Selectorized, Plate-Loaded, Free Weight and Functional Training
Strength equipment divides by how resistance is applied, and that single distinction determines cost, floor space, safety and who can use the machine unsupervised. This collection carries 317 items across Body-Solid and its Pro Clubline, ProDual, Pro Select, Powerline, Best Fitness and Endurance lines, alongside SportsArt, Bailey Manufacturing, Stroops and Clinton Industries.
The point worth settling before comparing models is that the four resistance formats are not tiers of the same thing. A selectorized machine and a power rack answer different questions, and a facility that buys entirely within one format usually ends up unable to serve part of its population.
→ Part of Exercise & Fitness. Also see Fitness Accessories, Treadmills & Ellipticals, Exercise Bikes and Rehabilitation Equipment.
Which Resistance Format?
| Format | Changing load | Supervision | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selectorized | Move a pin | Low; movement path is guided | Rehabilitation, novices, circuit use |
| Plate-loaded | Load plates by hand | Moderate | Heavy loading, natural movement arcs |
| Free weight | Change bar and plates | High; spotter or rack needed | Compound lifting, athletic training |
| Functional trainer | Move a pin, adjust pulley height | Low to moderate | Varied movement patterns in one footprint |
For a clinical or rehabilitation setting the selectorized column is usually the starting point, and the reason is the pin. A patient changing load moves a pin one position; on a plate-loaded machine they lift and carry a plate before they have started the exercise, which for a deconditioned or injured user is itself a demanding task.
Weight Stacks: Increment Size Matters More Than Maximum
A 210 lb stack and a 310 lb stack are usually compared on their top figure, but for rehabilitation the useful question is how small the first step is and how finely the stack divides.
A patient rebuilding strength after injury may need to progress in increments smaller than one plate on a standard stack. If the jump from one pin position to the next is more than they can manage, the progression stalls: they are stuck between a load that is too easy and one they cannot complete with control. Add-on weights that sit on top of the selected plate are what solve this, and they are worth asking about for any machine going into a rehabilitation setting.
The stack sizes in this collection run 160 lb, 210 lb, 235 lb and 310 lb. Choosing the larger stack matters where the same machine serves both a rehabilitation caseload and staff or athletic users, since a stack that tops out too low makes the machine useless to the stronger half of the population.
Pro Select and Pro Clubline selectorized
Single-station selectorized machines with 160 to 310 lb stacks: the Pro Select cam ab and back at 210 lb and its 310 lb version; the Pro Select cam biceps and triceps at 210 lb and 310 lb; the Pro Select leg extension and leg curl at 210 lb and 310 lb.
Pro Clubline Series 2 offers 160 and 235 lb options: the S2ABBX ab and back at 160 lb and 235 lb; the S2AC arm curl at 160 lb and 235 lb, plus the S2BTPX biceps and triceps in both stack options.
ProDual: Two Exercises, One Footprint
ProDual machines combine two exercises on one frame and one stack, which is a floor space decision before it is a training one. In a clinic where the gym area is a room rather than a hall, the number of exercises available per square foot is often the binding constraint.
The trade-off is throughput: two people cannot use both halves at once. In a facility running scheduled individual sessions that rarely matters; in a busy open gym it does.
The range pairs logical opposites, available at 210 lb and 310 lb: leg extension and leg curl (310 lb), lat pulldown and mid row (310 lb), leg press and calf extension (310 lb), ab crunch and back extension (310 lb), inner and outer thigh (310 lb), pec and rear delt (310 lb), press arm and lat (310 lb) and the dual FID multi press (310 lb). Also the ProDual biceps and triceps machine.
Adjustable cable columns give height-variable cable work: the DPCC at 210 lb and the DPCCSF3 version.
Plate-Loaded and Leverage Machines
Plate-loaded machines have no stack, so the ceiling is whatever the frame is rated for rather than whatever the stack tops out at, and they cost considerably less per station. The trade-off is that the user handles plates before and after every set.
Leverage designs add something a cable machine cannot: the arms pivot independently, so each side works on its own. That reveals and addresses side-to-side differences, which matters after a unilateral injury where the uninjured side otherwise compensates invisibly on a bilateral machine.
Body-Solid's leverage line: the LVLA leverage lat pulldown with dual axis diverging movement, the LVLC leg curl, the LVLE leg extension, the LVLP horizontal leg press and the LVSRB seated row. Also the GCAB360B cam ab and back, the GCBT380B cam biceps and triceps and the GCLP100 compact leg press at 1,000 lb capacity.
