BodyMax CTX5 Multi Cable and Smith Machine

Recently purchased the Bodymax CTX 5 from Fitshop and can not fault the service received from Fitshop, not fully tested the machine yet but please be aware the build instructions are pretty much useless, the parts are not labeled which would have made the complete process so much easier, I was considering paying the £350.00 for someone to build it but after someone telling me it took 2 of them just over 2 hours to build i decided to do it myself, for the record it took me 2 hours to unpack everything! it took me 2 full days and I ended up pretty much ignoring the manual and going from pictures etc if i can give anyone any advise it would be dont be tight like me and pay someone to put it together for you

Have just set this up in my garage. Plenty of set up reviews here so thought I'd write a user perspective one. Kit is very solid and sturdy, have bench 150kg on it and it felt robust. Some small wobble when doing pull ups but it doesn't affect me at all. Cables are quite smooth although when they touch the pulleys they bounce a little- just need to be far enough away to make this a non issue. I really don't like the j hooks for the barbell. They have a bolt on the inside that I think will tear up the bar. Have been using the safeties instead but I train with a spotter so that's OK for me. Fitshop guys are great btw. Fantastic service from Dom etc in Nottingham.

BodyMax CTX5 Thank you so much to the Nottingham Fitshop team, especially to Dominic for sorting my order out as I changed my mind three times. I think he even stayed on a bit late to make sure my order was processed promptly for me. Definitely go into Nottingham and take a look at this equipment for yourself, try it out and speak to the friendly team. Delivery was very fast and efficient. Parcel company contacted me the day before. On the day, the driver contacted me 1 hour before delivery. It is a kerbside delivery on a curtain sided 26 tonne truck with an added tail lift and electric pump truck. The equipment arrives in a low profile but very long plywood shipping box on a pallet. The pallet is longer than the width of the rear doors of the truck but my driver and his amazing skills was able to manoeuvre the whole crate out of the rear at an angle onto his tail lift and straight onto the driveway. Amazing funny guy! So happy with my delivery! I ordered several optional extras, these came with the same delivery and were stacked on another pallet on top of the shipping crate. Upon opening the crate every part is neatly wrapped in bubble wrap separately and I quickly noticed that some parts had green tape on them and some had blue. Blue is all for left side. Green all for right side. No need for numbering the parts this way. I unwrapped every part and kept each side separate and even placed some of the coloured tape back on the parts so I remembered what side they are for. Really enjoyed building this. You can use the supplied tools to build it. I chose to use ratchet spanner’s as it’s much faster. It took me 10 hours total on my own to build. Very easy to do. I used the manual that came with it and also I screenshoted every page of the 56 page manual on the Fitshop website so I had every page at hand instantly and could pinch and zoom into the parts that are harder to see in the paper manual. The instructions are better on the online manual but you still need the paper one to cross reference the bolt numbers so that you use the correct ones. The height of the unit is 2.2m tall, then there’s the length of the heavy counter weights to go inside the rear frame from the top while you are building it upright. The counter weights also have the cable attachment connection to take into consideration. So I recommend before you start step 1 of construction, find the correct cables that attach to the counter weights, slide them into the black rear support tubes before standing them upright. Don’t worry the cables are plenty long enough to go to the bottom with loads left over. The manual does not tell you to put them in until it’s too late. It was not a problem for me. I had loads of height so I just followed the manual. There is another section where you build the rear section of the unit and attach it to the machine. After you attach it the manual asks you to put two screws underneath. Of course you cannot do this so you have to take it apart again and insert the two screws then reattach it back to the rest of the machine. Another reviewer pointed this out. I forgot this and found out the hard way. All in all it was an easy pleasant build. I also purchased the lever arms. On the website they looked a bit flimsy to me. The picture does not do these justice. They are so heavy and solidly built. The angle of the weld that the arms are pre set to is very clever. It means you have resistance through the entire range of motion from start to finish and you do get full range of motion with them. With the added extras I spent a total of just under £2300 on this equipment. Since placing the order I have already sold every separate piece of strength training equipment that I have as this machine does all of them and does them all better. I got just over £3000 for everything so I just placed another order with Fitshop for some extra weights. Go into Fitshop Nottingham right now and meet the amazing team. Thank you guys!

I've had my CTX5 for three months now and have been giving it very regular use. It's an awesome piece of kit that opens up so many options! Building it was a pain in the bum but well worth it. Build quality is great and everything feels solid !!WARNING!! If you haven't got much height in the room you're building this in then make sure you add the smith machine counter weights earlier than the instructions advise otherwise you'll end up having to take a load of it apart again. Read through all the instructions before starting and you should be able to figure out what I mean.

