How to assemble a home gym cable machine

• Spanners (supplied) and a socket set
• Allen keys (supplied)
• Rubber mallet
• Spirit level
• Tape measure

Before you start, lay everything out on a soft surface (the flattened box works) and check it against the parts list in your manual.

• Base frame, uprights and top beam
• Guide rods, weight plates and selector stem
• Pulleys, pulley brackets and steel cables
• Seat, back pad, press arms and leg developer
• Pins, bolts, washers and shrouds

1. 1

   Step 1: Sort the frame parts, pulleys and hardware bags by the letters in the manual before starting, as many bolts look alike.

2. 2

   Step 2: Build the base frame on the floor where the gym will stand, then bolt on the uprights and top beam, keeping all bolts only snug.

3. 3

   Step 3: Level the base and check the uprights are vertical, then tighten the main frame bolts.

4. 4

   Step 4: Slide the rubber buffers and weight plates onto the guide rods, drop the selector stem through the plates, fit the top plate, and fix the rods to the frame.

5. 5

   Step 5: Fit the seat, back pad, press arms and leg developer to their brackets.

6. 6

   Step 6: Route each cable exactly as the manual's diagram shows, fitting each pulley with its spacers so the cable sits in the groove and cannot jump out.

7. 7

   Step 7: Adjust the cable tension with the threaded end or chain so the top plate sits just clear of the stack with no slack.

8. 8

   Step 8: Test every station with a light load, watching the cable run over each pulley, then fit the weight stack shrouds.

• Routing a cable on the wrong side of a pulley, so it rubs on the frame and frays.
• Leaving too much slack, so the stack jerks up after the handle has already moved.
• Fully tightening the frame before the guide rods are fitted, so they do not line up.