Freeweight Lever machines

Q

quadancer

New Member
Here's a url to the gym I have at home:
http://www.bodysolid.com/Item.as....age+Gym and if that gives you trouble, it's the Model: SBL460P4.
Pro's: Best pads I've ever felt; you can't bottom them out. All loads begin at the bottom of the ROM, on the safety stops, so you don't need a spotter. 3" fully welded frames - this is heavy duty stuff.
Cons: I had to weld an extension on the squat safety post - it had me dipping too low to start the movement when going heavy. The curling pad post has a spring pin in holes to adjust - the pin's not long enough and when heavy it collapses, so I put a bolt in it. The nylon straps with "D" rings had the sewing let go when I was doing heavy rows and sent me flying. I'm replacing them with chains. The plastic weight bar protector caps break if hit by a weight when loading the bars. The plastic guide for the leg extension unit breaks, so I need another of those. I can think of a dozen design improvements they could make, including discovering ABS plastic. The parts drawings they sent me look like they were drawn by a five-year old, and they sent me the wrong parts twice.
Would I buy this machine again? HELL no! I spend too much time trying to work on it!
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As I work out at home and use this machine, can anyone tell me how to do negatives by myself? All my stations begin at the BOTTOM of the lift, on a safety stop, the only normal one being pulldowns, which I'm not using, as I'm doing weighted pullups instead.
 
You're not going to be able to do negative reps on that unit. Even with freeweights negatives are hard if you work out alone. You can do negative Dips and Pullups by yourself easily though - just use something to climb to the top/contracted position and then lower yourself down.
 
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(quadancer @ Apr. 08 2006,10:10)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Here's a url to the gym I have at home:
http://www.bodysolid.com/Item.as....age+Gym   and if that gives you trouble, it's the Model: SBL460P4.
Pro's: Best pads I've ever felt; you can't bottom them out. All loads begin at the bottom of the ROM, on the safety stops, so you don't need a spotter. 3&quot; fully welded frames - this is heavy duty stuff.
Cons: I had to weld an extension on the squat safety post - it had me dipping too low to start the movement when going heavy. The curling pad post has a spring pin in holes to adjust - the pin's not long enough and when heavy it collapses, so I put a bolt in it. The nylon straps with &quot;D&quot; rings had the sewing let go when I was doing heavy rows and sent me flying. I'm replacing them with chains. The plastic weight bar protector caps break if hit by a weight when loading the bars. The plastic guide for the leg extension unit breaks, so I need another of those. I can think of a dozen design improvements they could make, including discovering ABS plastic. The parts drawings they sent me look like they were drawn by a five-year old, and they sent me the wrong parts twice.
    Would I buy this machine again? HELL no! I spend too much time trying to work on it!  
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Bummer you've had so much trouble with that. I was debating between that brand and Powertec. I decided on the Powertec in the end. I've been using it for over 6 months now and am still in love with it. I think it'd take an out of control dump truck to damage anything on this machine. Plus it 'feels' right and is soooo smooth.

http://www.powertecfitness.com/workbench_lev_gym.htm

Powertec_Workbench_Leverage_Gym-resized200.jpg
 
Really nice looking machine. Only the load limits are under my warmup weights on most exersizes! Heh, I hope it doesn't take long to set up for the different exersizes.
My machine had it's drawbacks, but I can do about 62 or so different things on it if I wanted. I've also made more modifications lately, because I just can't leave anything stock anyway. The little chains and &quot;s&quot; hooks are really coming in handy for making the machine do stuff it wasn't designed for...which I'd call DESIGN FLAWS...morons...
 
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Really nice looking machine. Only the load limits are under my warmup weights on most exersizes! </div>

You warm up with over 500 lbs???

*The squat bar load limit is fixable. It's only due to the pins that hold it on. An additional pipe over the end allows you to go up to 500 just like you can with the bare lever arm on bench.

Weight load capacity:
Press arm = 500 LBS
Lat machine = 350 LBS,
Leg lift = 250 LBS,
*Squat bar = 300 LBS


<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Heh, I hope it doesn't take long to set up for the different exersizes. </div>

Nope it's fast, move the pin or slide the bench and away ya go.

