While your local gym might have 20 or 30 individual machines, a single home gym can incorporate all those into 1 compact and powerful machine. Having the ability to get a complete body workout in the comfort of your own home and not compromising on the quality or intensity of the workout is extremely important.

The latest gym machines are incredibly sophisticated and many of them have much more advanced ergonomics than the lumpy machines you will find in a gym. The problem with picking a home gym is the sheer amount of choices you have. New machines are coming unto the market every day with “more” and “better” features than the next. Price is one of the main considerations and the more you spend the more features you get, but you need to identify your level of training since you can easily overbuy and pay for things you will never use.

Modern home gyms have come a long way. If you are looking for discount home gyms then you’ve probably been inundated with hundreds of “miracle” machines. Hopefully this selection will help you to make a more informed decision. They are what I consider to be the best value for money machines…

Bowflex home gyms work with their patented Power Rods that provide resistance – so there’s no weights. Power Rods provide a massive range of resistance and has the advantage of almost zero inertia – the factor most responsible for muscle and joint injuries with traditional weight.  The Bowflex PR1000 offers a range of resistance from 5 to 210 pounds and has more than 30 exercises available.

What makes the Bowflex PR1000 such a great deal is the fact that it comes with a rowing station to add cardio training into the mix of exercise. Its one of the few home gyms that actually combine cardio with toning and strength training. On top of that, the roller cushions allows for leg extensions and leg curls and the machine can easily adapt for horizontal bench presses.

The downside of the machine is that the Power Rod resistance can feel weird for someone who is used to weights and the PR1000 model can be a bit unstable with vigorous training (the bigger models are much more sophisticated, bigger and more stable). This machine as it all and more and I can highly recommend it. It looks great, works great, adds cardio functionality and best of all it can fold up into a very compact arrangement. In this price range, nothing comes close to it.

Retail Price = $799.99

Discount Price = $566.66

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It has a free motion cable system that is very robust (not like the cheap ones that keeps getting stuck!) and gives you all the advantages of training on free weights with virtually no restrictions on your movements like you will find in fixed cable machines. It comes with a Lat Pull Bar, Ankle Strap and 2 side Handles and virtually every part of the machine can be adjusted to allow for optimal positioning and precision training. The Xpress Pro has a “double cable” feature that allows you to double the resistance level to an impressive 400 pounds!

The downside of this machine is still the heavy price tag but if you need a professional home gym solution then this is it. The machine has a lifetime guarantee and allows virtually any exercise a professional athlete might need. The best part is that for such a complex machine it has a very compact design and compares very well to machines in a much higher price range.

Retail Price = $2,399.00

Discount Price = $2,190

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For its price class its very versatile with a good amount of exercise options. Its small, compact and has a low pulley station mounted on the side of the machine. The side mounted pulley is great for arm exercises and makes targeting the buttocks very easy. As an all rounder, the Body Solid EXM 1500s has it all and if you are looking for a basic workout machine that will allow you to target all the major muscle groups then this is it. (Note: If you need a bit more “muscle” check out the Body Solid G4I – it’s the top of the range machine and its awesome!)

The one downside of the EXM 1500s is that it does not have a leg press station. Its one of the compromises that makes it a lot cheaper, but for home use its probably not a deal breaker. I can highly recommend this if you are looking for an inexpensive solution that still has all the essential workouts. It does not come with any “bells and whistles” – its just a strong, robust and very smooth machine. Compared to other single stack machines in this price range it out performs then all on functionality, durability and ergonomics.

Retail Price = $1075.00

Discount Price = $829.00

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With this resistance mechanism you can easily switch resistance from 10 pounds to 170 pounds and the machine is specifically designed with the average home user in mind. Its NOT for professional bodybuilding, but instead it has 3 main areas of training: weight loss, toning and muscle building. Changeovers from one exercise to the next is very quick and easy and one of my favorite features of the machine – with many of the bigger machines it can be very cumbersome to switch between exercises.

The downside of the Bio Force 1.7 is the fact that it does not have a traditional weight stack. If you are used to training with weights, then this gas operated resistance will be weird for you at first. The good thing however is that you do get used to it and ultimately it provides a much better (and more ergonomic) workout. It also reduces the weight of the machine significantly and at this price it’s a machine that I can highly recommend for general home use. It gives you all the workouts you need for general body toning and muscle building in a compact and light weight machine.

Retail Price = $999.99

Discount Price = $698

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Horizontal machines tend to be very unstable and the pulley systems are always clumsy and the movements very jiggered. Not with this one. I was well impressed with the sturdiness as well as the smoothness of its operation. The DLX-2 comes with an abdominal crunch strap as well as a power weight bar that significantly increases the range of exercises.

The biggest downside of the Total Trainer DLX-2 is the limitations of the type of machine and it will definitely not satisfy the needs of more serious weight trainers. However, in its range this is the pick of the bunch and one of the few compact trainers that don’t look and feel “cheap”. It has a good range of workouts and comes with a load of features that similar makes machines just about useless.

The best features is still its compactness and easy of use. Its easy to move around, quick to set up and a great machine for general toning and fitness. It can be adapted for Pilates as well which makes it very versatile and my top recommendation for compact workout machines.

Retail Price = $459.99

Discount Price = $453

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I must admit that my initial perceptions of a home gym was definitely jaded – mainly because I still had the reminiscent memories of the machine I bought back in 1982. When I started looking into it and in doing the research when I bought my Bowflex 5 years ago I quickly realized that home gym machines have come a long way.

The latest home gyms are scientifically designed and the best ones have millions of dollars of research that goes into them. If you compare it to some of the old fashioned equipment you find in your local gym, then these home machines offer a far superior workout – with several distinct advantages. Apart from saving you a fortune in gym fees, it will save you hours of traveling to and from the gym but most of all it will give you a superior workout.

Working out at home on a machine can help you tone up faster, build more muscle quicker and give you a much safer workout. Home gym machines are very flexible and can target virtually any muscle in your body by simply making some minor adjustments to the machine. Compared to having hundreds of dumbbells and benches its saves you space, its very durable and just makes a lot of financial sense.

Home gym machines can be as cheap as $200 and as expensive as $5000. It all depends on how advanced you want to go, but it all starts with assessing your individual needs.

How often will you use it?
What exactly do you want to get out of it?
How much space have you got?
How much do you want to spend?

A home gym is an investment. They are incredibly durable and if you invest in a good one you can always sell it for roughly the same price if you don’t use it (second hand value is extremely high). As a rule of thumb, you can take 1 years gym fees and use that as you budget.