Are you looking for the best functional trainer for the home? Then you’re in luck! I have looked at dozens of functional trainers – just to let you know which are the BEST among the best.
Are you in a hurry?
Well, I’ve got a “cheat sheet” for you… Here is a quick look at the three best functional trainers:
- Xmark Functional Trainer Cable Machine: THE EDITORS CHOICE
- Body-Solid Powerline PFT100: The Affordable Choice
- MiM USA Hercules 1001: The Premium Choice
Now, let’s get into the nitty-gritty:
Contents
Best Functional Trainers Comparison
Buyer’s Guide to Purchasing a Functional Trainer
Alright.
So I might have got you convinced to consider buying a functional trainer for your home.
But you probably have all kinds of questions popping into your head:
- Which is the best functional trainer?
- What are you supposed to focus on when buying one?
- What features should it have?
The list goes on…
Don’t worry, though.
Along with answering your questions, I’ll guide you along the way, helping you to choose – and eventually purchase, the best functional trainer for your home.
Now, let’s start with some of the crucial features you should look at when buying a functional trainer.
The Equipment Size
Okay.
So this might seem pretty obvious – but it is still one of the most important things you need to consider before buying a functional trainer…
A functional trainer isn’t exactly a small machine or piece of equipment. While you can find small ones as well, these trainers can get quite BIG.
Therefore, you’ll have to carefully consider how much space you can carve out for a cable machine in your home. After you’ve figured that out, you can come up with a rough idea of how big a functional trainer you can – or want to buy.
Moreover, it’s not just the floor space that you have to think about. The height of the trainer matters as well.
You’ll find most of these trainers around six to seven feet high. Additionally, this height will increase further while you’re using the trainer and its different attachments.
In other words:
You have to think across all dimensions of this workout machine, and be sure it fits the room where it is supposed to be used!
Weight Stack
A functional trainer is a brilliant investment for your home gym or workout space. It offers a variety of exercises that target different areas of your body.
However:
The whole effectiveness of the cable machine comes down to its weight stacks! Ultimately, these weight stacks decide how much benefit you’re able to get out of the trainer…
Allow me to explain:
Basically, most of the exercises you’d do on these trainers involve some kind of resistance. Sometimes this is against your own body weight, and sometimes you need external resistance in the form of weight stacks. Your sets or exercises against this resistance are what help you build your muscle.
As you continue to get stronger, you’ll need more resistance – more weight stacks to help you keep growing and getting stronger.
Do you see where I’m going with this?
As a result, you need a functional trainer that not only comes with an adequate amount of weight stacks but also has more than enough for the future too.
Other than that, you can also explore single or dual-stack weight systems.
Versatility
Despite how much they help you save overall, these functional trainers aren’t exactly inexpensive.
More importantly, when you are spending all that money on a machine, you should at least be able to do more than one exercise on it.
Agree?
While you can get creative even with one piece of equipment, what you should really be looking for in your training machine is VERSATILITY.
So, where does this versatility come from?
Well, it mainly comes from the design and various attachments bundled with the functional trainer. Some trainers come equipped with multiple accessories, while some only have the space for them where you can buy separately addons and attach later on.
These attachments can include:
- Long and short bars,
- D handles,
- ankle cuffs,
- and others.
Over time, you’d want to add even more attachments and other equipment to make your trainer more versatile and multipurpose.
Mechanism
I believe it’s safe to assume that everyone who wants a functional trainer is interested in getting healthy or fit…
Consequently, you definitely don’t want to get hurt or injured, which you have a chance of going through if you don’t buy a cable machine that works smoothly…
I hope I didn’t lose you there.
To put it simply, a trainer is a complex machine made out of lots of different moving parts. More importantly, these parts should move around each other smoothly for you to pull them easily. Otherwise, if the pulleys aren’t proper, you’d be applying the wrong kind of pressure, which can be harmful to you in the long run.
Warranty
A functional trainer for your home isn’t something that you invest in again and again…
Ideally, you should do it just once. And it should be one of the best ones – so that you can get the most out of it while using it for a long time.
Therefore, besides looking at all these other features, one other way to ensure a good trainer is to look for one with a warranty. Along with some much-needed peace of mind, a warranty will help you quickly take care of any technical problems you face with any of the parts.
2024’s Reviews of The Best Functional Trainer for the Home
Finally, here’s the meat and potatoes of this article…
Understanding features and all are important, but we all know the real fun lies in actually shopping and buying the actual trainer!
Therefore, without waiting any further, let’s dive into the market of cable machines and see all that it has to offer. Even though you’ll find hundreds of different options, I’ve made things a bit easier for you and rounded up my top three best functional trainers for your home.
Xmark Functional Trainer Cable Machine
The Editor’s Choice
Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, man or woman, young or old, anyone will be able to get a fantastic workout done on this functional trainer from Xmark!
Just with one glance, you can tell that this is a solidly built machine that’ll stick with you for a long time.
With a heavy-duty steel frame, this cable machine measures 65 x 43.5 x 83 inches for a compact design even after fully assembled. The trainer is designed in such a way that it can accommodate other equipment as well for a more holistic workout. The machine’s mechanism consists of high-quality and smooth pulley systems that allow you to use it comfortably.
The cable machine features a dual-stack weight system of 200 pounds each. That’s a whopping total of 400 pounds! When you’re tired of pulling just those weights, there’s a whole range of other exercises you can try with the multiple attachments.
Some of these include hand straps, tricep rope, short bar, long bar, and more.
