A decent and effective multi-gym is a highly beneficial piece of equipment to have at home, and no doubt you’re looking for quality at a good price. Check out James Dixon’s York Perform Multi-Gym review to see if it’s money well spent…

York Perform Multi Gym feature image

York are one of the better-known manufacturers of multi-gyms in the UK, and as such we had pretty high expectations going in to this York Perform Multi Gym review. Having used some of this UK-based company’s equipment in the past, we were expecting high quality for a fair price with good build quality. Find out what we thought of the York Perform in our full no holds barred assessment below.

Like most multi-gyms, the York Perform is designed to offer you the opportunity to perform a wide range of exercises that you would usually require a gym or multiple pieces of gym equipment for.

Quite often, there is a compromise between good-quality equipment that allows good form under a sufficient weight load, and the range of exercises that can be performed. The York Perform aims to strike the perfect balance thanks to a 100kg weight stack and a good range of upper and lower body exercises at your disposal.

Clearly, a 100kg weight stack is going to rule some users out right from the get-go as more advanced lifters will probably find they need more weight for their workouts – but then multi-gyms are not necessarily aimed at this market. For beginner to intermediate users who are not looking at any kind of powerlifting, most will likely find they do not come close to exceeding the maximum weight.

York Perform Key Specs

The York Perform multi-gym is designed with comfort and ease of use in mind, and as such it features multiple cable mechanisms which means there is no need to change or attach cables from one exercise to the next. This doesn’t mean there is any kind of compromise on the amount of exercises that can be performed, and the Perform is pretty well spec’d.

Here are the highlights:

  • 100kg vinyl weight stack providing a maximum resistance of 100kg
  • Legs, pecs, over head, seated row and cable curl options
  • Maximum user weight of 125kg
  • Solid Y shape design
  • Height adjustable
  • 2 year warranty as standard

The dimensions of the York Perform are 141cm (d) x 115cm (w) x 196cm (h) making it one of the most space-efficient multi-gyms on the market.

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York Perform Out Of The Box

As with any home multi-gym, the first step is always the most daunting – setting it up. Be under no illusion that the York Perform is just as labour intensive to put together as any other model on the market, and you should give yourself a good 4-6 hours to set it up fully. This is pretty standard and the instructions are very clear which makes the process a little easier than other models we have set up.

The first thing you notice about this model is that the footprint is pretty minimal when compared to other multi-gyms. This is sometimes a cause for alarm as a smaller base can often lead to stability or functionality issues, but that isn’t the case with the York. In fact, it has one of the largest weight stacks in its class and we struggled to find any comparable multi-gym that had a smaller footprint.

In terms of comfort, the York Perform excels in two areas. Firstly, the padded seat and curl pad are well made and have enough padding to afford a good level of comfort. The second element is the pulleys themselves – they are incredibly smooth in operation, meaning you don’t get any sticking or discomfort when working through your full range of motion for each exercise.

The padding on the pec dec and the feet pads is also very generous and makes for a high end look and feel to this multi gym.

York Perform Exercises

The range of exercises available on the Perform multi-gym are pretty vast and although there are other multi-gyms that offer more exercises, the York has more than enough for a full body workout without having a price tag with 4 figures.

The York Perform allows you to perform the following exercises:

  • Lat Pulldown (wide grip, although other attachments could be added for more versatility)
  • Bicep curl
  • Preacher curl (preacher pad included)
  • Seated row
  • Leg extensions
  • Chest fly

If you are looking for a full home gym setup then the York Perform can certainly go most of the way in providing it. However, we would still suggest you supplement it with a couple of dumbbells and possibly a bench to provide you with stabiliser exercises and access to other compound exercises as well as a greater range of isolation exercises. This isn’t an absolute necessity and if space is at a premium, then this multi-gym and a set of dumbbells would suffice.

The Verdict

We used the York Perform multi-gym for a period of two weeks and in that time managed to get 6 workouts in and worked through the full range of exercises. We found the machine very easy to use in terms of set-up and the weight range meant we were tested at all times in terms of exercise execution.

The weights move up in 5kg increments which works well for progressive overload training for most exercises. We loved the smooth motion of the multi pulley system and the fact that you don’t have to mess around swapping cable attachments is also a real plus point.

The York Perform is not the cheapest multi gym on the market, but it is by no means the most expensive either. It offers excellent value for money when you consider what you are getting, and if you were looking at buying just a couple of pairs of decent dumbbells or weight plates of around 40kg and compare the cost you soon start to see the value in buying a multi-gym such as this.

Reviews from other users are extremely favourable and we struggled to find too many bad reviews. This leads us to think that you are unlikely to need to call upon the two-year warranty and, so long as the machine is not mis-used, it should last for many years.

Despite the fact it takes up minimal space, the Perform is incredibly stable and we had no concerns in this regard whatsoever. In fact, we found it extremely comfortable to use and for a home setup it strikes the perfect balance between quality, functionality and cost.

Of course, if this were to be installed in a commercial setup then we’d probably go for something a lot more heavy duty – but for the home user it is more than adequate.

Overall, if you are looking for a top-quality home multi-gym and have a reasonable but not excessive budget, then the York Perform is one of the best options on the market at this price point.

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