FTX FUNCTIONAL TRAINER

Name: FTX FUNCTIONAL TRAINER
Brand: Inspire Fitness
Rating: 4.11 (3 reviews)

The Inspire FTX Functional Trainer is a compact dual-stack cable machine built to pack a full range of functional and strength exercises into one of the smallest footprints in its category. Two 165 lb weight stacks (330 lb total, adjustable in 10 lb increments) run at a 2:1 pulley ratio for 82.5 lbs of resistance per side, routed through 30 swiveling pulley positions and a built-in pull-up bar. It ships with a tricep rope, two deluxe D-handles, a dual-hook curl bar, and a chin/dip belt, all backed by a limited lifetime frame warranty.

Independent reviewers consistently call it strong value: GarageGymPro scores it 9.4/10 and Garage Gym Reviews calls it “a great functional trainer for beginners and intermediate lifters,” while multi-year owner videos report smooth, low-maintenance cable operation with no recurring durability issues. The tradeoffs show up for more advanced lifters: 82.5 lbs per side can become a ceiling for experienced users, several useful attachments are sold separately, and the 82” pull-up bar and 13.5” bench (versus a standard 17-18”) don’t suit taller users as well.

Buying guide

Best GHD for a Home Gym — July 2026

Warranty	Limited lifetime (residential, frame)
Dimensions	54 in W x 40 in L x 82 in H
Weight stacks	Two 165 lb stacks (330 lb total), 10 lb increments
Product weight	544 lb (247 kg)
Pulley positions	30 swiveling positions
Resistance ratio	2:1 (82.5 lb per side at max stack)
Frame construction	Heavy-duty steel, matte black electrostatic powder coat
Included accessories	Tricep rope, two D-handles, dual-hook curl bar, chin/dip belt

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.

How it compares

	FTX FUNCTIONAL TRAINER	PLATE LOADED \| Pulldown	Chest Press RS-2301	Hammer Strength Plate-Loaded Iso-Lateral Leg Curl
GymRadar rating	4.11/5	4.11/5	4.11/5	4.11/5
Price	$2,099.00	$5,200.00	$5,226.00	$3,694.00
Warranty	Limited lifetime (residential, frame)			10-year frame, 5-year bearings, 3-month most components
Dimensions	54 in W x 40 in L x 82 in H			69" L x 57" W x 40" H (175 x 145 x 104 cm)
Weight stacks	Two 165 lb stacks (330 lb total), 10 lb increments
Product weight	544 lb (247 kg)
Pulley positions	30 swiveling positions
Resistance ratio	2:1 (82.5 lb per side at max stack)
Frame construction	Heavy-duty steel, matte black electrostatic powder coat
Included accessories	Tricep rope, two D-handles, dual-hook curl bar, chin/dip belt

4.1/5 · 3 GymRadar reviews

Reviews by source

Expert	4.11/5	3 reviews
Youtube	4.5/5	3 reviews

The Inspire FTX Functional Trainer earns consistent praise from owners and independent reviewers as one of the best-value compact cable machines for a home gym. The standout dimension is versatility: 30 swiveling pulley positions plus a built-in pull-up bar and included tricep rope, D-handles, curl bar, and chin/dip belt cover most upper-body and functional movements in one of the smallest footprints in its category. The weakest dimension is value for advanced lifters — the dual 165 lb stacks (82.5 lbs per side at the 2:1 ratio) are enough for beginners and intermediates but multiple reviewers flag it as a ceiling for experienced users, and several optional attachments needed for a complete workout cost extra. Build quality and functionality draw the strongest agreement: GarageGymPro scored it 9.4/10 and a long-term (1-year) YouTube owner review reports smooth, low-maintenance cable operation with no durability complaints, consistent with GymRadar’s 4.11/5 rating.

+Versatility: 30 swiveling pulley positions plus a built-in pull-up bar cover most functional and upper-body movements in a compact footprint (inspirefitness.com, garagegymreviews.com)
+Build quality: heavy-duty steel construction with smooth, low-bounce cable operation; a 1-year owner review reports no durability issues after extended use (YouTube: long-term Inspire FTX/Centr 2 review)
+Functionality: dual 165 lb weight stacks adjustable in 10 lb increments (82.5 lbs per side at 2:1 ratio), with included tricep rope, D-handles, curl bar, and chin/dip belt (inspirefitness.com, recovatech.com)
+Value: GarageGymPro rates it 9.4/10 overall and calls it the cheapest machine in the Inspire functional-trainer lineup at roughly $2,000-2,100 (garagegympro.com)
+Build quality: Limited Lifetime warranty on the frame (inspirefitness.com)

−Value: 82.5 lbs of resistance per side may be insufficient for experienced lifters looking to progressively overload (garagegymreviews.com, garagegympro.com)
−Versatility: several useful attachments are sold separately rather than included, adding to the effective cost (garagegympro.com)
−Functionality: pull-up bar height (82") and the included bench (13.5" vs. a standard 17-18") don't suit taller users well (recovatech.com, garagegympro.com)
−Durability: no independent community (Reddit) coverage was found to corroborate long-term reliability beyond the ~1-year owner videos reviewed

$2,099.00

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