Best Home Gyms
Which home gym fits you comes down to five checks: price, resistance type and stated maximum, room needed, exercise range, and warranty with return window. MudderElla compares seven machines on those points from maker pages read on 2026-11-02, from a $239.95 strap trainer to a $2,771 digital cable machine, and prints every conflict.
Disclosure: the Hydrow, Ergatta and Bowflex links on this page are affiliate links. MudderElla may earn a commission if you buy after clicking one, at no extra cost to you. It does not change what a page says. How we link.
How this page decides
A home gym is one piece of equipment that replaces a rack of separate weights. The seven machines below are the ones whose maker pages could be read as raw page text on 2026-11-02. They are not the full market. A weight-stack machine from another maker, a second portable trainer and a second digital cable machine were not read, and that is a gap in this page, not a decision.
MudderElla did not test any of these machines. Every figure is what the maker's page says, with the date it was read, and where a page disagrees with itself or with another page, both versions are printed. Prices move, and a few pages showed a struck-through price beside a current one. Each price below is the one shown on the read date, with the second figure given only where the page showed one.
The five criteria
1. Price
The price shown on the maker's page on 2026-11-02, before shipping and tax. Some pages carry paid add-ons that change what you receive, such as a stack upgrade on the REP Arcadia at $324.99 extra or a protection plan on a Bowflex machine. Those are named where they matter.
2. Resistance type and stated maximum
Home gyms use bodyweight straps, flexible rods or plates, weight stacks, or motors. The maximum a maker states is not always what you feel at the handle. The REP Arcadia is the clearest example: its page gives a raw stack figure and a smaller usable figure, and both are printed below.
3. Footprint and room needed
Assembled length and width are the minimum. Several makers also print a larger size for the machine in use, and one prints a workout area. Check the in-use size against your room, not the folded or stowed size.
4. Exercise range as stated
Makers count differently. Bowflex prints exercise counts, REP prints cable positions, Speediance prints app workouts and TRX prints app workouts. A count of positions or workouts is not a count of exercises, so the table says which each page gave.
5. Warranty and return window
Warranty wording often has a short and a long line for different parts, and return policies often carry fees. The table keeps the maker's wording.
The pick set at a glance
Read on 2026-11-02. Each row is what the maker's page states.
| Machine | Price shown | Resistance and stated maximum | Footprint as stated (L x W x H, in) | Exercise range as stated | Warranty and returns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowflex Revolution | $2,199; $2,999 also shown | SpiraFlex plates, 220 lb upgradable to 300 lb | 97 x 37.5 x 72; in use 112 x 62 | 100 exercises with 400+ variations | 10 years machine and plates, 90 days labor; 30-day return |
| Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE | Listed $1,499, shown $899 | Power Rods, 210 lb upgradable to 410 lb | 53 x 49 x 83.25; in use 76 x 78 | 70+ exercises | 7 years machine, 5 years Power Rods; 30-day return |
| REP Arcadia | $2,199.99 | Cables, dual stacks at 2:1; 85 lb usable per side, 110 lb with upgraded stacks | Depth 35.8, front width 55.3, rear width 24, height 80.8 | 32 cable positions | Frame lifetime, pulleys and cables 1 year; 30-day return, 15% restocking fee if used |
| Speediance Gym Monster 2 | $2,771; $3,849 also shown | Digital motors, 220 lb total, 110 lb per arm | 48.03 x 27.16 x 72.83 unfolded; 14.56 x 27.16 x 72.83 folded | 90+ app plans, 1000+ app workouts | 2 years; 30-day returns and home trial |
| Marcy MWM-988 | $749.99 | 150 lb weight stack | 68 x 42 x 78 | Count not stated | 2 years; 30 days, 15% restocking fee |
| Marcy MWM-990 | $749.99 | 150 lb weight stack | 68 x 42 x 78 | Over 30 exercises | 2 years; 30 days, 15% restocking fee |
| TRX Home2 | $239.95 | Bodyweight, no maximum stated | Not stated | App workouts, 1,000 on one line and 2,000 on another | 2 years; return policy not read |
The sections below take each machine in turn. Where a cell says "not stated", the maker's page did not give the figure, and nothing was filled in from memory.
Bowflex: Revolution and Xtreme 2 SE
Bowflex's page says the Revolution uses SpiraFlex plates giving 220 lb of resistance, upgradable to 300 lb with a $149 plate upgrade. Its footprint is 97 x 37.5 x 72 in, rising to 112 x 62 in in use, and it weighs 336.2 lb. Bowflex lists a 10-year machine warranty and a 30-day return, with return shipping of $155 and a processing fee of up to 20% on the shipping policy page. The page lists "Converts to a rowing machine" as a feature bullet. That is the only rowing wording, and the Bowflex Revolution review sets out exactly what it does and does not say. It is wrong for anyone who wants a dedicated rower, and wrong for a room that cannot spare a 112 x 62 in working area.
