The G1 isn’t only Force USA’s newest addition to their highly esteemed all-in-one trainer lineup, it’s also their most affordable.
With an asking price hovering around $1500, the G1 is a good $500 or so cheaper than their next model up, the G3.
Like all of Force’s other home gyms, the G1 is well-built and offers a ton of workout variety, but this entry-level gym does come with a few key downgrades.
The most notable is the lack of a Smith machine, but it also comes with a lower power rack weight capacity of 551 lb.
This is a lot less than the 992 lb capacity found on Force’s higher-end models, but let’s be real – it’s still plenty to handle the lifting needs of most of us.
Overall, I think the G1 is a great entry-level system and would work well for folks looking for a budget-friendlier rack/functional trainer combo.
But before you decide, continue reading.
In this comprehensive review, I’ll go over everything the G1 does and doesn’t have to offer, as well as compare it to some of the other options out there in this price range.
After reading, you’ll know whether or not this all-in-one trainer is worth the investment.
Force USA’s G1 is lacking a Smith machine and comes with a lower weight capacity, but it’s built to last and still comes with a ton of great features for an all-in-one trainer in this price range. If you’re looking for a Smith machine or need a higher weight limit, you may want to check out Force USA’s G3.
Force USA’s G1 All-In-One Trainer
I’m a big fan of Force USA and I think their all-in-one trainers are great.
Full disclosure, I currently have their X15 Pro in my home gym as we speak and I couldn’t be happier.
Force USA gyms are heavy-duty, smooth acting, and designed to replace a full gyms’s worth of equipment.
They’re also backed by great warranties, but we’ll talk more about that in a bit.
As I mentioned earlier, the G1 is their new entry-level trainer and it costs about $500 less than their affordable G3.
The biggest difference between the G1 and the G3 is the Smith machine component, but there are a few other subtle differences we’ll mention throughout this review.
And since the G1 doesn’t have a Smith machine, it’s really a combination of a power rack and a functional trainer.
Let’s start things off with a quick look at this gym as a whole though.
FYI, you can save 5% off any Force USA purchase with the promo code “HOMEGYM5”.
Pros
- Power rack/functional trainer combo
- Westside spacing on power rack
- 21 adjustment points for pulleys
- Tons of accessories included
- Compatible with additional attachments for growth down the road
- Multigrip pull up handles
- Landmine station
- Suspension trainer attachment point
- Plate storage
- Resistance band pegs
- Attachment storage
- Amazing warranty
- Reasonably-priced
Cons
- Rack weight capacity a little lower at 551 lb
- Lat pulldown station not included
Frame
The G1 doesn’t have quite as many components as Force’s other trainers, but I still think it’s a good idea to start with a quick discussion on the general construction of this gym as a whole.
The base of the G1 is a power rack and it comes with 2″ x 2″ steel uprights.
Force doesn’t tell us what gauge of steel these uprights are made of, but considering the price and weight, I’m guessing 12-14-gauge steel.
This isn’t quite as heavy-duty as a rack constructed out of 11-gauge steel (like their G20 model), but this should be expected given the smaller price tag.
Assembled, the G1 takes up the following dimensions:
56″ x 60.5″ x 87″ (W x D x H)
This is a fair amount of floor space, but it’s pretty average for any all-in-one home gym.
And when it comes to ceiling height – if you want to have plenty of room to get your head completely over the pull up bar, make sure you have at least an 8’3″ clearance.
The G1 can also be bolted down for added stability, although this isn’t necessary if you keep plates stored on the rear pegs.
Overall, in terms of frame construction, the G1 isn’t the heaviest-duty gym out there, but it’s packing respectable specs for this price range.
Power Rack
Ok, let’s move on and talk about the power rack station specifically now.
The G1 comes with 2 uprights in the front, giving you a prime location to attach J-hooks, safeties, and plenty of other attachments that are included with purchase.
But the primary role of these uprights is for racking your barbell and giving your pulleys somewhere to rest.
Each upright comes with Westside spacing (1″) along its entirety, giving you 62 options on each side for placement of your J-hooks and safeties.
This is awesome because it gives you full control over bar placement, but it’s also a feature that often sets Force USA gyms apart from the comps.
Most other combo units in this price range don’t come with Westside hole spacing.
