The Best Weight Machines of 2023 - SI Showcase - Sports Illustrated

2023-01-05 15:11:00 By : Mr. Geraint Guan

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If you’ve decided that a weight machine is the best choice for your home gym, and can’t choose the right one, you’ve come to the right place. Weight machines offer a versatile way to ditch the gym membership and get in a great workout at home, without the need for hundreds of pounds of dumbbells and barbells.

The biggest challenge for most people? Choosing the perfect machine. With so many options and different types of home gym machines to choose from, it can easily feel overwhelming.

In our guide, we’ll share our top picks for the best weight machines on the market for any home gym, regardless of your training goals or budget. If you’ve found yourself confused and struggling to choose the perfect machine, our buyer’s guide is here for you.

The Tonal is the most popular smart home gym machine on the market, and for good reason.

A large screen allows you to follow a wide variety of on-demand workouts led by trainers, and with adjustable resistance arms built-in to the machine, you’ll be able to train any body part with up to 200 pounds of total resistance.

If you often find yourself bored with your workouts, Tonal provides a near-endless option of workouts to choose from, with more added daily by their team of trainers.

Using the built-in AI sensors, it can track your performance and correct your form, mimicking the work of a personal trainer. It is small enough to fit in most household spaces if there is a free wall for mounting.

Cable workouts are a fantastic, low-impact way to train your body, and Tonal’s built-in resistance arms provide smooth resistance. It’s not the cheapest machine, but it’s incredibly versatile and will be the last machine you ever need.

If you’re looking for a squat machine that can be easily used from the comfort of your home, the DB Method is perfect for you.

Unlike larger, heavier machines, the DB method is a compact, lightweight machine that easily folds for storage between uses. It provides a low-impact, yet highly effective workout that focuses on your glutes, quads and hamstrings.

While you can’t use this for a full body workout as the machine is primarily designed for squats, it’s a fantastic tool for anyone looking to shape their lower body. At $329, it’s affordable for most home gyms.

If you’re looking for a lightweight, space-saving smart workout machine, the Mirror is a fantastic choice.

Similar to the Tonal, Mirror allows you to follow along with virtual workouts on a large screen. However, it’s lighter, smaller and doesn’t require any wall mounting. You can set up the mirror anywhere you have floor space.

It’s worth noting that the base package only comes with the Mirror itself, and many of the classes focus on bodyweight training. You can purchase additional accessories, including smart dumbbells that track your form, but the default Mirror doesn’t come with anything.

As such, the full package with all available accessories is more than double the cost of the standard Mirror. You don’t need the package if you’re going to be doing bodyweight training, but if you want to use weights, you’ll need to spend significantly more.

Serious strength trainees who want the best for their home gym will love the REP Fitness FT-5000 functional trainer, which rivals the quality of cable machines found in commercial gyms.

Each side can be adjusted to any height setting, and you can load up to 104.7 pounds per side. An included exercise placard demonstrates the correct form for a variety of movements, and you can easily find instructional videos for cable workouts.

As an added bonus, the machine includes multiple pull-up grips, so it allows you to get a great bodyweight workout as well, or use this machine to mount something like the TRX System.

This is heavy and takes up significant space, so it’s best for those with a dedicated home gym area.

For those who want a machine that can provide some serious resistance, the Bowflex Revolution is one of the best machines on the market.

You can perform over 100 different types of exercises, and the machine even includes a leg press station that can provide up to 600 pounds of resistance with the optional 80-pound plate kit. That’s significantly more weight than most machines can provide.

Standalone leg press machines can take up significant space, so it’s nice to see a machine that already has a leg press included.

It’s not the smallest or cheapest machine, but if you want to work with some heavy weights, without having to purchase free weights, this is an excellent option.

If you want a smart machine that allows you to enjoy an endless variety of workouts with a virtual trainer, the NordicTrack Fusion CST is our top choice.

The included tablet allows you to train with your favorite iFit trainers, provided you have an active iFit membership, which starts at $39/month for a family plan, or $180/year for an individual plan.

Six cables at various heights allow you to train any muscle group, with 20 levels of digital resistance. The Fusion CST also includes a Bluetooth heart rate monitor chest strap, so you can see your body metrics in real time as you train.

This is a big, heavy machine, but with the included tablet and iFit membership, you’ll never run out of workout options.

If you want something that’s lightweight, easy to move or travel with, and can easily be stored just about anywhere, the BodyBoss Portable Gym is an excellent choice.

The Portable Gym uses resistance bands, and the bands attach to a floor base that can easily fold and move around between uses. The entire gym weighs 15 pounds, so it’s easy to travel with if needed, and use on the road.

The BodyBoss Portable Gym allows you to adjust the bands to provide up to 80 pounds of resistance per band, and the base has been stress-tested to withstand up to 500 pounds of force.

If you’ve got a dedicated home gym space and enjoy training with barbells, the Titan Fitness Smith Machine is one of the best pieces of home gym equipment you can buy.

