BOWFLEX® Bodytower Pull-Up System

Buying a Functional Trainer

Fitness Town has curated a range of quality functional trainers that pass various tests from our team of experts. After decades in the fitness industry, we’ve developed a good understanding of your needs, regardless of age or fitness level. We consider everything like industry standards, diverse physical statures, and training requirements and goals. When you buy a product from Fitness Town, you can feel confident knowing that it lives up to our high standards. All that’s left is finding the perfect match for you.

Here are some things to consider when comparing our functional trainers:

• The footprint: Consider your space when purchasing a functional trainer. They come in different sizes and footprints and often fit easily into a corner of the room. Keep in mind that you’re really getting multiple pieces of equipment in one machine, so the space it takes up is well worth it. We offer streamlined, compact machines designed to fit seamlessly in your home gym.
• Your environment: If you cohabitate or you’re an early morning lifter, you’ll want a machine that helps reduce excess noise. Check out our functional trainers that feature Silent Steel weight stacks that not only provide a smooth pull but also eliminate that troubling metal-on-metal contact sound.
  How many stacks does it have? You’ll want to make sure your trainer has two weight stacks or a pulley system with two cable arms that allow each side of your body to function independently. This is important so that you don’t develop any imbalances. It also increases the number of exercises you can perform, like a chest cable fly.
• Adjustments: The number of incremental adjustments that can be made on a machine will impact the types of exercises you can perform. A pulley system that can easily be adjusted up and down between exercises is helpful, especially if you’re performing supersets. We offer functional trainers that can be adjusted with one hand thanks to quick-release adaptors.
• Ceiling Height: The average functional trainer is about 85” tall, which won’t fit if your ceilings are only 7’ high. Make sure you give yourself enough clearance to fit the machine and to perform pull-ups if your trainer comes with an attached bar. About 16” of free space at the top should be enough.
• Do you need storage? If you’re all about organization and keeping your home gym neat and tidy, consider a functional trainer that comes with storage for all your cable attachments.
• Your training goals: A functional trainer will fit anyone’s training goals. They are perfect for full-body workouts, progressive overload, isolation exercises, and they’re rehab-friendly. You can train your upper body and lower body on one machine, so no matter how you work out the functional trainer will accommodate you.
• Versatility: Following your training goals, think about any extras you’d want your machine to come with. Along with a pulley system, consider if you’d need a trainer with a smith machine bar, pull-up bar, or power cage. They don’t call them “functional” trainers for nothing!
• Safety: If you train alone, safety will be on the top of your mind. Especially if you’re chasing heavy weights. Functional trainers are one of the safest ways to train because the weight stacks are separated from you by an enclosure and the attached pulleys allow you to safely “drop” the weight if you ever fail a rep. This allows you to perform progressive overload with less risk of injury.