FT1 FUNCTIONAL TRAINER

The Inspire Fitness FT1 Functional Trainer is a commercial-grade training machine that delivers endless versatility at home or in a gym. It's built with a pull up bar, 2 sliding pulleys, 2 upgradeable 165 lb. weight stacks, tablet holder, accessory storage and a a complete kit of 11 accessories. The FT1 for functional training allows you to have complete freedom of movement in any direction or plane while performing weight resistance exercises. These unrestricted exercises are designed to move the way your body naturally moves. Made from commercial-grade components like heavy-duty steel and reinforced cables, this machine delivers a superior feel with every push and pull of the Smooth Gliding Pulley System. Feel the difference between the FT1 and other machines with the friction-free motion. It's engineered for feel and longevity, backed by a limited lifetime warranty.

Buying guide

Best GHD for a Home Gym — July 2026

What is a Machine?

What a strength machine is

A strength machine guides the resistance along a fixed path so you can train a movement safely, often without a spotter. The main types: selectorized (pick weight with a pin), plate-loaded (add your own plates for a heavier ceiling and better feel), and functional trainers / cable machines (adjustable pulleys for dozens of exercises).

Machines vs. free weights

Machines shine for isolation, safety, and high-rep hypertrophy, and for training hard alone. Free weights build more stabilizer strength and carry over better to sport. Most well-rounded home gyms use a rack and barbell as the core and add one machine — often a cable/functional trainer or a lat-pulldown/row — to fill the gaps.

The sub-types worth knowing

“Machines” covers several categories that barely compete with each other: GHDs for hamstring and posterior-chain work, belt squats for loading the legs without the bar on your back, leg press / hack squat combos for heavy quad volume, reverse hypers for posterior-chain work and lower-back decompression, cable towers and functional trainers for pulling movements, and row machines. Pick the one that fills a gap in what your rack and barbell already do. Almost nobody needs two.

Space and standalone vs. rack-mounted

Most of these come in a standalone version and a cheaper rack-attachment version. The attachment saves floor space and money, but often gives up stability or range of motion — a tradeoff worth checking on the specific product rather than assuming, since it varies a lot between designs.

A note on ratings

Machine listings frequently show a manufacturer’s own on-site rating, which runs high (4.7–5.0 is typical) and sometimes pools reviews across a whole product family rather than the exact configuration you’re buying. Where we have independent hands-on coverage, our summaries anchor to that instead, and say so on the product page.