THE PROS
- Sturdy frame
- Compact dimensions
- Multi-user and multipurpose design
- Smooth operating mechanism
- Large stack weight
THE CONS
- A little hard to assemble
Body-Solid Powerline PFT100
The Affordable Choice
Who said you have to sell a limb for a good fitness trainer?
With the Body-Solid Powerline PFT100, you get a fantastic piece of gym equipment at an extremely reasonable price!
This simple machine consists of two weight stacks of 160 pounds each so that you have ample resistance in your workouts. Moreover, when you get used to that weight, you even have the option of adding in more weights at a later stage.
The Powerline PFT100 allows you to perform various exercises such as bicep curls, rows, trunk twists, and many more. There are multiple attachments as well to aid you, such as a chin-up bar and nylon cable handles.
There’s more, though:
the functional trainer measures 42.3 x 62.6 x 83 inches. This gives it a compact and narrow shape that you can easily fit in anywhere. The sturdy frame of the machine is also bound to last you a lifetime. if it doesn’t, there’s no need to worry. Best of all, the trainer comes with a warranty so you can take care of all the small breakdowns!
THE PROS
- Suitable for most people
- Allows multiple exercises
- Value for money
- Space-saving design
- Durable frame
- Warranty
THE CONS
- Not as many attachments
MiM USA Hercules 1001
The Premium Choice
When you need the most effective workouts and the best results – you need one of the absolute best functional trainers:
Let me present to you the MiM USA Hercules 1001 – the beast among home gym functional trainers.
Highest of all the three, the Hercules 1001 has a maximum stack weight of 555 pounds, which will push even the strongest of you to their limit. This fully-functional gym station has an asymmetrical shape to keep the weight balanced during your workouts. Moreover, the trainer comes with a complete machine as well as a bench so that you can perform all your sets super-smoothly.
There are several different attachments, such as rotating bars and weight rods. These will let you do different exercises and target different areas of your body. For instance, you can perform press squats, arm curls, lifts, weight inclines, and a lot more!
Measuring 60 x 80 x 87 inches, this functional trainer leaves a pretty big footprint. However, it feels that much more sturdy and tough. With a light commercial fell, you can rely on it to stay with you for a while.
THE PROS
- Comes with bench and machine both
- Various attachments and exercises possible
- Large weight stack
- Sturdy frame
THE CONS
- Takes a while to assemble
The Alternatives
If you would like to check out eve more alternatives – here are three of the models that just missed out on the top spots:
- Life Fitness
- Rep Fitness
- Inspire Functional Trainer
- PowerTec
- TuffStuff
These are all excellent functional trainers. Some of them come with a dual pulley system, some with a pull-up bar, and some with a double weight stack.
Go check them out to see if any of them fits YOUR needs!
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Best Functional Trainer?
There are many functional trainers, the best one, in my opinion, is the XMark model. Stacked with 400 pounds of weight – and high-quality build – this dual pulley system perfectly combines price and quality!
Are Functional Trainers Good?
Functional trainers are excellent for any home gym. By owning one of these machines, you will be able to do LOADS of exercises – targeting every single muscle of your body.
What is the Best Home Exercise Equipment?
Although many people will say functional trainers with a pulley system are by far the best home gym equipment – I personally disagree…
I prefer full bodyweight workouts using my own bodyweight… My own home gym consists of the following:
- Suspension trainer
- Ab wheel
- Weighted vest
- Resistance bands
- A pair of dumbbells
All of the above – and then some – can be purchased for the same amount of dollars as the functional trainers in this article…
How do you use a Functional Trainer?
Functional Trainers can be used in several ways. You can do bench press, curls, presses, flyes, pull exercises – and much more!
Using a functional training cable machine you can get to do a full-body workout without leaving your house!
What are The Most Important Features?
When buying a functional trainer cable machine, there are several features to consider. Some of them I have already explained, some others are:
- Do the functional machine have a proper dual pulley system with adjustable pulleys?
- Does it come with a dual cable set-up?
- Which type of weight stacks does the machine use? Dual weight stack, or single weight stack?
- Will you be able to use the functional trainer for calisthenics? Does it incorporate a pull-up bar into it’s design?
Will I be able to do Full Body Workouts?
With the best functional trainers, everything is in place for you to do full-body workouts. Dual cable, adjustable pulleys, pull-up bar, dual weight stacks.
“Marked increases in strength and endurance can be attained by resistance-trained individuals with just three 13-min weekly sessions over an 8-wk period, and these gains are similar to that achieved with a substantially greater time commitment.”
Reference: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
That is everything you will ever need to do TONS of different exercises, training every muscle of your body!
Final Words: Should You Get a Functional Trainer Cable Machine?
If you are looking for a full-body workout system, and you like a broad specter of exercises, purchasing one of these best functional trainers can be a good investment. They are easy to use, effective – and FUN!
Do bench press using the functional trainer cable feature. Or curls using the dual pulley system. Or what about some calisthenics from the pull-up bar? The possibilities are endless!
If you, on the other hand, want another kind of home gym equipment, there are several other options available. Check out the best of them by visiting my at-home strength-building archive, PACKED with effective workout equipment, tips, and hacks!
See you there!
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- What is the Best Squat Stands for Home Gym Use? Reviews and Top Picks
- What is the Best Power Rack for Home Gym? Reviews and Top Picks
- What is the Best Power Tower for Home Gym Use? Reviews, and Top Picks
