Also known as a cable gym or cable crossover, a functional trainer is one of the most versatile workout equipment that you can acquire for your home gym. Basically, this machine is composed of pulleys, cables, and weights in 2 stacks. When combined, these parts enable you to do many types of exercises for strengthening your back, biceps, triceps and other muscles.
Ideally, a cable gym should be enough for a full-body workout, all while occupying very little floor space. Due to these benefits, we have reviewed 6 of the best functional trainers that you should consider buying for your home gym.
Best Functional Trainers On The Market Today Are:
- Inspire Fitness Ft2 Functional Trainer and Smith Station (Inspire FT2 (with Bench))
- Inspire Fitness SCS Smith System/Cage System (All in One Gym) (Inspire SCS System (No Bench)
- FORCE USA Monster G3 Power Rack
- XMark Functional Trainer Cable Machine with Dual 200 lb. Weight Stacks
- FreeMotion Dual Cable EXT Crossover with Weight Stacks, Rotating Arms, Ankle Cuffs, and Swivel Pulleys
- Valor Fitness BD-62 Wall Mount Cable Station
Best Compact Smith Machines
Inspire Fitness FT2 Functional Trainer Review
Additionally, the unit has a built-in smith machine, which enables you to do your squats, while also working out your upper and lower body muscles.
The core of the machine though is two independent 165-pound weight stacks and a dual pulley system that is adjustable to 32 different positions. With such a setup, you can practically exercise any part of your body, from the chest to biceps, back, legs, etc.
With these weights and pulleys, a weight multiplier is also built-in and it has double the maximum resistance so as to be of use to heavy lifters.
Who is this trainer designed for?
Not everyone can use the FT2 because it has a user weight limit, which is capped at 330 pounds or 150 kilos. However, this is quite high and covers a wide bracket of people.
Size
This piece has a heavy-duty 11-gauge rectangular tubular steel frame, which when combined with the parts, measures 61 inches in width and 58 inches in depth without the bench. With the bench included, this depth extends to 89 inches.
As for the height, the minimum and maximum are 83 and 88 inches respectively.
Features
- Two independent 165-pound weight stacks with center drilled holes and magnetic weight safety pins.
- High precision steel ball-bearing system.
- Dual pulley system with 32 adjustable positions.
- 8 pull points: four low points, two high narrow points, and two wide adjustable points.
- Built-in smith machine.
- Adjustable pull-up bar.
- Fully loaded with an SCS bench, leg conversion kit, and leg extension adjustment.
- Dual hook straight bar, curl bar, two water bottles, D-rubber handles, triceps rope, 2 x 5-pound add-on weights, belt and sport handle included as accessories.
Warranty
For commercial use, this piece is covered by a 10-year warranty on the frame, 1-year on parts and 3 months on the upholstery. However, for home use, you get a lifetime warranty on the frame, 3 years on parts, 2 years on cables and 3 months on the upholstery.
Brand
With a footprint in the fitness industry from the year 2003, Inspire Fitness has a combined experience of over 100 years, and this goes into making the best gym equipment there is.
Inspire Fitness SCS Smith System Review
That said, this unit is built using a heavy-duty frame that has 3-inch round and 2 x 4-inch oval 11-gauge steel tubes, making it very sturdy. Commercial grade cables are also included for enhancing the overall durability of this product.
Another feature that contributes to the trainer’s high rating is high precision steel ball bearing system, which gives a smooth pulling action and requires no maintenance throughout the machine’s lifespan.
Who is this trainer designed for?
This is not mentioned but going with the description of SCS’ bigger sibling (the FT2), this functional trainer should be ideal for users who weigh about 300 – 350 pounds.
Size
When fully assembled, this piece measures 75 inches lengthwise, 61 inches in width and has a maximum height of 87 inches. This large size is due to the inclusion of a built-in smith cage. There is also a bench option and this increases the width to 99 inches.
Features
- Two 165-pound weight stacks with 2 x 50-pound and 2 x 5-pound optional add-on weights (maximum of 110 pounds per pulley).
- Adjustable pulley system to low or high settings.
- Adjustable pull-up bar.
- High precision steel ball-bearing system.
- 6 pull points: 2 high narrow, 2 low narrow and 2 adjustable wide pulley points.
- Built-in smith cage.
- Weight multiplier with a 1:2 resistance ratio.
- Ankle strap, multi-function belt, 2 rubber D handles, and 2 multi-ring D handles included as accessories.
Warranty
For home use, this product is covered by a limited lifetime warranty on the frame and parts but for light commercial use, the coverage reduces to 10 years.
Brand
As stated earlier, Inspire Fitness has been in operation from 2003 and with all those years of experience in the industry, their products are designed for effective workout sessions, while also being very durable.
FORCE USA Monster G3 Review
Additionally, it features a chin-up station and a built-in smith machine, which has an angled design to allow your body to move as naturally as possible. Combined, these further extend the unit’s workout capabilities.
However, the machine does not have weight stacks built-in but instead, features weight storage plates, in which you can fit in differently-weighted barbells.
Who is this trainer designed for?
