Universal Home Gyms

Universal home gyms were originally produced by the Universal Gym Company. A primary focus of the company was to broaden the appeal of weight training and to increase safety in working with weights. With free weights, there was always a risk of dropping equipment unexpectedly or performing exercises incorrectly, both resulting in possible injuries. To help bring more people into the world of weightlifting and bodybuilding, plus increase safety when exercising, Universal came up with weight lifting machines. These machines had attached weights that users lifted or pulled with handles, levers, and bars. The weights were attached in stacks to the machines, so they could not come off easily and cause injury.

In 2006, the Universal Gym Company was acquired by Nautilus, and the brand was subsequently discontinued.

While the brand name is no longer officially around, the term "universal gym" is now commonly used generically to describe modern home gyms and other multi-station gyms found in health clubs and fitness centers around the world. Some of today's top manufactures include Body-Solid and Steelflex. These manufactures have improved upon the home gyms of the past to deliver excellent weight training experiences that strengthen muscles, while minimizing risk of injury from workouts. Gyms are available in compact formats for use by a single person in a home, apartment, or condo, or with multiple stations that can be used by more than one person at a time in a fitness or athletic facility.