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By all means, this is most likely one of the best entry level home gyms on the market today. It is simple, yet effective, and has more than enough choice of stations for you to get a great full body muscle building workout. A solid build with a stable base, lots of padding for comfort, and a great deal of functionality make the Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym a good option to consider.
Overview
If you would like a nice little visual overview of the Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym, you can watch the short video below. While the video below is for a slightly different model, they are virtually the same. The only real difference is in the color.
Main Features
The Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym has some really great features as a whole. Considering that it is a very affordable full body home gym, it is quite impressive that it has as many features as it does.
- 150-pound steel weight stack – enclosed
- Secure weight stack lock
- Features both high and low pulleys
- Comes with dual function chest press/vertical butterfly arms
- Dual function arms have independent motion
- Leg developer – dual functioning
- Has an overhead lat station
- Removable/adjustable preacher curl pad
- Comfortable backrest
- Lots of foam padding where necessary
- Durable steel frame
- 300-pound weight limit
Dimensions & Weight
Considering that the Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym provides you with a full body workout, has so many features, and is as durable as it is, it is not actually all that large. In terms of entry level machines, the size is pretty average, but it is quite a bit smaller than higher end models.
- Length: 68 inches
- Width: 36 inches
- Height: 79 inches
- Weight: 273 pounds
Warranty
The Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym comes with a two-year warranty on the frame.
Assembly
The Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym is not too hard to assemble, but it can still pose quite the challenge for a single person. Considering that there is a 150-pound weight stack, plus the rest of it, it is strongly recommended that 2 or more people assemble it because it is quite big and heavy for 1 person to handle. That being said, all parts are included and the instructions are very clear and straightforward. Here is a link to the assembly manual for this item.
What We Like About The Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym
Considering how affordable the Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym is, it does have an impressive number of features that we really do like.
One of the things that we really like about the Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym is that it has dual function press arms. The arms can be used for chest presses and for vertical butterfly exercises, which means that you can work out your chest, shoulders, upper back, and triceps with them. We also like the fact that it is easy to switch from one function to the other within a matter of seconds. The arms feature soft yet durable foam padding as well as solid handles to keep your arms comfy and give you good grip while using the dual function arms.
We also like the fact that the Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym has both high and low pulleys for both upper and lower body exercises. The point is that you can get a full body workout with this one single piece of equipment. For example, the low pulleys connect to the dual function leg developer. The leg developer can be used for leg extensions and leg curl exercises too, thus allowing you to work out virtually every muscle in your legs. The leg extender features soft round foam rollers to keep your ankles and knees very comfortable at all times.
We like the fact that the Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym has a totally enclosed 150-pound weight stack with a secure peg locking mechanism. In other words, this enclosed stack is much safer thanks to the weights not being free, plus making adjustments with the peg is very easy and fast. 150 pounds is more than enough for any beginner and any person of a moderate fitness level.
Another thing that is very beneficial about the Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym is that it also comes with an overhead lat station. The bar can be pulled down to mimic a chin up or pull up, and can be used for a number of other back, lat, and upper body exercises. To help you work out your arms even more, the Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym also comes with an adjustable and removable preacher curl pad. Working out your biceps can be done in quick fashion with the Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym.
We also like the fact that this whole thing is very stable, surely will not tip over thanks to its wide base, and has rubber nonslip feet as well. The Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym does have a 300-pound user weight limit, which is quite impressive.
What We Don’t Like About The Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym
As always, there are a couple of bones to pick with the Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym, but considering how affordable it is, and that it is most likely the best affordable home gym at the moment, these points are fairly minute.
We don’t like how the Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym only has a 150-pound weight stack. This may be ideal for lower fitness levels, but for anyone who is serious about weight lifting and is fairly strong, this will probably not be enough.
While assembly is not all that difficult, requiring 2 people to get the Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym together is a bit of a pain. While this is a not a huge problem, if you live alone, you are going to have difficulties.
One bigger issue with the Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym is that the seat cannot be adjusted backward, forward, or vertically. This can be a problem if you are not the exact size of person which this home gym is built for.
Alternatives To The Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym
To put things into perspective little bit, let’s compare the Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym to some of the other best entry level home gym models available today.
Weider Ultimate Body Works
This is a pretty neat alternative to consider. Although it is nothing like a normal home gym, like the Marcy MWM-990, it still has some pretty cool features. The Weider Ultimate Body Works is a lot smaller, lighter, and easier to store than the Marcy MWM-990, plus it is easier to assemble, and actually allows for a greater range of exercises. Not to mention that it allows for flexibility training too. However, the problem with the Weider Ultimate Body Works home gym is that it does not provide you with much resistance. In terms of weight and strength training, the Marcy MWM-990 is much better.
Total Gym 1600
This total body workout machine is another great option to consider. It is a little more expensive than the Weider option above but still less expensive than the Marcy MWM-990. This is because it is like an upgraded version of the Weider Ultimate Body Works, but still not all that similar to the Marcy MWM-990. It is not a classic home gym like the Marcy, but it can still give you a great workout. The Total Gym 1600 is not the best for strength training as it has limited resistance, but it is ideal for a total body workout that includes some strength, cardio, and flexibility training. There is also the fact that it is much smaller and more compact than the Marcy MWM-990.
Final Thoughts On The Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym
The bottom line is that the Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym is a fantastic entry level option to consider. The fact that it has 150 pounds of resistance makes it ideal for lighter and moderate strength training. It has many different possible exercises, it is very solid and stable, and is built to last for a very long time. In terms of pure strength training, the Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym is in all likelihood the best entry level choice to consider.
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