Buying Guide
Best Commercial Gym Equipment
9 min read
What belongs on a commercial gym floor, how many of each machine you need, and how to budget a full fit-out.
Plan by member count
A common planning ratio is one cardio machine per 8–10 peak-hour members and one strength station per 12–15. Undershoot on cardio and you get queues at 6pm; overshoot and you pay rent on idle machines.
The core floor
Treadmills, upright and recumbent bikes, ellipticals and rowers on the cardio side. On strength: chest press, shoulder press, lat pulldown, row, leg press, leg extension and curl, plus a free weight area with racks, benches and dumbbells to 100 lbs.
Functional trainers and cable machines deliver the widest exercise range per square foot, which matters in smaller studios.
New, refurbished or used
Many operators mix: new cardio where consoles and warranty matter to members, refurbished plate-loaded and selectorized strength where the frames last decades. That mix commonly cuts fit-out cost by a third.