Marcy Diamond Smith Cage Home Gym Review

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Marcy Diamond Smith Cage Home Gym Review

The Marcy Diamond Smith Cage Home Gym System gives its users an all-in-one workout gym station. This machine is good for those who are serious about their home gym strength training.

This home gym offers a dual-function leg developer, a low pulley which has a footrest, a press bar including sealed linear bearings, a pec deck station, a free weight squat rack, high cable crossovers, along with a separate weight bench.

This has made the Marcy Diamond Smith Cage Home Gym System part of our list of best home gyms 2021. The machine ensures that all your main muscle groups are engaged safely as well as effectively by including some bar catches that are adjustable, safety stoppers and some “Ultra-Glide” linear bearings.

Unlike a basic smith machine, this home gym offers pulley functions which function with a motion system that strengthens every precision exercise that is executed. Read through our Marcy Diamond Smith Cage Home Gym 2021 review to know about the offerings and features of this amazing piece of fitness equipment.

You can organize your equipment with the help of the 6 Olympic storage pegs for weight plates. The machine is quite compact and its tubular steel design makes it a heavy-duty machine and long-lasting one. The Smith machines are known for their versatility than most of the basic weight stack machines.

Most of these machines work with Standard and / or Olympic weight plates, and leave open the chance for users to upgrade the machine’s weight capacity. You can check out the Marcy Diamond Elite MD-9010G in order to understand the difference in features.

Best Suited to Whom?

This Marcy Diamond Smith Cage Home Gym System has a mid-range weight capacity and includes a lot of features which makes it one of the best home gyms 2021. This home gym has an amazing design that lets you achieve all kinds of workouts on this machine.

This machine is perfect for those who wish to engage their entire body in a fitness regimen. After you complete 3 sets of 10 reps on the back squat and bench press movements, you can utilize various accessories and attachments to target your smaller muscle groups, like the triceps, biceps, and shoulders.

This machine is one of the best home gyms under $1500 and is a good pick for home strength training.

Marcy Diamond Smith Cage Home Gym System Assembly, design and Build Quality

Assembly

The Marcy Diamond Smith Cage Home Gym System is quite a huge workout machine and has many functions, hence the assembly process might need a few hours. Also, the package does not include the tools and you will require screwdrivers and wrenches.

However, the manual of this machine is quite simple and easy. People who have purchased this machine have not found it tough to assemble. However, you must remember that since this is a huge and heavy machine, relocating it is touch post assembly.

Design and Build Quality

The cage post assembly is 95 x 79 x 86 inches and weighs 430 pounds. It has a total weight capacity of 600 pounds. Heavy-duty tubular steel is used to construct the rack and the extra implements the machine comes with.

The Marcy Diamond Smith Cage Home Gym System comes with a frame that is constructed out of steel square tubing of 14 gauge and is extremely sturdy. Few bars have chrome coating and a “diamond” finish, whereas others have a coating of anti-corrosion enamel.

Although this machine has been designed and created for use at home, it is similar to the club Smith machines. The frame is quite sturdy that it can support a total weight of around 600 lbs (272 kg). For the purpose of comparison, you can check out our Body Solid EXM3000LPS 2021 review.

The cage does not have to be bolted to the gym floor. The stabilizers are tiny steel plates that are welded into the base bars which do not have any holes in it. However, in case the user wants to bolt it to the floor, they can drill holes in them.

As the gym system is quite heavy, it is stable even while doing exercises that involve greater weights. But, you can place the machine on a rubberized mat to ensure it does not slide. This also will protect the floor.

The dimensions of the machine are – 95” height, width 79” and 86” depth. The depth is inclusive of the bench which can be easily adjusted and transported. The height of 95” is inclusive of the Olympic bar that is stored vertically.

The bench is not connected to the cage and this bench can be moved easily and freely. You can place the bench at a distance or at a position that is comfortable and convenient for you. The backrest has many adjustment positions.

Generally, the bench gives an incline, decline, and horizontal positions. The decline may not be extreme and is just a few degrees lower than 180°.

Marcy Diamond Smith Cage Home Gym with Linear Bearing Features

Adjustable Seat

The bench and preacher pad have a high-density foam padding which provides users the best of comfort while working out. The upholstery on the bench and preacher pad is made using a two-toned brown vinyl, which is long-lasting if you take good care of it.

There is a pop pin which is easily adjustable and is used to adjust the bench in numerous angles as per requirement.

Weight ratios and limits

As the Marcy Diamond Smith Cage Home Gym System comes with a pulley system, it is very obvious that there will be a variation in the weight ratios. For understanding, a few weight ratios are mentioned:

  • Lat pulldown station weight plates of 10 lbs creates resistance of 5 lbs
  • Pec fly station weight plates of 10 lbs creates resistance of 10 lbs
  • Low pulley station weight plates of 10 lbs creates resistance of 20 lbs
  • Left crossover – weight plates of 10 lbs creates resistance of 5 lbs
  • Right crossover – weight plates of 10 lbs creates resistance of 5 lbs

Bench Press

The rack comes with a weight bench for the compound movements of your upper body like the bench press. The bench can be adjusted and can also do incline or decline movements.

In addition, the machine offers a dual-action leg developer made of foam which can be fixed to the bench, and allow users to perform lower body accessory work. Check out some of the best home gyms under $1500.

Aerobic Rowing

The leg developer of this machine can be used for aerobic rowing as well as preacher curls.

Body Weight Capacity

The machine is huge and sturdy and is quite heavy. This gives it a lot of stability. It can support a total weight of about 600 pounds.

Safety Measures

The machine has Safety Stoppers which are crucial for users to train safely alone and when they try to push their limits. These stoppers can catch as well as stop the bar at the range you desire.

