| Unit | Dimensions | Possible exercises | Workout stations | Weight stack | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Inspire M3 Check Discounted Price | L:72" W:40" H:82" | 40+ | High pulleys, Mid press, Low-pulley, Leg developer | 210 lbs | Residential: lifetime Light commercial: 10 years |
The M3 gym machine is one of the models released by Inspire Fitness in 2014. However, it’s still available to this day as it’s one of the best gyms at the moment. One of the big pluses of the M3 is the design of the main press; each one of its arms can move independently. This allows you to put a lot of diversity into your exercises. Of course, this is not the only great aspect with regards to this weight stack machine, and in this post, we’re going to cover each one of its pluses and minuses.
Technical Details & Specifications
- Assembled dimensions: 72″L x 40″W x 82″H (183L x 101W x 208H cm)
- Seat: Adjustable
- Backrest: 2-way adjustable
- Weight resistance: Weight stack (cast iron), 210 lbs (95.2 kg)
- Possible exercises: 40+
- Accessories:
– Aluminum revolving easy curl bar;
– Strap handles with revolving grips;
– One ankle strap; - Warranty:
– Residential: Lifetime
– Light-commercial: 10 years
Frame construction, parts & accessories
Since it’s a light-commercial machine, the Inspire M3 does offer the apposite quality and durability. It features an extremely solid
construction; its frame is made of industrial-grade, 2″ x 4″ oval and 3″ cylindrical, 11-gauge steel tubing. All the steel bars are electrostatically coated with a corrosion-resistant and scratch-resistant paint, which offers a basically maintenance-free frame.
The unit features a pretty compact design. It’s not extremely large; its assembled footprint is approx. 72″ x 40″ (183 x 101 cm). This being said, the unit shouldn’t need a workout area wider than 8′ x 6′ (244 x 185 cm). It should also fit on a standard rubberized mat of 6′ x 4′ (185 x 122 cm). As for its height, the highest point of the assembled unit reaches approx. 82″ (208 cm). This means it should fit in a room with a 7′ (84″ – 213 cm) ceiling, but it would be a pretty tight fit.
The machine’s exact weight is not specified. But considering that it comes with a 210 lbs (95.2 kg) weight stack, and it has a pretty thick steel tubing frame, its total weight should be close or even more than 400 lbs (181 kg). This weight delivers plenty of stability; you can be sure that the machine won’t wobble or move during exercising.
The seat and backrest integrate a thick (2″) layer of foam padding for maximum comfort. They’re both adjustable. The seat offers several positions of upright adjustment. The backrest is two-way adjustable; it has four positions of forward incline adjustment, while the base of the bar to which it is attached has nine locking positions at the base. The backrest is also equipped with a set of 4″ foam rollers which serve as knee supports during lat pulldown exercises that involve a great weight load.
The Inspire Fitness M3 is equipped with heavy-duty pulleys. They’re made of nylon material and integrate precision steel ball 
bearings for a smooth operation. Also, the low pulley for curls and other exercises features a swivel housing.
The cables are steel ropes with a 2,000 lbs tensile strength. So, this being said, they can definitely withstand much greater weight resistance than the 210 lbs (95.2 kg) that the plate stack can provide.
In terms of accessories, this Inspire Fitness home gym includes several. To begin with, it comes with a short, curved EZ curl bar and a chain extension for it. This bar has a chrome finish and does not have rubberized grips. There are two D-handles for the top pulleys and two other D-handles with longer bands for the front press, which allow you to perform fly press exercises. An ankle strap is also included.
As optional attachments for this home gym, we can mention a leg press and a cushioned bar for abdominal exercises. These accessories are not included with the machine, though.
Workout stations
The Inspire Fitness M3 features only four workout stations. However, the main press and the top pulley station are multi-functional. We’ll cover each one of these workout stations in the section here.
Press station. The main press is the star feature of this fitness machine. It’s up to a point similar to the one on the Inspire M2 unit. It offers a design that not many other weight stack machines have. Each one of its arms can be moved independently, which gives you the possibility to diversify your workouts by a lot. It also has 9 angle adjustment settings, 4 for the front side, and 5 for the back. Therefore, you can adapt it for standing shoulder presses, or seated, chest-assisted rows.
The machine also includes two D-handles with long straps attached one to each pressing arm. These accessories allow you to perform fly exercises or handle presses.
High pulley station. The unit’s high pulley station integrates two pulleys, similar to the Inspire Fitness M1. Their cables come with short, standard D-handles, and you can use each pulley independently. The home gym doesn’t include a lat bar, but if you opt for one, you can attach it either to both top pulleys or to only one of them.
