| Unit | Dimensions | Possible exercises | Workout stations | Weight stack | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Inspire M1 Check Discounted Price | L:74" W:34" H:84" | 30+ | High pulleys, Mid pulleys, Low pulleys | 160 lbs | Lifetime |
Although the Inspire Fitness M1 is a home gym that has been around for about three years (it was released at the beginning of 2015), it still is one of the best cable machines in 2018. It’s a bit more expensive than other fitness machines equipped with a 150-180 lbs metallic stack, such as the Body-Solid G1S or the Body-Solid EXM1500S, but does offer much more flexibility for each exercise.
It features a specific design involving only cables and pulleys, and no fixed bars workout stations. It doesn’t have a traditional press such as the Gold’s Gym XR 55 for example, nor does it have a leg developer attachment. It has six pull points, or three main workout stations which offer the possibility to perform over 30 quality exercises.
Technical Details and Specifications
- Assembled dimensions: 74″L x 34″W x 84″H (188L x 86W x 213H cm)
- Seat: Adjustable
- Backrest: Adjustable
- Weight resistance: Weight stack (cast iron), 160 lbs (72.5 kg)
- Possible exercises: 30+
- Accessories:
- Two pairs of D handles;
- One pair of multi-ring D handles;
- Ankle strap;
- Warranty: Lifetime (In-Home), 10 year (Light-commercial)
Frame constructions, parts & accessories
To begin with, the Inspire Fitness M1 home gym features a very attractive, yet durable design, integrating 2″ x 4″ oval and 3″ round, 11 gauge steel tubing. Needless to say, it’s a heavy
structure fitness machine, weighing more than 300 lbs with its frame fully assembled and with its weight stack attached. All this weight considerably enhances its stability, and speaking of stability, the base of the frame has five points of contact with the floor, the two rear feet featuring adjustable stabilizers.
This cable machine does not take too much usage space compared to other models, such as the Body Solid EXM3000LPS, for example. Lengthwise, it takes 74″ (188 cm) of space, but its width is only 34″ (86 cm). When it comes to height, it’s 84″ (213 cm) tall; therefore, it won’t fit in a room with a 7′ ceiling, so, keep this in mind if you want to purchase this machine. Along with the mentioned dimensions, Inspire Fitness does recommend to assign a clearance of at least two feet on each side of the machine, and at least three feet at the front.
As opposed to many other home gyms equipped with a similar weight stack, the Inspire M1 features a telescopic seat. This is actually one of the aspects this home gym costs a bit more. Its backrest has 6 incline positions, but the seat can be extended forward leaving room for a complete 180° setup. However, the backrest doesn’t offer any decline settings.
The seat assembly is extremely durable. There isn’t any weight capacity mentioned for this fitness machine. Therefore, it should support users up to 400 lbs (181 kg) with no problem. The seat and backrest feature a thick layer of foam padding and a heavy-duty vinyl upholstery, delivering optimal comfort for all the exercises. This vinyl material is also sweatproof, so you can easily be wiped after exercises.
The Inspire Fitness M1 home gym is equipped with 18 heavy-duty pulleys. The six pulleys
situated at the pull points have a swivel design, in order to adapt perfectly to the form of your exercise. All the pulleys integrate industrial grade, sealed ball bearings for a long lifespan and easy operation. They’re made of fiberglass reinforced nylon, highly resistant to wear and tear, and solid just as the cables. Also, the cables are coated with a sheet of polyurethane, providing a smooth gliding over the pulleys. They’re rated for 2,000 lbs tensile duty, so they should support the 160 lbs weight of the stack with no problem.
In terms of accessories, this Inspire Fitness home gym comes with two pairs of simple D handles, one pair of multi-ring D handles, and one ankle strap. This being said, you can equip each one of the pull points with a D handle and leave it like that the whole time, so you won’t have to waste time detaching and re-attaching handles during the workout. A laminated exercise chart is also included with this fitness machine.
Other available accessories for the M1 are an abdominal bar, a 48″ revolving lat bar, 50 lbs of extra weight for the stack, and a 5 lbs add-on weight.
One last aspect to mention here regards the gym’s paint finish. All the steel bars which compose its frame feature an electrostatically applied powder coating which is rust-resistant and highly durable. The color used is gray, this being the only color available for this machine. However, there are four color versions for the shrouds that cover the weight stack.
Workout stations
As we’ve mentioned above, the Inspire M1 gym machine offers six pull points or three main workout stations. These are: the high-pulley station, the mid pulley station, and the low pulley station.
