Bolt at FIBO 2025: Six machines and a balanced strength floor

At FIBO 2025 in Cologne, Germany, Bolt put six machines on display. Looking back at that stand gives Australian gym owners a way to think about how dedicated lower-body machines can sit alongside more flexible equipment.

Bolt’s report lists the Zeus hack squat and linear leg press combination, the Disciple vertical leg press and the Phoenix pendulum squat. The other three were the Storm Warlord half-rack functional trainer, the Freedom Armada shoulder press and the Triton bench. The lineup is a record of the exhibition. Use it as a starting point for comparing station roles on your own floor.

Give each station a job

The three lower-body stations illustrate how quickly a floor plan can fill up around one part of a programme. If most members already have access to a suitable leg press, another machine may be less useful than improving access to a rack, a cable station or a bench. If the lower-body area is consistently busy, map when members queue and which exercise they are waiting to do before deciding where to add capacity.

A rack and cable combination can cover different movements in one area. A portable bench adds options but can also end up parked in a walkway or under a bar that another member needs. Draw the bench in both its working and storage positions. Check whether the rack and cables can be used together for the movements your members actually perform.

Design for people moving between stations

Allow room for a person to load plates, adjust a seat and step away without walking through a neighbour’s exercise path. On paper, draw the machine frame first, then add the movement and loading zones. Mark the route from plate storage to the machine and check whether two users could reach for plates at the same time.

Use the current Australian catalogue as the shortlist. The Phoenix and Storm Warlord pages are useful starting points for comparing a dedicated squat station with a rack and cable combination. Check the listed model against your plan and confirm the actual configuration with P1 before finalising a fit-out. The exhibition photo shows the stand layout, which is a different use of space from a working gym.