Pulleys

The pulleys have a diameter of 3.75 inches. They are made up of heavy-duty nylon material and sealed ball bearings which give users a continuous use. The top pulleys pivot and users can use these pulleys for many lateral pull exercises.

This machine makes use of cables that are 2000 pounds steel ropes of tensile strength, which are covered by a PVC sheet to give you smoother performance. They are very durable and can withstand a lot more weight than the machine’s maximum capacity.

Cable Crossovers

The Marcy Diamond Smith Cage Home Gym System features a high dual-pulley cable system to help you with your upper body exercises.

Foot Plate

The machine comes with a seated row foot plate which is durable. The footplate has a nonslip design which will help the user lift heavier weights in a seated row position

Olympic Free-weight Rack

The machine offers you storage pegs for 6 Olympic weight plates which allows you to organize all your equipment for strength training. It has a compact design and is made up of heavy-duty tubular steel which ensures that the home gym is long-lasting.

Multifunctional Press Arms

The machine features separate arms that offer the user pec flys. The machine has high and low pulleys that work on your chest, arms, back and shoulders.

Other Features

  • Accessories –
    Some of the main accessories that are included with this machine set are:
    (i) 1x Triceps rope
    (ii) 1x Lat bar
    (iii) 1x Ankle strap
    (iv) 1x Shiver bar
    (v) 2x Handle grip
  • Leg Developer –The machine has a Leg developer which allows users to perform leg curls as well as leg extensions for quadriceps and hamstring training. They also have comfortable roller pads.

Marcy Diamond Smith Cage Home Gym System Workout Programs/Exercises

With the Marcy Diamond Home Gym System users have a wide range of exercises to choose from. It functions really well in the squat or press positions. The machine has separate arms which offer pec flys. There are high as well as low pulleys which work on the back, chest, arms and shoulders.

Along with using the squat rack to work on your legs, you can make use of the leg developer for extensions or curls. This home gym comes with a triceps rope, a lat bar, a shiver bar, a chrome row handle, ankle straps, and two single handles that allows the user to experiment with exercises. Some of the possible exercises are listed below:

(i) Arm exercises

  • Biceps curls
  • Lying biceps curls
  • Lateral single-arm biceps curls
  • Close grip pulldowns
  • Triceps press downs
  • Triceps extensions
  • Kneeling triceps extensions
  • Prone triceps extensions
  • Lateral single-arm triceps extensions

(ii) Abdominal Exercises

  • Cable crunches
  • Seated trunk rotations
  • Cable twist crunches
  • Standing trunk rotations

(iii) Back Exercises

  • Back flies
  • Prone back flies
  • Back presses
  • Prone reverse flies
  • Aerobic rowing
  • Lat pulldowns
  • Kneeling rowing
  • Crossover rowing

(iv) Chest Exercises

  • Chest presses
  • Wide grip chest presses
  • Single arm chest presses
  • Close grip chest presses
  • Incline chest flies
  • Chest flies
  • Lateral chest flies
  • Pullovers
  • Single arm chest flies
  • Pullovers with twisting crunches
  • Pullovers with crunches

(v) Leg Exercises

  • Stand-up leg curls
  • Squats
  • Calf raises
  • Single-leg squats
  • Wide squats
  • Kneeling single-leg squats
  • Twisting squats
  • Lunges
  • Jumping squats
  • Reverse lunges
  • Hip adductions
  • Hip extensions
  • Hip abductions

(vi) Shoulder Exercises

  • Shoulder presses
  • Lateral deltoid raises
  • Upright rows
  • Front deltoid raises
  • Front deltoid raises with leg curls
  • Lying front deltoid raises
  • Lateral arm pulls
  • Shoulder extensions

The Marcy Diamond Smith Cage Home Gym System does not include a dip station. However, dips can be easily replaced with some triceps pushdowns or a few similar workouts, by utilizing the high pulleys along with the two handle-grips that come attached.

Also, you must be aware that the machine does not have a leg press station. However, the machine has a chest press bar which can be used to perform leg presses, by keeping the bench in reverse position under the bar. Once you remove the leg attachment you have to just push the bar in an upward direction using your legs.

You can also use dumbbells and make your workouts more challenging. The bench and preacher pad offer good support for such exercises.

Marcy Diamond Smith Cage Home Gym Warranty

The manufacturer offers a warranty of 2-years on parts as well as the frame and gives you the option to extend it to 5-years for an additional amount.

Marcy Diamond Smith Cage Home Gym Pros and Cons

Pros

  • The machine has a sturdy frame made of heavy duty steel
  • It has a lot of attachments and accessories which engage every muscle group
  • The machine is easy to maintain and long-lasting
  • It has a weight capacity of 600 lbs
  • Though bulky, it is space-efficient
  • It has safety stoppers as safety measures
  • It offers you a complete body workout
  • It comes with high dual crossover pulleys

Cons

  • The assembly process will require a few hours
  • Once assembled, relocation is tough due to the weight
  • The warranty offered is not great only 2 years
  • Weight plates have to be purchased separately

Verdict

The Marcy Diamond Smith Cage Home Gym is a good bet if you wish to purchase a good home gym fitness machine. The assembly process might be a bit tough, but once you pull it off, this machine will last you a life-time.

The machine is quite durable, stable and sturdy and is good if you wish to do strength-training at home. Though the machine does not have few options, it allows you to do numerous exercises on it. It gives you a complete body workout.

If you are keen on weight-lifting, then the Marcy Diamond Smith Cage Home Gym is a good pick, as it not only is a high-end model but also is an affordable one. You might have to pick up the weight plates separately, but it does come with a few attachments and accessories.

This machine is ideal for your home gym or even a commercial one. The numerous workouts offered by this machine definitely make it the right choice!