Finished setting up my Arcardia about a month ago. What's not to love? Easy assembly, smooth action on the pulleys. Only glitch was having to exchange one of the pulleys, they accidently sent me two lefts instead of a left and right. Even then, service was top notch. Just had to send in photo proof on the pulley error, and they immediately sent out a replacement instead of them waiting for me to send in faulty part first. This is the kind of service that makes this company #1 in my book. p.s. came with the knurled D-handles.
Normally, can do one arm lat pulldown. I've been thinking about getting a double hook bar such as from bells of steel to use both stacks combined. Because of the 2:1 pulley ratio, that's only 170 lbs. Less than a dedicated lat machine. If lat pulldown is important, Rep is coming out with Adonis soon, with both 2:1 and 1:1 ratios. Higher price of course
Was waiting on something to give that wider stretch for someone who had more room. Then rep announced their modular storage system with the built in functional trainer. So excited to see that one reviewed!
Held back from buying the FT 2.0 after coops review and he mentioned this one. Waited months for this review but ended up pulling the trigger last month. It was delivered by R&L in a large box/crate. Everything was well packaged. Mine did come with the knurled handles. I am loving it so far and don’t have any issues.
Was the assembly a bitch like he had mentioned as well? Thats my only reservation on it but im looking at it as its only 250 more than the arcadia at the moment
Great review Coop! Just pulled the trigger and excited to add this to my Garage Gym, thanks for the breakdown and helping make my decision! Love new toys to play with in the GG!
Coop, you are the one who has the pull to get real answers from Rep here. To me, it looks like these new trolleys can be retrofitted onto the FT-5000 2.0 uprights. When I asked Rep about this they just plainly said "No:. I think they can, but I cannot confirm this. You have the capability to find out though! It would be incredible if Rep would sell these trolleys as an "upgrade kit" for us FT-5000 users.
Dude, you sold me! I literally was expecting a higher price tag, you’re right, they nailed it on all ends. You don’t have to tell me twice, when it comes to reviews and recommendations, you’re the man!
Purchased this early january, got the same handles you showed in the video the knurled steel d handles, love this functional trainer. Everyone in the family was so confused on what and why I was buying this, now they all use it everyday LOL
Arcadia is fantastic fire my low ceiling basement. I inverted the pull up bar and it just fit. Also, mine came with knurled d-handles like the ones in the video. Love your videos coop!!
@GarageGymReviews great review Coop. I saw Bells of Steel has a new smaller all-in-one single stack trainer with 210lb stack at 1:1 and includes lat pull down and low row...would love to see a review of that!
I was gonna save up for this one over the Centr (previously Inspire FTX) but ended up finding a used Inspire FTX for $800. With the money I saved I am looking to get a Bench and something for leg extensions/leg curls. It would be nice if Rep had something for leg extension/leg curls for their bench or even a separate piece of equipment.
Cooper thanks man, i been watching you since the OG times, but seriously when i need an answer on gym equipment. You’re my go to guy. I been waiting to get a functional trainer for about 4yrs was close on gets ft2 but Rep Killed it! Been doing okay with an old a$$ CalGym functional trainer. Saw this review and me and the wife ordered it with the weight stack. This is the best functional trainer for an actual garage gym.
I bought it as soon as it came out and I love it. I have small room set up as a gym And space is crucial. This unit is compact , strong , smooth and I love the storage peg. I Couldn’t ask for better. Can’t recommend this enough Btw, the company is great to deal with. They actually pick up the phone and handle your needs!! ❤
Hey coop love your reviews and have been subscribed to your channel for quite sometime. As a home gym owner I have not seen you review rebounders/ mini trampolines. After buying my first rebounder I would say it’s a must have for home gym owners. It’s perfect for incorporating the equipment I already have into a rebounder exercise. Could you possibly review and compare some of the top name brands like Jump Sport, Acon, Bellicon, and Leaps & Rebounds? Also, maybe you could review the fitness programs they each offer. Thanks!