A Smith machine simulates barbell training, but unlike a standalone barbell, the Smith machine bar moves on a fixed track. If you’re training alone, you don’t have to worry about getting stuck under a weight, or dropping the bar, you can simply lock the bar into the track.

Whether you’re performing squats, deadlifts, rows or any other type of barbell movement (aside from Olympic lifting), this Smith machine will help you stay safe and healthy.

If you’re an Olympic lifter, you won’t be able to train with a Smith machine, as the barbell needs to move freely. For anyone else, this is a great alternative to a regular barbell.

The only downside? You’ll need to add weight plates on each end of the Smith machine to add weight, and the cost of weight plates can vary based on how much weight you need.

If you enjoy bodyweight training, the TRX HOME2 System is a must-have.

Using a suspension trainer allows you to freely use your own body as resistance for nearly any type of movement. Chest presses, rows, mobility work, core work… it's unlikely that you’ll run out of exercises to do with a TRX.

Because it folds up into a small bag, you can easily travel with it and attach it to sturdy support structures anywhere you go.

You’ll need to find a sturdy place to mount the system, as it will be supporting your entire bodyweight. The TRX HOME2 System includes a door anchor for those who don’t have any other secure attachment options in their home.

One of the most important factors, if not the single most important factor, is how much available space you have for your home gym.

If you live in a small space, you probably don’t want to purchase a large, heavy machine that’s going to take up your entire living room—a smaller option would be better for you. Many home gym machines allow you to perform a wide variety of movements, replacing the need for multiple machines.

Of course, some of you may have dedicated home gyms, and plenty of space, allowing you to choose anything. However, if you’re tight on space, pay close attention to the dimensions of the machines before making any decisions.

How often will you be training, and what sort of workouts are you doing?

If you’re training at home every day, you’ll likely want to pick up a machine that has multiple functions, allows you to use a wide variety of movements, and can work every body part.

When you use your home gym as a supplement to workouts in a gym or a fitness class, then you may be fine with a smaller machine that doesn’t have quite as many features.

Of course, the cost is important, and you need to choose something within your budget. Any exercise is better than none, so don’t feel bad if you can’t afford the most expensive home gym on our list.

If you don’t want to wait any longer to save more money, simply get what you can afford, and you’ll still be able to enjoy a great workout with anything on our list.

In relation to the price, consider whether your home weight machine needs any additional accessories. For example, with a TRX trainer, you may need to purchase additional equipment to securely mount it, which is something many overlook.

With proper care, your machine should last for years. But still, take a close look at the warranty. Some companies offer long, comprehensive warranties, while others offer shorter warranties that won’t cover quite as much.

If you think you’ll have this machine long enough to need repairs, and/or regular maintenance, be sure to choose a good warranty.

Finally, what are your primary fitness goals?

If you’re looking to build athleticism or lose some weight, you don’t need anything fancy or heavy. However, if your main goal is building strength and muscle, you may find yourself limited by bodyweight systems, and you’ll need to choose a machine that allows you to add weight as you progressively get stronger over time.

If your primary goals are cardio, you may want to choose something like a treadmill, rower or elliptical. If you’re looking to build strength, you’ll want to stick with one of the weight machines on our list.

When assembling this list, we looked at a variety of factors. Size, cost and training goals were the main factors, as there’s no one-size-fits-all recommendation that’s best for every individual.

That said, we do recommend all of the products on our list, so you can’t go wrong with anything you choose.

Both can work very well, so you have to consider your goals and preferences. If you’re used to training with free weights, or you’re competing in a weightlifting sport and need to train with barbells, you’ll want to stick with free weights.

For everyone else, weight machines can work just as well, especially if you’re not comfortable training with free weights. With either option, you’ll be able to get in a great workout that pushes your body to grow stronger.

Generally speaking, when you’re exercising at a moderate or higher intensity, the primary nutrient you’re burning is carbohydrates, in the form of glycogen. You may burn a little fat, but it’s not the primary fuel source.

That said, fat loss comes from simply eating fewer calories than you burn each day, and weight machines certainly help you burn more calories in a day, and can speed up your weight loss efforts.

Absolutely! As long as you’re eating adequate protein, pushing yourself to get stronger and using more resistance over time, you’ll be able to build muscle with weight machines.

Any type of resistance training can build muscle, whether you’re using your bodyweight, bands, cables or free weights.

Unless you’re a competitive powerlifter or weightlifter, and you compete using free weights, you never need to use free weights to get stronger and build muscle tissue.

Any type of training that allows you to progressively increase the resistance levels over time will allow you to get an effective workout. Both free weights and weight machines are excellent choices to focus on your strength training, and you can get excellent results even if you never use free weights.

Weight machines are a fantastic addition to your home gym for anyone looking to get stronger and build muscle. There are a lot of options on the market, but this list should provide the perfect choice for anyone, no matter your training goals, budget or preferences.

Prices are accurate and items in stock as of publish time.

Matt is a writer, author, and online fitness coach based out of San Diego, CA.