Nautilus is the name most gym operators recognise before they can tell you what it actually makes. In the UK it now means one specific thing: a full commercial selectorised and plate-loaded strength range, built for facilities where machines are used by hundreds of different people a week and have to keep working.
The short answer: Nautilus makes commercial-grade strength machines across six ranges — Impact, Inspiration, Instinct, HumanSport, Leverage plate-loaded and the multi-station gyms. Most UK buyers are choosing between the selectorised ranges (pin-loaded, mixed-ability, circuit-friendly) and the plate-loaded Leverage line (heavier, strength-led, lower maintenance). Nothing in the range is priced online, because specification, delivery access and installation change the number on every job.
Key takeaways
Nautilus is a commercial strength equipment brand that dates back to Arthur Jones's original cam-driven machines of the 1970s — the cam that varied resistance through the range of motion, and gave the brand its name because it resembled a nautilus shell.
Today the commercial Nautilus line is made and sold by Core Health & Fitness, which describes Nautilus in its own brand portfolio as having "50 years" of pioneering strength machines and designing around "biomechanics that complement natural human movements". Core Health & Fitness also owns StairMaster, Star Trac, Schwinn and Throwdown.
That ownership is genuinely useful information if you are fitting out a facility. It means the strength floor, the stepmills, the cardio bank and the functional rig can come from one manufacturer group, on one delivery, with one set of service arrangements — rather than four suppliers blaming each other when something arrives damaged.
It also explains a naming quirk in our own catalogue: the Nautilus Throwdown FXD Bench sits under Nautilus because Throwdown is a Core Health & Fitness brand.
Six ranges, plus benches, racks and platforms. This is the whole picture in one table.
| Range | Type | Machines we list | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instinct | Selectorised, including dual-function machines | 27 | Strength-led gyms and any site where floor space is the constraint — the dual machines do two jobs in one footprint |
| Impact | Selectorised | 23 | High-traffic clubs wanting a complete, conventional circuit |
| Inspiration | Selectorised | 20 | Facilities where the strength floor is on show — uniform towers and a modern finish |
| Leverage / Plate Loaded | Plate-loaded | 14 | Performance gyms, strength clubs and anywhere members already train with barbells |
| HumanSport | Cable-based, dual weight stacks | 8 | PT studios and functional training areas |
| Multi-Stations | 4, 5 and 9-station gyms | 5 | Hotels, residential gyms and small studios needing many exercises in one frame |
| Benches, racks & platforms | Free-weight support | 7 | Half rack, Smith machine, belt squat, benches and a sound-dampening platform |
Those counts are our own live catalogue, not a manufacturer brochure. Browse the full Nautilus collection to see every machine.
Instinct Dual Lat Pulldown / Vertical RowPrice on requestGet a quote →
Inspiration Selectorised Chest PressPrice on requestGet a quote →
Selectorised for mixed-ability members and circuits; plate-loaded for strength-led sites and experienced lifters. Most UK facilities need both, and the sensible order is selectorised first.
A selectorised machine has a weight stack and a pin. A member changes load in about two seconds without touching a plate, which is why selectorised circuits work in busy clubs and in any facility where a lot of users are new to training.
A plate-loaded machine takes Olympic plates. It costs less to maintain because there are fewer cables and no stack, it usually feels heavier and more direct, and it suits members who already know how to load a bar.
| Selectorised | Plate-loaded (Leverage) | |
|---|---|---|
| Changing load | Pin — around 2 seconds | Loading plates — 15–30 seconds per side |
| Suits | Mixed ability, circuits, inductions, rehab | Experienced lifters, strength and performance gyms |
| Floor space | Self-contained | Needs plate trees within reach |
| Supervision needed | Low | Higher — loading errors are possible |
| Ongoing maintenance | Cables, pulleys, stack guides | Pivots and bearings — generally less |
| Throughput in a busy hour | Higher | Lower |
Our catalogue split says the same thing in numbers: 78 of the 104 Nautilus machines we list are selectorised, 14 are plate-loaded. Compare the two ranges side by side — selectorised machines and plate-loaded machines.
Plate Loaded Hack SquatPrice on requestGet a quote →
Plate Loaded Angled Leg PressPrice on requestGet a quote →
There is a written definition, and it is worth knowing because "commercial grade" is used loosely by people selling home equipment.
ISO 20957-1:2024, the international standard for stationary training equipment, separates equipment by use class. Class S — studio — is defined as equipment "intended for use in training areas of organizations such as sport associations, educational establishments, hotels, clubs and studios, where access and control are specifically regulated by the owner". Class H is "intended for use in private homes".
A third class, Class I, covers inclusive professional use for people with special needs and must meet every Class S requirement on top of its own.
The practical difference is duty cycle and margin. A Class S machine is engineered for continuous use by users of wildly different sizes and abilities, with guards, load paths and adjustment ranges specified accordingly. A home machine is engineered for one household. Both can look similar in a photograph.
If you are buying for a facility, ask the supplier which use class the equipment is declared to. If the answer is vague, that is your answer. We cover the same ground from the home buyer's side in why commercial-grade equipment is worth it for home gyms.
Plan on roughly 4–5 m² per selectorised machine once you include the user's working space and the walkway behind it — a machine footprint of about 1.2 × 1.5 m plus circulation. A ten-machine circuit therefore wants somewhere near 45–55 m² of usable floor, not the 18 m² the footprints alone suggest.
