When it comes to home gyms, multigyms are often called out as the go-to piece of equipment. And not without good cause. Multigyms allow you to train a full range of muscle groups in the comfort of your own home – no more fitting your workout schedule around the opening hours of your gym.  

But while multigyms have the reputation as the ultimate home gym setup, there is another piece of equipment out there that has all the benefits of a multigym plus more. We are, of course, talking about the functional trainer.

Differences Between a Multi-Gym and a Functional Trainer

A multigym combines several fixed movement machines into one. It is a cost-and-space-efficient solution for people who don’t have enough room to fit multiple machines or want a more economical solution. The machines that are incorporated in a multigym can vary from model to model. Most multigyms, however, will include a lat pulldown, fixed press, and high and low pulley options, often with a range of accessories for upper-body and lower-body use. 

A Functional Trainer, on the other hand, is a piece of equipment built around two adjustable pulleys that can be used either together or independently from each other. The Mirafit functional trainer also comes with a pull-up bar and a variety of pulley accessories. 

A big benefit of the functional trainer over the multigym is that the former has two cable systems and weight stacks that work independently, which allows for not only a wider range of exercises but also creates the opportunity for multiple users to train simultaneously. If you live together with fitness-minded people or like to invite your mates over to train, this is a great perk. 

Benefits of Functional Trainers

Multigyms and Functional Trainers can be used to achieve a number of different fitness goals. They are great tools to build strength and pack on some muscle. You simply increase the resistance using the weight stacks to start chasing that hypertrophy stimulus as you exercise. If you’re after a lean, toned physique, you’ll want to lower the resistance a tad and increase the number of reps you do per set.  

Both multigyms and functional trainers are very safe to use. This is because they don’t use free weights such as dumbbells, kettlebells, or barbells. Whilst free weights are great pieces of kit to use in a gym environment, they naturally come with certain risks – including accidentally dropping the weight, trying to lift too much, or setting yourself up for the movement poorly.

Multigyms and functional trainers significantly reduce these risks. Plus, whereas the proper use of a barbell, dumbbells, and kettlebells requires at least some instruction (especially if you’ve never used them before), multigyms and functional trainers are self-explanatory and easy to use alone, even if you are a beginner. 

Multigyms and functional trainers are built to last. They are sturdy and solid pieces of gym kit that require minimal maintenance. Their initial purchase can seem like a considerable investment, but that’s exactly what it is – an investment. You can expect to use your multigym or functional trainer for the rest of your life. With the money you save on expensive gym memberships, you’ll soon have earned back the original purchase, at which point it essentially starts earning you money.  

Both multigyms and functional trainers are versatile pieces of gym kit that allow for a wide range of exercises for all major muscle groups. However, where multigyms tend to offer a relatively larger range of upper-body exercises, the functional trainer also facilitates a solid number of lower-body exercises so you can train your whole body whilst keeping your workouts varied and fun! 

30 Great Functional Trainer Exercises

Lower Body

• Squat

• Split squat

• Hip adduction

• Hip abduction

• Glute kickpack

• Hip drive

• Hamstring curl

• Squat and press

Core

• Leg raise

• Low to high woodchop

• High to low woodchop

• Cable crunch

• Pallof press

Upper Body

• Overhead tricep extension

• Bicep curl

• Shrug

• Upright row

• Face pull

• Straight arm pulldown

• Chest and reverse fly

• Front and lateral raise

• Twist and press

• Shoulder press

• Seated row

• Bent over row

• Cable pull through

• Lat pulldown

• Pull up

To summarize, the multigym has a great reputation as a must-have piece of home gym kit. The functional trainer, however, shares all the benefits of a multigym, plus a functional trainer can be used by two people at the same time and has a greater offering in terms of lower-body exercises. The functional trainer is therefore a great alternative for a multigym! Want to learn even more? Check out our guide on functional training.

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Tags: Equipment > Cable Machines ; Exercise Type > Strength