High pulley station. As opposed to other fitness machines, the high pulley station is equipped with two pull point and two swivel pulleys. It allows you to perform a wide array of lat exercises, using both grips simultaneously or alternating exercises for each arm. Of course, there’s the option of attaching a lat bar to these pulleys, but the bar is not included.
Mid pulley station. Many home gyms offer only one pulley for the mid pulley station, and in this case, the workout station allows you to perform only ab crunches and a variety of single-grip arm exercises. The Inspire M1 offers two lateral mid-pulleys, this workout station covering a wide array of exercises, from pec fly presses and front chest presses to seated mid rows.
Low pulley station. The low pulley station is also different from other home gyms. It offers two side pulleys, just as the mid pulley station, giving you the possibility to perform exercises such as lateral biceps curls, front deltoid pulls, bench presses, and even cable deadlifts.
Weight Resistance
The first aspect to focus on here is that the M1 is a cable only home gym. Therefore, you have to stabilize each pull and each movement in order to achieve a correct form. This offers two
main advantages over a machine with fixed workout stations, these being continuous tension and a dynamic line of resistance.
The Inspire Fitness M1 home gym is equipped with a standard, cast iron weight stack of 160 lbs (72.5 kg). It includes 15 weight plates (10 lbs each) and the top weight assembly which also weighs 10 lbs (4.5 kg).
The machine delivers 50% weight per arm. This means that if you select 100 lbs (45.3 kg) on the stack, you will only be lifting 50 lbs (22.6 kg) with each arm.
The box includes weight stickers for each weight plate, from 1 to 16. The weight stack is easy to adjust, featuring a classic pull-pin to insert into the weight plates.
The weight stack can be upgraded to 210 lbs (95.25 kg). There’s a 50 lbs (22.6 kg) extra stack available for this machine, as well as a 5 lbs (2.2 kg) addon for micro-adjustment.
Possible Exercises
The exercise chart supplied with this fitness machine covers the following exercises:
- Chest press
- Pec fly press
- Bench press
- Incline bench press
- Shoulder press
- Front deltoid pull
- Lateral deltoid pull
- Rear deltoid pull
- Lat pulldown
- Seated mid row
- Deadlift
- Ab crunch
- Leg lift
- Isolateral seated biceps curl
- Standing biceps curl
- Triceps pushdown
- Triceps extension
- Reverse curl
- Squat
- Lunge
- Leg abbduction
- Leg adduction
- Glute kickback
- Golf swing
- Baseball swing
Of course, along with these, the machine offers a lot of room for improvisation. Many other exercises can be performed on it. All the pulleys at the pull points swivel, while the D handles can be gripped in various ways, in order to focus each muscle group correctly.
Assembly and Maintenance
Just as for any cable machine, the assembly of the M1 will take several hours. Only a few Allen wrenches are included, so you will need your own 13, 16, 17, and 19 mm fixed wrenches, as well as an adjustable wrench, and a rubber mallet. But on the other hand, the manual provides very clear and concise assembly instructions, so the assembly task isn’t too difficult.
For maintenance, the pulleys may require lubrication after a while. Applying some lubricant to each pulley, as well as onto the guide rods of the weight plates may eliminate the need for extra lubrication for a long while, though. Other than that, it is recommended to periodically check for loose bolts and parts.
The Pros
- Sturdy construction – can support users of all sizes;
- Adjustable levelers at the rear;
- Thick and durable vinyl upholstery, with consistent padding for maximum comfort;
- Telescopic seat;
- 6 incline positions for the backrest, plus horizontal position;
- Durable, sweatproof upholstery on the seat and backrest;
- Relatively small footprint for a home gym system;
- Three main workout stations: high pulley station, mid pulley station, low pulley station;
- Pivoting pulleys at the pull points;
- Durable cast iron weight plates;
- 160 lbs weight stack;
- 50 lbs weight stack upgrade available (not included);
- Three D handle sets included;
- Ankle cuff included;
- Laminated poster with the main exercises that can be performed on this machine is also included;
- Over 30 exercises available;
- Little maintenance required;
- Fairly easy to assemble;
- Lifetime warranty for home users.
The Cons
- No leg developer;
- Lat bar is not included.
Summary
The Inspire Fitness M1 is a cable-only home gym machine equipped with a 160 lbs metallic weight stack, offering six pull points. It features an adjustable seat, with 6 incline positions for the backrest, as well as the horizontal position for standard chest presses. It offers the possibility to perform more than 30 gym-quality exercises being perfect for a full-body workout. Finally, it’s not exactly one of the cheapest weight stack machines, but on the other hand, it does come with a lifetime warranty for home users.