Marcy Diamond Elite MD-9010G Smith Machine

Unit	Dimensions	Possible exercises	Weight capacity	Workout stations	Warranty
Marcy MD-9010G Check Discounted Price	L:95" W:79" H:86"	100+	600 lbs	Smith cage, High pulleys, Leg station, Fly station, Low pulley, Preacher pad and bar	Parts: 2 years

Smith machines generally offer higher versatility than standard weight stack machines, as most of them work with Olympic and / or Standard weight plates, always leaving open the possibility to upgrade the weight capacity. Evidently, the higher the number of workout stations in a Smith machine, the higher its versatility, but also its price. However, when it comes to an excellent price / value ratio regarding a weight machine of this sort, the Marcy Diamond Elite MD-9010G definitely stands out.

This particular Smith cage system offers a mid range weight capacity, and includes an adjustable bench with leg development attachment, low pulley station, crossover station, pec fly station, and of course, the chest press bar, featuring linear ball bearings. There’s a lot to be said with regards to this gym trainer system, and in the sections below we’ll try to provide as much information as possible on all its parts, available exercises, assembly etc.

Technical Details and Specifications

• Assembled dimensions: 95L x 79W x 86H inches (241L x 201W x 219H cm)
• Total assembled weight: 237 lbs (107.5 kg)
• Weight capacity:
  • Maximum weights for press bar: 300 lbs (136 kg)
  • Maximum user’s weight (for bench): 300 lbs (136 kg)
  • Maximum weights on the rack: 600 lbs (272 kg)
  • Maximum weights on Leg Developer: 100 lbs (45 kg)
  • Maximum weights on Cross-over, Lat Pull: 200 lbs (90.7 kg)
• Required weight plates: Olympic (2″ holes)
• Possible exercises: 100+
• Warranty: Parts 2 years

Frame and parts

To begin with, the Marcy MD-9010G home gym features a frame made of 14 gauge square steel tubing, with an extremely sturdy construction. Some of the bars are chrome coated, with a “diamond” finish, while others are coated with anti-corrosion enamel.

Even though it’s a machine designed for home use, it’s quite similar to club Smith machines. The frame is sturdy enough to support up to 600 lbs (272 kg) of total weight. The cage doesn’t need to be bolted to the floor. Its stabilizers are small steel plates welded to the base bars, and they don’t have holes in it. But in case you want to bolt it down, holes can be drilled in them. The gym system is heavy enough to be stable on its own, even during exercises that involve greater weights. But to make sure it won’t slide at all when heavy lifting, you can place it on a rubberized mat. It will also provide protection for your floor.

The frame of the included bench is made of the same square steel tubing as the cage. It does not connect to the cage, so you can move it freely, placing it at the distance or position that fells most comfortable to you. Its backrest features several adjustment positions. As a general idea, the bench offers incline, horizontal and decline positions. The decline is not extreme though, only a few degrees below 180°.

The preacher pad and bench are padded with high-density foam, providing excellent comfort. The upholstery on them is made of two-toned, brown vinyl, which can last a lifetime if treated with proper care. Also, when it comes to padding, the leg developer station attached to the bench integrates 6 oversized roller pads, to provide maximum comfort during leg extensions and curls.

Since it’s a multifunctional home gym and not a basic Smith machine, the Marcy Diamond Elite integrates several pulleys for its workout stations. The pulleys are 3.75″ in diameter, and made of heavy-duty nylon material, with sealed ball bearings for prolonged use. The top pulleys can pivot, therefore you can use them for various lateral pull exercises. The cables used for this machine are 2000 lbs tensile strength steel ropes, covered by a sheet of PVC for smoother performance. Needless to say, they’re extremely durable, being able to withstand much more weight than the maximum capacity of the machine.

The included press bar features sealed linear bearings, offering a smooth glide and maximum stability for press exercises. Evidently, this bar features its own safety system, attaching to the inside of the frame’s 1″ guide rods. However, since this Marcy gym system integrates a Smith cage, you can also use an independent bar for squats or presses. Two sets of safety stoppers are supplied with the gym system, the frontal bars of the frame featuring 9 attachment positions for them.

