Barbend Review｜Speediance Home Gym Review

|Source：barbend.com|

The appeal of a home gym has grown exponentially in the past few decades, but it can be tough to fit all of the necessary equipment in one room. Companies like Speediance are looking to eliminate that problem in the form of smart gyms. These technologically advanced pieces of equipment offer a wide array of workouts at your disposal, and only require a minimal amount of space. From full body strength training, to stretching and yoga, Speediance offers hundreds of workouts — and that list is growing even as you read this.

Unlike some of its competition, Speediance does not offer personal training, but they do provide guided videos for each exercise offered. If you opt in for the Bluetooth accessories, Speediance can track your reps, so you can keep up with your total volume lifted over time. Thanks to its foldable platform, Speediance has a compact design that makes storage easy, but this machine can still pack a punch with up to 220 pounds of resistance. If you’re looking to add a functional trainer (such as a cable machine) to your home but don’t have enough space for the real deal, Speediance may be the smart gym for you. 

Main Takeaways

Speediance Home Gym Highlights

The best thing about smart gyms like Speediance is that odds are, they offer a workout tailored to your specific needs. Speediance is loaded with hundreds of workouts, as well as 14 workout programs (with more are being added daily) for you to follow. The touchscreen monitor is pretty unique since it rotates down, allowing you to monitor your reps when bench pressing, or using the rowing bench. While it may seem like it requires a lot of space when the platform is unfolded, you really only need about 10 square feet of space to work out properly. Plus, storage is a breeze since there’s a set of wheels exposed once the platform is folded back in.

You can filter your workouts by body region, and if you filter the workouts by a specific movement, it’ll show you the accessories that are required before beginning. The free lift option is one of the best features (in our opinion) for anyone who just wants to grab an attachment and, like Mulan, get down to business. When looking at the pictures online, you might assume that assembly would take a couple of hours, but we were pleasantly surprised to find that the only assembly required was for the weight bench and rowing bench that we added on. While it’s an extra fee, the smart accessories (two handles and a clamp that attaches to your barbell and rope attachment) count your reps and monitor your range of motion. This is helpful since there isn’t any type of 3D sensor that some other companies provide for the same purpose. 

The two pulleys feel like an actual cable machine you’d find at the gym for doing tricep pushdowns, or chest flyes. However, bench pressing and squatting with them did feel a little awkward. Each cable has a max weight of 110 pounds, or 220 pounds when combined. This may not seem like a lot for everyone, but it feels like it operates on a 1:1 ratio — so you will need 50 pounds of force to move 50 pounds of resistance. We understand that some of you hardcore weight thrashers may want something that packs more of a punch, but this should be a solid amount of resistance for the average lifter. 

Who Should Buy the Speediance Home Gym

• Anyone who is limited on room in their house will love that Speediance can be folded to make the most of your available space. It’s around six feet tall, only 2.5 feet wide, and only sticks out a little over a foot when folded.
• Those who are new to fitness will likely enjoy the guided videos and voice overs explaining how to perform each workout properly. 
• Folks who want a workout program to follow will enjoy the 14 workout programs that are at your disposal here (and that list is growing). 

Who Shouldn’t Buy the Speediance Home Gym

• For those on a budget, it’s worth noting that this is not a cheap piece of equipment. If you were to add on the smart accessories and rowing bench, you’d be spending over $4,000 — you can fully kit a garage with that much money if you have the space. 
• Elite powerlifters who need more than 220 pounds of resistance may want to look elsewhere. 
• Anyone who wants feedback from a personal trainer may be disappointed to find that Speediance does not offer personal training of any form at this moment. 

Price

Pricing is honestly pretty straightforward with Speediance. The basic package will run you around $2,700 and consists of two regular handle attachments, a barbell, and a weight bench. Since this piece of equipment is designed to be used with the Bluetooth attachments, we highly recommend spending the $400 more to receive those attachments. This will upgrade your handles into smart handles that feature a button to turn the weight on or off, as well as a standard nylon rope attachment, two ankle cuff attachments, two ski handle attachments, and a clamp that can also be used to turn the weight on or off. 

If you want to properly participate in the rowing workouts that are available, we suggest adding on the rowing bench for another $400 or so. This is also going to include a barbell that is specific for rowing. So when it’s all said and done, you could potentially be spending over $4,000 on your Speediance. This is a lot of money to spend, even on a smart home gym, but since this machine acts as a functional trainer, and you can hit every muscle group on your body, we think the price is justified for anyone who is tight on space and doesn’t need more than 220 pounds of resistance. 