The dual high pulley design comes with two main advantages. One, you can perform golf swings or baseball swings, using one pulley at the time, or you can perform tricep pressdowns using only one pulley while standing on the side of the machine. And two, if performing pulldowns while using both handles, you can perform the pulldown directly “through” your head, without leaning your head and neck forward or backward and keeping a healthy, straight posture.
Leg developer station. The machine’s leg developer is equipped with three sets of foam rollers, two 5″ thick sets, and one 4″ thick. It offers the possibility to perform leg extensions or standing up leg curls. However, due to the extra set of rollers, and the adjustable disc, you can also perform seated leg curls for both legs.
Low pulley station. As opposed to other fitness machines, the Inspire M3 has the main low pulley station on the side (on the left side, to be more specific). The front low pulley is meant to remain connected to the leg developer. The side low pulley features a swivel housing, in order to provide the required range of motion for all exercises. It allows you to perform a variety of exercises, including low rows, bicep curls, deadlifts, etc.
Weight Resistance System
The Inspire Fitness M3 is a weight stack machine, not a full body leverage machine as the Inspire BL1. It’s equipped with a heavier 
stack than the M2; the included weight stack is 210 lbs (95.2 kg). It’s composed of 21 weight plates. Each plate weighs 10 lbs (4.5 kg).
The unit’s weight stack glides on two support guide rods and is shrouded by two covers which also reduce some of the noise that the plate may generate.
One important aspect with regards to the machine’s weight stack is that the plates are made of a steel alloy, offering superior durability. They can take a lot of abuse and you can be sure that they won’t crack or sustain damage in case your hand slips on a pulling handle. This is actually one of the reasons this fitness machine is a bit more expensive than others.
The unit’s weight stack is not upgradable (at least not conventionally). The only upgrade available is the 5 lbs (2.2 kg) addon for micro-adjustment. This addon is not included, though.
Possible Exercises
- Fixed bench press
- Alternating fixed bench press
- Inward bench press
- Alternating inward bench press
- Incline inward bench press
- Alternating incline inward bench press
- Pec fly
- Alternating pec fly
- Shoulder press
- Alternating shoulder press
- Inward shoulder press
- Alternating inward shoulder press
- Lateral deltoid pull
- Upright row
- Seated mid row
- Seated alternating mid row
- Low pulley row
- Lat pulldown
- Alternating lat pulldown
- “Good morning” exercise
- High pulley ab crunch
- Leg lift
- Tricep pushdown
- Alternating tricep pushdown
- Tricep extension
- Tricep kickback
- Bicep curl
- Reverse curl
- Leg extension
- Seated leg curl
- Leg abduction
- Leg adduction
- Glute kick
- Deadlift
- Baseball swing
- Golf swing
- … and more.
Assembly & Maintenance
Like most other home gym systems, the Inspire M3 comes packed in several boxes. Therefore, unboxing and assembling the unit will take at least 2-3 hours. The assembly process isn’t extremely difficult, though, as the manual provides very clear assembly instructions and schematics. Tools for assembly are not included, and you will need your own set of fixed or adjustable wrenches, Allen wrenches, a Phillips screwdriver, and a rubber mallet.
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 during the assembly 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 seat;
- Two-way adjustable backrest;
- Headrest pad with handles included;
- Knee stoppers for lat pulldowns included;
- Durable vinyl upholstery and foam padding for maximum comfort;
- 4″ foam rollers for the knee stoppers and leg developer;
- 4 main workout stations: high pulley station, press station, low pulley station, leg developer station;
- Each press arm can be used individually;
- Each high pulley can be used individually;
- Adjustable press station (9 positions);
- Adjustable leg developer (for leg extensions and seated leg curls);
- Pivoting low pulley for more flexibility during exercises;
- Handles with straps attached to the press bar which allow the execution of shoulder presses and fly exercises;
- Durable cast iron weight plates;
- 210 lbs weight stack;
- D-handles included;
- Long strap D-handles included;
- Easy-Curl short bar included;
- Ankle cuff included;
- Laminated poster with the main exercises that can be performed on this machine is also included;
- Over 40 exercises available;
- Little maintenance required;
- Fairly easy to assemble;
- Lifetime warranty for home users.
The Cons
- Lat bar is not included;
- The weight stack is not upgradable;
- The 5 lbs micro-adjustment weight addon is not included.
Summary
The Inspire Fitness M3 is a light-commercial grade, heavy-duty weight stack gym machine. It integrates four main workout stations, each one of them being multi-functional. The main press of the unit features arms that can be used independently, which is quite a plus for a gym machine. It offers plenty of adjustability for the front press, leg developer, seat and backrest. It’s equipped with a 210 lbs weight stack composed of 21 durable cast iron weight plates. It offers the possibility to perform more than 40 exercises. It’s not exactly an affordable gym machine, but considering its sturdiness, versatility and overall quality, we can safely say that it offers an excellent value for the price.