Gym Monster 2 Smart Home Gym, Upgraded AI-Powered Home Workout Machine, Multi-Functional Smith Machine, Full Body Strength Training Fitness Equipment, All-in-One Workout Station

I have been using this for several weeks now. The GM2 system is great for beginners or intermediate strength training. Not only does it have the full capability of a pully machine functional trainer, but it adds the ability to track progress, adjust weights manually or automatically in 1-lb increments, and has hundreds of built-in movements, workouts, and multi-week programs that you can choose from in addition to the basic free lift mode. This is a big help for anyone new to strength training, or intermediate lifters that want some variety without having to design custom workouts.HARDWAREThe packaging of the unit was excellent and well thought out. The main unit requires no assembly but if you order the rower then it will require some minor assembly. I did not find this to be a problem. All of the hardware required for each step of rower assembly was in individually packaged zipper-style bags that made it very easy to identify and use. No prying parts of a vacuum packed card. They even include a bag of spare hardware components for when you inevitably drop or lose a piece.The GM2 itself is heavy duty and very well built. The pulleys and cables are very smooth and quiet and I have had no issues after a month of use. I did purchase some third party attachments as upgrades to the stock items and for personal preference and it handles all of them very well.The angled bench is a basic bench that fits well on the platform and is great for all of the included exercises. That said, I have seen folks use a third party bench, which if you already have one should be fine. I have another heavier bench at home and have no issues using either one.I have never used a rower before, but I found the unit to be very sturdy and smooth.The stock handles are inexpensive plastic. They are functional but I opted to order some different handles for personal preference. I did later receive the smart handles with the bluetooth weight on/off buttons and they are very sturdy and are now my go-to basic handle. The cable extensions are a great item for moves that may have the cables running against your arms and I love the bent gate carabiners on them that make attaching/detaching items easier than a standard carabiner. Though many times I find myself not using them as it has not really been an issue.The rowing bar that came with the rower has a good feel and weight to it. Very solid and perfectly sized for the machine.I have used the barbell attachment on many exercises and I did purchase some lifting gloves to use for heavier weights. If you have not used a machine like this before, the tension (weight equivalent) that it can put on the cables is significant but the one thing you will not have it the inertia associated with heavy weight plates at the end of a barbell, meaning that the bar will feel a little shaky compared to a free weight barbell. Typically I prefer to use handles for most exercises, even bench presses, opting for a dumbbell style bench press which I can actually get better range of motion with. I would like to see them offer a curl bar with a weight on/off feature. I purchased a third party curl bar designed for resistance bands and it works great in conjunction with the bluetooth ring.There has been some prior complaints about bluetooth ring connectivity, but that seems to be mostly resolved with a recent software update. I find the ring to be a convenient way to turn on and off the weight but I also have the smart handles and defer to them most of the time. The ring brings you the added capability to make adjustments on the weight, dialing it up or down, without having to get up and use the screen interface.SOFTWAREI have found the system to be relatively easy to use. It also has an associated phone app that mirrors most of the functionality you will find on the display.During the time I have had the machine they have pushed out several additional movements, workouts and programs as well as periodic challenges which can be fun to participate in and keep your motivation. They also pushed a complete software upgrade to add expanded AI functionality.In the basic free-lift mode you can setup any exercise you want by telling it how much weight you want, the resistance profile, and if you are using a barbell (two sided) or handle (one-sided) type of attachment.If you prefer to use the included workouts and movements there are hundreds to choose from. You can also configure your own custom movements and combine them into custom workouts, though I do not think at the time of this writing that the custom movements you configure are fully integrated into the AI interface yet. I say yet as it is obvious the company continues to improve and develop this software.One thing you can not get from a traditional pully machine or free weights is the eccentric loading mode, which gives you more