are to:
- Change your diet – we recommend looking at our Eatwell guide for this and making a diet plan. It often takes a “Eureka moment” to make this crucial step (for me it was seeing double chins!), but we all have to do it at some stage if we desire to drive change.
- Start being more active – whether this is simply walking more, taking up an active hobby like dancing or dipping your toe into cardio-intensive sports like badminton or squash, being active can seriously improve both your mental and physical wellbeing.
- Start performing some basic resistance training on key parts of your body – be this by using a resistance band or traditional weight training at a gym or at home. The weights do not have to be heavy to still have major impact on your shape and metabolism.
Home Multi Gyms
There are massive advantages to buying some weights equipment to use at home, providing you have a garage or spare room to store them in of course.
- no expensive monthly gym fees to pay
- gym equipment holds its value very well and can easily be sold on for little financial loss
- can work-out when it suits you, with no commute time
- no intimidation or embarrassment – lift the puniest weights in your collection if you like – nobody is watching!
- With greater public consciousness of viruses such as Covid-19, working out at home could be considered a safer option in terms of protecting your health.
Possibly the best piece of equipment to invest in for home training is the multi-gym. They are obviously not cheap, but they have some major advantages over multiple combinations of racks, benches and free weights.
- For starters, a multi gym is a very space efficient and compact way of fitting weights together into a machine which is able to exercise all the major muscle groups of your body. The manufacturer’s of the best home multi gym designs have often put superb space-saving features into their products which do not compromise the workout you can obtain from them. Yes, weights lifted by pulleys do not give as much ‘muscle twitch’ as free weights, but we think in terms of practicality in the average home a multi gym make a very good alternative.
- A second major reason is safety. If you’re training by yourself at home with free weights, there is always a risk of accidents happening, especially if you are pushing yourself. Multi-gyms use systems of pulleys which mean that you can never get trapped under a bar for example when your chest muscles give up.
- Finally, a multi-gym requires very little reconfiguration to perform exercises on different muscles. Free weights require different benches in different configurations which take time to setup. The multi gym is ready to go for whatever exercise you want to try next.
- If weight loss is your goal then multi gym fat exercises are simple to perform and can achieve very striking results in short periods of time. Three sets of elatively high reps (15-20 reps per muscle group) can very quickly burn fat, especially in combination with reduced calorie intake and optional thermogenic supplementation.
Demand for home multi-gyms has increased considerably over the last year or two due to the various lockdowns and public restrictions. Some stockists have had trouble getting multi-gyms delivered and so demand rises even further. There is also considerable variety of machines and new competitors making them.
So which multi-gym do you choose? Well, we’ve done the heavy lifting for you and identified the six best home multi-gyms.
Decathlon Domyos Weight Training Rack 900
The Decathlon group is a big name in the fitness industry. And their subsidiary Domyos seems to stand out when it comes to fitness equipment.
Decathlon takes its product testing seriously. The testing includes a panel of fifteen users and then a long-term placement at a fire station for this specific one.
The assembly can take a couple of hours, but understanding the instructions should be a piece of cake. It weighs around 100kgs. But this is because the body itself is made from 100% steel with rubber caps.
This rack is part of a bigger home gym set-up which includes the inclined bench. But there are still a lot of exercises you can do with just this rack and some weights. These include bar squats, hanging leg raises, chin-ups, and more.
You can use the drop-down bar for high and low pulley hauls and the chin-up bar for pull-ups and other hanging exercises. You could also buy the inclined Decathlon Corength bench and make the set more complete. Doing this would allow you to use the rack and the bench as a proper gym set-up for your chest workout.
One benefit of this sort of gym home system is no limits on the weights. Since the weights are separate, you can go as high as you want on this home gym.
PROS
- Relatively inexpensive
- Durable
- High weight resistance capacity
- Adjustable bar support pegs
CONS
- Bench not included
Inspire Fitness BL1 Multigym
If you are short of space then we highly recommend the Inspire Fitness BL1 multigym. It is an ingenious design.
Measuring only 204 x 137 x 64 cm under normal operation, the BL1 can be easily placed in a bedroom or spare room without having to brave a chilly garage.