Just finished up building the machine (days due to other commitments). Build quality is outstanding but there are times in the instructions which are not that clear in my opinion and honestly thank goodness for the photos here on powerhouse fitness. Odd occasions had to refer to the photos to actually get a better understanding as to certain parts that were fitted as the blown up breakdown of parts when fitting certain stages were unclear. Also ensure you also have plenty of ceiling space as there is one part when you have the whole frame up that you need to also insert later a weight for the cables similar to the weights on a pendulum traditional wooden wall clock. These weights aren't to heavy to insert but you definitely need more ceiling space because of the additional height plus the screw insert attached to the weight as well which the cable will attach to the to. In the end had to get someone to help me tilt the machine to get both weights inside the frame. But managed to get it done and really happy with the purchase and can't wait to use the machine. Honestly though, give yourself a couple of days at least if your doing this on your own.

very impressed by my recently purchased bodymax ctx5, quality bit of kit, although was slightly damaged in transit, powerhouse fitness quickly responded and replaced all parts effected without a quibble, I would recommend to purchase equipment with this Company.

Highly recommend the bodymax ctx5. Read the full review for a full picture. After some research, i went for Bodymax ctx5. There is no perfect machine so it comes down to having least inconviniences. Other machines had either not enough weight attached, or cables were in the way, or so many other bad design faults. I went in the shop next to Willesden Green tube station to check it out before buying online and i can say it is a very welcome advantage to see it in person, try it out etc. Chuck was great in the shop and on the phone. Same with the rest of the team. Now to the machine. There is only one thing i can complain about it. The weight holders have plastic caps and the paint on them started to wear already because of constant use of the weights. THey could`ve used metal caps like on the smith machine bar. The rest of the machine is perfect. Great strenght, very sturdy. placed on the barbell short holders 150kg and no issue. pulleys move well, no noticeble resistance. Smith machine is perfectly balanced. Easy to do chest press and any other excercise the machine can do. Totally recommend for a home gym. a bit pricey but it is a very good investment and you will get your moneys worth, especilly if like us, me and my wife use it. VERY IMPORTANT POINTS IF YOU BUY: 1.The cable row at the bottom middle is actyally 1:1, not 2:1 like the rest of the pulleys. I was told its 2:1 and used 200kg as i was using 110kg at the gym before, and couldn`t move it :)). SO yeah, that pulley is 2:1. 2. Buy heavy rubber mats to place the machine on. I bought 6 1sq metre from them, 4 you need for the machine and 2 i placed in front of it where i can do everything else. 3.When installing (and this should be in the manual) you will need more height then the machine measures. I was lucky that my garage was taller but i still strugled. THis is becaue, late in the asembly you need to put the smith machine counter weights in the frame in the back and they go down from the top so you need machine height+weight height. I think it`s best to put the weights in before you lift the frame up, but this is just my opinion and its not in the manual. Just saying you will need a lot of height. 4. Do not OVERTIGHTEN. it is said so many times and yes i did a bit on one side and it bent the frame a bit. not much but follow their instructions. 5. Make sure you use a suitable bench. if its too big or wide etc it wont fit. I was shown Bodymax PM121 Utility Bench in the shop for it and it is perfect fit, good for presses etc. 6. Delivery will be a pain! Luckly the driver was nice and explained. They lift it with a forklift in the depot, in the truck. When they come to your door they don`t have a forklift anymore. It is crazy big and heavy. and can`t be taken down. Me and the driver opened the box and moved the whole machine 1 piece at a time. it took about 45 minutes. This is a very bad delivery system and not fit for purpouse. THey are meant to leave it kerb side and they can`t do it lol. My driver was nice and not in a rush, good luck with other drivers. Customer service is great. Phone answered very fast, had 2 issues with my order and it took a bit of time to be resolved. Mostly because of transportation/supply. Can`t give 5 stars because of the delivery and the very slow delivery of defective parts.

I'm very happy with my purchase. Well built and looks great in my new home gym.

I honestly don’t think there is a better all in one machine for the price. I had to wait longer than expected for delivery but it was worth it. I was expecting 2 people to build however I managed to do this myself over 4 evenings and most of a full day. Take your time and study each instruction page carefully. Could’ve been easier if each part was numbered. Put counter weights in upright tubes for smith machine before putting it together as the ceiling may not be high enough. Recommend electric bolt tightener. Once built it’s very sturdy so you don’t have to bolt into ground. I’m amazed at how many exercises you can do with this machine. I also bought a few additional attachments like leg press attachment and a rope for the cable but other than that it’s perfect and will guide you on a bodybuilding journey for many years! Special thanks to Edinburgh team for helping me place the order :-)

Can’t recommend this machine enough ! Makes training at home safer with the brake bars on the smith machine. Comes with a decent amount of attachments to aid training different muscle groups. Would allow a few evenings to put together though as a lot of nuts / bolts to do up ????. Would definitely buy again .