They’re siblings, but they’re not twins. Here’s a look at what makes the Arcadia™ functional trainer different from her big sister, the Arcadia™ Max functional trainer. Hint: It's more than just size.
First, let's properly meet the two characters of discussion.
What is the Arcadia™ Functional Trainer?
The Arcadia™ functional trainer is REP's first functional trainer designed by REP's Colorado-based engineering team from the ground up. The Arcadia™ functional trainer has:
- the same awesome trolleys seen on our popular Ares™ cable attachment and Athena™ attachment
- 10lb increment, selectorized weight stacks
- in-house-designed, knurled handles
- 32 cable positions
- dual weight stacks that top out at 170lbs each, for a total of 340lbs at a 2:1 ratio (moving 100lbs feels like 50lbs). Upgrade the stacks to 220lbs each, for a total of 440lbs at a 2:1 ratio.
- hot-rolled steel plates
- 5lb (feels like 2.5lbs) add-on weights for micro-adjustments
- integrated band pegs on the base and headplate to hit the maximum resistance of 540lbs
- a magnetized adjustment pin that slides in smoothly
- high-quality, galvanized wire cables with a raw-steel core
- 180-degree swivel pulleys
- patent-pending, lightweight trolleys equipped with plastic liners, knurled handles, and oversized pop-pins
- laser-cut numbers on the front of the uprights
- an integrated multi-grip pull-up bar
- two steel D-handles with nylon straps
- three heavy-duty, laser-cut pegboards with nine 4” and three 6” pegs for storage of small attachments
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a metallic black powder coating
What is the Arcadia™ Max Functional Trainer?
The Arcadia™ Max functional trainer was also designed by REP’s engineers in Colorado. Consider it the big sister of the Arcadia™ functional trainer. The Arcadia™ Max functional trainer has:
- the unique trolleys of the Ares™ cable machine and Athena™ attachments
- 10lb increment, selectorized weight stacks
- in-house-designed, knurled handles
- 36 cable positions
- dual weight stacks that top out at 220lbs each, for a total of 440lbs at a 2:1 ratio (feels like 110lbs per stack). Upgrade the stacks to 270lbs each, for a total of 540lbs and one of the heaviest functional trainers anywhere.
- hot-rolled steel plates
- integrated band pegs on the base and headplate
- a magnetized pin for weight adjustments
- integrated, selectorized 5lb micro-plates
- aluminum pulleys
- an integrated multi-grip pull-up bar
- two fully knurled, steel D-handles
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four full-length pegboards and numerous hooks for storage of small attachments
Similarities Between Arcadia™ Functional Trainer and Arcadia™ Max Functional Trainer
Those were a lot of bullet points. So let’s make it easy for you.
Here are some of the similarities between the Arcadia™ functional trainer and the Arcadia™ Max functional trainer -- in the form of more bullet points. But they’re more specific bullet points, so surely that’s better.
- They both have built-in multi-grip pull-up bars for various types of pull-ups.
- They both feature integrated band pegs so you can attach bands to increase resistance and create more exercises.
- Neither has a specific lat pulldown and seated row feature.
- They have a cable ratio of 2:1. Not sure what a cable ratio means? Here’s what a cable ratio means and why that’s important.
- They are stand-alone functional trainers that do not attach onto a power rack or rig.
- They come with two D-handles.
- They have built-on storage for small attachments.
- They were both designed by REP’s Colorado-based engineering team from the ground up.
- They use the unique trolleys seen on Ares™ and Athena™ cable attachments.
- Their selectorized weight stacks jump by 10lb increments.
- They feature in-house-designed, knurled handles.
- Their plates are made from hot-rolled steel.
- You adjust the weight with a magnetized pin.
- They use high-quality, galvanized cables with raw-steel core.
- Their pulleys were both made from strong aluminum with a 180-degree swivel for versatility in exercises.
- They feature patent-pending, lightweight trolleys equipped with protective, plastic liners, knurled handles, and oversized pop-pins.
- They have laser-cut numbers on the uprights to make it easy to line up your cable height.
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They’re finished with durable metallic black powder coating.
Differences Between Arcadia™ Functional Trainer and Arcadia™ Max Functional Trainer
That’s where the similarities between the Arcadia™ functional trainer and Arcadia™ Max functional trainer end.
Here are the main differences between these similar but unique pieces of gym equipment.
Cable length: The cable of the Arcadia™ Max functional trainer is a whole foot longer than the OG. The cable travel for the Arcadia™ functional trainer is 6.75', whereas the Max turns out to be 7.7' (93”).
Cable positions: The Arcadia™ Max functional trainer has more cable positions – the most positions of any cable machine, actually. It boasts 36, whereas the Arcadia™ functional trainer has 32 height options on the upright.
Weight capacity: The Arcadia™ functional trainer tops out (both sides with upgraded stack and add-on weights) at 340lbs. With a 2:1 ratio, this feels like 170lbs.
The Arcadia™ Max functional trainer offers a lot more, with a max capacity (with the upgraded stack and add-on weights) hitting 540lbs. At a 2:1 ratio, that feels like 270lbs. This is one of the heaviest functional trainers anywhere.
Footprint: The Arcadia™ Max functional trainer is designed to be bigger. It’s taller, wider, and heavier.
The compact Arcadia™ functional trainer is 6.7' tall, 4.6' wide in the front, 2' wide on the back, and 2' deep. Or 80.9"x55.3"(front)-24"(rear)x24" (HxWxD). You can further reduce the height to 6.5' (or 78") by inverting the multi-grip pull-up bar.
The Arcadia™ Max functional trainer is 7.3’ tall, 6.2' wide in the front, 2.7' wide at the rear, and 3.6’ deep. Every dimension is bigger. The 7.3' height makes it more suitable for taller lifters, if you gym has space. Or if you are weird and for some reason think in inches, it spans 87.5”x74.7”(front)-32.2"(rear)x43.6” (HxWxD).
Basically, the Max is nearly a foot taller, and the front opening is a lot wider, so you have more working space. But whether this bigger footprint is a pro or con really depends on how big your home or commercial gym is.
Storage: The Max has more integrated storage. The Arcadia™ Max functional trainer comes with four built-on pegboards and numerous hooks. The Arcadia™ functional trainer only has three pegboards.
Micro-weights: Both have micro-weights for smaller jumps, but they’re presented differently. The Arcadia™ functional trainer comes with premium 5lb (feels like 2.5lbs) add-on weights. The Arcadia™ Max functional trainer's 5lb micro-weights are integrated into the selectorized weight stack -- no separate micro-plates that can be misplaced, especially in commercial gyms.