tension on the return stroke of the move. Some science based lifters will say that this eccentric loading is significant when it comes to building muscle mass (hypertrophy) quickly. I find that I use this mode fairly often. You can also set it up for “chain mode” type resistance giving you more resistance the farther you pull the cable, and even a constant speed mode.There are several assist modes built in which help you finish your reps and aid with safety. For example, one of the assist modes releases a little bit of tension to help you get that last rep in, while another will dynamically reduce the weight if it senses you struggling or pausing a move for a few seconds. There are also some other safety features I have found if you end up dropping one end of the bar or have significant uneven loading which will immediately take the tension off the cables.The advanced AI features are still young in their development but have a lot of potential and the company has been pushing periodic software updates. Currently it can help you adjust weights based on performance and will generate custom workouts based on the goals you input and what it calculates as fatigue on the particular muscle group. I find that helpful at times, but also as I get more educated on strength training I find myself setting up my own custom workouts. If they can integrate your custom moves and workouts into the AI system and build a bit more advanced reporting with an export feature it will grow into a very strong system.STRENGTHSAbility to do nearly every move you can think of for a pully machine, including barbell moves, dumbbell (handle) moves, and pull down type moves. I actually find it much easier to get into position and setup for an exercise with this machine where I can get in position unloaded, and then turn on the weight versus trying to wrestle heavy weights into position.Ability to use various resistance profiles like eccentric mode.Ability to do full body workouts and cardio such as rowing.Very small footprint. You don’t need space for a giant rack and storage for a bunch of heavy plates.WEAKNESSESHeight: For folks that are tall (not me) and want to do pull-down type exercises you will probably have to do them seated or in a different position. There is not currently a bench that connects to it for your traditional leg curls and extensions, though there is an after market, third party item that will accomplish this. That said, most of those exercises can be done easy enough with the ankle straps.Handles: The basic handles are pretty basic, as are the basic ski handles. The Smart handles are great but expensive. There are tons of options here though for third party attachments to fit your needs. Basically anything you can attach to a carabiner would work.Weight limit: Some have complained about being limited to 220lbs of resistance. I suspect this is related to how much tension you can get on a motor that is plugged into a standard household outlet. Honestly though, I have not found this to be an issue. Most beginners and many intermediate lifters will only hit that limit maybe on deadlifts and squats. If you need more than that you are probably a more advanced lifter. I am sure you could rig up some additional tension with bands or plates but at that point you probably want to transition to a full rack system. Remember the target market for this. It fits that market very well.Customer ServiceI believe this is a Chinese company. My initial feelings when I hear that is low quality but I have been pleasantly surprised. I have to say that this system is very solid and high quality. While there is some social media chatter about customer service I see that they are very engaged with making improvements in software and hardware and actively monitor social media platforms for user feedback. A lot of the complaints you may see in those groups tend to get addressed as evidenced by changes they have made in hardware and software and stuff they include with the system, like extra D-ring clips for the cables. While they may struggle by U.S. expectations with holidays like the Chinese new year I find most of the social media chatter superficial keyboard warriors and I give them some grace for being a young company that is still building out their presence. Personally, I have been satisfied with any customer service interaction and impressed in their engagement with end users regarding enhancements. It will be interesting to see how this product evolves over time. It’s really good now and has potential to be great.Does it work for me? Yes, it was the right fit for my needs and I use it almost daily. It has saved me time running back and forth to a gym that I have free use of, allows me to workout on my time schedule and focus on the issues I need. I still hit the local gym occasionally, but more so just as a progress check against their dedicated movement machines. I will say, that I am working out much more than I would have been doing otherwise, and staying engaged doing it.