SportsArt plate-loaded series
A full commercial line rated 220 to 880 lb: A985 chest press, A977 incline chest press, A978 wide chest press, A986 lat pulldown, A987 shoulder press, A979 low row, A988 mid row, A980 arm extension, A976 leg extension, A982 angled leg press, A989 hack squat at 880 lb, A981 seated calf raise, A990 glute trainer, A975 rear kick and the A983 Smith machine.
Functional Trainers
A functional trainer is two adjustable cable columns facing each other, and its value is that the pulley height and the user's position are both free, so one machine covers a very wide range of movement patterns.
For rehabilitation that flexibility is the whole point. A cable set at shoulder height reproduces a reaching task; set low, it loads a lifting pattern; set high, it trains an overhead reach. The therapist can match the exercise to the activity the patient is trying to recover, rather than choosing from a fixed menu of machine movements.
Dual stacks also allow genuine unilateral work with independent load per side, which is how a side-to-side deficit gets addressed rather than masked.
Body-Solid GFT100 in dual 160 lb, dual 210 lb and dual 310 lb. Fusion Personal Trainers combine a functional trainer with a press station: the F500B-2 at 210 lb, F500B-3 at 310 lb, F600B-2 and F600B-3, with an FLP leg press attachment using a 1:2 resistance ratio.
More affordable options: Powerline PFT100 dual 160 lb, PFT100-2 dual 210 lb, PFT50 at 210 lb, the Best Fitness BFFT10B at 190 lb and the SportsArt A93 functional trainer tower at 154 lb. Cable crossovers: the Powerline PCCO90X and the Best Fitness BFCCO10.
Multi-Station Gyms
A multi-station gym puts several exercises on one frame with a shared stack, which delivers the highest exercise count per square foot of anything here. Body-Solid's range steps up by station count and press arm design: the G1B at 160 lb, the G3B with multi-grip press arm, the G5B with ergo press arm, the G6B bi-angular, the G9B and the EXM3000LPS.
Also the Powerline BSG10X at 160 lb, the P2X, the plate-loaded PHG1000X, and for commercial installations the Pro Clubline S1000 four-stack commercial gym.
Pulley upgrades reduce friction and change how smooth a stack feels through the range: GAP3, GAP5, GAP6 and GAP9.
Racks, Benches and Free Weight
A power rack exists so a lifter can fail safely: the safety bars catch the barbell if the lift cannot be completed, which is what makes unsupervised barbell work possible at all.
Racks and cages: the Powerline PPR1000 power rack at 700 lb, the Best Fitness BFPR100B at 500 lb, the SportsArt A966 power cage in Olympic width at 550 lb and the A967 half cage. Smith machines guide the bar path: the Best Fitness BFSM250B.
Benches
Flat, incline and decline: the GFID71B at 600 lb, the GFID100B, the leverage FID46, and the space-saving GFID225B commercial folding bench. SportsArt free weight benches: the A991 adjustable, the A992 flat and the A993 45 degree back hyperextension. Ab benches: the GAB100B counter-balanced and the GAB300B semi-recumbent.
Bodyweight stations: the GDIP59B dip station, the SportsArt A994 VKR chin and dip station, and the combination GDIB46LB PowerCenter combo bench with leg developer.
Storage
Weight storage is a safety item rather than tidiness: plates left on the floor are a trip hazard in a room where people carry load. The SportsArt A901 dumbbell rack at 2,860 lb, the A902 Olympic plate tree at 2,640 lb and the Clinton 4716 wall weight rack.
Isolation machines
The Powerline PLCE165X leg extension and curl, the PLM180X lat machine with dual high and low pulleys, the PVLP156X vertical leg press, the PLPX leg press attachment and the PGM200X glute master.
Clinical Rehabilitation Equipment
Bailey's rehabilitation range predates gym equipment and does work that gym equipment cannot: graded range of motion, fine incremental loading and functional task simulation.
The Model 605 wall-mounted shoulder wheel with a 26 inch positioning range takes a shoulder through a full circular arc with adjustable resistance and axis height, which is how range is regained smoothly rather than in the discrete arcs a machine imposes. The Model 760 shoulder and finger ladder with 36 steps gives the patient a visible target: reaching one rung higher than last week is measurable progress they can see.
The Model 757 wall pulley provides light graded resistance at any angle, and the Model 767 powder board removes friction almost entirely so a limb too weak to move against gravity can still be moved through range. Stall bars offer fixed anchor points at every height: the Model 775 stall bars at 36 x 96 inches with a matching Model 3020 stall bar bench.