You can expect to pay around $30 a month for the workout class subscription. The cool thing is that you can have up to five profiles under one account, so you can split the cost five ways if necessary. Speediance also offers the ability to finance your purchase through Klarna or PayLater.

Overall Build and Quality

Smart gyms really take the cake when it comes to allowing athletes to make the most of their available space, and that’s no exception with Speediance. It’s about six feet tall, around four feet long when the platform is unfolded, and only 2.5 feet wide. The best thing about its design though is that it folds and shrinks down to only a little over one foot long. It is a bit on the heavy side weighing around 190 pounds, but a set of wheels makes it easy to slide around your home (unless you’re on carpet). 

The space required for each workout you choose to do is going to vary, but we don’t think you’ll need more than 10 square feet of space to work out comfortably. The frame is pretty durable since it’s made from steel, but since the monitor is glass, you still need to be pretty careful about returning your cables to the starting point. This is especially true when using the barbell. The monitor and the frame are essentially on the same plane. This gave us a scare a couple of times when the bar slipped out of our hands after completing a set. 

Features

Speediance has a few features that really make it a unique product in our eyes. The ability to fold may make it more appealing to some who are looking to save space. The cables themselves are also pretty impressive. It’s really easy to adjust the height of the cables on the frame, as well as positioning them on either side of the platform. The 21.5-inch 1080p touchscreen display is easy to navigate, and it even rotates down, so you can monitor your reps while bench pressing. The Bluetooth attachments are also a really nice touch since you can turn off the weight whenever necessary. Aside from the attachments though, we haven’t been able to connect any other electronics via Bluetooth.

Display

The 21.5-inch 1080p touch screen display is really unique thanks to its ability to rotate downward at a 90-degree angle. We found this to be really useful when we were bench pressing.

Accessories

The Speediance accessories are crucial to your experience. The basic package only includes the weight bench, their version of a barbell, and a set of handles you can use with the cables. However, since this machine is designed to be used with the Bluetooth version of the attachments, we highly recommend spending the extra money on the smart accessories package. This is an additional $400 and consists of a pair of smart handles, a barbell, a rope attachment, two ski attachment handles, a weight bench, and two hooks to store your barbell. 

On top of that, you can purchase the rowing bench for another $400 or so. This is also going to include a barbell that is specifically made for rowing. The knurling on this bar is pretty passive since the markings aren’t cut very deep, but we were surprised with the knurling on the other barbell as it provided us with a pretty sound grip. 

Companion App

While the companion app may not be as immersive as some other companies’ companion apps, it’s still pretty helpful. You can browse all of the available workouts and save them for when you’re ready to work out, you can create your own custom programs with your favorite exercises, and you can even track all of your past activity.

When browsing the available workouts, you’ll notice that it provides a rundown of the muscles you’ll work, and how to properly perform the exercise. It was a bit surprising to us though that you can’t stream any classes from your phone where you don’t need the full gym (like a stretching class).

Classes

We love that there are hundreds of workouts for you to choose from at any moment of the day, but as of now, there are no live classes to join. Don’t let that overshadow the fact that there are still many options available for you to improve your fitness. Whether that be HIIT workouts, bodyweight workouts, monthly programs, or even yoga classes, Speediance offers a ton of variety. 

There are strength-specific workouts such as those to hit your back muscles, shaping workouts that focus on high-volume, and even sport-specific workouts, such as CrossFit and Golf. You can filter the workouts based on what muscles you want to focus on, such as your triceps or shoulders, and if you head to the ‘Explore’ tab, you’ll find workouts broken down by experience level. There are more workouts being added daily, so you’re unlikely to run out of options. 

Subscription

You can expect to spend around $30 a month for a membership to Speediance. This membership will be crucial since it will give you access to the available workouts. The cool thing is that Speediance will allow you to add four additional profiles to your account, so you can essentially split the cost up five ways. 

Camera

Currently, there is no camera located on the front of Speediance to read your form, nor is there any type of 3D sensor that would act in the same way. This may be disappointing for some people who want to learn the proper form while working out to avoid injury. While the Speediance website says their product can in fact prompt you to correct your form, we found that to be untrue. We even lifted with an improper form on purpose, and Speediance counted the reps as completed without saying we performed it the wrong way. 