The Xtreme 2 SE has two listings on bowflex.com, a current one and one tagged "Gen 1", and both show the same $1,499 listed and $899 shown. The pages differ in stowed length, 53 in against 63 in. Bowflex's page says it uses Power Rods at 210 lb, upgradable to 310 lb and 410 lb with $129 upgrades, and lists 70+ exercises and 174 lb of machine weight. Its warranty is 7 years on the machine and 5 years on the Power Rods. It suits a reader who wants a lower price and a smaller stowed size, and it is wrong for a reader who wants plate-style resistance or the 100-exercise range. The two are set side by side in Bowflex Revolution vs Xtreme 2 SE.
REP Arcadia
REP's page shows the Arcadia at $2,199.99 with free shipping and a $324.99 stack upgrade. It describes cables with dual weight stacks at a 2:1 ratio and gives two figures that look alike but are not: 170 lb per stack, 340 lb in total, and a spec-table line of 85 lb usable per side, 110 lb with upgraded stacks. The 340 lb figure is the raw stack, not what you feel. REP states 32 cable positions, which is a count of handle heights rather than of exercises, and gives the unit height as 80.8 in. It does not state the machine's weight or a user weight limit. It is wrong for a reader who wants a printed exercise count or a stated weight limit, and it needs a room that fits a 55.3 in front width.
REP's warranty page lists a lifetime warranty on frames, with conditions, and one year on pop-pins, pulleys, bearings and cables. Its refund policy allows return within 30 days and adds a 15% restocking fee for used items.
Speediance Gym Monster 2
Speediance's page shows $2,771 with $3,849 also shown. It describes dual direct-drive motors, four resistance modes and a 21.5 in touch screen, with no assembly and no wall mounting. Its resistance wording conflicts: the page gives "Maximum 220 lbs" adjustable in 1 lb steps, while the spec table gives 110 lb per arm and a digital weight precision of 8 lb. Both are printed here because the page does not reconcile them. The page does not say whether the screen or app needs a paid plan, and it implies a paid Wellness+ tier without a price. It is wrong for a reader who needs to know the running cost before buying, because that cost is not on the page. Folded, it is 14.56 in long.
Marcy MWM-988 and MWM-990
Marcy's two pages show the same $749.99 price, the same 68 x 42 x 78 in size, the same 280.5 lb unit weight, a 300 lb user capacity and a 150 lb weight stack. They differ in what the page says about exercises. The MWM-990 page states over 30 exercises and lists a chest arm fly. The MWM-988 page gives no count, and its spec table says "Chest Arm Fly: No" while its text says the arms can be adjusted for chest flys, so that one is a conflict on Marcy's own page. Both ship in multiple boxes, need assembly, carry a 2-year limited warranty, and allow return within 30 days with approval, a 15% restocking fee and shipping both ways for a change of mind. They are wrong for a reader who wants more than 150 lb of resistance.
TRX Home2
TRX's page shows $239.95 and describes a bodyweight suspension trainer that changes resistance with body angle. It lists a door anchor, a suspension anchor, a free trial of the TRX App and a 2-year warranty. The app is $9.99 a month after a 30-day trial, and nothing on the page says the straps need it. The page gives no footprint, no weight and no maximum resistance, and calls the return policy "Hassle Free" without terms. It is wrong for a reader who wants adjustable heavy loads.
Where to go next
- Compare cable and stack machines on one table in all-in-one home gym machines.
- Check room first with the compact home gym comparison.
- See the two Bowflex machines head to head in Bowflex Revolution vs Xtreme 2 SE.
- Decide whether you want strength or cardio in which cardio machine fits.
- Compare a rower against a home gym in the rowing machine guide.
If you want cardio rather than strength, the other hubs on this site are the treadmill guide and the exercise bike guide, and a rower's room needs are in the small-space rowing guide.
FAQ
How much room does a home gym need?
It depends on whether you read the assembled size or the in-use size. Bowflex's page gives the Revolution as 97 x 37.5 in assembled and 112 x 62 in in use, and the Xtreme 2 SE as 53 x 49 in assembled and 76 x 78 in in use. Speediance gives an unfolded and a folded size. Measure for the larger figure.
Is a weight stack the same as plates or rods?
No. Marcy's pages describe a 150 lb weight stack on cables. Bowflex's page says the Revolution uses SpiraFlex plates and the Xtreme 2 SE uses Power Rods. Bowflex's page notes that its SpiraFlex resistance figures are estimates and that elastic resistance normally degrades over time.
Do any of these need a subscription?
Bowflex's category page says its Xtreme 2 SE and Revolution do not need Wi-Fi, electricity or subscriptions to function. The TRX app is optional at $9.99 a month after a trial. Speediance's page does not say whether a paid plan is required, so that question is unanswered.
Why is the REP Arcadia's maximum printed two ways?
REP's page gives a raw stack figure of 340 lb in total and a usable figure of 85 lb per side, 110 lb with the upgraded stacks. The usable figure is the one that describes the load at the handle, so compare that one.
Does MudderElla recommend one machine?
No. The page assigns no winner. It sets out five checks so you can match the machine to your room, your budget and the kind of resistance you want.