Introduction

The ATX FCR-780 leaves no doubt in terms of price-to-quality ratio, build quality and overall functionality. It provides everything that is promises. But is it in some respect already outdated? And will ATX do anything to update existing user’s racks?

Specs

• Price: 3590 Euros excluding shipping and taxes
• Unit weight: 434 kg
• Unit dimensions: Height 2320 mm, width 1860 mm, depth 1850 mm
• Upright dimensions: 70 x 70 x 3 mm
• Cable system load capacity: 200 kg
• J-cups load capacity: 500 kg
• Colours: Black with stainless steel uprights
• Warranty in a home gyms setting: 10 years for fixed parts, 5 years for moving parts

Overall Build and Quality

The ATX FCR-780 is a true power rack where you can comfortably lift inside the rack. Unlike many multifunctional rack systems where you are restricted to working outside the rack. And with upright dimensions of 70x70mm with 3mm thick steel the FCR-780 is rock-solid. I don’t think it has moved an inch in the 8 months I’ve owned it. The 125 kg weight stack probably also helps anchoring it down.

One crucial detail for home gym owners is the height. The FCR-780 only comes in one height at 227 cm. While this provides a great clearence for lat pulldowns and pullups, it might be too tall for some home gyms with low ceilings. And while we are at it, it only comes in black with stainless steel front upright. This was not a concern for me, but it might be for some.

As I will allude to later in this review this is both a strength and a weakness: ATX has chosen to hide the cables inside the lower and upper crossmembers, which gives the rack a very clean looks. It also provides you with more usable height inside the rack when overhead pressing etc. They’ve even routed the cables so the holes in the crossmembers can still be used for attachments.

In terms of overall quality and finish, I think you are getting a LOT for your money here. Just don’t expect ROGUE or even REP level finishing. There is a reason you are paying around half the price. It is mainly the quality of the black finish on the uprights and crossmembers that give it away. But the quality differences are smaller than I would expect when you are saving this much. And I don’t think most users would ever notice.

The Cable System

Yes! The cable system feels smooth at both low and high weights. But the complex cable routing does require you to adjust the cable tension a handful of times during the first ~6 months as the cables loose their initial slack. If you don’t you will very likely have some cable twisting. Luckily, it is fairly easy to adjust the cable tension at three different locations on the FCR-780.

I like the simplicity of a single weight stack driving everything. Especially when using the 1:1 high and low pulley (no need to refresh my preschool math). However, the single weight stack does mean that when you use both of the 2:1 ratio functional trainer pulleys on the front uprights simultaneously, you don’t get the standard double cable travel that 2:1 pulleys usually provide. This might be a problem for taller individuals when doing reverse flys or chest flys. It works fine for me at 178 cm as long as I stand fairly close to the rack.

The upper 1:1 pull point is aligned really well with where the included thigh holder will lock you in. So you have a pure vertical pull on lat pulldowns. The thigh holder is comfortable and quick to setup. A minor critigue is that the magnetic pins that lock the thigh holder in could use a thin protective layer of plastic. It will leave circular scratches on the black powder of your rack coat almost immediately. I circumvent this by not inserting the pin fully. The adjustable footplate for low rows on the lower 1:1 pull point provides good stability and is easy to adjust.

The front uprights are stainless steel, which helps the trolleys for the 2:1 pulleys slide. However this rack pre-dates the current focus on rollers on trolleys. So it will require two hands to move the trolley up the upright. Finally, the 50mm built-in horns on the weight stack lets you load extra plates directly to the 125 kg weight stack. But they also allow you to add elastic bands to your cable system. And the extended arms on the functional trainer are a welcome addition that allows to not be standing with your forehead against the upright when doing curls.

The Power Rack

As mentioned this was built as a beefy power rack where you can safely squat heavy inside a full cage. And the “pop-in” safeties are a testament to this. Their heavy duty build leaves no doubt that they will save you if you fail a rep. And the “pop-in” system for setting up the safeties makes it really easy to quickly adjust the height of the safeties. And… it just feels cool engaging that huge pin.

The multi grip pull-up bar on the rack is excellent. It is probably the one feature that people visiting my gym has complimented the most during training. The bar is nice and thin with a not too aggressive knurling. So you have plenty of grip. And the angles and height of the pull-up bar should make it possible for anyone to feel great while doing pull-ups or chin-ups.

ATX has made sure to move the weight stack far enough behind the middle set of uprights (the ones you will most often place your J-cups in). So you can get your adjustable bench far enough into the rack to allow for incline bench press. Something the REP Ares 1.0 was famous for not allowing you to do. And it was one of the reasons that they changed the orientation of the weight stacks on the REP Ares 2.0.

