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Speediance Gym Monster 2: A Smart Gym That Feels Futuristic

There’s Tonal, there’s Mirror, and there’s Speediance. I’ve tested a few home gym setups over the years, and most of them fall into one of … The post Speediance Gym Monster 2: A Smart Gym That Feels Futuristic appeared first on BGR.

May 14, 2025 - 16:45

Gym Monster 2

Amazing Value

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Pros

Beautiful design
High quality build
Great tech
Easy to use

Cons

Heavy

Buy From	List Price	Sale Price
Speediance	$2,749	$2,749	See It

There’s Tonal, there’s Mirror, and there’s Speediance.

I’ve tested a few home gym setups over the years, and most of them fall into one of two camps: sleek but pretty complicated, or versatile but clunky. The Gym Monster 2 doesn’t really fit in either category. It is a streamlined but very powerful and intuitive machine packed with smart features.

The Machine

Right out the box, the GM2 feels significantly premium. It has a sleek and modern design that blends great with home environments, and the footprint is compact for the functionality it offers. Whether you’re working out in your living room or a dedicated fitness space, it shouldn’t dominate the room. To me, it felt like it was designed with modern homes in mind.

Setup was honestly simple. No tools, no team of installers needed for it. But it is heavy as hell. The manual is straightforward and easy to follow, meaning it promptly was discarded. You can have it up and running in no time.

Once it’s assembled, just plug it in for power, connect to your Wi-Fi, and you’re walked through an onboarding process via the built-in 32-inch touchscreen. The screen, by the way, is bright, responsive, and angled perfectly for view. It's like having a personal trainer show up on time, every time, minus the small talk. And everything from the UI animations to the clarity of the text feels well-designed.

The build quality stands out, too. From the sleek carbon frame to the adjustable arms and smart accessories, everything feels solid. There are no cheap plastics,and no weird creaks.

Smart Weight, Real Resistance

At the core of the Gym Monster is the digital weight system, which offers up to 220 lbs of resistance using a motorized mechanism on it. It simulates the feel of free weights without needing an actual weight rack. And what really impressed me was how smooth the resistance felt. There’s no jerkiness or lag at all, and it responds in real time as you power through sets. Even subtle changes in force or rhythm the system is set up for. This seamless interaction makes it easy to stay focused on your workout rather than adjusting equipment and settings.

And, because the resistance comes from a digital motor, you get access to more than just basic weights. There’s eccentric training, chains mode, constant resistance, and isokinetic training, all of which mimic gym techniques that typically require special equipment or coaching.

Daily Use

Here’s where the GM2 really shines.

You can choose from a huge library of guided programs like strength training, HIIT, mobility, core work, and more. You can even create your own custom routines. Plus, the system also tracks your progress automatically, updating your one-rep max estimates, volume totals, and muscle group recovery status.

The touchscreen interface is very intuitive. Swipe, tap, go. You’re never stuck fumbling through menus or settings. If I have 25 minutes for a workout, I can find a guided workout that hits say upper body in less than a minute.

And because it’s silent, I can work out without waking anyone up or disrupting whatever’s going on around me. That’s something traditional weights or cable machines can’t do at all. This alone might make it worth it for households with different schedules or sleeping kids. Definitely an underappreciated feature that becomes essential once you experience it.

Accessories and Expandability

The Speediance comes with a very solid set of accessories out of the box such as adjustable smart handles, a smart barbell, a bench, a rower kit, and ankle straps. Each of these connects easily to the system, and is recognized automatically, so you’re never stuck guessing if something is set up right or connected.

The smart handles and bar have sensors that communicate with the machine, giving you feedback on range, form, and consistency of your session.

Plus, there's even a slot for attaching a phone holder to keep your phone within reach as you burn those extra calories and want to cycle through your Apple Music Energy playlist.

Conclusion

Whether you’re just trying to stay active, hit a workout after a long day at work, or training for something bigger, this machine feels like it meets you where you are. It’s smart, and powerful without being overwhelming.

If you’ve been on the fence about investing in a smart home gym, the Gym Monster 2 makes a strong case. It’s the kind of equipment you don’t have to think about. It just works. And when you’ve got enough on your plate already, that might be the most valuable feature of all.

The post Speediance Gym Monster 2: A Smart Gym That Feels Futuristic appeared first on BGR.

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Speediance Gym Monster 2: A Smart Gym That Feels Futuristic originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 14 May 2025 at 11:41:14 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.