If you have difficulty finding the best cable machine for home gym, you have come to the right place. We will share the features, pros, and cons of the top recommended cable machines for home gym.
The cable machine that most suits your training requirements, available space, and price range is the ideal choice for a home gym.
We’ll give you options in this roundup, from our favorite cable machine to one that can be transported to any location for a workout.
Even though cables may not be as efficient or practical as free weights, you shouldn’t disregard them.
When choosing equipment for their home gyms, cable machines aren’t typically people’s first choice, but those who have the space and money for them are unquestionably an excellent investment.
They are flexible equipment, which provides excellent benefits for strength training, assists in muscular growth, and generally lasts a long time (assuming you take care of your machine).
5 Best Cable Machines For Home Gym (2023)
Not everyone has the space to add a cable machine to their home gym. We created this guide to help you find some recommended options for your home gym.
It is worth mentioning that we have only included models we have tested in our gym. Most fitness enthusiasts recommend them because they have a good price to performance ratio.
Without wasting much time, let us get right into it.
1. Best Cable Machine for Home Gym: Tonal
Most people don’t associate “cable machine” with tonal, but if you’re looking for a piece of gear that can handle it all, you can’t get much better than this.
Any muscle area can be worked out using the cable arms, which are connected to a wall-mounted touchscreen.
The digital resistance provides a special stimulus that leads some seasoned athletes to tremble halfway through their session.
But don’t worry about the weight too much. Tonal’s auto-powered weight suggestions, made possible by a full-body evaluation you do when configuring your machine, are one of its best features.
This function is wonderful since it removes a lot of the guesswork from resistance training and tailors the workout to each individual.
You can customize your experience by selecting various workout types, including kickboxing, yoga, meditation courses, and strength training. A personal trainer will lead you through each exercise and demonstrate the proper form for each action.
Remember that the resistance on the machine only goes up to 200 pounds and that you require at least 7 feet of space around it.
The computerized resistance feels significantly heavier than a typically loaded barbell, although what could seem like a lightweight (trust us).
Furthermore, it may raise the burden at different points during the action, which is simply not possible with free weights because it uses digital resistance.
2. Best Cable Crossover Machine: REP Fitness FT-5000
The functional trainer at your neighborhood commercial gym is just like the REP Fitness FT-5000, only there isn’t a queue of people hogging it while glancing at their smartphones.
It offers three different pull-up grip options and two 220-pound weight stacks with a 2:1 ratio, which should still be challenging for experienced lifters (neutral, supinated grip, and wide-grip).
This heavy-duty functional trainer weighs 1,000 pounds and has an 11-gauge steel frame, so it doesn’t need to be fastened to the ground for stability.
Since the powder coating is also chip-resistant, it will last many years while providing high performance.
Functional trainers aren’t always the simplest things to put together, but this item arrives partially put together and should only require two people to finish in roughly two hours.
In our book, that’s always a victory.
The handle is just 52 inches off the ground at its maximum point, and numerous reviewers complained that this made it impossible for taller persons to use the machine to its full potential.
The lowest weight, 13 pounds, was a bit too heavy for some isolation exercises, which was the only other significant criticism.
Although the trainer already comes with two d-handle attachments, you can always purchase more cable attachments from REP’s website to get more use out of your machine.
Unfortunately, this one is out of stock. Please check the other options on our list.
3. Best Portable Cable Machine: MAXPRO SmartConnect Cable Machine
People on the run or even those living in apartments who want the advantages of a cable machine will love the MAXPRO Smart Connect Cable Machine.
It is portable and easy to bring wherever you want to work out, measuring 10 inches long, 16 inches high, and 4 inches wide.
Despite its modest size, this gadget can easily increase its resistance to 300 pounds by turning a dial. You’ll feel the burn on this one, we promise.
While you can do a lot with just the MAXPRO Smart Connect, lower body and some upper body movements require a wall mount or other equipment are not included in the purchase price.
Although it’s nice that you can connect the MAXPRO through Bluetooth to an app that tracks your workouts, I didn’t find myself using it all that much. The program was difficult to use and occasionally failed to connect to my computer.
Hopefully, MAXPRO will address this problem down the road. Although I enjoy the app’s free workout library, several of the moves require the purchase of additional equipment that is not included with the machine.
4. Best Compact Cable Machine: TUT Trainer Tower
The TUT Trainer Tower may be mounted on most door frames, weighs less than 12 pounds, and extends only 6 inches from its mounting location.
