A home multi station gym is a considerable investment, and it’s important to choose a high quality multigym that can fulfill your fitness needs, replace multiple pieces of strength equipment, give you enough resistance to progress and remain durable so you can use it years from now.
That is exactly why I chose the Body-Solid G1B Multi-Station Home Gym for the Tenacity Fitness Women’s Wellness Store.
As a Personal Trainer and Health Coach with more than 20 years of experience working with women, I look at fitness equipment very differently from someone simply comparing specification lists. I want to know whether a machine is practical to use, whether it allows sensible progression and whether it offers enough exercise variety to build a balanced strength-training program.
The G1B gives you more than 40 exercise possibilities, a 160 lb selectorized weight stack and multiple upper-body, lower-body and core exercise stations in one machine. Body-Solid also uses a no-cable-change design, which is an important practical advantage when you simply want to get your workout done, hassle-free.
So is the Body-Solid G1B home gym worth the investment? In this Body-Solid G1B review, I’ve outlined what I like about it, what you need to consider before buying, and who I think will get the most value from it.
Body-Solid G1B at a Glance
The G1B is a selectorized multi-station home gym, which means resistance comes from an integrated weight stack rather than individual weight plates.
Its main specifications include:
- 160 lb selectorized cast iron weight stack
- More than 40 exercises
- No-cable-change design
- Durable 12-gauge steel construction
- DuraFirm™ padding with lumbar support
- Chest press station
- Lat pulldown station
- Leg extension and leg curl station
- High, mid and low pulley system
- Seated row capability
- Military-spec cables
- Approximately 324 lb assembled weight
- Approximately 56″ L × 47″ W × 84″ H
- In-home lifetime warranty on specified components
What I Like Most About the Body-Solid G1B
You Can Train Your Whole Body on One Machine
If you’re spending this kind of money on an all-in-one home gym, I want it to do considerably more than chest presses and lat pulldowns.
The G1B gives you exercise options for your entire body, including both isolation and compound movements, on areas including:
- Legs
- Glutes
- Back
- Chest
- Shoulders
- Arms
- Core
The Body-Solid multi station design features dedicated stations including chest press, lat pulldown and leg extension, and the multi-pulley system and attachment variety expands the number of exercises considerably beyond those movements.
That makes the G1B much easier to build an actual full-body strength program around.
The 160 lb Selectorized Weight Stack Is Convenient
I really like selectorized weights for this type of home setup. To change resistance, you simply move the selector pin. There’s no repeatedly loading and unloading weight plates, carrying plates around your workout space or storing piles of loose weights.
For example, you might use a relatively light resistance for one arm exercise, considerably more for a row, and a different resistance again for your legs. Being able to make those changes quickly makes a difference to how smoothly your workout runs.
The 160 lb stack also gives most home users plenty of scope to progressively increase resistance.
You Don’t Have to Keep Changing the Cable Setup
The no-cable-change design is one of the G1B features that I think deserves more attention than it usually gets.
That’s important because some multi-gyms technically offer a large number of exercises, but moving from one exercise to another becomes annoying because you constantly have to reroute cables or reconfigure the machine.
Anything that removes unnecessary friction from your workout is a positive as far as I’m concerned. If equipment is straightforward to use, you’re more likely to actually use it.
It Gives You Supported Strength-Training Positions
Free weights are excellent – I use them regularly with clients – but they are not the only way to strength train effectively. Machines can give you more supported exercise positions, which many people simply prefer.
The G1B has substantial padded seating and DuraFirm™ pads with lumbar support, alongside its various pulley and exercise stations. This helps guide correct exercise form and provides more stability than using free weights alone.
See Our Body-Solid G1B Multi-Station Home Gym
Why I Particularly Like the G1B for Women
A lot of home strength equipment still seems to be marketed as though everybody buying it wants to build a hardcore bodybuilding gym in their garage. Most of the women I work with have much broader goals.
They want to feel strong. They want to maintain muscle and protect their bones and joints. They want their body to continue functioning well as they get older. They may want to improve body composition, maintain mobility and make everyday activities easier.
And for women moving through their 40s, 50s and later years, strength training becomes particularly valuable. We naturally tend to lose muscle mass and strength as we age unless we actively work to maintain them. Women also become increasingly concerned about bone health as estrogen declines around menopause and osteoporosis risk rises with age.
Resistance training is therefore about much more than appearance. It’s something we can do now to help maintain a stronger, more capable body for the future. This is why I chose the Body-Solid G1B for my women’s wellness store. Its design aligns perfectly with a woman’s fitness needs, along with its durability and ease of use. I commonly recommend this machine to my clients as a solid home gym solution.
