Inspire m3 Home Gym Review – Is It Worth The High Cost?

Product Specifications

I've been using the Inspire Fitness M3 home gym for over a year now and I've got to know all the good and bad aspects of the entire gym. 

Here are my first hand thoughts that will hopefully help you decide whether this home gym system is worth it.

Our Experience Using This Home Gym

The Inspire Fitness M3 home gym is straightforward and comfortable to use. 

The various handles and pulley systems are easy to navigate between and it all moves smoothly. The weight stack moves well and feels a lot closer to lifting free weights (much more than the Bowflex power rod system). 

What I really liked about the M3 was how sturdy it was. Compared to a lot of other home gyms it is a lot more solid and even when I loaded heavy weight I didn't feel any wobbling or moving, and it felt very safe. 

I also really liked how quickly I could move between exercises. There are quite a few handles, but it doesn't take as much configuration as some other models - so I could keep my workouts short and intense. 

The separated press arms are great too. I was able to isolate one side of my body really easily, and it's a great feature for anyone recovering from injury.

Overall, the M3 gives a good workout experience and it's well suited for every day use.

Size & Dimensions In The Home

The Inspire Fitness M3 home gym is about the same size as most premium home gyms, and you will need to check it will fit. 

It isn't as large as the Inspire Fitness M5 or Force USA G9, but it is still 84 inches tall so make sure you measure the space before you buy because a lot of low ceiling garage or basement gyms will struggle to accommodate it. 

One thing you will notice is that the M3 is heavy. It's not the heaviest around, but it's over 500 pounds, including the commercial weight stack, so you won't be shifting it easily. 

It's a good idea to consider the size of your garage gym and scope out exactly where it will go before you assemble it, because moving it afterwards could be a big job. 

Construction & Quality 

Inspire Fitness are a good, reputable brand and the M3 home gym is well made, and durable. 

There's a heavy-duty frame which is solid and keeps the whole machine stable. There's also a tripod floor stand to balance the weight too. It comfortably supports up to 330 lbs of weight, and even larger users will be able to workout safely. 

All the moving parts seem to work well and the cushioning on the backrest, orthopedic seat pads, and head pad all seem to be able to deal with a lot of heavy wear and tear. 

Inspire Fitness multi gyms use oil impregnated brass bushings in the mechanisms. This gives it a really smooth flowing pull and helps to protect the home gym for longer without having to do any maintenance or lubrication yourself. 

The M3 home gym is the quality I would expect at this price point, but it's worth recognising that it's a well made piece of equipment that should last a long time. 

Workout stations & Versatility

The Inspire Fitness M3 home gym allows you to do over 100 different exercises which target your whole body.

The high and low pulley systems let you configure it in a range of ways and it's particularly useful for arm exercises. 

There are separate press arms too, which allows you to train one side at a time. This is great for addressing any strength imbalances or those rehabilitating after an injury. 

There's a crunch station for core work, and a leg extension station to target your lower body. 

There are extras which are useful, like the optional leg press station and lat bar attachment which is beneficial for training your back. [1]

In terms of versatility and functionality, the M3 multi gym does very well. There are some premium home gym models which offer more choice, but the M3 has everything that most people will need. 

Weight Range

The Inspire Fitness M3 home gym comes with a 210 lb weight stack as standard. 

This weight stack is plenty for beginners and intermediate users, but won't be enough for advanced lifters. There's also no option to upgrade the weight stack.

Assembly & Maintenance 

The Inspire Fitness M3 home gym is fairly challenging to put together.

Many home gyms are challenging to put together, especially if you don't have any experience, but the M3 is big and heavy. Everything you need is included, but you'll need help from a friend to move everything into the right position. 

The instruction manual is straightforward to follow and you should make sure you stick to it step by step. 

You should expect it to take 1-2 hours minimum, though for some beginners it may take longer. 

The good news is that once the M3 is set up it requires very little maintenance. Aside from regularly wiping down the equipment after each workout session, there’s not much else you need to do. 

Price Guide

The Inspire Fitness M3 is an expensive home gym. 

The M3 home gym costs around $4,000, which is a lot for a home gym. To put that in perspective, budget home gyms (such as the Marcy MWM-988) can cost under $750, and many home gym owners just can't afford to spend that much one of piece of equipment. 

However, the M3 is not a budget model. It's well made, offers a lot of versatility, and is good to use. That being said, at this price point I would have expected a bit more and the M3 isn't amazing value for money. 

If you are prepared to pay premium prices then you may be better off with something like the Force USA G6 which costs about the same, but offers more. 

Shipping & Warranty

The Inspire Fitness M3 home gym can be purchased directly from Inspire Fitness, Amazon, large fitness stores, or even from shops like Walmart. 

