Marcy MWM-980 Home Gym Review

The Marcy home gym isn't overly large. It's approximately 34 1/4" at it's widest point (rear stabalizer) and about 68" long. I recommend that you allow 10" to 12" of clearance on all sides. Therefore, if you don't have free space in your home that is at least 54"x88" I would not recommend purchasing this gym.

The gym was shipped in three boxes. Two 70 lb boxes contain the weights. The main box (approx. 72x20x12) weighs 127 lbs. If you own a truck, van, SUV, or station wagon you should have no problem getting it in your vehicle. You should also be able to transport this gym in a car if it has fold down rear seats with trunk access. If you find the main box too heavy to load safely you can remove the components from the box and loosely place them in the trunk of the car.

Set-up took about 4 1/2 hours. One person can assemble the gym alone though it helps to have a second pair of hands when building the base and installing the uprights (see set-up tips). Some of the tools required for assembly are included. However, you will need an adjustable wrench. Though not required, a socket wrench with a 5/8" socket will make assembly faster and easier.

All of the nuts, bolts, and washers came shrink wrapped on two cardboard sheets with part numbers printed on them for easy identification. Larger parts, the pulleys, and other components came wrapped in plastic bags. I had no missing parts, and apart from a few minor paint chips, scuffs and scratches, there were no damaged parts.

I was impressed with the solid construction and operation of the Marcy MWM-980. I also like that with a home gym I can exceed my personal ability (in the bench press for example) without the danger of being injured as I likely would with free weights.

As stated above I purchased the Marcy MWM-980 home gym from Walmart for $299. With shipping and tax the total cost was about $390. At various times I have seen this gym on sale for $229. You may want to check for sales on this home gym at your local sporting goods store before making the purchase.

Overall I'm completely satisfied with the quality and operation of the gym. View the links on this page for more information.

Assembly Tips

To begin assembling the gym, unwrap and layout the large metal parts where you can see them. Use a razor blade to access the nuts, bolts and washers but only take them off the identification board as you need them. Although one person can assemble the gym it helps to have a second pair of hands during the assembly of the base and uprights.

Assembling the base correctly the first time is very important. The manufacturer recommends that you leave the bolts loose until all of the base is constructed. By "loose" they mean SLIGHTLY loose. I recommend that you tighten the bolts securely, then slightly back them off until there is a little bit of play between parts. Once the base is assembled place it exactly where you want it. You won't be able to move it once the weight stack is added.

During the assembly of the gym there were times when I had to spend several minutes studying the instructions and the assembly diagram before I was confident that I knew how to proceed. Speed should not be your primary goal. I found attaching the pulleys and stringing the cables the most challenging part of the assembly. Make sure you use the right cable the first time.

You must install a cable and the pulleys at the same time. I recommend that you have the assembly diagram right next to you for reference as you assemble the pulleys and cables. It's very easy to make the mistake of running the cable over the pulley when it should go under. Also, I recommend leaving the pulley bolts finger tight until you have installed all the pulleys and cables. When you are sure everything has been constructed correctly you can tighten all pulley bolts at once. When tightening the pulley bolts be sure not to overtighten them. If a pulley used a plastic grommet I would tighten those just until they were snug. When plastic grommets were not used I would tighten the pulley bolts until the pulley had some rolling resistance then backed the nut off until the pulley moved freely. That I assumed was the optimal tightness for the pulley bolt.

After the pulleys and cables are installed and the bolts tightened you will need to adjust the cable tension. There are two places to do this - 1.) at the top of the weight stack. 2.) at the adjustable pulley bracket with multiple adjustment holes. To adjust the tension, screw in (or back off) the cable bolt in the top of the weight stack until it is just in far enought that it won't come out. This will give you extra cable to work with. Next, insert the pulley bolt into the third hole up from the bottom on the adjustable pulley bracket. Attach one end of the cable to the gym upright, then screw in the bolt at the top of the weight stack until the cable is at your desired tension. When you are satisfied tighten the locking nut on the cable end to prevent the cable bolt from backing out unexpectedly.

Double check the tightness of ALL your bolts. I found several loose bolts that I missed initially. Do a few test runs with very little weight to ensure that you've assembled it correctly. The gym should now be working smoothly without sticking or binding.

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