What Exercises Can You Do on the Body-Solid G1B?
One of the G1B’s strongest selling points is its versatility. The machine supports more than 40 exercises.
Depending on the attachment and station being used, your training can include movements such as:
Upper Body
- Chest presses
- Lat pulldowns
- Seated rows
- Triceps pressdowns
- Cable curls
- Upright rows
- Shoulder exercises
- Other high, mid, and low-pulley movements
Lower Body
- Leg extensions
- Leg curls
- Cable-based lower-body exercises using the ankle attachment
Core
The multi-positioned cable pulleys and included ab/triceps strap allow various abdominal and core exercises.
The G1B includes a lat bar, straight bar, ankle strap and ab/triceps strap, along with a full-size exercise chart. This allows you to confidently perform a wide variety of exercises for all muscle groups.
Is a 160 lb Weight Stack Enough?
For the majority of women buying a home gym for general strength training, 160 lbs provides a substantial resistance range, and delivers ample weight for any exercise.
Smaller muscle-group exercises may require relatively little resistance, while movements involving larger muscle groups can use considerably more. The selectorized design allows you to start where you’re comfortable and gradually increase the resistance.
Unless you’re an incredibly advanced strength athlete whose primary goal is lifting extremely heavy loads, a 160 lb selectorized home gym is more than adequate for the average woman. And this machine has been designed with women in mind.
How Much Space Does the G1B Need?
The G1B measures approximately: 56″ long × 47″ wide × 84″ high and weighs approximately: 324 lb assembled. It combines a lot of functionality into one compact machine.
Before ordering, be sure to measure:
- Floor space
- Ceiling height
- Doorways/access
- Space around the machine for exercising
Remember to allow enough clearance around the machine to use the pulley stations and attachments comfortably.
Build Quality: This Is Where the G1B Stands Out
If I’m looking at a $1,699 home gym, I expect it to feel substantially different from an inexpensive machine bought simply because it was cheap. This Body-Solid G1B doesn’t disappoint, and exudes a premium quality build for long-term regular use.
Body-Solid builds the G1B around 12-gauge steel construction. For a piece of equipment that’s going to live permanently in a home gym, provide reliable continuous usage, and rank at a reasonable price point, substantial construction is something I consider essential. And the in-home lifetime warranty reflects that positioning.
Body-Solid G1B Warranty
Body-Solid provides an In-Home Lifetime Warranty on major G1B components, so you can buy with confidence and extra peace-of-mind.
The current dealer documentation lists:
- Frame & welds: Lifetime
- Bushings & hardware: Lifetime
- Pads, cables & grips: Lifetime
That is an unusually strong warranty for home fitness equipment and one of the factors that makes the initial investment easier to justify.
Body-Solid G1B Pros and Cons
What I Like
✓ More than 40 exercises
You can build a genuinely varied full-body routine around one machine.
✓ 160 lb selectorized stack
Changing resistance is fast and straightforward.
✓ No-cable-change design
Less messing around between exercises.
✓ Adjustable seat and padded support
Gives you comfortable support and helps guide correct exercise form.
✓ Multiple pulley positions and included attachments
These substantially increase the exercise possibilities.
✓ Heavy-duty construction
The 12-gauge steel frame and 324 lb assembled weight make this a substantial home gym.
✓ Strong manufacturer warranty
Lifetime coverage on specified major components is a significant advantage.
✓ One machine instead of multiple individual stations
For the right home, that can make far more sense than continually adding separate pieces of equipment.
Things to Consider
✗ It isn’t cheap
At $1,699, this is a serious fitness purchase. But quality is important, and this initial investment means the machine is less likely to break or wear down like cheaper alternatives.
✗ It requires permanent space
You’re not folding this up and putting it in a closet after your workout.
✗ It’s heavy
At approximately 324 lb, decide where it’s going before assembly.
✗ Assembly is involved
This is a substantial cable-and-weight-stack machine. I would expect assembly to take some time, and having another person available makes sense.
✗ Extremely advanced strength athletes may eventually want more resistance
The 160 lb stack is appropriate for most home users, especially women, but somebody training specifically for very heavy strength work may prefer a different setup.
Who Should Buy the Body-Solid G1B?
I think the G1B makes the most sense if you:
- Want to make strength training a regular part of your routine
- Prefer exercising at home
- Want one machine for upper body, lower body and core training
- Like the convenience of a selectorized weight stack
- Don’t want to load and unload free-weight plates
- Want enough exercise variety to keep progressing
- Have permanent space available for a home gym
- Value solid construction and a strong manufacturer warranty
- Would rather invest in one substantial machine than collect numerous individual strength machines
For a woman who wants to become stronger and continue strength training consistently over the coming years, I think that’s a compelling combination.