The power rack section of the G1 comes with a weight limit of 551 lb.
This is a bit lower than the 992 lb limit found on the G3 and many other power racks, so if you’re a serious lifter who plans on pushing heavier weights, this alone could be a dealbreaker.
If you’re like me and will never get anywhere close to this amount of weight, it won’t matter as much.
Overall, the G1 comes with a smaller weight capacity than many stand-alone power racks, but it does come with Westside spacing along each upright, which is uncommon in this price range.
Functional Trainer
The other primary function of the G1 is to act as a functional trainer, one of the most versatile weight training machines out there.
FYI, “functional trainer” is just a fancy term for the adjustable pulley system.
Regardless, functional trainers are great because they allow you to do a lot of different strength training moves.
The G1’s functional trainer is plate loaded, meaning it doesn’t come with built-in weight stacks, so you’ll have to load plates on it manually to change the resistance.
Having the built-in stacks makes for a more convenient experience, but there’s no way you’re getting weight stacks in this price range.
Anyway, the plates for the pulleys are loaded at the back of the rack and they come with a max capacity of 353 lb.
That’s a lot of weight, but you have to keep in mind the 2:1 pulley-ratio, which means you’re really only lifting half the weight loaded.
So, for example, if you had 50 lb loaded, it would feel like you’re lifting 25 lb, and so on.
Most functional trainers use 2:1 pulley-ratios, so this is quite common.
But this means the max capacity would feel like lifting roughly 176 lb, or the equivalent of 88 lb or so per arm (when using both pulleys at same time).
I should mention that both pulleys are attached to the same weight load, so you could make things more challenging by working one arm at a time if you needed more resistance.
Each pulley rotates and can be positioned on any of the 21 adjustment points along the front uprights, so you shouldn’t have any issues finding the right position for any exercise.
Overall, the G1’s functional trainer comes with a nice weight capacity and lots of adjustment points, allowing it to accommodate home users of all skill levels.
Attachments
Force USA includes the following attachments with purchase of the G1:
- J-hooks x2
- Safety bars x2
- Dual-hook straight bar
- Small straight bar
- Nylon handles x2
- Triceps rope
- Landmine station
- Multigrip landmine handle
- Olympic spring collars x8
- Carabiners x4
- Band pegs x4
This is a generous selection of included attachments for any gym, but it’s especially so for one in this price range.
Force includes all the hooks, bars, and handles you need to get started, but you’ll notice that it doesn’t come with a barbell, weight plates, or a bench.
These necessities will have to be purchased separately (or elsewhere).
The G1 also comes with multi-grip pull up handles (772 lb weight limit) as well as 6x weight plate storage holders built-into the rear of the rack.
These give you a convenient place to store your plates, but they also add stability to the unit.
And if you look closely, you’ll see there’s also a suspension trainer attachment point located between the pull up handles, giving you a place to attach your TRX if the need arises.
The G1 comes with a lot of workout variety, but it can also grow and expand over time by adding additional attachments.
The G1 is also compatible with the following accessories:
- Lat pulldown station
- Low row foot plate
- Jammer arms
- Dip bars
- Leg developer station
Overall, I like that Force is so generous with their included attachments. It would be nice if the lat pulldown station was included with purchase, but it’s awesome that you can add additional accessories down the road as needed.
Assembly
If you decide to purchase the G1, you’ll have to decide whether you want to tackle assembling it yourself or hire pros to do it for you.
If you enjoy putting stuff together and have a friend who’s willing to assist, this could be a good one to assemble yourself.
Without any weight stacks or a Smith machine, the G1 is quite a bit easier to put together than most of their other machines.
And with an assembled weight somewhere around 200 lb, it isn’t overly heavy either, making it much more doable.
There are still cables and pulleys, so you’ll have to take your time and make sure you get everything routed correctly, but otherwise, the assembly for the G1 is much easier than Force’s other models.
Most should be able to get this gym assembled in 2-3 hours, depending on how many beer breaks there are.
Warranty
Force USA covers their G1 All-In-One Trainer with the following home warranty:
- Lifetime frame
- 10 year moving parts
- 1 year upholstery and attachments
Yeah, that’s a great warranty.