The rear bars of the cage frame feature 3 weight storage pegs (each). Similar to the included press bar, the pegs are made for 2″ Olympic weights.

A few last aspects on the Marcy Diamond Elite Smith machine that need to be covered here, are with regards to its overall dimensions. First of all, with the bench and frame fully assembled, the whole gym system is approx. 95″ (241 cm) long, and 79″ (201 cm) wide. However, in order to load plates on it, and of course, use it safely and move freely around it, you’ll need at least 2-3 feet of clearance on each side. The cage frame is approx. 86″ (219 cm) tall, which means it won’t fit in a room (or basement) with a 7′ ceiling. These being said, the machine is designed for users between 5′ and 6’5″ (152 – 195.5 cm) users, but even taller users should be able to perform most exercises on it without any hindrance.

Accessories

There are several clarifications to be made regarding the accessories included with this Marcy Smith machine. First of all weight, plates are not included with it; you’ll have to use the ones you already have, or purchase a set. As we’ve mentioned above, all its weight pegs are made for 2″ Olympic plates.

The gym set comes with a press bar which attaches to the sliding bars of the frame, with linear bearings. However, the set does not include an independent Olympic bar. So, in case you don’t want to use the sliding bar for presses or squats, and you want an independent bar for exercises of the sort, you’ll have to purchase one additionally.

The main accessories included with the set are:

• 1x Triceps rope;
• 1x Ankle strap;
• 1x Lat bar;
• 2x Handle grip;
• 1x Shiver bar.

Workout stations

Chest press station – including a gliding press bar with linear bearings, sleeved for Olympic weight plates. You can use this bar either for chest press exercises, stand-up rows or squats.

Pec fly station – involving two simple arms with elbow pads, using the rear weight bar. Evidently, this station is designed for workouts focusing on the development of pectoral muscles.

High crossover station – involving a set of two high pulleys, for various crossover exercises or lat pulldowns. A lat bar is also included. You can attach it to both pulleys or only to one pulley, if you want to perform pulldowns while standing up.

Leg development station – offering the possibility to perform leg extensions and leg curls;

Preacher curl station – which basically uses the leg development attachment in conjunction with the preacher pad, in order to allow you to execute preacher curls. It also includes a simple, easily detachable bar with padded handles.

Low pulley station – for various exercises, such as one-legged curls, abductions or seated rows. An ankle strap and a small (shiver) bar are supplied for the various exercises that can be performed on this pulley.

On the other hand, this home gym set does not include a dip station. Also, it does not have a pull-up bar.

Weight ratios and limits

Since this Marcy weight machine features a pulley system, it’s obvious that the weight ratios vary from one to another. So, a few weight ratios to mention are:

• Lat pulldown station – 10 lbs of weight plates creates 5 lbs of resistance;
• Pec fly station – 10 lbs of weight plates creates 10 lbs of resistance;
• Low pulley station – 10 lbs of weight plates creates 20 lbs of resistance;
• Left crossover – 10 lbs of weight plates creates 5 lbs of resistance;
• Right crossover – 10 lbs of weight plates creates 5 lbs of resistance.

Evidently, the weight you will be loading on the press bar and on the curl bar will be the weight to lift.

A few clarifications to be made here are with regards to the gliding press bar. First of all, this bar does not have the 45 lbs (20.4 kg) standard weight of an Olympic 7′ bar. It weighs only 25 lbs (11.3 kg). Also, it can support much more than 300 lbs (136 kg), but the bench may not support the user’s weight plus 300 lbs of plates weight on the bar, thus it’s rated for 300 lbs. However, user’s have reported they have loaded it with more than 400 lbs for squats without any issues.

When it comes to the weight limits of other stations, as mentioned above, the curl station has a limit of 100 lbs (45.3 kg), while the crossover station’s limit is 200 lbs (90.7 kg).