Who Probably Shouldn’t Buy It?
I would choose something else if you:
- Have very limited space
- Need equipment that can be folded away after every workout
- Only want very occasional light resistance training
- Are primarily interested in cardio
- Need an extremely heavy resistance system for advanced strength or powerlifting-style training
- Don’t want to assemble or permanently house a large piece of equipment
G1B vs Dumbbells: Which Is Better?
This isn’t really an either/or question. I love dumbbells. They’re one of the most useful pieces of fitness equipment you can own. But dumbbells and a multi-station gym give you different training options.
Dumbbells give you:
- Huge exercise variety
- Very little space requirement
- Lower initial cost
- More stabilization requirements
- Easy portability
The G1B gives you:
- A dedicated selectorized weight stack
- Cable resistance
- Supported exercise positions
- Dedicated training stations
- High, mid and low-pulley exercises
- Quick resistance adjustments
- One permanent strength-training station
A very well-equipped home gym could ultimately contain both.
Is the Body-Solid G1B Worth $1,699?
For somebody who is serious about their resistance training routine, I believe the Body-Solid G1B Home Gym offers strong value at just $1,699.
You’re not buying one exercise station. You’re getting a 160 lb selectorized resistance system capable of more than 40 exercises, along with several dedicated training stations and attachments in one machine. You also have the heavy-duty construction and lifetime manufacturer warranty on specified components behind it.
Could you spend less? Absolutely. There are cheaper home gyms. But price and value are not the same thing. A cheaper machine likely offers less resistance, poorer construction, fewer practical exercise options or becomes frustrating to use. So saving money initially doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve made the better purchase.
With something you’re hoping to use for years, I place much more importance on usability, versatility, progression and construction, and that’s where the Body-Solid G1B proves to be a clear winner.
My Body-Solid G1B Review: The Verdict
The Body-Solid G1B isn’t for somebody looking for the cheapest possible way to exercise at home. It’s for somebody who wants to make strength training a permanent part of their home fitness routine and would rather invest in one substantial machine capable of training the whole body, and lasting a lifetime.
The things that stand out most to me are the 160 lb selectorized weight stack, more than 40 exercise options, no-cable-change design, heavy-duty durable construction, and strong warranty.
For my audience in particular, I also like what it represents. Women don’t need to wait until muscle loss, weakness or bone health becomes a problem before taking strength seriously. Building and maintaining strength is something worth prioritizing throughout adulthood – and increasingly so as we move through perimenopause, menopause and the decades that follow.
If you have the space, the budget and the intention to achieve your resistance training goals, the Body-Solid G1B is one of the strongest all-in-one home gym options I’ve chosen for the Tenacity Fitness store.
Shop the Body-Solid G1B Home Gym
The Body-Solid G1B Multi-Station Home Gym is available from Tenacity Fitness for $1,699, with free U.S. shipping excluding Alaska and Hawaii.
SHOP THE BODY-SOLID G1B HOME GYM
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Body-Solid G1B a good home gym?
For someone looking for a substantial selectorized home strength machine, the G1B has a strong combination of features: more than 40 exercises, a 160 lb weight stack, multiple training stations, a no-cable-change design and heavy-duty construction.
How many exercises can you do on the Body-Solid G1B?
The Body-Solid G1B supports more than 40 exercises.
How much weight does the G1B have?
The machine includes a 160 lb selectorized weight stack.
Is the Body-Solid G1B good for women?
Yes. Its adjustable selectorized resistance and variety of exercise stations make it suitable for progressive full-body strength training rather than being designed specifically for one gender.
Is the G1B suitable for beginners?
Yes. A beginner can start with an appropriate resistance on the selectorized stack and progressively increase the resistance as strength improves. And the included exercise chart can help guide you.
Can you train legs on the Body-Solid G1B?
Yes. The machine includes dedicated lower-body exercise capability, including a leg extension/leg curl station, along with additional cable-based exercise possibilities.
How big is the Body-Solid G1B?
The G1B at approximately 56″ long × 47″ wide × 84″ high.
How much does the G1B weigh?
The assembled machine weighs approximately 324 lb.
What warranty does the Body-Solid G1B have?
Body-Solid’s G1B at-home gym comes with a lifetime in-home warranty coverage for the frame and welds, bushings and hardware, and pads, cables and grips.
Does the G1B require cable changes between exercises?
No. This home gym features a no-cable-change design, which allows you to move between many exercises without repeatedly rerouting the cable system.
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