Additionally, the FCR-780 is compatible with the ATX 700-series, which includes a lot of rack attachments. And it also seems to be compatible with the Atletica R7 series (see the compatibility table). Although I have yet to try on a R7 attachment on the FCR-780 (stay tuned for that). However, I am not convinced that the new ATX Bully Glider Attachment will fit on the FCR-780. Time will tell once it releases. But either way you still get access to many different rack attachments with the FCR-780.

Is the FCR-780 already outdated?

You might initially see this as a direct competitor to the REP Ares 2.0 and the Rogue FM trainer racks. But it is important to realize that the FCR-780 is sold as a finished all-in one unit. It can not be build from a modular base rack. Hence you are not really buying into a true power rack ecosystem that can always be expanded upon and completely rebuild and therefore has an almost infinite lifetime.

I’ve already expirenced the downside to this… On the FCR-780 both cables for the 2:1 functional trainer arms are routed on the front of the uprights. So the inside of the rack is always cleared for lifting. But it leads to the cables permanently blocking the front face of the uprights, making that side much less accessible. It is something I can live it, although it does occasionally annoy me. And as mentioned previously it might not make the new ATX Bully Glider Belt Squat attachment compatible with the FCR-780.

Yet, at Home Gym Con 2026 ATX unveiled their new updated functional trainer arms that have been updated with rollers and more adjustability. And I would love those on my FCR-780. But ATX told me that they have no plans to make a retrofit version that would fit the FCR-780. I guess it is partly due to the cables that run inside the crossmembers. It will only be released to racks that already have the cables routed on both sides on the front upright. So in some respects my brand new and farily expensive rack is already outdated?

This would not happen with an REP Ares 2.0, since the REP PR-4000 and PR-5000 are the backbone of everything REP does with their Ares system. You might still have to buy new parts. But all new releases will work on those racks, and you will never have to buy a new rack to get REP’s latest rack accessories. This is the main reason that I don’t see the ATX FCR-780 as a 100% true competitor to REP and Rogue. It is more a competitor to the ForceUSA C20 and other systems that can only be purchased as a finished all-in-one system.

Unbeatable price-to-quality ratio

The ATX FCR-780 is half the price of a REP Ares 2.0. And when I bought it there was nothing that could compare to this price while also providing the ability to work inside a true power rack cage. All other all-in-one systems only allowed you to work outside of the rack. This was the deciding factor for me when I went with the FCR-780.

However since then Strength Shop has released their MRR Rack with both 1:1 high and low pull points and a classic 2:1 funtional trainer system without exdended arms on the front uprights. It features a double weight stack, rollers on the funcitonal trainer trolleys and it comes in several heights, depths and colours. And the base price is only ~100 Euros more than the FCR-780. Yet, I have no real experiences with the MRR system yet.

But despite my concers about the longetivity and continued investing from ATX into the FCR-780, the value of this rack system is one of its main selling points. You get all of the overall functionality of the REP Ares 2.0 at half the price. Yet you still get a finish that seems to look a bit more polished than that of the Strength Shop MRR system.

Conclusion

The ATX-FCR-780 has become the crown jewel of my home gym. I love the look of it, and it has provided me with all of the high-end functionality that my old starter rack was missing at a extremely good price point. It brings genuine joy to my training sessions and removes friction from my workouts. And as outlined above the FCR-780 has many nice details that show that some thought has gone into this. And it comes with a good warranty.

But I do sometimes feel a bit exposed with this rack. I am not sure that ATX will ever make any retrofits for this version of the FCR-780. Only if it is something safety related that needs to be corrected. I fear they will just release an updated version of the full system while leaving the original owners behind. However I am actually not sure if there will be any other things to correct other than the functional trainer trolleys in the future? And despite my complaining, you’re still getting so much value for your money here.

So should you buy the FCR-780? If you are a big gym equipment tinckerer that is always updated on the latest home gym trends and wants to be able to retrofit any new rack improvement to your extremely customized rack. Then this is not for you. But if you can’t afford a REP Ares 2.0 or similarly priced systems, and you want a high-end and extremely solid power rack with a really smooth integrated pulley system with a 125 kg weight stack. And you can more or less live with the rack as it comes out of the box. Then you should still consider this rack.

Yet, if you are not in a hurry, I would consider waiting to see if this review and the recent launch in USA, will make ATX reconsider updating the functional trainer pulley on an updated version of the FCR-780. Just a thought. I have no insider knowledge here. It is just a hunch.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Really competitive price
• Many ATX accesories available
• Well built and good finish
• Finished package ready to go
• Heavy weight stack and smooth cable system

Cons

• Not a true ecosystem
• Can’t use forward facing side of front uprights
• Short cable travel on functional trainer if using both arms at once
• Will they keep supporting this rack?
• Not sure the new ATX Bully Glider Belt Squat Attachment will fit on it