I really like this but I bought the inspired one from Costco last year at a steal 800$. If I would have bought it full retail I would’ve had been feeling bad and should’ve waited for this. Thanks Coop
Let's try this again! I've had my eye on this one but the width of the uprights is holding me back. Also considering the Body Solid GFT100. Do you have an opinion on Body Solid equipment? Can't find much in the way of reviews. Thanks!
Great video, Coop. Can you review the Titan Nemesis functional trainer? I'm curious how it compares to the Rep functional trainers and to your FreeMotion Cable Cross. The Titan Nemesis is at the same price point ($1,999) as the REP Arcadia.
Fabbing a wider backboard and PU bar is the way to go. Can get full custom width for far less than other full rack big options. Ordering after this, thanks!
As someone looking to start a home gym in the next couple of years, I'm eagerly awaiting the future. I'm not sure I want to spend as much as a Freemotion costs, but I can't go with a narrow functional trainer. Stretch or bust!
I'm looking for a Functional training but I was looking for one with integrated Lat Pulldown, I think it makes sense to have everything in one unit and use the weight stack, Titan have this feature in their plate loaded Functional trainer, I will like to see more companies do it, probably with the Adonis combining 2 together you will get this but it will be expensive, nice review.
Who makes the dual cable bar that is hanging in the middle of your peg board? We're going to buy an Athena this week, and want one of those so we can use both pullies at once :-) Thanks!
If they start offering this with a wider pegboard that basically makes the whole unit wider for better stretch, I’ll definitely buy it! I think it’s a great balance of functionality and footprint, I just want more stretch!
I have had this for 3 weeks now and it's great. But, I've already noticed some of the plastic covering on both the cables to be getting damaged on a small 1.5-2 inch area. Is this normal to happen that fast? I've never owned a functional trainer before.
Hey Coop, love your reviews and insights. I wonder if you’ve thought to design your own equipment. With all your experience reviewing what’s already out there, I don’t know if there’s anyone better qualified than you to do it. So, is this something you might consider doing?
Dang it! I've been saving to buy this, on the one hand I'm glad it reviewed so well but now I have to worry about price creep from the demand and popularity.
Everyone is so worried about the width, however the good thing is, it is the perfect width if you prefer sliding a bench in-between and doing cable presses as opposed to flies. that 42 inch distance between the columns being narrower will eliminate some of those weird forces you get on the shoulder when pressing with a wider stack around 50-60 inches. Kinda what sold me on purchasing this!
What is the straight bar that you used with this? Not cheaper, but I would love to see reviews on Jacked Up fitness products. This was a great review, as they all are!
Wouldn't the FT-5000 2.0 Functional Trainer be a more apt comparison when it comes to the titan fitness functional trainer? This just seems like a very compact ft which the titan isn't.
Hey Coop, heads-up the whole chest stretch thing with the width of the functional trainer is an old-school ideology that doesn't actually seem to align with the latest research. Also, you actually get more stretch during a chest fly with a slightly narrower setup where the cables are right around the width of your wingspan during the fly since the cable will then be positioned right behind your hands and pulling your hands back with maximum forces in the wide stretch position at the start of the fly. It may even be more ideal to have it slightly narrower, so it pulls your hands back and in at the bottom to really tear your chest apart. This does mean there will be reduced tension at the top squeeze though. A wider cable setup is the opposite, it allows for more tension in the most contracted squeeze position at the top since now the position of the cables is pulling outward to pry your hands apart, but then once you open them wide again your hands are more in line with the cable so there's minimal tension/stretch on your chest at the bottom where the cables are now pulling your hands outward rather than back. Think of it like trying to bend rod, the best way would be to center it on something solid and then grab both ends and pull back and inward to maximize tension in the middle. So, if your chest is the middle of the rod and your hands are the ends, you want the cables pulling back and in at the bottom of the movement where your chest is stretched to really put as much tension through the chest (and also help improve shoulder/chest mobility) rather than pulling outward on the rod which wouldn't do much unless the rod was already bent and you were trying to open it. Now regardless, if you have a wide or narrower setup there's still going to be some tension in both ends of the motion so long as you're standing in front of the functional trainer and not directly in the middle between the pulleys to ensure it's always pulling at a slight angle behind you. But if you want to maximize the tension in the stretch position (which a lot of recent studies seem to be indicating results in the highest muscle hypertrophy) a narrower setup around elbow to wingspan width during the fly will likely be more ideal for most people to emphasize tension in that deep stretch.
