The most used machines in a real gym: data from 1,644 plans in one month

By Ezequiel Hipperdinger — CEO of Full Fitness and co-founder of WizFit.

Which machine to buy shouldn't be a gut call. At Full Fitness, a gym in Bahía Blanca, Argentina, that uses WizFit, coaches published 1,644 training plans between October 1 and October 27, 2026. This article shows which machines appear in those plans, which ones members swap out most, and what a gym owner can do with that information.

Summary

• The multi-station cable machine is the most used machine: it appears in 71% of plans. It is followed by the cable machine, the high pulley and the lying leg curl.
• The multi-station cable machine, the multi-hip machine and the biceps curl machine are the ones members replace most from the app: 3.3% to 3.7% of the time, 7 to 8 times more often than machines like the leg press or the leg extension.
• After age 35, plans use more machines: for example, the machine chest press appears in 46% of plans, versus 35% for members under 35.

Why this analysis leaves out free weights

Dumbbells, barbells and plates appear in most plans for a simple reason: the WizFit library has many more exercises done with them than with any machine. That's why they top any ranking, but they don't help decide which machine to buy. This analysis focuses on machines.

The machines that appear most in plans

Machine	Plans that include it	% of plans
Multi-station cable machine	1,174	71%
Cable machine	1,063	65%
High pulley	1,024	62%
Lying leg curl	985	60%
Leg press	852	52%
Pec deck	842	51%
Leg extension	810	49%
Press machine	679	41%
Assisted pull-up machine	655	40%
Hip adductor machine	563	34%
Low pulley	559	34%
Hip abductor machine	558	34%

Cable machines are the most versatile: one piece of equipment covers exercises for almost every muscle group, which is why they show up in most plans.

The signal almost nobody looks at: which machines members replace

In WizFit, members can swap an exercise for an equivalent one from their phone, for example when the machine they need is taken. Every swap is recorded. Comparing how often each machine was replaced with how often it appeared in plans:

Machine	Appearances in plans	Replacements	% replaced
Biceps curl machine	854	32	3.7%
Multi-station cable machine	10,885	373	3.4%
Multi-hip machine	1,307	43	3.3%
Cable machine	9,245	196	2.1%
Assisted pull-up machine	2,886	54	1.9%
Pec deck	4,742	72	1.5%
Lying leg curl	4,670	26	0.6%
Leg extension	4,829	22	0.5%
Leg press	4,443	20	0.5%

Many machines are replaced about 0.5% of the time. The multi-station cable machine, the multi-hip and the biceps curl machine, between 3.3% and 3.7%. That's the typical sign of a bottleneck: a machine that many plans need at the same time and that isn't enough for everyone. The multi-station cable machine is also the one included in the most plans.

Two caveats for reading this data correctly: it only counts members who use the swap button in the app, and a replacement can also mean the member doesn't like the exercise. It's useful for comparing one machine against another within the same gym, not as an exact measure of how busy each one is.

How it changes with age

After age 35, coaches prescribe more machines and cables: the machine chest press appears in 46% of plans for members 35 and older, versus 35% for those under 35. For a gym with an older membership, that changes which machines are worth having in duplicate (see the full analysis, in Spanish).

What a gym owner can do with this data

1. Buy based on data. Before adding a new machine, look at which machines appear in the most plans and which are replaced most. In this case, a second multi-station cable machine would likely pay off more than a machine that barely appears in plans.
2. Lay out the floor. The machines with the most replacements show where queues form. Spreading them out or adjusting programming at peak hours reduces waiting.
3. Plan the next location. Actual plan usage shows which machines are core and which are accessory, before you invest.
4. Adjust to your members. If most of your members are over 35, it's worth reinforcing guided machines and cables.

WizFit shows these equipment usage reports by gym and by location, and all of them can be exported.

How it was measured

• Source: training plans published in WizFit by Full Fitness coaches (Bahía Blanca, Argentina) between October 1 and October 27, 2026. Query run on October 27.
• Sample: 1,644 plans. A member can have more than one plan.
• Left out: dumbbells, barbells, plates, kettlebells, benches, mats and other free-weight equipment.
• Appearances: every time a machine appears in a plan, counting each week of the plan.
• Replacements: exercise swaps made by members from the app.
• Privacy: aggregated data only; no member can be identified.