Amazon tends to offer the best prices and that's where I ordered mine from. It took about 10 days to arrive, which is fairly standard, but shipping times will vary in each region. 

The M3 home gym comes with a limited lifetime warranty for home use which covers the parts and frame.

The equipment is well made so I haven't had to contact their support team, but there are quite a lot of users out there reporting poor customer service from Inspire Fitness.

Hopefully that won't happen to you and the warranty will offer extra protection. However, my advice would be to carefully check the product when it arrives for any issues and report them immediately.

Don't back down, and keep going through their customer service until they issue the replacement parts. 

Who Is The Inspire Fitness M3 Best Suited For?

The Inspire Fitness M3 home gym is best for people with previous fitness experience that want to work out from home regularly. 

The features and versatility of the M3 home gym make it useful for anyone who wants to train their whole body and is looking for a better all-in-one model than the 'budget' ones on the market. 

The weight stack is good enough for most intermediate lifters, and the set up gives you a lot of the benefits of free weight strength training. 

However, for advanced lifters the M3 home gym is no replacement for a powerlifting gym setup, and for this price point you're better off investing in a power rack, some weight plates and more individual pieces of equipment for your setup. 

While the M3 home gym could be used by beginners, it's probably not offering great value for money and there are more affordable models out there which are better for beginners.

If you have a big budget and you have a bit of experience already, then the Inspire Fitness M3 home gym is a great upgrade from a Bowflex or other budget home gym.

Pros & Cons Of The Inspire Fitness M3  

Unique Features Of The Inspire Fitness M3 Home Gym

This is a total-body workout machine that comes with a fixed and cable motion press station, a seated station for leg extensions and curls, a unique abdominal station, and so much more.  

Heavy-Duty Build Quality  

The Inspire Fitness M3 home gym frame is built from heavy-duty 2″ x 4″ oval and 3″ round 11 gauge tubular steel.

It’s powder-coated for added resistance against everyday wear and tear that offers a durable, maintenance-free finish. 

It also features nylon pulleys, 2000-pound tensile strength cables, and precision ball bearings in its press arm pivot. 

The heavy weight has a lot of pros, but it also means that this is far from portable, so don’t plan on moving it around the home. 

To summarize, it is very well made with 11 gauge stell and 2000 lbs of tensile strength combing for a solid garage gym.

Safe & Smart Design  

The Inspire Fitness M3 home gym is perfect for any safety conscious home gym owners. 

It's compact enough to fit in most small sized home gym spaces, but heavy and stable so that it won't move while it's being used. 

The Inspire fitness M3 home gym also has an orthopedic-grade seat and backrest. 

These are ergonomically designed to promote good form for a variety of exercises, but also designed to match the natural shape and curvature of the back and spine for added comfort. 

Not only does this keep you feeling good, but it also keeps you safe by minimizing the risk of injury.  

High-Quality Pulley Systems  

The pulley systems on this home gym are made with aircraft-grade cables that have 2,000-pounds of tensile strength.  

Not only is there a high-pulley station, but also a low-pulley system that’s designed with a seated rowing bar.

This allows for a wide range of upper body exercises, but most importantly it's extremely safe. 

Both arms on the pulleys also move independently, allowing you to train one side of your body at a time.

Multiple Pivot Points Throughout  

The M3’s seated bench press station is designed with several bench press pivot points that utilize 1.5” precision steel ball bearings. 

The other pivot points move on oil impregnated brass bushings, which help to ensure a smooth and fluid motion and require very little maintenance.  

Wide Variety of Add-Ons Available  

With your purchase of the Inspire Fitness M3 multi gym you get:

• An aluminium revolving easy curl bar
• Strap handles with revolving grips
• An ankle strap for leg exercises
• A seated leg curl station (which a lot of home gyms don't have)
• Tricep rope

You can also buy additional home gym accessories including:

• An optional leg press which can be used for both leg press and calf raises. 
• Abdominal bar for increasing resistance while doing crunches. 
• Optional aluminium lat bar for working out the back and lateral muscles.

These extras aren't essential, but make it easier to get a full body workout. You can view all options and purchase directly from Inspire Fitness website.[4] 

Available Tech and Workout Charts 

Thanks to the informative Inspire M3 Home Gym manual, it's easy to get a good idea of the different exercises and workouts that are available to you.[1]

You can also use the Inspire Fitness App. This does have an additional subscription cost attached to it, but gives you instant access to a range of workouts to target every muscle group.

There are also many online resources that can help you with your workouts, like this Inspire M3 workout chart. [2]

Having access to these features is a real bonus for beginners and can help you get the most from the Inspire Fitness M3 multi gym.