Wow, super helpful. Thanks for writing in so much depth. Can you link any of the research that I can reference in future videos? Thank you, for real. - Coop
@@GarageGymReviews Sure thing! Quick note: this stuff seems to mostly apply to muscle growth/hypertrophy rather than strength, so if you only care about strength outcomes you really just need to train in the range of motion you're interested in being strong in and ensuring there's maximal tension in that range. Training in a full range of motion and ensuring there's tension in the stretched position definitely seems to have growing evidence that it's best for hypertrophy and even increases flexibility and strength in those ranges which results in better mobility too (kneesovertoesguy/ATG's content shows a lot of this in practical ways for general mobility/longevity). Here's a pretty comprehensive article from Dr. Milo Wolf and Greg Nuckols discussing a lot of the nuances of training at longer vs shorter muscle lengths and how stretch mediated hypertrophy may work. They cite numerous studies around the subject you can check out and have a short practical takeaway section at the end too. I believe even more studies have come out since this was posted in Nov-2022 and not sure if they updated the article with it or not: www.strongerbyscience.com/rom/ Here's a 15-ish minute technical overview of some of the science behind it by Menno Henselmans and he talks about some of the studies done as well: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iVpvIen2WXQ.htmlsi=4fT5ljGuIm6gi72E Also, for a short real-world example, watch the section of this Renaissance Periodization video with Menno on the Bayesian curls (especially the end of this part where he talks about how the cable position relates to tension in all cable exercises since this similarly applies to cable chest flys): ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wNeiLSEwTHk.htmlsi=1GxHF7T6pysrqoZJ&t=94 If you want to learn more, I'd search around for content on stretch mediated hypertrophy and/or lengthened partials (a.k.a long-length partials), there's a ton out there so I don't want to overwhelm by linking to everything I've seen in this comment lol. I will say Dr. Mike Israetel (Ph.D sport physiology) on the Renaissance Periodization RU-vid channel is a great resource for all things hypertrophy related, as well as Dr. Milo Wolf from Wolf Coaching, he did his Ph.D on range of motion. The MASS research review in addition to Stronger By Science and Menno Henselmans that I already linked to earlier are also great resources. But the basic idea is that for every muscle tested in studies so far it seems that equal or better growth occurs when we ensure we move the muscle through its lengthened/stretched range of motion (although it doesn't have to be the absolute maximum that the muscle is capable of, just close) while ensuring there is also a decent amount of tension through that range as well (again doesn't need to be maximal tension in maximal stretch, just ensuring that there is some notable tension in the longer muscle lengths). So, if you apply this latest data to cable chest flys, it seems like the optimal setup would be with the cables positioned somewhere around forming a perpendicular line from the back of your hand at the bottom of the fly. Since most people have around a 60" to 80" wingspan, but also bend the arms slightly during a fly, I'd guess anywhere around 40" to 90" functional trainer width would probably be indifferentiable practically for most people in the real world. Technical maximum tension will likely be narrower than the width of your hands during the fly since most should be flexible enough to angle the arms slightly behind the body at the bottom and thus having the functional trainer width narrower would results in 90° cable to hand angle at the bottom and ensure the moment arm with the chest is maximized in the stretch position. Unfortunately, we don't have a direct study on the cable chest fly as an exercise to determine the exact ideal positioning of the cables but all the literature we have on stretch mediated hypertrophy and lengthened partials in numerous other muscles makes it pretty straightforward to infer how to setup a similar resistance profile with a cable chest fly. Ironically, this is why the dumbbell chest fly can be a great chest builder since gravity always pulls straight down so you get pretty maximal tension in the wide stretched position and then minimal tension at the top making it effectively a lengthened-partial. You can think of it like gravity is an adjustable-width cable setup that moves the pulley width automatically so it's always directly below/behind your hand throughout the movement and this is why when you bring the dumbbells in there's no tension at the top as the force is directly in line with your arms. The wider