Functional training

Functional training brings together the gym floor's most versatile equipment: rigs and frames that cables, monkey bars and bar attachments can be mounted on; punching bags; plyo boxes; and balance and mobility tools such as the Air Step platform. These are not single-muscle-group machines but support frames for training that combines bodyweight, bands, cables and free weights. They suit a commercial gym where members rotate quickly and training needs to stay varied, and just as well a smaller residential gym or rehabilitation centre where there's no room for a full free-weight area but a functional zone delivers the same training volume in less space.

Footprint varies more in this category than in any other. A pull-up/dip/leg-raise station takes a 100 × 100 cm floor area and rises to 230 cm, a dip and leg-raise frame needs 110 × 110 × 190 cm, while a standalone accessory such as the double twister needs just 120 × 60 × 120 cm — small enough to tuck into a corner. Height matters for planning: ceilings and light fixtures need to clear the pull-up points. Leave a separate walkway around a rig and punching bag, since both are used with active, swinging movement. Plate-loaded accessories in this category use the gym's standard Ø50 mm post.