So what’s so ingenious about it? Well to keep the size so compact and bijou, it doesn’t actually have its own weights but instead relies on the weight of the user to provide resistance – this actually works extremely well because normally strength goes hand-in-hand with weight, so being petite is not an impediment and the BL1 will still work well for you.
What exercises can you do with the BL1?
Multiple exercises are possible such as:
- incline bench press
- pectoral flies
- dumbbell flies
- rows
- lat pull down
- bicep curls
- leg extension and curl
As you can see this is a pretty extensive list from such a compact piece of gear.
In Use
We found that it was possible to get an excellent workout with the BL1 and that it is extremely quiet to operate (apart from our groans of pain!). The silent operation means it could be suitable for houses with close neighbours who don’t want to hear weights clanging around or being dropped on the floor.
The BL1 can be easily adjusted to accommodate different height users from 5ft to well over 6ft. Some of the exercises are performed in slightly strange positions which took a bit of getting used to – because you are effectively lifting yourself, your body shifts upwards slightly as you extend the levers for say the bench press. All exercises must be performed whilst seated of course so that the machine can utilize your weight effectively.
The resistance can be changed between 15 different levels with each piling on an extra 10% of your weight. So level 5 is 50% of your weight which can be quite alot if you’re heavy, but not much if you’re small and strong for your size. Luckily the BL1 will offer resistance up to 150% of your weight.
Overall we were very impressed with the small size and quietness of the Inspire Fitness BL1 multi gym. It is perfect for home use and uses superb quality powder-coated steel in its construction. We love it.
PROS
- Compact
- Almost noiseless operation
- Great quality materials and construction
- Looks great
- Different exercise options
- Novel design
CONS
- Can be low resistance if you're strong but small
Sportstech HGX100
Sportstech offers a couple of different multi-gyms. This one is the most popular, and it is easy to see why.
The Sportstech HGX100 is a durable and versatile multi-gym boasting over 30 different exercises available for each of your muscle groups. It’s a full-body workout machine with a helpful colour chart on the weight stack. The chart visualizes how you can target different muscle groups with various exercises on this multi-gym.
This multi-gym is not too big and should fit in the average British home. The seat and the backrest are covered with EVA leather which is water-resistant and yet breathable. So no odour builds up where you workout every day.
It is German-engineered to ensure a robust and stable lifespan. Hence, it does not wobble much while you are working out.
The handles are also water-resistant, so you should not feel them getting all slippery when doing chest presses.
There is a high pulley system here you can use with a lat bar, a short bar, or a tricep strap. The pulley itself is extra-wide for doing away with noise and uses steel cables for strength and flexibility.
The chest press station is pretty standard, with about 55 kg of weight resistance. If you are used to working out in the gym, this might feel a bit on the lower side. But, it should be fine for others.
There is also a pad for bicep curls and arm-focused workouts.
At the bottom, you have the leg workout section for sitting leg raises and other lower body exercises. You can also use the ankle attachment accessory with this multi-gym for exercises shown on the colour chart.
PROS
- German-engineered
- Hefty and durable
- 30 different possible exercises
- Helpful colour chart for targeting muscle groups
- Moderately-priced
CONS
- It may not be ideal for taller people
Marcy’s Smith Machine SM400
Marcy’s is a range of fitness equipment designed by Impex Fitness, an old and established brand in the fitness equipment world.
Their products are designed to provide a gym-level strength workout’s robust and intense experience at home without compromising convenience and safety.
The Marcy SM4000 is a big multi-gym with an included fully adjustable bench and padded seat and backrest. The frame itself is made from thick 14-gauge stainless steel, which makes it robust and durable.
The first thing you might notice about this multi-gym is the Smith Machine lifting system. And this is where safety meets functionality. Since the frame holds the barbell back from any horizontal movement, you only have to worry about the vertical movement. So you do your squats without a spotter.
There are many hooks for racking the barbell, so you can get it off your hands at any time during the rep easily and avoid any injuries.
As one would expect, it also has a lat bar at the top. You have the option of replacing it with a short bar or a tricep rope for different exercises. So this part gives you the ability to do some shoulder and back exercises, among others. The pulley system has sealed ball bearings for a smooth glide.