Three things catch UK fit-outs out more often than floor area:
If you are laying out the whole room rather than just the strength floor, our strength equipment guide covers the free-weight side and the power rack guide covers rig selection.
Nautilus 5 Station Multi-GymPrice on requestGet a quote →
HumanSport Freedom Trainer Dual StackPrice on requestGet a quote →
If the equipment is in a workplace or a facility you operate, yes — and the duty is more specific than most operators expect.
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) apply, and the HSE sets out under regulation 6 that inspection is required in three circumstances: after installation and before first use, at suitable intervals where the equipment is exposed to conditions causing deterioration, and after "exceptional circumstances" such as major modifications, suspected damage or a substantial change in use.
The HSE is also clear that "the frequency of inspection should be determined through risk assessment", and that records must be kept "at least until the next inspection of that equipment". Records can be digital provided they are "held securely and made available upon request".
In practice this means three things when you buy: get the machine list and serial numbers documented at installation, agree who does the periodic inspection, and keep the record. Cable-driven selectorised machines are the ones that need the closest attention, because cables, pulleys and stack guides are wear items.
More than most operators plan for. ukactive's UK Health and Fitness Market Report 2026, published on 9 April 2026 with Sport England, 4GLOBAL and Grant Thornton UK, put UK health and fitness club membership at a record 12.2 million people — 18% of the over-16 population — across 5,842 facilities, generating 679 million visits a year and a market worth £6.5 billion.
Divide those visits by those facilities and the average UK club is handling roughly 116,000 visits a year. That is the duty cycle your strength floor is being bought against, and it is the single best argument for Class S machines over anything cheaper.
It also argues for selectorised over plate-loaded in the general circuit. Throughput per machine per busy hour is the number that decides whether members queue.
If you are fitting out a small studio or a residential or hotel gym and can only justify six to eight strength stations, this is the order we would buy them in:
Where the room is very tight, a 5-station or 9-station multi-gym replaces most of that list in one frame. It is the standard answer for hotel and residential gyms where a full circuit will not fit and supervision is minimal.
Nautilus Half RackPrice on requestGet a quote →
Instinct Multi-Adjustable BenchPrice on requestGet a quote →
You ask, and we quote. Every one of the 104 Nautilus machines we list is supplied to order and priced on request — there is no add-to-cart on any of them, deliberately.
That is not a sales tactic. Commercial strength machines are priced per job because four things move the number: the machine specification and upholstery choice, the quantity (a circuit is not eight individual purchases), the delivery access at your site, and whether you need installation and removal of what is already there.
To get an accurate quote back quickly, send us:
Use the quote form or call 0333 880 3211. Finance is available for business and commercial buyers, which is how most full circuits are bought.
Why are there no prices on Nautilus machines? Because every Nautilus order is specified and quoted per site. Machine specification, quantity, delivery access and installation all change the final figure, so a list price would be wrong for almost everyone. Send us your machine list or your room dimensions and you get a real, deliverable price rather than a headline number that changes at survey.
Is Nautilus a good brand for a commercial gym? It is one of the established commercial strength brands, now made by Core Health & Fitness alongside StairMaster, Star Trac and Schwinn. Its strengths for operators are the breadth of the selectorised ranges, dual-function machines that save floor space, and the ability to source the strength floor and the cardio bank from a single manufacturer group.
What is the difference between Nautilus Impact, Inspiration and Instinct? All three are selectorised. Impact is the conventional full circuit. Inspiration is the more design-led range with uniform towers, chosen where the strength floor is visible. Instinct includes dual-function machines that combine two exercises in one footprint, which is why it suits sites where floor space is the limiting factor.
Can I put Nautilus machines in a home gym? Yes, and a number of serious home gyms do — the plate-loaded Leverage machines and a half rack are the usual choice. The constraints are practical rather than commercial: ceiling height, floor loading on a suspended floor, and getting a fully assembled machine through a domestic doorway. Send us the access details before you commit.
How long does delivery and installation take? Commercial strength equipment is supplied to order rather than from shelf stock, so lead time depends on the specification and the quantity. We confirm the lead time in writing with the quote, along with what the installation includes. Delivery is booked to a date rather than left open, because a circuit install usually needs the room closed.
Do I need to maintain the machines to a legal standard? If members use them in a facility you operate, PUWER applies. The HSE requires inspection after installation and before first use, at intervals set by your own risk assessment, and after any exceptional event such as damage or major modification. Keep the records at least until the next inspection.
Can I mix Nautilus with other brands? Yes. Most facilities do, and there is no technical reason not to. The practical argument for keeping the strength floor within one manufacturer group is consistency of adjustment, one spare-parts route and one service relationship — which is also why Core Health & Fitness ownership of StairMaster and Star Trac is useful when the cardio bank goes in at the same time.
Nautilus is the range to look at when the machines have to survive a facility rather than a household — a full selectorised circuit for mixed-ability members, plate-loaded Leverage for a strength-led site, or a multi-station gym where the room will not take a circuit.
Browse the full Nautilus range, or send us your room and machine list through the quote form and we will come back with a specified, delivered and installed price. Call 0333 880 3211 if it is easier to talk it through.
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