Buyer's Bible: Multi Station Home Gyms

If you enjoy flexible training with a strong focus on building strength, then a multi station home gym is the perfect piece of fitness equipment for you!

These incredible gym machines combine multiple isolated exercises into the ultimate apparatus, offering you an endless number of potential workouts.

This buyer's guide was created to help you choose the right home gym for your space and goals. It will take you through the benefits of purchasing a multi station gym, what exercise stations you should look out for, and the importance of the weight stack, before providing some product recommendations based off your lifting experience. 

Benefits of Purchasing a Multi Station Home Gym

There are an infinite number of benefits to purchasing a home gym, so we're just going to delve into a few we think are most important. 

EXERCISE VARIETY

These bad boys take on an 'all or nothing' approach. We say this because they are specifically designed so that you can complete full body workouts with a single piece of fitness equipment. Some machines even have the capabilities of performing 40-50 different exercises!

You're new home gym will be able to be effortlessly incorporated into any upper or lower body day, or can be used to complete entire workouts on its own. 

USER FRIENDLY FOR EVERYONE

Home gyms are extremely easy to navigate and safe to use. It doesn't matter if you've just started training or your years into the game, a home gym will help you progress in your training long into your fitness journey. 

If you're a beginner then we definitely recommend a home gym over free weights. This is because they provide you with plenty of options for single joint movements, whilst also offering a controlled environment for your bigger compound exercises.

COMPACT DESIGN

Of course these machines are going to be fairly big, however, you'd be surprised at how many exercise stations you can comfortably fit in a smaller sized model. 

The beauty of multi station gyms is that you're combining multiple pieces of fitness equipment into one super-powered machine, inevitably saving you a TON of valuable floor space. 

AFFORDABLE

By choosing a home gym you're eliminating the need to buy a ton of additional equipment or machines, which can help save you hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars!

What Exercise Stations You Should Look For

It's important to look for a multi station home gym that is going to enable you to perform a wide variety of full body workouts. To do that, you're machine should always have at least 3 of these 4 stations.

HIGH AND LOW PULLEY'S

High and low pulleys are an absolute ESSENTIAL. These stations are where you're able to attach various attachments, such as a lat pull down bar, low row bar, or ankle cuff to perform a diverse range of movements.

You're high and low pulleys will be the most adaptable station's on your new home gym, enabling you to perform the biggest variety of exercises.

PEC DEC STATION 

A pec dec station is one of the best ways to isolate your chest. Traditionally used to perform fly's, this station will help you develop strength and size in the upper body.

PREACHER PAD

A preacher pad will quickly become a favourite when it comes to upper body day. Predominately used to target the biceps, a preacher pad will allow you to perform various curls, which are great for building your arms.

A preacher pad is a really great addition if you're looking for a home gym that offers more variety.

LEG PRESS OR LEG DEVELOPER

You're low pulley station will allow you to perform some lower body exercises, however, to ensure you're able to hit all areas your quads, hamstrings and glutes effectively, a leg developer or leg press station will be your best bet. 

Either of these stations will help you achieve a fully rounded the leg day, however, the leg press does offer a little more variety. This is because different foot positions on a leg press will allow you to target the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and abductors, whereas a leg developer is most effective for hitting the hamstrings and quads.

Choosing a home gym with a leg press station can be a little more costly and will require more space, so if you're looking for something a little more budget-friendly then a leg developer may be a better choice for you.

Picking a Winner Weight Stack

The weight stack is the most important component to any multi station home gym. This is because you want to choose the right amount of weight to keep up with you ever-growing strength.

As a general rule of thumb, the more weight the better. Although, there are some exceptions to this rule.

If you're new to weight training the you won't need a home gym with a 110kg weight stack, something around 60-70kg will do just fine. This because only very advanced athletes (who are basically super human) require weights this big. And, in all honestly, it would have taken them YEARS to get there.

The reason you don't need a home gym with a ton of weight is because you're performing isolated exercises. This means you're using fewer muscles to perform the movement. Compared to compound exercises, like deadlifts or squats, you're not able to shift anywhere near as much weight because you're not recruiting as many muscles.

Below we've provided a little guide to help you gauge how heavy your weight stack should be, based off your experience level.

BEGINNER: 60 - 70kg.

INTERMEDIATE: 70kg - 90kg.

ADVANCED: + 80kg.

Product Recommendations

In this section we have provided some product recommendations based off different experience levels. 

BEGINNER LIFTER

MARCY HOME GYM MWM988 

Weight Stack: 68kg.

Exercise Stations:

• High pulley
• Low pulley
• Pec dec 
• Chest press 
• Leg developer
• Preacher pad

With this home gym you'll be able to perform over 30 different exercises, targeting all of your major muscle groups. It has a compact design to suit smaller spaces, and would be an excellent choice for anyone just starting out.

BODYWORX MULTI STATION BODY WEIGHT HOME GYM

Weight Stack: None. This machine utilises the users body weight as resistance.

Exercise Stations: 

• High pulley 
• Pec dec
• Leg developer

The Bodyworx Multi Station Body Weight Home Gym uses your own body weight as resistance, and is adjustable from 60% to 120% of your total body weight.

Body weight training is excellent for working towards a range of fitness goals, including: building strength, improving your endurance, and enhancing your flexibility.

INTERMEDIATE LIFTER

MARCY CLUB HOME GYM MKM-8101

Weight Stack: 90kg.

Exercise Stations:

• Pec dec and arm developer.
• Leg developer.
• High pulley.
• Low pulley.
• Preacher pad.

Compact and versatile, you'll no longer have to compromise on quality, space or utility when it comes to the Marcy MKM-81010. Level up your training with the multiple stations and attachments, including lat pull down bar, low row bar, ankle strap, and single handle.

NEXT FITNESS HOME GYM NFGH-10250

Weight Stack: 100kg. 

Exercise Stations:

• High pulley
• Low pulley
• Leg developer
• Chest press and fly.
• Preacher pad.
• Dual action arm station.

An all-in-one Home Gym for total body conditioning.

Functional and versatile, the Next Fitness Home Gym NFHG-10250 provides numerous exercises at your disposal enabling you to split your training sessions and focus in on specific muscle goals. If it's an upper body, leg or arm day, there's a place for it on the Home Gym via high and low chain-linked pulley stations.

ADVANCED LIFTER

BODYCRAFT LGPX PRO MULTI STATION HOME GYM 

Weight Stack: 90.7kg (200lbs).

Exercise Stations: 

• Ab station
• High pulley
• Low pulley
• Leg developer
• Pec dec
• Bench press
• optional: leg press

A lot of thought and consideration went into the construction of this home gym, and it turned out a beauty! With over 5 different workout stations and multiple attachments, this beast can do it all!

BODYCRAFT LX2 COMMERCIAL MULTI STATION HOME GYM 

Weight Stack: 2 X 90.7kg weight stacks - total: 180kg.

Exercise Stations:

• High pulley
• Low pulley
• Leg press
• Arm developer
• Optional: vertical knee raise
• Optional: hip dip station

The Bodycraft LX2 Multi Station Home Gym is the king of all fitness equipment. There pretty much isn't a single thing you cannot do on this awesome machine. It has 2 highly-rated weight stacks, excellent for seasoned lifters, as well as multiple stations and attachments to keep your workouts new and interesting.

We hope you've found this home gym buyer's guide helpful. As always, we welcome you to reach out to our friendly team for any more information.