You can’t beat a lifetime structural guarantee, but 10 years on the cables and pulleys is pretty awesome too… especially for a $1500 system.
A year on the wear items is pretty standard stuff, so no issues there.
I’ve got nothing to complain about here, especially since this warranty beats out any other warranties I’ve found in this price range.
For example, Major Fitness only offers 1-year warranties on their systems, as does Mikolo (although they might upgrade you to a lifetime frame warranty if you sign up for their email list).
Either way, the G1 comes with great coverage.
Comps
As I’m writing this, the G1 is selling on Force USA’s site for $1,499.
This price may change some throughout the year, but I want to use this as a reference for my comps so we can get an idea as to how this gym stacks up to other similarly-priced machines.
To be honest, I wasn’t able to find a ton of different power rack/functional trainer combo machines out there under $2k.
But I did find a few.
The first one I want to mention is Major Fitness’ Raptor F22 (great name by the way), which is selling for around $930 on Amazon.
The F22 is also a power rack/functional trainer combo and comes with similar accessories, although there are some differences.
The F22 uses 2″ x 3″ (14-gauge) uprights and as a power rack, can handle a max load of 1,000 lb.
The functional trainer is plate loaded and also uses a 2:1 ratio, with each pulley being able to handle a max load of 300 lb.
That said, the F22 doesn’t come with Westside spacing (only 14 height adjustments for J-hooks) and the pulleys only come with 17 adjustment points.
The biggest disappoint though, is that it’s only backed by a 1 year warranty.
That said, it looks like a pretty legit system for such an affordable price.
There’s also RitFit’s Power Cage with Cable Cross-Over System, that’ll costs around $1,300, give or take depending on how many weight plates you choose with it.
This system comes with a full power cage, which is nice, as well as an adjustable, plate-loaded functional trainer in the front.
The J-hooks on this system can handle 1,000 lb, but the barbell it comes with can only handle 500 lb, fyi.
This gym doesn’t come with as many accessories, but it does include a bench, barbell, and bumper plates, which is awesome.
Again, the uprights don’t come with Westside spacing and there aren’t as many height adjustments for the pulleys either.
And the warranty isn’t even close – RitFit backs this one with a 3 year frame, 1 year parts guarantee.
Both of these comps are pretty solid deals for the prices, but I personally think Force’s G1 has ’em both beat hands down.
Force’s G1 vs G3 All-In-One Trainer
| Force USA G1 | Force USA G3 | |
| Smith machine | No | Yes |
| Weight capacity | 551 lb | 992 lb |
| Functional trainer resistance | Plate loaded | Plate loaded |
| Pulley ratio | 2:1 | 2:1 |
| Leg press compatible | No | Yes |
| Westside spacing | Yes | Yes |
| Price | ~$1,499 | ~$1,999 |
Before I wrap things up here, I wanna compare the G1 to one more rack – Force USA’s own G3.
The G3 is an upgraded model and includes a Smith machine, making it a true all-in-one system.
The inclusion of the Smith machine is the biggest difference between these trainers, but there are a few other subtle differences as well.
For example, the G3 comes with a loadable capacity of 992 lb, which is significantly higher than the G1’s 551 lb capacity.
The included attachments with each gym are similar, although since the G3 has a Smith machine, it’s compatible with a leg press attachment, while the G1 isn’t.
There are also some subtle differences in footprint and size that might be worth considering.
But again, it’s the Smith machine and weight capacities that really differentiate these 2 home gyms.
Final Thoughts
Alright, that’ll about do it for the G1.
The G1 isn’t quite as heavy-duty as some of the other power racks out there, but it’s going to be tough to find a better selection of accessories and a more generous warranty.
That warranty really speaks to Force USA’s build quality, of which I can personally attest to.
Anyway, I think the G1 is a great home gym system for the price.
If you’re looking for a nice rack system with tons of exercise potential, I could see the G1 making a lot of sense.
Especially since you can add additional accessories down the road as needed.
That said, you really can’t add a Smith machine later on down the road, so if this is a feature you could see yourself wanting one day, it might make more sense to upgrade and go with the G3.
Either way, if you’re looking for a high-quality rack system that’s reasonably-priced, you can’t go wrong with Force USA.
And don’t forget to save 5% with the promo code “HOMEGYM5”.
