What do Speediance reviews say about the Gym Monster?
Worth it, if the space and the budget line up
Why a garage full of gym equipment still doesn't get used
Picture the corner of your garage that used to hold a squat rack, a cable stack, and a pile of dumbbells nobody stacked back right. You step over the mess to get to your session, and half the time the session doesn't happen because moving iron around feels like more work than the workout. That's the itch every Speediance review is really scratching before it gets anywhere near the price tag: does one machine actually replace all that, or is it just a smarter looking coat rack?
How the Speediance Gym Monster's dual engines actually work
Here's the difference between this and a normal cable stack: there's no stack. Two direct-drive motors sit inside the frame and generate resistance digitally, so instead of pulling a pin between steel plates, you tap a number on the touchscreen and the machine spins up exactly that much load, in 1-pound steps, up to 220 pounds per side. That matters more than it sounds. A traditional machine jumps in 5 or 10-pound chunks, fine until one arm is stronger than the other and you're stuck compensating with the weaker side. Two engines mean each cable can push independently, so the machine notices and corrects an imbalance instead of just handing you a number and hoping. It also means you go from a bench press to a row to a squat without walking over and re-pinning anything, because the software recalculates and the motors respond in the time it takes to grab the other handle. Add the ski attachment with its ten height settings and you've got a cardio option running off the same drive system instead of a separate bolted-on machine. The tradeoff for all that intelligence is the same as any Smith machine or power cage: 187 pounds of steel and electronics living in roughly four by two and a half feet of your floor, standing over six feet tall. You're trading square footage for machine complexity, not trading it away.
So the real trade isn't cash for iron, it's floor space and swapped plates for a cable that adjusts itself and remembers your last session. If you'd actually train more because changing exercises takes a screen tap instead of a trip to the rack, that's the win. If you just want to lift heavy with nothing electronic involved, this is over-engineered for the job.
Who the Speediance Gym Monster is built for, and who should skip it
Worth it if
- you have a corner of a garage or spare room to dedicate to one machine
- you want strength training and ski-mode cardio in a single footprint
- you like adjusting resistance in 1-pound steps instead of swapping plates
- you train solo and want a machine that can catch left/right imbalances
Skip it if
- you need to load past 220 pounds per side for serious powerlifting
- you'd rather see and touch actual plates than trust a digital number
- your space can't fit a 187-pound, over six-foot-tall frame
- you want the cheapest possible way into strength training
Not for anyone chasing a true one-rep max past 220 pounds a side or wanting visible, touchable plates.
The Speediance Gym Monster verdict: worth it or overhyped
If you're short on space but not short on ambition, and you want cardio and strength training under one machine, this is a quiet yes. If you're chasing true max-effort lifts past 220 pounds a side, or you'd rather see and touch actual plates, skip it and build a rack instead.
The friction of moving furniture around a home gym setup goes away the day this bolts to one wall. Day one probably looks like standing at the touchscreen picking a class instead of digging through a milk crate of plates, no pins, no hunting for the right dumbbell, just starting. That's the actual payoff: less gap between deciding to train and actually training.
Amazon shoppers rate it 4.3 out of 5 across 241 ratings. That is their number, not ours.
Before you go
What are the downsides of the Speediance Gym Monster?
The main downsides are footprint, price and a resistance cap: at 220 pounds per side and roughly four by two and a half feet of floor, it's not built for max-effort powerlifting or a tight budget.
Is Speediance a Chinese company?
Yes, Speediance is a Chinese-founded company that designs its smart home gyms and sells them directly to US customers online.
What's better, Speediance vs. Tonal?
Neither wins outright, they solve different space problems: Tonal mounts to a wall with no floor footprint, while the Gym Monster stands freestanding and handles squats, presses and ski-style cardio a wall unit can't.
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By the numbers
earn an unconditional yes at full priceOut of 141 sports & outdoors products we have reviewed. This one is a yes with a condition attached.
Verdict datasetQuestion indexCC BY 4.0
Full spec sheet
| Brand Name | Speediance |
|---|---|
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Item Highlight | 220 LBS Resistance, Smith Machine, Power Cage, Squat Rack & Cable Machine for Home Work… |
| Included Components | Gym Monster Machine*1, Incline Bench, Adjustable Barbell*1, Bluetooth Ring*1, Handles*1… |
| Item Type Name | Works Plus |
| Model Number | Gym Monster |
| Tension Supported | High |
| Handle Type | Adjustable Strap |
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