This replaces an entire dumbbell rack, a C2/Rogue rower, cable machine, squat rack, etc. I use this mainly in offline mode to do HIIT weight training and cardio. I use the eccentric mode setting to ensure I get maximim gains in the least amount of time. I row daily in the free weight barbell mode with 95 lbs. concentric/130 lbs. eccentric. I use a wrist-mounted, universal interval timer (Gym Boss+) which has a combined tone and vibrate mode, and mainly use it for rowing in offline, free-weight mode. Sprint interval training rowing of 20 sec work and 10 sec rest for 7.5 min is the most efficient cardio workout. Any more than that and you wear your body out with free radicals and more stress on joints/etc.For squats, I use the belt squat attachment, since traditional barbell squats place unnecessary stress on the spine and increase CNS fatigue. The belt squat helps to avoid spinal injuries and combined with a good set of stable squat shoes (.75" incline, TPU heel, etc.), you can avoid knee injuries. Be sure to remove the platform cushioning pad to have the most stable platform as possible for squats (most squat platforms have hardwood on them to avoid any lateral movement in knees when lifting heavy). Belt squat machines are replacing reg. squat ones because they're safer and more effective. Squat University has great info on form.Also, I use Versa Gripp straps to train harder so that my grip strength for the day doesn't limit how heavy I can lift.This machine has silky smooth resistance. Watched some reviews that said this one has smoother resistance than the first model, so that's why I went with the Gen 2.Some reviewers also said the Gen 2 cooling fans are quieter than the first model, so that's another reason I went with the Gen 2. This machine is ultra silent, even when pulling full resistance.The overall sound level was another factor for me, so that's why I went with digital weights. This has ridiculous resistance with minimal motor whine to do stealth cardio/lifting with shared walls, ceilings, and floors.I went with this, instead of the Beyond Power Voltra, because of how compact everything is and the unlimited power on tap w/out the need for batteries. The GM has a small footprint in storage mode and it's very fast to set up and store to quickly knockout workouts. The Tonal requires a recurring membership and a permanant install, the Voltra requires a Power Rack (which takes up more space for similar GM features), and the other digital weight systems were either too underdeveloped or too large and made for commercial gyms.Since this is a precision, high-tech system (prob servo-like motors under the hood), be sure to use a quality surge protector/power conditioner to protect your investment and provide the smoothest resistance possible. For the 110 volt model, the manual says any voltage spike that reaches 260 volts can potentially damage the machine, so any lightning storm or power plant surges could potentially damage the machine. To ensure the machine never receives any surges and has the cleanest power possible, I recommend using a high-quality surge protector/conditioner that completely eliminates surges (SMP technology) and never wears out (doesn't use MOV surge protection). The best surge protector with this high tech surge elimination tech (SMP) and power conditioning at a reasonable price is the Furman Power Conditioner (PST-8). Another thing is that since I'm feeding the machine ultra-clean, conditioned power, this could be why my resistance feels extra smooth. Similar to how unconditioned power can create noise in audio systems and affect the sound quality, the same electrical noise may likely affect how smoothly the motors operate.Also, since digital weights are new tech that's still in the early adopter phase, expect there to be some issues that will eventually get worked out in updates/future models. During your workouts, use common sense and determine the level of risk you're comfortable with based on your current setup. I'm considering developing a manual "spotter arms" system as a fail safe in the event of a software glitch, bluetooth spotters/controls disconnecting, etc (I'll post my solution here later once I figure it out). All digital weight systems will have these similar issues though. And none of these home systems have the robust/redundant safety systems that you will find on airplanes. So the main thing is to use common sense, especially when you are lifting heavy.During heavy rows and similar exercises where a potential broken cable/attachment may hit your eyes, it makes sense to wear high-impact (ANSI Z87+) rated safety glasses. Accidents can happen and you only have one set of eyes. For example, the Liver King blinded himself in one eye when he snapped some resistance bands and they hit him in the eye. A great ANSI certified Z87.1-2020 (latest standard) with Z87+ (highest impact rating available) pair of safety glasses is the KleenGuard Maverick by Kimberly-Clark (established industrial brand and ANSI certified products). These are the best looking and certified Z87+ safety glasses I've found (w/clear or tinted sunglass lens options).Overall, I think this machine works great and provides more value than anything else currently. Speediance is the leader in the compact, complete-ownership, multi-machine home gym category. Eccentric weight is the future to accelerate gains and save time (auto extra weight on negative reps means you go at the same pace as the positive/concentric rep, instead of slowing down the negative rep with trad weights to make it harder), so this feature alone makes it worth it for me.It would be great to see a future Speediance model that has an even taller cable tower with a center cable mount and at least 400 lbs (similar to the Voltra that currently has 400lbs).