Bodytone Forza FB01 chest press: a selectorised station specified for commercial floors

The FB01 chest press is a selectorised pressing station built for continuous commercial use, not for an occasional session. Everything that matters in a machine of this type is decided in components a buyer rarely sees: the guide rods, the bearings, the cable and the guarding. This article goes through the specification of the Bodytone Forza FB01 as a professional buyer would read it, and sets out where it fits in a gym, a hotel, a club or a corporate facility.

Footprint and mass

The station measures 121 x 136 x 150 cm, which places it in the range that can be laid out in a row of pressing stations without eating the circulation space around it. Total mass is 204 kg, of which 97 kg is frame. That ratio matters more than the headline figure: a heavy frame is what keeps a pressing station from walking across the floor under a hard set, and it is the reason a machine of this class does not need to be bolted down in a normal installation.

Where the engineering actually is

Sealed ball bearings give the movement its quiet, even travel. In a supervised commercial room this is not a comfort detail: a station that rattles under load is a station members avoid, and noise is the first complaint an operator gets from the floor above. The stack runs on stainless steel guide rods with a double hard chrome treatment, which is what keeps the glide consistent after thousands of cycles rather than only when the machine is new.

The cable assembly is PVC coated with a 5 mm diameter and a 1 000 kg breaking test. That margin over any load a member can select is the point: cables in commercial use are inspected and replaced on a schedule, and the specification determines how long that schedule can reasonably be. Ask for the cable specification on any selectorised machine you are considering; it is one of the few figures that translates directly into a maintenance interval.

Frame, guarding and finish

The frame is carbon steel with a 2.5 mm wall thickness. End caps are thermoplastic ABS at 3.5 mm, and the stack is enclosed by a thermoformed ABS guard 3 mm thick. Guarding is a real specification item rather than a styling choice: an enclosed stack keeps fingers away from moving plates, which is exactly the risk a facility carries when members train unsupervised. Anyone specifying equipment for a school, a hotel or a public facility should treat stack guarding as a requirement rather than an option.

Console, connectivity and member data

The FB01 carries a 10 inch high-resolution touchscreen, synchronisation with the MyBodytone application, and NFC identification so a member is recognised by touching the sensor rather than typing credentials on every station. For an operator this is the difference between connected equipment that gets used and connected equipment that gets skipped. A tablet holder and a heart rate reader complete the console side.

Connected stations only pay for themselves where someone owns the data. If a facility has an onboarding process that registers members and a coach who reviews progression, connectivity supports retention. Where nobody looks at it, it is a specification you are paying for and not using, and the budget belongs elsewhere on the floor.

Where the FB01 fits

A selectorised chest press is a core station on any commercial strength floor. It is the pressing movement a beginner can perform without supervision, the one that keeps the free weight bench area from becoming a bottleneck, and the one that mixed-population facilities cannot do without. Hotels, corporate gyms and clubs with unstaffed hours get the most out of it; performance rooms will pair it with plate loaded pressing and free weights.

• Fitness clubs: a high-throughput pressing station for peak hours.
• Hotels and corporate facilities: guided, self-explanatory, safe to use without a coach on the floor.
• Clubs and performance rooms: accessory pressing volume alongside free weight work.
• Rehabilitation and medical fitness: guided path and fine load increments, to be selected with the clinical team.

Standards and compliance

Indoor stationary training equipment for supervised commercial use falls under EN ISO 20957-1 class S. Class I is a professional class covering inclusive access, a different scope rather than a step above class S. Ask for the class to be stated in the technical documentation of every station you buy, and keep that documentation with the facility file: it is the first thing asked for when a public buyer or an insurer reviews an installation.

Frequently asked questions

Does the FB01 have to be bolted to the floor?

A frame of this mass is designed to stand on the floor in a normal installation. Fixing requirements depend on the venue and its own rules, so confirm them for your building rather than assuming.

What maintenance does a selectorised chest press need?

Periodic inspection of the cable and its terminations, cleaning and inspection of the guide rods, checking that the guard is intact and correctly fixed, and inspection of upholstery and grips. Cables, upholstery and grips are consumables in commercial use.

Can it be integrated with an existing member app?

The console works with the MyBodytone application. Any integration beyond that has to be confirmed for your specific software before it is written into a specification.

Selectorised or plate loaded for chest pressing?

Selectorised for throughput, safety and unsupervised use; plate loaded where the population is trained and the loads are high. Most commercial floors carry both, and the ratio should follow the actual membership.

Specifying your pressing area