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REP has provided some majorly innovative products to the home gym community in the last year, including the REP Fitness Athena and Ares cable attachments, the AB-5000 Zero-Gap Adjustable Bench, and their REP Open Trap Bar. A lot of these strength-training products left us impressed with the level of quality and innovation, so we have been hungry for the next one.
Along comes an updated version of their premium functional trainer, the REP FT-5000 2.0. Providing a full-body workout in a compact size for a functional trainer, the first version was a good option for home gyms. How does version 2.0 stack up though? In our REP FT-5000 Functional Trainer review, we’ll look at some of the hits and misses of REP’s update to this piece of equipment.
Testing Top Functional Trainers
GGR Founder and equipment guru Coop has had a lot of experience with the FT-5000 2.0. When Garage Gym Reviews visited REP Fitness’s headquarters in Colorado last year, he was able to try it out, and later REP sent one to headquarters for continued testing and an honest review.
Our team has gotten a lot of time and experience with this piece of equipment, to best give you our honest feedback and feel for the equipment. Full of certified personal trainers, coaches, and athletes, we know what to look for in the best home gym machines and equipment for a variety of people and their needs.
REP Fitness FT-5000 2.0 Functional Trainer
REP FT-5000 Functional Trainer
Product Highlights
- Frame constructed with 11-guage steel
- Chip-resistant powder coating
- Dual 224-pound weight stacks
- Multi-grip pullup/chin-up options
- Ships partially assembled
- Lifetime frame warranty
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Multi-grip pullup/chin-up grip options
- Ships partially assembled
- Lifetime frame warranty
- Dual 224-lb weight stacks
Cons
- There have been some complaints of inconsistent craftsmanship
- Starting weight may be too heavy for some isolation exercises
Bottom Line
The REP FT-5000 is a great choice for anyone looking for a functional trainer in their home gym.
A Quick Look at the REP FT-5000 2.0 Functional Trainer
In his full video review of the REP FT-5000 2.0 Functional Trainer, Coop spoke about how the machine is basically a copy of the Life Fitness Dual Adjustable Pulley, which is one of the most well-known and popular functional trainers for commercial gyms. It’s also a bulky and large machine that probably won’t work for most garage gyms.
What REP does differently is that they created the commercial-grade functional trainer with dimensions suitable for a home gym. At just over seven feet, it can fit most home gyms with a lower ceiling height. The width maxes out at just 68 inches, too, which provides more of a stretch than the REP Ares or Athena, only 47 inches wide due to the squat rack.
There are some improvements to the first FT-5000, notably a higher trolley travel height (72 inches compared to the original’s 52 inches), lighter trolleys, and aluminum pulleys. While these are mostly solid improvements to the initial version, we were expecting more innovation from REP, and were a little disappointed that there wasn’t more of it.
It’s still a solid functional trainer, and we recommend it, but we’d love to see more in a 2.0 version.
Before You Buy
- Set some time aside for assembling. It’s big and bulky and will need two people at least. Additionally, in our experience, the instructions were lacking and confusing. It took our experienced team twice the estimated time to assemble the machine.
- The polymer D-handles that come with the FT-5000 2.0 are subpar, and you’re probably going to want to look at other options for handles with better grip and feel.
- The selectorized weight stacks are in kilogram increments, meaning they make 11-pound jumps instead of a nice and even 10 pounds, so be prepared for that.
Video Review
Is the REP FT-5000 2.0 Functional Trainer Worth It?
When we hear that a version 2.0 of a product has come out, we’re looking to see some new features and innovations. Ultimately, the FT-5000 2.0 didn’t quite hit the mark. In most regards, the FT-5000 2.0 is an upgrade and improvement from the previous iteration. However, there weren’t a lot of new features and the machine, in Coop’s words, “…feels more like a 1.2.”
With that said, in the field of functional trainers, we still think the FT-5000 2.0 is worth it. With heavier weight stacks, and heavy-duty construction, this is still easily one of the best functional trainers available at its price point. With a 2:1 pulley ratio, you have a good balance between weight and cable length, as well.
REP FT-5000 2.0 Functional Trainer Specs
| Price | $2,499 |
| Footprint | 85.5” H x 68” W x 36” D |
| Weight | 875 lbs |
| Weight stacks | Dual 224-lb stacks |
| Cable ratio | 2:1 |
| Maximum usable weight per side | 112 lbs |
| Minimum usable weight per side | 12.5 lbs |
| Number of trolley height options | 21 |
| Cable travel length | 86” |
| Warranty | Limited lifetime on frame, 1 year on cables and pulleys |
Using the REP FT-5000 2.0 Functional Trainer
Using the FT-5000 2.0 was a mixed bag for Coop and the Garage Gym Reviews crew. While it is a great, compact functional trainer, it also has some design choices that left us scratching our heads. This is still a more premium version of the REP FT-3000, but feels like some aspects could have been…more premium.
One such difference between the two versions is the adjustment handle on the trolleys. The handle has been inverted from the initial version, curling upwards from the bottom of the handle, instead of from the top-down. While this is minor, the feel of the original was nice, due to your hand being able to hold the handle up easier, getting a little help from gravity. A minor thing, but the new design feels like it can slip out of your hands easier.
The anodized blue aluminum pin pops and glides smoothly across the upright. However, Coop felt that it doesn’t have the same smoothness as the Athena or Ares pins and trolleys.
The trolleys can travel much higher than the original 1.0, which makes it a better option for taller people. Still, to use it as a lat pulldown, you will probably need to do them from the floor, instead of using a weight bench. Twenty-one levels of adjustable height also allow for more customization andr the proper height for your exercises.
RELATED: REP Fitness AB-5000 Bench Review
The polymer D-handles almost seem to be a downgrade from the 1.0. The REP Ares and Athena come with superior handles for their cables and pulleys. We think these would be way better handles with better grip and knurling for the REP FT-5000 2.0.
The width is good for cable exercises like flyes, where you’ll get a good stretch and greater range of motion. It’s not as wide as a true commercial-size functional trainer, but it will give you more than the Ares or Athena attachments on a 47-inch wide REP power rack. The 86-inch length of the cables also allow for a great range of movement for training the chest, biceps, and triceps.
RELATED: REP Fitness PR-4000 Power Rack Review
The multi-grip pull-up bars have a rubber grip, which generally aren’t the grippiest when your hands start sweating. Still, if you prefer them, the grips are good quality. There are three grip options, and each grip has an aluminum end cap, which is a nicer finish than the first version’s plastic caps and gives the grips a sharp look. At this height, most users will have to do pull-ups or chin-ups with their legs tucked or bent though.
Footprint
Compared to a lot of other pieces of home gym equipment, the REP FT-5000 2.0 is big and large, and can take up some space. With that said, compared to other functional trainers, it’s a more compact design than other brands’ functional trainers, like Life Fitness or Rogue.
At a height of 85.5 inches, it can fit most garage gyms or basement gyms with a lower ceiling, although this won’t be ideal for taller athletes who want to use it. Because of its shorter height, you will probably have to bend your knees to perform pull-ups at a dead hang, and lat pulldowns will often have to be done from the floor instead of a bench for taller people.
The angled design of the weight stacks allow for the functional trainer to be put in a corner easily, to further save floor space. With that said, you’ll still want plenty of room around the machine to take full advantage of the cable’s 86-inch length.
One issue we had was the dead space in the middle of the functional trainer. Saving space is vital in a home gym, and the two bars with three hooks across the middle don’t pass as a storage system to us. We’d love to see something here, for barbell or dumbbell storage, or simply to store the best resistance bands in your gym. A peg board or modular system would be great, and we were left underwhelmed with the lack of innovation here.
Construction
The REP FT-5000 2.0 is a heavy-duty and solid machine with a frame constructed of 11-gauge steel with an electrostatic powder coating. The pulleys are made out of aluminum, instead of the previous version made of urethane nylon, and the trolleys have been made lighter and travel smoother across 21 adjustments along the upright. The maximum height of the trolleys is 72 inches, an improvement from the first version of the FT-5000.
The aluminum pulleys are going to be a more durable material, and while they may wear the cables faster, you are not going to wear them out quickly at all in a home gym. With that said, Coop noted in his review that the pulleys are not as high of a quality as the Athena or Ares cable attachments.
Coop said in his honest take of the new FT-5000 that the wider channels and the shinier, smoother finish on the Ares and Athena pulleys are just better quality. The FT-5000 aluminum pulleys are not bad and are an improvement from the 1.0 version, “but why not use the same pulleys as you’re using on your crème-de-la-gym products on your crème-de-la-gym functional trainers?” he asks.
We also noticed inconsistencies in the build and quality of the FT-5000 that we haven’t noticed in REP’s recent new products. There were inconsistencies in welds, screws, and the smoothness of bushings. While REP’s limited lifetime warranty would handle most of these inconsistencies and issues, we were just surprised to see these quality issues from the company after so many innovative hits.
On these little inconsistencies, Coop remarks, “It’s just an annoyance for a premium product from a company that you’re used to, lately, getting really, really good stuff.”
Comparison to the Titan Fitness Functional Trainer
Titan Fitness Functional Trainer
Titan Fitness Functional Trainer
Product Highlights
- Smooth guide rods
- Dual 200-pound weight stacks
- 2:1 pulley ratio
- Multi-grip pull-up bar
- Free shipping
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Heavy 200-pound stacks (100-pound working weight) with a 2:1 ratio
- Aluminum pulleys
- Low starting weight of 20 pounds (10 lb working weight)
- Competitive price point
Cons
- Would’ve preferred a taller option (but the 82-inch height allows it to fit in home gyms with low ceilings)
- The unit can shake when using the top end of the stack, but not enough to be concerned
- Only comes with 1-year warranty
Bottom Line
The Titan Fitness Functional Trainer is much like the functional trainer you’d find in a commercial gym, in that it uses commercial-grade materials, but comes in a home gym footprint.
Although we’ve been a little hard on the REP FT-5000 2.0 so far, don’t get us wrong—it’s still one of the top home gym functional trainers on the market. Compared to the Titan Fitness Functional Trainer, and you’ll see that both are solid choices for functional trainers in this price range.
The two machines have pretty similar dimensions: the REP is a little taller and wider, but the Titan trainer has a greater depth. The REP FT-5000 has the heavier weight stacks, at 224 pounds compared to TItan’s 200 pounds. However, the gripe we have with REP’s functional trainer is that the minimum is a bit high, and Titan has a lower resistance at 10 pounds.
Ultimately, which one will work best for you will depend on what you are looking for. They are very similar pieces of equipment, with the Titan being more expensive and only offering a one-year warranty. Still, the Titan Functional Trainer does have a few more add-ons than REP, so this might make the machine worth it.
For more information on the Titan machine, check out our in-depth Titan Fitness Functional Trainer review.
| REP FT-5000 2.0 Functional Trainer | Titan Fitness Functional Trainer | |
| Price | $2,499 | $2,599 |
| Footprint | 85.5” H x 68” W x 36” D | 82” H x 64” W x 44” D |
| Weight | 875 lbs | 672 lbs |
| Weight stacks | Dual 224-lb stacks | Dual 200-lb stacks |
| Pulley ratio | 2:1 | 2:1 |
| Maximum usable weight per side | 112 lbs | 100 lbs |
| Minimum usable weight per side | 12.5 lbs | 10 lbs |
| Number of trolley height options | 21 | Not disclosed |
| Cable travel length | 86” | Not disclosed |
| Warranty | Limited lifetime on frame, 1 year on cables and pulleys | 1 year |
Customer Experience
REP Fitness provides a limited lifetime warranty on their functional trainer frames, and a one-year warranty on the pulleys and cables. They also offer 30-day returns on any products. With that said, there is a 15% restocking fee for used items not in the original packaging.
For any questions, REP Customer Care for the United States can be called or emailed. Additionally, there is a chat service on the website to talk directly to a representative on any questions you may have on the FT-5000 or other products.
Ordering and Assembling the REP FT-5000 2.0 Functional Trainer
Ordering the REP FT-5000 2.0 is easy enough directly from the website, and the shipping is free. This is a great perk, as shipping costs for a machine weighing 875 pounds out of the box would be quite a lot to say the least. Still, the $2,499 price tag is high, but REP does offer financing options through Affirm, usually between 6 and 12 months.
The REP FT-5000 2.0 Functional Trainer comes in a single crate, partially assembled. A single crate keeps delivery simple and won’t require the need for a forklift (unfortunately, some competitors send their products in such a manner; we don’t like that).
The biggest difficulty we had was in assembling the FT-5000. We had GGR Operations Manager Sam Presley helm the assembly with a coworker; Sam has put together dozens upon dozens of functional trainers, power racks, and other pieces of equipment for testing and reviews, and yet they still had difficulties with this machine.
REP suggests two people can build the FT-5000 2.0 in about two hours. With our two experienced builders, it took twice that amount of time. And we weren’t the only ones to deal with difficult assemblies; many reviews talk about the tough instructions to follow. Most of the issue comes from bad instructions on how to properly run the cables through the pulley system, and the instructions don’t seem to be updated from REP’s first iteration of the functional trainer.
In our assembly, we also noticed and dealt with a couple inconsistencies in the build, not showing a consistent level of quality we have seen in recent REP Fitness products. One major thing was that the screws for the movement placard were stripped and required Sam to take extra time to screw new holes for the placard. We also had uneven, inconsistent welds on some areas, notably on one of the pull-up grips.
One bushing in our pulley system was unable to move, no matter how much we worked on it. While we’re confident that REP will come through and replace the part, it was still surprising to see these little inconsistencies in quality that haven’t been an issue in a lot of REP’s recent products.
Customer Reviews
As of this writing, there are only 8 reviews on REP’s website. Still, they are very positive, all 4 and 5-star reviews averaging a 4.6 overall rating. Criticisms mainly focus on the difficult assembly of the functional trainer, particularly the instructions having little insight on how to properly install and run the cables through the pulleys and machine.
Final Verdict of Our REP FT-5000 2.0 Functional Trainer Review
While having some solid updates like the use of aluminum pulleys, a lighter trolley, and a higher trolley travel height, the 2.0 of the REP FT-5000 Functional Trainer still left us wanting more. Is it still a top functional trainer for your home gym? Absolutely, especially at its price point.
Nevertheless, with a lot of innovation coming from REP over the last year, we were excited to see what new features the FT-5000 2.0 would have, and we were a little underwhelmed. We’d love to see the same thought and innovation that went into the REP Ares cable attachment and Athena be put into this, to make this solid functional trainer move miles above the competition.
REP FT-5000 2.0 Functional Trainer Rating
REP FT-5000 2.0 Functional Trainer
REP Fitness updated their functional trainer; how does it stack up? Find out in our REP FT-5000 Functional Trainer review.
Product Currency: USD
Product In-Stock: InStock
3.8
REP FT-5000 Functional Trainer Review FAQs
What are the dimensions of the FT-5000 2.0 Functional Trainer?
The REP Fitness FT-5000 2.0 Functional Trainer has a height of 85.5 inches, a depth of 36 inches, and is 68 inches at its widest point. However, the back tapers to 33 inches, making this functional trainer easily fit into a gym’s corner, to help save floor space. WIth that said, we’d recommend having some available floor space around it to best utilize the 86 inches of usable cable length.
What is the weight capacity of the FT-5000 2.0?
The FT-5000 2.0 comes with two weight stacks, each weighing 224 pounds. At a pulley ratio of 2:1, that means that the maximum weight of 224 pounds will feel like 112 pounds.
What is the price of the FT-5000 2.0?
The latest version of the REP FT-5000 Functional Trainer is $2,499 and comes with free shipping.
What is the most common complaint about the FT-5000 2.0 Functional Trainer?
The most common complaint people have had, including us at Garage Gym Reviews, is that the assembly process was long and difficult, with instructions that were not as helpful as they could have been. The instructions had no clear guidance on how to properly run the cables through the pulleys. While still one of the best functional trainers for home and garage gyms, assembling the machine might test your patience.
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