Then there’s the pec-deck chest press. The arms are stand-alone, so you do not have to do both sides at the same time. Thanks to this design, you can easily do single-handle rows, something some multi-gyms lack.
The bench has commercial-grade strength and allows you to go all the way from upright to flat. Therefore, you can use it to do incline and decline barbell presses and crunches.
And at the bottom, you have the leg rest. You can use it for leg curls or combined with the included preacher pad; you can use it for preacher curls.
How Heavy Is The Bar?
The bar on the SM4000 is fairly light at around 10kg and can be adjusted to accept standard 1” weights or the more professional Olympic-sized plates with the 2” aperture.
Using the SM4000
Marcy typically make very high quality gear, and the SM4000 is no exception. We found it was solid, dependable, and able to support 135kg of plates which is more than enough for most mortals. Sadly you have to fork out separately for the weights, and they are not particularly cheap.
This is an excellent machine for building muscle and increasing calorie burn significantly. You can get lean or put on size depending on your preferences. The SM4000 is fantastic for working the big muscles in your body like your quads, lats, pecs and biceps etc. Just remember that you need a decent amount of space to store the machine – it’s 2.1m tall and 2.54 x 1.98m in floor area.
Marcy Smith Machine Lubricant
Marcy recommend keeping their smith machine lubricated in order to maintain the ultra-smooth lifting action of the bar. In particular the various pulleys, vertical guide rods and ball-bearing slide mechanism can benefit from regular spraying of PFTE lubricant or similar silcone spray. We cannot see that this needs doing particularly often (perhaps once a year), but it’s worth bearing in mind.
Conclusions
All in all, the Marcy SM4000 is an extremely solid and versatile strength training multi-gym. But remember, it’s a big beast, and will take up most of your garage. You will also have to buy some weight plates to use the Smith’s machine properly. Overall though this gives you everything you could possibly need from a home multi gym.
PROS
- Safe Smith Machine
- Strong adjustable bench
- Easily understandable instructions
- Hefty and robust 14-gauge steel frame
- Smooth glide pulley
CONS
- May need some occasional PTFE lubrication
Fit4Home TF3001C1 Multi-Gym
This Fit4Home TF3001C1 multi-gym is a bit different from the others we have looked at so far. For starters, it incorporates a solid punching bag and speedball at the side. These should help with endurance exercises and hand-eye coordination on top of the strength training it can provide.
The whole package arrives in around seven different boxes, none too heavy for a single guy. The instructions are simple enough, and the equipment is all numbered, so you do not get confused. Putting the whole thing together might take at least 2-3 hours or more if you have not assembled a multi-gym before.
Once assembled, it is tall and has a slim footprint. But since the punching bag and the speedball are on the sides, you might want to have some space on each side for standing.
There are three stations on this multi-gym, including the punching bag, the speedball, and the main workout station. The weight stack is 50 mg which should be suitable for moderate-intensity workouts.
The central station includes a high-pulley system for lat bar and other exercises targeting your shoulders, back, and biceps, among others. The pulley system here uses two pulleys rather than one for ensuring a smooth glide function.
The seat and the backrest are cushioned and padded for durability. Where you sit, you can do both chest presses and chest flyes.
At the foot of this multi-gym, you have the leg and bicep curl exercise section. You can train your quads, core, and lower body relaxor muscles on this section with exercises like curls and resistive leg raises.
PROS
- Punching bag and speedball
- Lean footprint
- Double pulleys for smooth action
- Relatively inexpensive
CONS
- 50 kg may be limiting for regular gym people
FIT4HOME TF3003C Multi Gym
The FIT4HOME TF3003C is a relatively large and sturdy multi-gym for the home. Its tubular steel structure and 80 kgs of in-built weights make it highly suitable for strength training, although some bodybuilders might baulk at such a low headline weight level.
It took us around 8 hours to put the TF3003C together which is a sizeable amount of time, but it is worth doing methodically and securely. Size is around 2.6 x 2.1 x 2.1m and it takes up about a third of a typical garage space.
The weights of the multi gym are covered in protective nets to avoid any mishaps and each seat is padded with cushioned backrests, so you are always comfortable during your workout. Quality of the cushioning is good, and we don’t envisage it ripping or wearing away in a hurry.