the pulley setup moves past your wingspan, the more the top squeeze point is when forces are maximized as the cable will be closest to perpendicular outward and then tension gradually decreases as your hands open up and get more in line with the direction of pull, basically minimizing the tension/stretch on the chest in the bottom/start position. Then in a medium/narrow cable setup (one that's at least wider than your shoulders but less than wingspan) there's still some tension at the top squeeze but it's minimized, and it slowly maximizes at some point as you open outward and your hands become perpendicular to the direction of the pull. And last thing I'll note, this is pretty nuanced and minor detail stuff that at best seems to make maybe 5-10% difference in results long-term. So it's not like a super wide cable fly setup won't work at all, it's still going to produce great results, but it's definitely not maximizing the stretch like has been commonly purported just based on pretty standard physics of the cable lining up more with the arms/chest in the wide stretch position and thus reducing the tension on the chest. If we want to look at the latest science and try to keep optimizing our exercises around that, it seems like a slightly narrower setup around wingspan width (or slightly narrower since most people can actually get their arms angled slightly behind their body at the bottom of the fly) would probably be just a little better to create a more perpendicular force in the stretched position. Sorry for such a long post!! This stuff is pretty technical and not something most need to worry much about, but I hope it makes a bit more sense now where saying a wider cable setup is better for "stretch" just isn't really in-line with the latest science for muscle growth and the physics for maximizing tension and actually stretching the chest, people just often feel a wide setup a bit more since they like to emphasize the top squeeze position more and often cut out the true deep stretch letting the arms go back behind the body as far as possible.
I don't have any research, but in my experience, super wide flys with cable or dumbbells never felt that effective for me. It seemed a effective way to strain my shoulders rather than put the pecs through a loaded stretch
Hi, I have the FT-3000 2.0 that my husband bought for me this past July 2023 to help me recover physical from a traumatic brain injury sustained on July 4th 2022. After a long hospital stay and lots of neurological issues that am still dealing with along with seizure and not being able to workout in a public gym because I tend have seizures more frequently in public settings that my husband decided to buy the functional trainer for me to try to regain my strength & balance but we noticed from the get go that the left side of the trolley scrapes when it’s moved up or down on guide rod. My husband has added silicone lubricant on guide rods but it still has that scraping sound. Am grateful for him buying the trainer and I don’t want to bother him about the noise it makes so I just use the right side. I still love it just don’t know how to fix it so it doesn’t make that sound.
After watching this review, I was sold. But then I noticed Bells of Steel somewhat new Weight Stack All in One Trainer. Can you please do a review on that machine and maybe a comparison. Thanks. Keep up the great video content.
Anyone know what that bar Coop is using at 4:23 is? My only concern with this trainer is that 110 pounds per side might get a little light for things like lat pulldowns or tricep pushdowns
I would SO get that beautiful piece of equipment if it came with the swing arms option so it stays compact yet able to make wide range movements…especially for us older disabled vets who need more range for our PT/OT requirements.
I'd be interested in a review of the new XMark functional trainer that is 90 inches tall with 230 lb weight stacks. Curious how it's quality compares to the arcadia.
Feels like aa perfect time for me to make my 10000th request for maximum advantage grip attachments review. Would love to know how they compare to the knock offs and which ones you'd recommend and in what order
Hey Guys, Have you ever reviewed any products from Hoist? They have a Smith machine that I'm curious boy ( Mi Smith). It glides with vertically and Horizontally. The functional trainers look solid as well. They seem well built but its hard to tell just based n a few videos. Thanks!
Anyone out here figured a way to low row with the Athena? I noticed coop had a bar to attach the 2 stack for pull downs. I tried the Gympin bar but it doesn't work. Any thoughts are welcome
There is so much stuff from rep, that I would want but can't buy because rep is STILL NOT AVAILABLE IN EUROPE!!?!!?! PLEASE REP!! Make it happen!! You would literally hit the market like a bomb!!