A couple of years ago, I used to go to the gym at least three times a week, not aiming to have big muscle, but just to build a lifetime habit. I even hired a private coach to teach me all the basics before putting too much weight on my shoulders. Three things I learned in those years are, the routine, the focus, and the coach, which helped me a lot while working out. But it’s not easy to maintain such a habit after all, and it can be annoying to go to the gym after work every day. It is time to fix it as home gym products like the Speediance Gym Monster come in, building up a private workout space without road trips. So now let’s check out how this smart equipment can help you with your workout at home.

Unboxing & Setup

Although this is foldable equipment, the packages are actually very big, and unpacking them can be a bit overwhelming, so it’s better to either watch the instruction video on YouTube or get a helping hand. As you can see, the bottom of the rack and the pad have most of the weight, and there are two wheels here, so we tried to put it up vertically, and then roll it out – This is also the right way to move this unit around.

The setup process is pretty straightforward, I can easily figure out what these components are, and how to place them on the unit. The components, to my understanding, are separated into two categories, those for the workout, and those for the training courses. When it’s powered up, the motors will retract the ropes back to their original positions, which is a very smart setting. It’s like some long-time workout buddies would say, always put the dumbbells back on the rack after finishing your set. Before doing any workout sessions, it’s required to sign up for the app, or the rolling resistance will stop you from doing anything. The touch screen is very responsive, and I think it is one key feature that makes the workout pleasant, as you will be interacting with the virtual coaches a lot.

The best parts of going to a gym are the good equipment, the workout buddies, and the coach. Before trying any of the workouts, it’s highly recommended to do a strength assessment. Follow the steps then you will have a full understanding of your strength level, just like what you would get if you hire a private coach. However, there aren’t any sensors that can help you identify your muscle percentage, body fat, and some sort of metrics, so if you had those metrics, then you could train better with this machine. Then I tried to do some sessions as I normally would do, such as working on my chest and back, shoulders and arms, and lastly, the legs. By the way, never skip leg days! If you know what I mean.

Design & Build Quality

After that I tried both training by the courses and free workout. I wanted to replicate the moves and sets like I did in the gym, most of the time the experience is seamless and intuitive. Let me try to lay out some details for you.

The overall design and build quality are truly great. Since it’s foldable equipment, you can basically put it anywhere you want. Whether it’s your garage or if you have a garden, you can put it there and workout while enjoying the sunshine. When you do all the moves, the rack and the pad will not shake or move anywhere, which feels really safe. The best part is the screen, it can be rotated horizontally, so when doing bench presses, you can still follow the coaches.

How it works

In an actual gym, you train with either the weight or the resistance, it feels different as the stress comes from different directions. For the Gym Monster, all the workout depends on the resistance created by the motors. In some ways, this is a good approach, because whenever you push out or re-position yourself, the resistance is always there, so it can activate the muscles deeper. And the resistance is not quite on your wrists, so it reduces the risk of hurting them. The level of resistance, unlike the dumbbells, you can actually set them from 0 to 220lbs based on your capabilities on this machine. And there are different modes to choose from, so it’s friendly for everyone, whether you are a professional bodybuilder or a novice.

Data collection

The next good thing about this machine is the collected data. It will not only record the frequency, and overall time on the training but also track the performance, such as the completion level, calories burned, and so on. It’s one more step forward than the smartwatches that are hard to accurately track your true fitness performance. And speaking of this part, you can sync all the data between the Gym Monster and Apple Watch, so you can still have a better understanding about how the workout impact your heart rates, calories and workout frequencies.

Courses

Now let’s talk about the courses it provides. There are 500 courses in total, unlike some other brands, if you purchase the Gym Monster, the courses will be free for a life time and there will be no subscription fee every month, which is a huge advantage if you really need them. However, some people may argue, nobody will feel the same during each session or get the same results from the courses. Well it’s true, and you can create your own training plan here, whether you want to split the weekly training into 3 or 5 days, and the modes provided will make sure you get the best result out of it.

Bluetooth Controller

Lastly, please don’t forget this little Bluetooth controller here, it can be the most important component. With it, you can take the weight off with just one click before the workout, or when you feel the weight is unbearable during the session. I truly believe this is a must-to-use controller during each set, especially when you want to do bench press alone, you can’t take the weight off like throwing the dumbbells away or putting the barbell on the racket. Right? Also, you can add or reduce weight by rolling the nob, which is a very clever design.

APP

The app is designed in a very simple fashion, it can sync all the data from the workout, and also customize your own plan by choosing the courses in the program collection. The only two things I wish it should have are, health tracking metrics from the smart wearables, and the feature to sync the data to the equipment if you have used the app to train elsewhere.

Minor Tweaks

However, there are still two minor tweaks I would suggest for the Gym Monster, first being the rope retracting a bit faster than I expected after the workout, which can be a bit problematic sometimes. Another thing is that it doesn’t support smart wearables other than Apple Watches, Speediance confirmed with us that they are working on it, so let’s hope it will come soon.

Conclusion

To sum up my experience with the Gym Monster, it’s a great machine to have in the house or studio. As I said earlier, it can be annoying to go to the gym every time after work, and it is not that hygienic to take the equipment after others. And if you think about it, Gym Monster has the coaches and equipment for you, so if you are looking for a simple and smart machine to build your workout routine, and you don’t want to spend 4000 plus dollars on a machine like this, the Gym Monster is the best option so far.

If you are thinking of working out at home, just check out here to learn more about the power Gym Monster.