There are three main parts to the Fit4home and they all work well and are integrated nicely together. They include a section for legs (presses, curls and extension), a dip station, and a main area for working your chest, core, lats, and arms (biceps and triceps).
There is an extremely wide range of different exercises you can do with this multi gym, and there is not enough space to go into all of them here – suffice to say that you will not be disappointed with the range of options. It’s also one of the few multi-gyms on the market with a proper leg press station which can be additionally loaded up with your own weight plates if you find the 80kg a little easy.
Moving on to the dip station, you can use this part for dips, chair hanging leg raises, and a bunch of other exercises for your core as well as your upper and lower body. We really liked this as it enables you to use your own body weight for some serious ab workouts.
The main section of the Fit4home has a drop-down bar at the top, a bench-press in the middle where you sit, and the lower section is for leg curls. You can use the drop-down bar for back pulls, lat exercises, etc. The middle section is for your chest and triceps workouts.
You can do horizontal chest presses for a tricep-focused chest workout or vertical ones for a more chest-focused workout. Furthermore, you can use the leg curl section for both leg and arm curls.
Overall, the FIT4HOME Multi Gym is one of the best on the market and will seriously enhance your calorie burn and muscle workouts. We recommend it.
PROS
- Versatile
- Durable
- Comfortable seat
- 80 kgs of resistance
- Full-body workout
- Separate dip and leg press stations
- More than one person can use it at the same time
CONS
- Large
- Expensive
Factors to Consider Before Buying a Home Multi Gym
Space
Multi-gyms come in different shapes and sizes. Some like the Domyos Compact Home Gym have a sleek, thin, and long footprint. Others like the Fit4Home cover more space. Generally, home gyms can take up some considerable space, considering that you will need to exercise in different positions when you use it.
So you should always remain mindful of the dimensions mentioned in the product specifications of these gyms.
Weights/Resistance
People used to more challenging strength training may have an issue with the resistance level of home gyms. Sometimes, home gyms have limited weights with no extensions available. Hence, you just have to make do with what you have.
But for people starting on their new fitness regimes and those who just want to keep in shape, the default weights should do fine.
Our advice would be to go with the most weights and then adjust the resistance settings to your liking. So the weight ceiling can rise with your fitness level rather than the capacity of the machine.
Your Exercise Goals and Target Muscle Groups
You also need to consider the purpose you are buying a home gym for. If you are buying it for the sake of working out at the luxury of your home or just generally shedding routine flab, you can buy one of these with your eyes closed.
But if you have specific fitness goals in mind, you should ensure your home gym can accommodate these goals. For example, if you are trying to bulk up, a home gym could do the job. But if you are already reasonably fit and plan to grow further, you should look for a multi-gym that can go the distance with you.
Similarly, suppose you target specific muscle groups. In that case, it is vital to make sure your home gym supports exercises related to those muscles. For example, compact home gyms like the Domyos compact gym may not have separate leg press stations. So you will have to target the leg relaxor muscles in some other way.
FAQs
1. How much space do I need for a multi-gym?
The space needed is different for each multi-gym. So, you have to keep an eye on the product dimensions given in the details.
You should keep in mind that multi-gyms are heavy so if you have doubts about the strength and integrity of the floor, find a better place to put it.
2. Can I lose weight using a multi-gym?
Yes, you can lose weight using a multi-gym. However, these gyms are usually more focused on strength training.
So if you want to lose weight, eating right and doing some cardio like running or biking along with strength training on your multi-gym should be the right mix of exercises.
3. How much weight resistance should a multi-gym have?
The amount of weight resistance you need depends on your level of fitness. For instance, if you have been doing bench presses for a while, your strength level might be beyond the 50 kg weight stack range.
However, if you are new to strength training and a medium amount of weight works for you, multi-gyms should generally cater to your needs well.
Conclusion
So these were our five best home multi-gyms. As you might have noticed, they were all different and offered unique features.
Some are more versatile, moderate-intensity while others take up less space. Each has its unique feature. Whatever you choose to buy, keep the factors we listed in the buying guide in mind. The best multi-gym should be the one that meets your requirements specifically.
