Multi Gym
A Multi Gym allows you to do various exercises on one piece of fitness equipment (multi), with different sections to let you concentrate on different muscle groups and body areas. The majority of multi gyms offer the same core exercises such as chest press, leg extension/curl and seated row.
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The term ‘Multi Gym’ refers to a piece of exercise equipment that has features that allow you to carry out many different exercises for different muscle groups.
Whereas standard cable machines will often be designed to fulfill a specific purpose, such as the cable lat pulldown machine for working your back muscles, or the seated chest press machine for working your pectoral (chest) muscles, multi gyms are the best choice for anyone looking for a piece of home exercise equipment that makes good use of any space.
What makes it so hard to decide which multi gym to choose is that there isn’t a set design that they follow, and no real standard set of basics to compare against.
As well as this there is the different ways the machine will get its ressitance. While cable pulley systems will usually created most of the ressitance when combined with a weight stack, there are also multi gyms such as the Finnlo Bio Force that get their ressitance through adjustable locking collars and cables, with no weight stack.
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Standard exercises you can perform with most multi gyms
Although this type of exercise equipment does vary greatly between indivdidual models, the majority of multi gyms will often have a chest press, lat pulldown / high cable pulley and some form of padded rollers for wrapping your feet under when performing leg exercises.
Even these basic features will allow you to perform the following exercises:
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What to look for when choosing a multi gym for use at home
As with any piece of exercise equipment you need to consider how much use you will get out of it and what types of exercise you most need it for. For example if you already have a leg press at home or a power rack where you can squat 300kg then you won’t necessarily worry about buying a multi gym that has a leg extension with a maximum weight of 60kg as it simply wouldn’t stress the quadriceps without doing dozens of reps.
[one_half]If the multi gym is your first piece of home gym equipment and you are looking to use it a few times a week as either an alternative to the gym or to supplement your gym training then there are a few great products available to suit all price ranges.
The Finnlo Autark 2500 Multi Gym is perhaps one of the best examples of a multi gym due to the wide range of exercise stations that seem to take up every inch of available space.[/one_half]
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The Tunturi Platinum Strength multi gym is a modular exercise station system that allows you to perform all the exercises you need from specifically designed workout staions.
[one_half]The Finnlo Bio Force has a few unique design features such as the removeable seat to make it easier to perform more cable exercises, and the way the cables and arms have been designed to generate some of the heaviest resistance offered by any multi gym.
User weight limit is often a good indication of the quality of a multi gym, and there is a deffinite connection between the more expensive multi gyms and their ability for the user to use a heavier weight, as well as supporting users of a heavier body weight.[/one_half]
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Compare Multi Gyms
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If you are looking to buy a piece of exercise equipment for use at home, and want something where you can perform a wide variety of exercises without taking up too much space or requiring stacks of weight plates then a multi gym could be perfect for what you need.
Multi gyms are usually designed around creating resistance through a weight stack and series of cable pulleys.
With so many variations of multi gym, the articles in this section take a look at their differences and the features of each to provide a clearer idea of what you can get for your money.[/two_third]
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