Best Home Gym Gear
Ares™ Functional Trainer

REP Fitness

Ares™ Functional Trainer

The Ares™ Functional Trainer is REP Fitness’s original rack-mounted cable attachment, affixing to an existing PR-4000 or PR-5000 power rack to add a fully integrated functional trainer plus lat pulldown/low row station without a separate free-standing machine. Dual 260 lb weight stacks (upgradable to 310 lb each) run on a 2:1 pulley ratio for finer functional-training resistance, and a “banana” connector joins both stacks for heavier bilateral lifts like lat pulldowns. Independent reviewers (Garage Gym Reviews, and both YouTube reviewers who tested it at launch) praised its build quality, smooth cable feel, and the space savings of building cable training directly into a rack rather than adding a standalone unit. REP has since replaced it with the improved Ares™ 2.0 – the original is no longer sold new, though REP continues to stock replacement parts for existing owners.

Buying guide

Best Power Rack for Your Home Gym — July 2026
Status discontinued as a new-sale item; superseded by the Ares 2.0
Material hot-rolled steel weight plates with machined finish, patent-pending metallic black finished shroud
Shipping LTL freight, wooden crate
Warranty lifetime (per Garage Gym Reviews)
Pulley ratio 2:1 (100 lbs feels like 50 lbs)
Pulley swivel 180 degrees, usable outside the rack
Weight stacks two 260 lb stacks stock (upgradable to 310 lb each / 620 lb total)
Compatible racks REP PR-4000 or PR-5000 power racks (4-post or 6-post)
Total system weight 965 lbs
Included accessories footplate, four 2.5 lb micro-adjustment plates, urethane D handles, knurled hard-chrome lat pulldown bar, low row bar, connector banana
Trolley cable capacity 450 lbs each

What is a Rack?

What a squat/folding rack is

Racks in this category trade the full four-post cage for a smaller footprint — wall-mounted fold-back racks and half-racks that squat and press without swallowing a room. A fold-back rack hinges flat against the wall between sessions, making it the go-to for shared garages. Prioritize 3x3 or Monster Lite uprights and 11-gauge steel so “space-saving” doesn’t mean “wobbly,” and confirm your wall studs can anchor it.

How it compares

Ares™ Functional Trainer GIANT BD3X Power Rack Manticore Power Rack R-3 Power Rack
GymRadar rating 4.61/5 4.6/5 4.59/5 4.63/5
Price $1,159.99 $870.00
Status discontinued as a new-sale item; superseded by the Ares 2.0
Material hot-rolled steel weight plates with machined finish, patent-pending metallic black finished shroud 3" x 3" 11-gauge steel uprights, robotically welded with laser-cut holes 2" x 3" 11-gauge steel uprights
Shipping LTL freight, wooden crate
Warranty lifetime (per Garage Gym Reviews) limited lifetime Limited lifetime
Pulley ratio 2:1 (100 lbs feels like 50 lbs)
Pulley swivel 180 degrees, usable outside the rack
Weight stacks two 260 lb stacks stock (upgradable to 310 lb each / 620 lb total)
Compatible racks REP PR-4000 or PR-5000 power racks (4-post or 6-post)
Total system weight 965 lbs
Included accessories footplate, four 2.5 lb micro-adjustment plates, urethane D handles, knurled hard-chrome lat pulldown bar, low row bar, connector banana Sandwich-style J-cups, strap safeties, multi-grip pull-up bar, logo plate 43" fat/skinny pull-up bar, 2 Infinity J-cups, pin/pipe safeties, 4 band pegs, mounting hardware
Trolley cable capacity 450 lbs each

4.6/5 · 6 GymRadar reviews

Reviews by source

Expert 4.61/5 6 reviews
Retailer 4.9/5 161 reviews
Reddit 4.3/5 2 reviews 2 dedicated r/homegym threads considered. 'Moving a 6-Post Rack with Ares 1.0' is a positive logistics showcase with no product complaints. 'Hyperion Inspired, Wide Cable Crossover Rep Ares 1.0 Build' is a builder happy enough with the base Ares to invest further in a custom wide-cable-crossover setup, but names a real limitation: the stock 4-post width doesn't support incline bench pressing. Broader subreddit chatter about 'Ares' skews toward the 2.0 successor and was excluded from this count as not clearly attributable to the 1.0.
Youtube 4.65/5 2 reviews 2 videos considered with usable transcripts, both from the 2022 launch window. Garage Gym Reviews' own channel gives an enthusiastic first-look verdict ('REP Fitness ARES Cable Attachment Review: The Hype is REAL!'), praising the dual weight stacks and swivel pulleys. Flex Marks The Spot reviews it in depth after several weeks of hands-on use on a PR-5000, also strongly positive ('Home Gym GAME CHANGER!'), calling out smooth cable feel and solid rack integration. Neither gives an explicit numeric score; both are clearly favorable overall verdicts.

The original REP Ares earned strong, consistent praise while it was REP’s flagship rack-mounted functional trainer: Garage Gym Reviews calls it “a high-quality functional trainer from a brand we know and trust,” and both independent YouTube reviewers who tested it at launch gave enthusiastic verdicts (“the hype is real”). Functionality is the standout dimension – dual 260 lb weight stacks with a 2:1 pulley ratio, 180-degree swiveling front pulleys usable outside the rack, and a banana connector that joins both stacks for heavier bilateral moves like lat pulldowns – and build quality backs it up, with hot-rolled steel plates and smooth, rattle-free cable travel praised by both reviewers and r/homegym owners. Versatility is solid within its niche (4-post and 6-post rack configurations, adjustable height/depth) but has a real edge: the stock width doesn’t support incline bench pressing, a limitation an r/homegym builder had to solve with a custom wide-cable-crossover setup. The weakest dimension now is value/availability – REP has discontinued the original Ares as a new-sale item and repointed its product page to the improved Ares 2.0, so a buyer today can no longer purchase this exact unit new, even though REP still sells replacement parts for existing owners.

  • +Functionality: dual 260 lb weight stacks with a 2:1 pulley ratio and a banana connector to combine stacks for heavier bilateral lifts like lat pulldowns (REP Fitness; Garage Gym Reviews)
  • +Build quality: hot-rolled steel plates and smooth-gliding trolleys with no reported rattle or wobble in the rack (Garage Gym Reviews; r/homegym)
  • +Versatility: 180-degree swiveling front pulleys usable outside the rack, plus 4-post and 6-post configuration options (REP Fitness; Garage Gym Reviews)
  • +Value: undercuts standalone functional trainers like the Watson Voltra (~$2,000 each) by adding cable capability directly onto an existing PR-4000/PR-5000 rack (r/homegym)
  • +Durability: REP still sells official replacement "Spares" for the Ares years after its release, suggesting ongoing support for owners (r/homegym)
  • −Value: no longer sold as a new unit -- REP has repointed its builder page to the Ares 2.0 successor, so the exact reviewed product isn't currently purchasable new (REP Fitness)
  • −Versatility: stock 4-post width doesn't support incline bench pressing without a custom wide-cable-crossover build (r/homegym)
  • −Functionality: effectively locked to REP's own PR-4000/PR-5000 racks, so it isn't an option for other rack brands (Garage Gym Reviews)
  • −Value: high price point relative to other functional trainer attachments, per Garage Gym Reviews
  • −Durability: little independent long-term reliability data beyond early owner reports, since coverage dates mostly to the 2022 launch window (thin coverage)

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