A wall stud option is also available, but it necessitates drilling every time you wish to take the machine down and put it back up.
Yes, you read correctly. This device can really be removed from its mounting location and moved to a different location, whether it’s merely a different location within the same home or perhaps a new apartment you’re moving to.
The use of TUT plates is one reason that TUT, which stands for “time under tension,” or the length of time your muscles are put under stress during a particular action, is possible to make the machine so small.
In reality, these bands give the machine resistance rather than weight plates, as you might be familiar with them. These bands are significantly smaller than the large-weight stacks found on most functional trainers.
While most home gym owners might benefit from this machine, Amanda Capritto, a staff writer for Garage Gym Reviews, sees it more as a beginner’s functional trainer.
It can be useful for intermediate and experienced lifters, but they might need more TUT plates to make it more challenging.
Along with the machine and the weights, you also receive an aluminum curl bar, ankle straps, and two single handles as attachments.
That’s a respectable amount for the cost, and other add-ons can expand the machine’s functionality, such as the rower or power bar kit (used for deadlifts, bench presses, and squats).
Even with the machine alone, you may perform exercises like lat pulldowns, preacher curls, and face pulls.
5. Best Cable Machine for Home Gym on Amazon: XMark Functional Trainer Cable Machine
We have tried the XMark Functional Trainer yet. It is one of the best cable machines ideal for home gyms. The same company that makes this equipment also sells others we have used and recommended.
A sturdy and reliable piece of machinery, the frame is constructed from 11-gauge, 2-inch by 3-inch steel. You get a split grip pull-up bar, a 2:1 pulley ratio, a 78-inch maximum handle height, and 19 different adjustment options.
A triceps rope, triceps press-down bar, multi-grip revolving curl bar, and single-grip handles are included in the attachment kit, which is not common with functional trainers. This enables you to use the device as a complete body gym.
Additionally, you receive a kit of attachments uncommon for functional trainers, including single-grip grips, a multi-grip rotating curl bar, a triceps rope, and a triceps press down bar.
As a result, you can use the machine as a complete gym to perform exercises for your entire body.
The XMark Functional Trainer has received mostly positive reviews. The few unfavorable ones are related to the convoluted installation procedure. You should give yourself some time for this one and invite a friend to assist you.
We particularly appreciate that the changeable pulley system can be adjusted to a height of anywhere between 12 and 78 inches, making it ideal for persons of most heights.
Factors To Consider When Buying The Best Cable Machine For Home Gym
Finding a home gym can be challenging, especially if you are a beginner. In this section, we will discuss some of the important factors you need to keep in mind when buying a cable machine.
These important factors will help you narrow down your search.
- Space
Next to a power rack, a cable machine will likely be one of the larger equipment purchases you make for your home gym in terms of square footage.
You can purchase a decent cable machine that doesn’t take up much space, but if you want the best of the best, you’ll need to make sure you have enough room for it.
Having at least 7 feet of vertical and 6 feet of horizontal space set aside for your cable machine would be a decent rule of thumb.
This will ensure that you have enough range of motion for each activity. Many options can be mounted or have a single-weight stack to save space.
- Adjustments
The several pulley positions on cable machines allow you to work your entire body with only one piece of equipment, which is one of their advantages.
But because of their size or design, some machines have more adjustment locations than others.
Even though it isn’t really an adjustment, you should aim to get a pulley machine that can swivel so you may use more muscle groups during various lifts.
- Cable Handle Attachments
Most cable machines will have single handles that you may use for flys and other exercises, but if you want to expand the versatility, you should, at the very least get a curl bar or triceps rope.
Additionally, you should determine whether your cable machine has pegs that you can use to hang your attachments on or find another means to keep them safe when not in use.
- Price
This one should go without saying, but we’ll also point out that it might be better to spend a little more money on a high-quality machine than to purchase a cheaply made one.
Conclusion
Few people use cable machines as their first choice when choosing fitness equipment for their home gyms, but those with the room and funds to invest in them do so wisely.
They are a flexible and useful piece of equipment that, by aiding in the promotion of muscle growth, provides significant benefits for strength training.
By following the tips above, you may confidently purchase the ideal cable machine for your training requirements, space, and budget.
We hope this post helped you find the best cable machine for home gym. You can also check out our article on the Top 6 Best Lat Pulldown Machine.
Video Review
Here is a video review of the best cable machine for home gym: