Multi-Station Gym vs Separate Machines: Which Costs Less Per Station?

The Body-Solid G9B costs roughly $5,100 to $5,500 and seats three people at once, or roughly $1,700 to $1,833 per station.

Buying a leg press, Smith machine, lat pulldown and row machine, and leg curl and extension machine separately covers the same core exercises for roughly $11,350 to $12,250, or about $2,838 to $3,063 per station.

Choose separate machines instead if several members need different muscle groups worked at once, since the G9B tops out at three simultaneous users.

Quick decision summary

• Lowest cost per station: the Body-Solid G9B, roughly $1,700 to $1,833 per station, versus roughly $2,838 to $3,063 per station buying the same core exercises as separate single-station machines.
• Best for several members training different muscle groups at the same time: separate machines. A leg press, Smith machine, lat pulldown and row, and leg curl and extension machine can each run at once with a different member on each, while the G9B seats three people total.
• Smallest footprint for the exercise coverage: the G9B, at about 47 square feet for seven exercise stations on one frame.
• Best for heavy plate-loaded leg press work or a guided Smith-machine squat path: separate machines. The G9B's leg press tops out at 420 pounds of resistance, and it has no guided squat bar.
• Best for a phased, staged purchase: separate machines, since each is an independent purchase order you can spread out over time.

Multi-station vs separate machines: cost and throughput

Body-Solid doesn't publish individual footprint dimensions for the leg press, Smith machine, lat pulldown and row, or leg curl and extension machines the way it does for the G9B. If exact floor planning matters for your room, see the leg press, Smith machine, lat pulldown and row, and leg curl and extension product pages for what Body-Solid does publish, or our Multi-Station Gym Footprint Guide for the G9B's dimensions.

The G9B's mid and low pulley stations also cover cable work these four machines don't fully replicate: biceps curls, triceps extensions, lateral raises, oblique bends, and cable ab crunches. Matching that range with separate equipment would mean adding a functional trainer such as the Body-Solid GFT100, roughly $2,200 to $2,400 for the 160 lb. stack, on top of the four machines above.

The G9B is also available with 260 lb. stacks, roughly $5,800 to $6,200, pushing the leg press station to 520 pounds of resistance for facilities wanting more upper-body load. That option doesn't change the station count or simultaneous-user total.

G9B multi-station gym

Dedicated leg press

Dedicated Smith machine

Dedicated lat pulldown / row

Dedicated leg curl / extension

Where the multi-station gym wins

The G9B puts three people on strength equipment from one purchase, one delivery, and about 47 square feet of floor space. You are not paying for four separate frames, four separate deliveries, or four separate patches of floor with walk-around clearance on every side.

For a facility that needs to serve a few members on strength training in a fixed room, the G9B's cost and space per simultaneous user beats buying four single-purpose machines.

The tradeoff is exercise capacity and true heavy-load ceiling. Each station on the G9B does what it's built to do, but the leg press station tops out at 420 pounds of resistance, or 520 pounds with the 260 lb. stack upgrade, well under the 1,500 pound carriage capacity of a dedicated plate-loaded leg press.

The G9B also has no guided-bar Smith-machine station. Its press arm handles chest press, incline press, and rows, but not a squat pattern under a fixed bar path.

Where separate machines win

Buying a leg press, a Smith machine, a lat pulldown and row machine, and a leg curl and extension machine separately costs meaningfully more than the G9B, both in total and per station. You get four machines that each do one job at full commercial capacity, and you can buy them in stages instead of one large purchase order.

The plate-loaded leg press handles up to 1,500 pounds on its carriage, well beyond what the G9B's cable-based leg press station reaches. The Smith machine's guided bar path handles squats and presses safely without a spotter, something the G9B doesn't offer at all.

A dedicated lat pulldown and row machine, and a dedicated leg curl and extension machine, each give back training and leg isolation their own footprint instead of sharing a frame with several other exercises.

Separate machines also isolate risk differently. If one machine needs service, the other three stay in use. On the G9B, the two weight stacks and the leg press each run their own cable, so a repair on one station usually doesn't take the whole unit offline. Confirm that against your specific unit on the spec sheet before you order.

Most importantly, separate machines let several members train different muscle groups at the same time. A leg day, a back day, and a chest day can all happen at once across four machines. The G9B seats three people total, so a fourth member has to wait.

Multi-station and single-station selectorized and plate-loaded equipment sold for commercial use is generally expected to meet the construction and structural requirements in ASTM F2276, Standard Specification for Fitness Equipment. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission also maintains a public recall and safety-warning database covering the exercise-equipment category, including multi-station and single-station strength machines.

Which approach fits your facility

• Small studio, corporate fitness room, or serious home gym with room for two or three people: The G9B covers seven exercise stations in about 47 square feet, at the lowest cost per station of any option here.
• Busy commercial floor where several members regularly want different muscle groups worked at once: Buy the leg press, Smith machine, lat pulldown and row, and leg curl and extension machines separately. Four members can train in parallel instead of waiting on a shared frame.
• Facility that needs true heavy-load capacity, such as a 1,500 pound plate-loaded leg press or a guided Smith-machine squat path: Separate machines cover both; the G9B covers neither.
• Larger commercial floor with room for four fully independent simultaneous users and roughly 115 square feet to spare: Consider the Body-Solid S1000 instead of either option covered in depth here. Ask us to confirm its exact station layout for your program before you order.
• Not sure yet which stations members will use most: Separate machines let you start with whichever machine matches your programming first, then add the rest once you see real usage.

For a facility open to members or the public, such as a university rec room, corporate wellness center, hotel gym, or police and fire station, the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design call for clear floor space at each exercise machine, generally at least 30 by 48 inches, positioned so someone using a wheelchair can reach the equipment. Confirm this against your specific room layout for every station you install, whether on a multi-station frame or as separate machines.

Not sure your room fits either approach? See our companion guide, Multi-Station Gym Footprint Guide, for exact G9B dimensions and general space-planning rules.

What it actually costs per station

The table above shows the two ways to get there. Dividing each approach's price by its simultaneous-user count shows what a facility is really paying for training capacity.

Per station, the G9B costs roughly $1,700 to $1,833. Buying the same core exercises as four separate single-station machines costs roughly $2,838 to $3,063 per station, even though each individual machine's own price looks reasonable on its own.

That gap, roughly $1,100 to $1,230 per station, is the real answer to which option costs less per station. The multi-station frame does, by a wide margin, once you count the extra frames, deliveries, and floor space four separate machines require.

This per-station math doesn't capture true capacity or parallel access. A 1,500 pound plate-loaded leg press and a guided-bar Smith machine still do things the G9B's stations can't, and four separate machines let four members train at once instead of three. A lower cost per station is not automatically the right buy for every facility. See the tradeoffs above.

Frequently asked questions

What does freight and assembly cost?

Free, fast shipping is included on the G9B and all four separate machines. Assembly time is longer on the dual-stack G9B than on any single separate machine, since cable routing on a multi-station frame takes longer than a single-station install. See the individual product pages for current shipping details.

What's the warranty?

The leg press, Smith machine, lat pulldown and row, and leg curl and extension machines all carry Body-Solid's full commercial warranty: lifetime on the frame and welds, 3 years on pulleys, bushings, bearings, hardware, plates and guide rods, and 1 year on cables, upholstery and grips.

The G9B carries Body-Solid's light commercial warranty: lifetime coverage on every component in household use, and in a light commercial room, lifetime on the frame and welds, 3 years on pulleys, bushings, bearings, hardware, plates and guide rods, and 1 year on cables, upholstery and grips.

If one station breaks on the G9B, does the whole unit go down?

Usually not. The two weight stacks and the leg press each run their own cable and travel independently, so a repair on one station generally doesn't stop the others from being used.

Check the spec sheet for your specific configuration to confirm how the stations are isolated.

Can I buy the separate machines over time instead of all at once?

Yes. Unlike the G9B, which is one purchase and one delivery, the leg press, Smith machine, lat pulldown and row, and leg curl and extension machines are independent products you can order on separate purchase orders as your budget allows.

Do separate machines let more people train at once than the G9B?

Yes. A leg press, Smith machine, lat pulldown and row, and leg curl and extension machine can each be used by a different member at the same time, for four simultaneous users total.

The G9B seats three people at once on its two weight stacks and leg press station. If your floor regularly has four or more members wanting different muscle groups worked at the same moment, separate machines avoid that bottleneck.

Which actually costs less per station, the G9B or four separate single-station machines?

The G9B costs roughly $1,700 to $1,833 per station. Buying a leg press, Smith machine, lat pulldown and row, and leg curl and extension machine separately costs roughly $2,838 to $3,063 per station, even though each machine's individual price looks reasonable on its own.

The multi-station frame wins on cost per station because it spreads one frame, one delivery, and one footprint across three users, instead of paying for four separate frames, deliveries, and footprints.

References and Sources

• ASTM International. F2276-23, Standard Specification for Fitness Equipment.
• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Recalls and Product Safety Warnings database. Accessed August 2026.
• U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division. 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design.