Heart Rate Monitor

No heart rate monitor is included with your Speediance purchase, and you currently cannot connect one to it. But your estimated calories burned are tracked on screen during each of your workouts. 

Activity

Tracking your activity is pretty easy to do with Speediance. Just head over to the profile tab on your companion app, or on the monitor and you’ll find all of your stats. This will show your stats from the day, week, month, year, and all time. You can set a daily target you’d like to achieve, such as volume, calories burned, duration, and even what style of workout you want to partake in (fitness, build muscle, fat loss, etc.). It’s also going to show you a chart that displays how much you’ve been working on each part of your body. 

Bluetooth and Audio

Aside from the smart accessories, Speediance does not offer any Bluetooth capabilities for your phone or heart rate monitor. You have two 10-watt speakers located on the back of the frame, and each class plays music for you to listen to while lifting. We found it helpful to turn the music down, so we could hear the voice instructions more clearly. Something worth mentioning is that the voice in the classes sounds a bit robotic. This isn’t going to negatively impact your actual workout, but it would be a nice touch to have someone actually record all of the voiceovers. 

Product Specs

While it looks pretty big in pictures, Speediance is actually a great space-saving option thanks to its ability to fold. It’s just under six feet tall, about four feet long when the platform is unfolded (only a foot long when it’s folded), and about 2.5 feet wide. It’s pretty heavy, weighing in around 190 pounds, but thankfully, there’s a set of wheels that are exposed when you fold the platform, so you can easily move it around your space. The display is still made of glass though, so you want to be cautious not to break it. The amount of space you need to work out properly is going to vary a bit depending on each specific exercise, but we think about 10 square feet should suffice.

Materials

The framework of Speediance is made from 304 steel (one of the most commonly used forms of steel) and features a black powder coating. We found it to feel pretty durable and sturdy (especially when the platform is unfolded). Since the touchscreen display is made from glass though, you want to be careful when returning your attachments to the starting position on the frame or else they may crack it. 

Dimensions

One of the purposes of smart gyms like Speediance is to be an option for anyone who is tight on available space in their home. The folding platform is one of the most unique features we’ve seen as it drastically cuts down on the space it occupies. The frame is about six feet tall, 2.5 feet wide, and four feet long when the platform is unfolded. However, when you fold it up, you’ll notice the length is only a little over a foot.

This may be the biggest selling point for some people since you’re not forced to keep it in one spot. You can simply fold it up after you’re done lifting, and move it out of the way to store it. When working out though, we recommend giving yourself around 10 square feet of space.

Delivery and Assembly

Upon delivery, you’ll be happy to find just how easy it is to set up all of your gear. The actual Speediance itself does not require any assembly — you will have to assemble the weight bench and rowing bench though. The weight bench just took a few minutes as you only have to attach the legs to the padding, but the rowing bench may take you around 30 minutes or so to assemble. 

Warranties

Speediance does not mention anything about a warranty on their website. They do however mention that if there is an issue with the quality of your smart gym to contact them about a return or refund within seven days. Since this is a pretty important process, we strongly suggest you read their return and refund section.

Places to Buy

You can purchase the Speediacne Home Gym directly through the Speediance website.

Company Information

Speediance’s goal is to make the world an energetic place by providing users with a safe, scientific, and reliable fitness lifestyle. To speak to someone on their support team, you can email them at after-sales@speediance.com.

Final Word

Working out from the comfort of your home is quite convenient, but space can sometimes be an issue. Speediance is offering a great way to eliminate that problem with their innovative design. The platform you’ll be conducting all of your workouts on folds into the framework, and drastically cuts down on the footprint. Once you unbox your Speediance, just plug it into the wall and you’re ready to start lifting with the hundreds of available workouts.

The companion app is a great place to track your workout history and progress, create your own programs, and save workouts for the next time you’re ready to chase a pump. The slew of strength training workouts that are available are a great way to build muscle, but those with elite strength may need to stick to the traditional weights since the max resistance here is 220 pounds. Speediance is a very easy product to use, and it only requires about 10 square feet of space to work out — plus it has wheels, so you can move it out of the way when necessary. While this definitely is not a cheap piece of equipment, we think the compact design and the virtual classes make it well worth the money.

FAQs