The Marcy MWM-988 Multifunction Home Gym is a sturdy system built from steel, yet the price remains competitively affordable. If you've got the space for a full system this is a great alternative to going to the gym, and is therefore features in our best home gyms guide as a great choice for smaller homes as well as for beginners.
In our Marcy MWM-988 Multifunction Home Gym review, we look at the multi-gyms spec, design and top features to see whether it's the right choice for your fitness needs. We'd also recommend pairing it with one of the best fitness trackers to see how hard you're working when exercising.
Marcy MWM-988 Multifunction Home Gym review: Overview
The Marcy MWM-988 Multifunction Home Gym offers a great way to gain access to over 36 different exercises with up to 150lbs of weight all without leaving your home. The MWM-988 enables you to work all the major muscle groups and beyond for a real workout, and all without having to drive to the gym.
Design: Multifunction
Weight: 125 lbs
Exercises: 36+
Supported weight: Up to 300 lbs
But it does take some putting together, and it is limited by the weights provided. That said, it's designed to give you an affective full body workout, or you could choose to focus on just working out your upper body or lower body in separate sessions. For a glideboard system, we'd recommend reading our Total Gym FIT review.
This Marcy home gym is quite compact compared to many other home gyms, so it would also sit well alongside other home exercise equipment such as the best treadmills or an exercise bike for higher intensity cardio workouts.
Marcy MWM-988 Multifunction Home Gym review: Design
The Marcy MWM-988 Multifunction Home Gym has a frame that is made from heavy duty 14 gauge steel tubing. That means this weighs in at a reassuring 125lbs and will sit steady no matter how you are pushing or pulling. It also means the frame comes with a two year warranty.
The gym comes unassembled but can be put together easily enough. We're not saying it's quick or easy but if you follow the instructions calmly then it's not too much trouble. Especially when you think you probably only have to build it the once.
If you think you'd prefer a Power Rod system gym that can be scaled up in terms of resistance, take a look at our Bowflex PR3000 Home Gym review.
The weights stack comes with a protected shielding meaning this is safe and also has decent durability for long term use and life span.
The seat is padded and covered with a resilient vinyl material that's made to last. However it doesn't move so you can't adjust for ideal comfort in all exercises.
Marcy MWM-988 Multifunction Home Gym review: Features
The Marcy MWM-988 Multifunction Home Gym features a stack of weights that total 150lbs, which can be sectionalized to suit whatever you need for the workout you're doing. The 36 workout options come from the six stations.
The individual stations are: high pulley, low pulley, curl pad, pec fly, chest press and leg attachment. That adds up to a total body workout for both your upper and lower body.
The separate high and low pulley stations means all you need to move is the weight amount before moving onto the next exercise. With 16 pulleys in total, the exercise variation without having to change any settings is broad.
There's a separate dual function arm press, which means you get vertical butterfly and chest press exercises too. In the case of the vertical butterfly, each arm swings separately to provide more balance based work to ensure you avoid muscular imbalances.
Marcy MWM-988 Multifunction Home Gym review: Performance
The Marcy MWM-988 Multifunction Home Gym is a bit of an effort to build but once you have this setup and ready to go it's very easy to use. This isn't small but it does remain fairly slim meaning it can fit even in smaller rooms.
The weight stack is easy to adjust between sets and the coating means that it's super quiet to use making it ideal for home use. Those pulleys are also very well made so that movements are smooth with even weight distribution throughout.
The leg station features a thick foam roller for padding so that your legs remain comfortable even when working with heavier amounts of weight for extended periods of time.
While the seat might not move, the stations can adjust. For example the preacher curl bicep pad can be adjusted to suit your height so you are always working just the right part of your muscles.
Should you buy the Marcy MWM-988 Multifunction Home Gym?
The Marcy MWM-988 Multifunction Home Gym is a great example of an easy to use, well-built machine that offers lots of different exercise options all without you having to make adjustments. It's limited to a 150lb stack of weights, but still offers a lot for the relatively affordable price tag.
If you're looking for a different type of home exercise equipment, also take a look at our guides to the best bike trainers to turn your road or mountain bike into an indoor fitness bike, or the best elliptical machines for cross-training.