Fine load progression: 1800 series FitBell weights from 1 to 10 lb and 1866 to 1883 cuff weights in 17 increments, which is the granularity a stack cannot offer. Work simulation: the Model 6021 work sled at 80 lb, the Model 6020 work device with foam grips and hand slots, the Model 210 foot placement ladder, 768/769 exercise skates and the Clinton 7360 adjustable balance platform.
Functional training tools
Stroops bars for resistance-based functional work: the Fat Bar, the Fit Stik Pro bar and the compact FitStik.
Additional Cardio in This Collection
Some cardio units are grouped here: the Endurance R300 indoor rower with Polar-compatible wireless HR, the Endurance CL300 climber, the FB300B dual action fan bike, the B4RB recumbent bike, the B4UB upright bike, the E100 center drive elliptical, the E5000 self-generating elliptical, the Best Fitness BFCT1B cross trainer, the BFRB1B recumbent bike and the LifeSpan Ampera office bike with 15W wireless charger. Also a 3-speed fan accessory for SportsArt treadmills.
Frequently Asked Questions
Selectorized or plate-loaded for a rehabilitation setting?
Selectorized, generally. The patient changes load by moving a pin; on a plate-loaded machine they lift and carry a plate before starting the exercise, which for a deconditioned or injured user is itself a demanding task and sometimes an unsafe one. Selectorized machines also guide the movement path, which reduces the supervision required. Plate-loaded suits heavier loading and costs less per station.
Does weight stack size matter more at the top or the bottom?
Both, for different reasons. The top matters where the same machine serves staff or athletic users alongside patients, since a stack that runs out makes it useless to the stronger half. The bottom matters more in rehabilitation: if the jump between pin positions exceeds what the patient can manage, progression stalls between a load that is too easy and one they cannot control. Add-on weights that sit on the selected plate solve this.
What does a dual-station machine trade away?
Throughput. Two exercises on one frame and one stack gives more exercises per square foot, which is usually the binding constraint in a clinic gym, but two people cannot use both halves at once. In scheduled individual sessions that rarely matters; in a busy open gym it does. Match the format to how the room is actually used.
What is a leverage machine and why does independent movement matter?
A plate-loaded machine whose arms pivot independently, so each side works on its own. That reveals and addresses side-to-side differences, which matters after a unilateral injury: on a bilateral machine the uninjured side compensates invisibly, and the deficit persists while the total load goes up. Independent arms make each side do its own work.
Why is a functional trainer useful in rehabilitation?
Because pulley height and user position are both free, so the therapist can match the exercise to the activity the patient is trying to recover rather than choosing from a fixed menu of machine movements. A cable at shoulder height reproduces a reaching task; low, it loads a lifting pattern; high, an overhead reach. Dual stacks also allow unilateral work with independent load per side.
What does a power rack actually provide?
Safety bars that catch the barbell if a lift cannot be completed, which is what makes unsupervised barbell work possible at all. Without a rack, failing a squat or a bench press means being trapped under the bar. The capacity rating covers the frame and the safety bars together, and it should exceed the heaviest anticipated load with margin.
Why is weight storage a safety item?
Because plates and dumbbells left on the floor are a trip hazard in a room where people are carrying load, often while their attention is on the equipment rather than their feet. Racks and plate trees give everything a place, which is what makes putting it back the default. In a rehabilitation setting where users may already have balance impairment, clear floor is not optional.
What is a shoulder wheel used for?
Taking a shoulder through a full circular arc with adjustable resistance and adjustable axis height, so range is regained smoothly rather than in the discrete arcs a machine imposes. Changing the axis height changes which part of the range is emphasised. It is a graded range-of-motion tool, which is a different job from strengthening.
What is a powder board for?
Removing friction almost entirely so a limb too weak to move against gravity can still be moved through range. A patient at that stage cannot use any loaded equipment, and range lost during that period is difficult to recover later. The board makes movement possible when nothing else on a gym floor can, which is why it remains in clinical use despite being simple.
Why use cuff weights when the machines have stacks?
Granularity. Cuff weights come in increments a stack cannot offer, which is what early rehabilitation progression needs. They also load a limb during a functional movement rather than during a machine exercise, so the patient trains the pattern they are trying to recover with a small added load. A stack cannot go where a limb goes.
MediDepot Purchasing Advantages
- Price Match Guarantee: found the same model for less elsewhere? We will match the verified price.
- Equipment Financing: a gym fit-out is a large capital item; financing spreads it across the year.
- Extended Warranty: coverage on cables, pulleys and frames beyond the manufacturer term.
- Military Discount: available for qualifying military medical facilities and personnel.
- Request a Quote: stack sizing, floor layout planning, multi-unit pricing and delivery scheduling.
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- Medical Equipment Financing Guide
- Medical Equipment Quote Comparison Checklist