Possible Exercises

The Marcy Diamond Elite MD-9010G makes available a wide array of exercises. Some of them are:

Arm exercises

Biceps curls
Lateral single-arm biceps curls
Lying biceps curls
Close grip pulldowns
Triceps extensions
Triceps pressdowns
Kneeling triceps extensions
Lateral single-arm triceps extensions
Prone triceps extensions

Abdominal Exercises

Cable crunches
Cable twist crunches
Seated trunk rotations
Standing trunk rotations

Back Exercises

Back flies
Back presses
Prone back flies
Prone reverse flies
Lat pulldowns
Aerobic rowing
Crossover rowing
Kneeling rowing

Chest Exercises

Chest presses
Single arm chest presses
Wide grip chest presses
Close grip chest presses
Chest flies
Incline chest flies
Lateral chest flies
Single arm chest flies
Pullovers
Pullovers with crunches
Pullovers with twisting crunches

Leg Exercises

Stand-up leg curls
Calf raises
Squats
Single-leg squats
Kneeling single-leg squats
Wide squats
Twisting squats
Jumping squats
Lunges
Reverse lunges
Hip extensions
Hip adductions
Hip abductions

Shoulder Exercises

Shoulder presses
Upright rows
Lateral deltoid raises
Front deltoid raises
Lying front deltoid raises
Front deltoid raises with leg curls
Shoulder extensions
Lateral arm pulls

… and many more.

As we’ve mentioned above, this gym set does not have a dip station. But you can easily replace dips with triceps pushdowns or similar exercises, using the high pulleys with the two handle-grips attached.

There’s no leg press station either. However, you can actually use the gliding chest press bar to execute leg presses, by placing the bench in reverse under the bar, after you have removed the leg attachment, and simply push the bar up using your legs. Of course, it’s not the safest, but since the bar is attached to the gliding beams, and has a safety mechanism, it can’t fall off. So, with a little extra care, you should be able to perform leg presses with no problem.

Also, to the list of exercises that can be performed on this machine, you can basically add most exercises involving dumbbells. The bench and preacher pad can offer excellent support for these exercises.

Assembly and Maintenance

The assembly of this Marcy fitness machine is straightforward, and the supplied manual provides pretty comprehensive assembly instructions. However, since it’s a complex machine, the whole process will take up to 4-5 hours. Since it’s not exactly a light fitness equipment, you’ll need at least two people for transporting the boxes into your home. Also due to its weight, it’s not exactly meant to be moved once it’s assembled.

Tools for assembly are not supplied. You will be needing two adjustable wrenches and a Phillips screwdriver.

When it comes to maintenance, the only aspect to consider is greasing the linear ball bearings which attach the press bar onto its gliding beams. Light oil or WD-40 is recommended for it

The Pros

• Sturdy, all-steel frame;
• Several workout stations, including: chest press station, pec fly station, low pulley station, high pulley crossover station, leg development station, preacher station;
• 5 position bench included;
• Smooth pulley and cable movement;
• Press bar integrating linear ball bearings for smooth and stable operation;
• Two sets of catch bars included, and 9 attachment positions for them on the front bars of the cage;
• Ankle strap included;
• Lat pulldown bar included;
• Short bar included;
• Triceps rope included;
• Handle grips included;
• Uses Olympic weight plates, which are highly available;
• Over 100 possible exercises;
• Quiet operation;
• Fairly easy to assemble.

The Cons

The following are hardly cons for this Marcy weight machine, but should be mentioned here:

• Weight plates are not included;
• Bar for free squats or presses is not included (only the gliding press bar is included);
• Requires at least 10 x 10 feet of space, for proper and safe operation.

Summary

The Marcy Diamond Elite Smith machine MD-9010G is a multifunctional fitness system, offering a lot of training versatility. It features a compact, sturdy and stable construction, with a total weight capacity of 600 lbs. The whole set includes a Smith cage with several workout stations, and a workout bench, being designed to make available more than 100 exercises. Even though it’s not exactly a machine made for professional lifters, it’s pretty much safe to say that it can offer everything required by a beginner or intermediate user, in terms of weight lifting. And as a final conclusions, given all it can offer and the fact that it costs only $1,000, the price / value ratio of this Smith machine is simply great.