The Monster G3 is a very sturdy functional trainer and its chin-up station is rated to handle up to 770 pounds, which is roughly 350 kilos. This pretty much covers every type of person.
Size
This unit is relatively compact because it measures 51 x 55 inches, with a height of 87 inches.
Features
- Allows you to perform 75+ exercises.
- Built-in smith machine, with an angled design to allow for natural body movements.
- Adjustable J-hooks and safety arms.
- Westside spacings with 50 different adjustment points, which are numbered.
- Weight storage plates for fitting in barbells.
- 2:1 pulley ratio.
- Nylon-coated aircraft-grade cables that have a weight rating of 2000 pounds.
Warranty
The G3 is covered by a lifetime structural warranty on the frame, 2 years on the cables and pulleys, and 3 months on the general wear and tear.
Brand
Force USA prides itself in making strong, durable and customizable gym equipment for light commercial or home use, and with this Monster G3, the aspect of customization is clearly visible, considering that you are left to fit in any weight that you want, though it shouldn’t exceed the 2000-pound max rating.
Best Home Gym Cable Machines
XMark Functional Trainer Review
The machine’s soul is composed of two, independent 200-pound weight stacks that are coupled with quick adjusting pulleys, which have 19 different adjustment settings that are spaced 3.5 inches apart.
Another benefit you get with this XM-7626 is a heavy-duty 2 x 3-inch 11-gauge steel frame, which is very sturdy, and holds all the parts plus your weight comfortably for effective workouts.
Who is this trainer designed for?
The maximum user weight capacity is not mentioned but with its heavy-duty frame, this functional trainer should comfortably handle a 300-pound (roughly 136 kg) user.
Size
No bench is included with this XM-7626 functional trainer kit and therefore, it occupies a fixed size when fully assembled, which is 65 inches in width, 43.5 inches in length and 83 inches in height.
Features
- Dual 200-pound weight stacks.
- Adjustable pulleys with 19 different slots spaced 3.5 inches apart.
- Heavy-duty 11-gauge steel frame.
- Split grip pull-up bar.
- 35+ possible exercises.
- 17-inch long strap handles, short bar, 23-inch triceps rope, 8-inch hand straps, ankle strap, leg curl strap, a 42-inch long bar, and a workout poster included as accessories.
Warranty
This trainer is covered by a lifetime warranty on the frame, as well as a 1-year warranty on all other parts.
Brand
XMark is a family-owned business and though quite small in size, it has over 20 years of experience and with this, they build high-quality machines with the users in mind. This results in effective home and commercial gym equipment that are sturdy and very durable.
FreeMotion EXT Dual Cable Review
The machine also has an open design that is accessible to people in wheelchairs, making it ADA compliant and ideal for all users.
On the inside are two independent 210-pound weight stacks that can allow two users to work out at the same time and everything is held together by a 7 and 11-gauge steel tube frame.
Who is this trainer designed for?
With such a strong frame, this unit can comfortably support up to 350 pounds in weight, covering a wide majority of users.
Size
The dual cable EXT is quite large in size, with a length of 60 inches, a width of 113 inches and a height of 84 inches.
Features
- Dual, independent 210-pound weight stacks.
- Vertically and horizontally adjustable arms (12 and 9 inches respectively).
- Heavy-duty 7 and 11-gauge tubular steel frame.
- Open and ADA-compliant wheelchair-accessible design.
- 3:1 cable ratio gives extensive cable travel and smooth resistance at high speeds.
Warranty
With this investment, you get a lifetime warranty for the frame, 10 years for the parts, 12 months for the cables and 90 days for labor.
Brand
Freemotion prides itself on being an innovative company and this can be seen clearly in this dual cable EXT, which is very unique and a first of its kind.
Valor Fitness BD-62 Review
The unit actually has a space-saving and lightweight design, and because of this, brackets are built-in for wall mounting. This is necessary for stability and support since the light structure cannot handle your full-body workouts on its own.
For the actual lifting, a dual pulley system is used and it has 16 adjustment positions to allow you to carry out a wide variety of unilateral and bilateral exercises.
On the weight section, a double bar track holds weights in the plates on both sides steadily, and also allows them to move smoothly as you work out. However, there is a limit to the amount of weight that you can put on this section, which is 250 pounds.
Who is this trainer designed for?
This machine lacks a chin-up station at the top and therefore, it can be used by anyone to do the rest of the exercises that it offers.
Size
As mentioned earlier, the BD-62 is very compact, measuring only 24.5 x 25 inches, with a height of 80 inches.
Features
- A maximum weight load capacity of 250 pounds.
- Dual pulley system with 16 adjustment positions.
- Compact and lightweight, with built-in brackets for wall mounting.
- Double bar track.
- Accessorized with two strap handles, which are adjustable in five different positions.
Warranty
This functional trainer is covered by a 3-year frame warranty and a 1-year cable warranty.
Brand
Since 2006, Valor Fitness has been making different gym equipment for home and commercial use and currently, they have about 400 different products to their name, including this BD-62. One major factor that they put into consideration is affordability so that you can maintain fitness on a budget.