How to Choose an All-in-One Home Gym

The Stack Is Not What You Feel — Machines with a built-in weight stack are sold on its size: 200 pounds, 400 pounds. But the weight you feel at the handle depends on the cable ratio. At 1:1, the handle feels the full weight you pin. At 2:1, it feels half. A 400-pound stack on a 2:1 cable gives you 200 pounds at the handle.

Neither ratio is better. 2:1 makes light, smooth, high-rep cable work easy. 1:1 is for heavy strength work. The machines we carry show all three setups: one runs its plate-loaded cables at a fixed 2:1, where the handle resistance is half the weight you load; one lets you switch between 1:1 and 2:1; others run a 400-pound stack. Compare ratios before you compare stack sizes.

The Exercise Count — "300-plus exercises" is a count of every variation the manufacturer could list. It is not a spec. Look at the stations instead, and ask which ones you will use every week.

What Is Not in the Box — Plate-loaded machines need weight plates, and on every all-in-one we carry, plates are not included. A Smith machine and rack loaded properly can take hundreds of pounds of plates, which is a real addition to the budget, and to the weight on your floor.

All-in-one machines often publish two different weight limits, and they are easy to confuse.

Maximum User Weight — The heaviest person the machine is rated for. On the machines we carry that publish one, 300 to 350 pounds.

Maximum Capacity — The total load the machine is rated for, usually the user plus the plates. On the machines we carry, 555 to 800 pounds, depending on the model.

A machine rated to 800 pounds including the user is not rated for an 800-pound squat. Read both numbers, and check the total load of your heaviest lift, bar and plates plus your own weight, against the capacity.

All-in-ones combine stations, and more is not automatically better. Each one adds size, weight and assembly time.

Smith Machine — A barbell that runs on guide rods, so it can only move up and down. It is easier to use alone, because you can rack the bar at any point with safety catches. It is not the same as a free barbell, which moves however you move it. Many buyers want both: a Smith bar and a rack that takes a free bar.

Power Rack or Cage — A frame for free-bar squats and presses, with adjustable safety catches. Check the catches adjust to the heights you lift at.

Cable Columns or Functional Trainer — Two adjustable pulleys for rows, presses, flys and rotations. Check how many pulley heights there are, and whether the cable is long enough for full range at the top and bottom. One machine we carry numbers its pulley positions, so settings are repeatable.

Leg Press, Jammer Arms, Dip and Chin-Up — Useful if you will use them. The chin-up bar sits at the top of the frame, which matters for your ceiling in section four.

Bench and Attachments — Check a bench is included, and that it adjusts flat, incline and decline. Count the attachments you will use, not the total in the box.

Ceiling — All-in-ones are tall. The machines we carry stand 84 to 91 inches tall assembled, and a chin-up at the top needs room for your head above the bar. Measure the ceiling, and look for beams, lights and garage door tracks.

Footprint — The machines we carry take up to about 87 by 67 inches of floor. Add room around the frame to load plates, walk around it, and move a bench or bar in and out.

Floor — A fully loaded machine concentrates a lot of weight in one place. On a slab or garage floor that is fine. On an upper floor, check what the floor can carry. A rubber gym floor protects the surface and quiets dropped plates.

Garage — Garages are where many of these machines go, and garages get humid. On the machines we carry, surface rust is excluded from the warranty. Keep the machine dry, wipe it down, and ask what the finish is.

Delivery — Large all-in-ones arrive as many boxes by freight. The largest we carry ship in 12 to 21 boxes weighing 680 to 1,040 pounds together. Count every box and inspect before you sign, and note any missing or damaged box on the delivery receipt.

Assembly — On the machines we carry, assembly is not included. A large all-in-one is a long job for two people. Ask how long it takes, and whether local assembly is available, before the boxes arrive.

Returns — Returning a machine this size is expensive. On the machines we carry: orders cannot be cancelled once shipped, returns must be requested within 15 days and be new and in original packaging, and a restocking fee of up to 20 percent plus return shipping apply. Be sure of the model and your space before ordering.

The Warranty's Fine Print — Read three things:

1. 01Frame and Parts Separately — Frame warranties are long: lifetime, 5 years or 3 years on the machines we carry. Cables and pulleys, the parts that actually wear, are covered for 1 year.
2. 02Exclusions — Surface rust, improper assembly and transit damage are common exclusions. Assemble carefully and keep photos.
3. 03First Owner Only — Many home gym warranties end if you sell the machine.

"Commercial" appears in plenty of product names, including one we carry. It describes the build, not the warranty. On every all-in-one we carry, the manufacturer's warranty covers home use and excludes commercial application.

So a machine bought for a gym, a training studio, an apartment building's fitness room or a rental is, for warranty purposes, not a home machine. The first question for a commercial buyer is whether the maker offers a model warrantied for commercial use, in writing.

After that:

• Wear Parts — Cables, pulleys and pads wear far faster when many people use a machine all day. Ask about replacement parts and how quickly they ship; one maker we carry sells parts after the warranty ends.
• Simplicity — Unsupervised users need clear, safe setups. Smith bars with safety catches and pinned weight stacks are easier to use safely than plate-loaded stations.
• Space and Supervision — Plan the floor for several people at once, and check what your insurer and building require for unsupervised equipment.
• Service — Ask who repairs the machine near you, and how fast. A machine out of service is a complaint from every user.