Speediance Gym Monster 2 Review

Who this is for

The Speediance Gym Monster 2 is a home gym for somebody who doesn't have room for a rack and doesn't want to load and unload plates. It's not very tall, and it fits in a basement.

Everything here is first impressions. I unboxed it, set it up, and pulled on it. I'll tell you how it holds up once I've trained on it longer.

Why it's in my basement

I've been a home gym owner for over a decade, and normally I'm out in my garage gym. This one went in the basement.

I'd wanted to try it for a while. I've always been intrigued by the magnetic resistance. I was a little worried about spacing, because I've got an infrared sauna on one side and a wall on the other. But you're really only working on the platform, maybe a little off to the side, so I think it's enough room.

Can a guy my size use it?

That was my question going in. I'm 6'5" and 275 pounds, and in the pictures this thing doesn't look very big.

I can't give you the full answer yet. What I can tell you is the resistance is not too light for me. Not even close.

How heavy it feels

I put it up as high as the screen would go. It says 220 pounds, 110 per side. Then I tried to pick it up. Holy smokes. That is some tension.

I dropped it to about half that and it was still impressive. You wouldn't think magnetic resistance could feel like that, but it does.

The bar feels just like a regular bar, without the sleeves for plates. And the screen counts your reps, which is cool.

Delivery and getting it downstairs

It came by freight. They called to schedule it, it showed up within a couple days of the order, and they put it right in my garage. Can't complain.

It's heavy. The rower box was a lot heavier than I expected, and the main unit was super heavy going down to my basement. I brought it down by myself. There's probably a better way to do that. Get a second person.

Setup, wifi and updates

There's no assembly on the Gym Monster itself. It ships ready to go. You plug it in, flip the switch on the back, and the screen walks you through it. Language, wifi, an account, your height and weight.

Mine found an update right away. That's the one thing about a piece of equipment like this. It's connected to the internet, so there are going to be updates from time to time. It'll still work without them, but if you want the latest stuff, you have to update.

Then it asks for your goal, your training level, how many days a week, and lets you pick a coach. The custom plan it builds is part of the Wellness Plus subscription. I skipped that and went to a beginner workout and free training.

The platform is a two-hand job

This is my one real gripe so far. To lower the platform, you hold a release button on the side and bring it down. It doesn't have a gas shock or anything, so you've got to lower it slowly. I needed both hands to do it.

Once it's down, two latches lock it in place. To put it back up, you unlock those and lift it until it locks. It works. It's just heavy and a little awkward by yourself.

The Bluetooth ring and the accessories

I got the full family package, so it came with pretty much all the bells and whistles. The bar and a pad for it, an incline bench, the AeroRow, a rope, ankle straps, single handles, angle adapters, a belt extender, J-hooks for the top, and extra connector rings so you can clip on your own attachments.

The Bluetooth ring is the cool one. It clips on the bar or goes on your finger, and it has a little dial so you can change the weight while you're lifting. I've never seen anything like it. It charges by USB-C.

The cable arms come off the top and reattach down low on the side, and they adjust pretty easily.

Putting together the bench and the rower

The bench is two bolts and the Allen wrench they give you. Pretty easy. It's a nice quality bench, and it inclines.

The AeroRow takes real assembly. Lots of little pieces. The hardware bags are labeled for which bolts go where, which helps, but I still grabbed the thick screw when I needed the thin one. Once I figured out the right screws it went fine.

I haven't rowed on it yet, so I can't tell you how it rows.

Would I buy it?

On first impressions, I'm super impressed. If your gym is in a basement and you don't want plates, this is worth a hard look.

If you don't want a gym that needs wifi and updates, or you'll be raising and lowering that platform by yourself every day, think about it first. I'll update this once I've put real training on it.