  <div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">   My machine had it's drawbacks, but I can do about 62 or so different things on it if I wanted. I've also made more modifications lately, because I just can't leave anything stock anyway. The little chains and &quot;s&quot; hooks are really coming in handy for making the machine do stuff it wasn't designed for...which I'd call DESIGN FLAWS...morons...</div>

True, yours has a lot of extra goodies on it. Powertec makes some that have all that also, I really don't use anything other than good old compounds with maybe a curl or leg ext thrown in so I opted not to spend more for  the extra stuff.

Amazingly, this is the one thing I haven't modified. I'm usually the same way, I always have to 'improve' things, but this so far, haven't even had the urge
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I was wondering why it said I had only 2 posts, I forgot I had two log ins from when I had trouble. That's better
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Sounds like a good machine regardless, and I love the way it looks, even in the yellow color.
Last cycle I got my squats to 530 for reps and my shrugs are at 600. At the same time, I have a bench press like a girl...but when I get on a pec dec, I usually have to strap weights onto the stack! Weird chest I guess.
Once again I need to modify my machine...the shoulder pads are a bit too far apart on the squatter and when I get this heavy I start to slide up in between them. Not good, so I'll shorten the spacer between them to move them together. I think when they design this stuff, they aren't pumped up in their strength sets and covered in sweat. There oughta be a law, man.
 
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(quadancer @ Jun. 24 2006,12:20)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Sounds like a good machine regardless, and I love the way it looks, even in the yellow color.
Last cycle I got my squats to 530 for reps and my shrugs are at 600. At the same time, I have a bench press like a girl...but when I get on a pec dec, I usually have to strap weights onto the stack! Weird chest I guess.
Once again I need to modify my machine...the shoulder pads are a bit too far apart on the squatter and when I get this heavy I start to slide up in between them. Not good, so I'll shorten the spacer between them to move them together. I think when they design this stuff, they aren't pumped up in their strength sets and covered in sweat. There oughta be a law, man.</div>
Nice squatting and shrugging! I guess you need equipment made by the people who make tractors and such LOL

Sounds like you have a bit of fun modifying your equipment too... which I don't blame you for, I love to tinker with stuff too. Don't get too strong, you'll break it! ;)
 
But that give me an excuse to break out the welder and modify it again! They didn't have a way to row on it, but I found that you can sit backwards in the seat with your legs over the pulldown pads and brace your feet against the machine and row away on the tricep press cable...I'm gonna put some footpegs on there like THEY should have done.
College boys. Phfuh!!!
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Cool, have fun! by the time you get done, the creator of that machine won't even recognize it LOL But I'm sure it'll be much better
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Yeah

I tried the bigger power tech here in South Africa and it is awsome, the price is not so cool tough, comes in at R 15,000.00 without the weights and we at HST tend to lift quite a bit, I can't imagine waht the bill would look like when one is actually satisfied, specially the squatter being so safe you can basically squat till you drop without having to worry about the bar falling on you with the weights.
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All this talk about exercise equipment makes me want to buy one!
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The only stuff I have at home is a bench, lat machine and a chinning bar. And loads of free weights.

Now, I'm thinking I got to have one of those machines here!
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Well... maybe I'll get one that's &quot;so safe&quot; like Fausto said when I get into a minor accident while working out
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Regards,
-JV
 
Jvroig, I'd say without a doubt that the first factor in a machine would be safety...all positions should have ROM limiters or start at the bottom, like my bench press and squatter (which also has a two position stop as well). Second, most of us 'home bangers' have junk equipment we just couldn't use...felt cheap and didn't inspire us to lift. Last should be load capacity. A 300 lb squat rack is useless to me, but maybe fine for a smaller guy; it doesn't mean the machine is bad or anything. Reminds me of that yard sale bench that FOLDED over on me one day...heheh.
 
Hey faz
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For me, convenience goes first before cost, so I'm now really tempted to get one!

Maybe I should get myself one of those multigyms in the future, especially since I workout alone, no spotter!
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its got a lot more options than the normal smith machine though
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and doesnt take up much room you can also add low-high-pulley attachments
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Yeah, that one does look great. I wonder if I can get somethign like that here, or perhaps have it shipped if they ship it here.

Anyway, when I make up my mind that I really need new stuff, then I'll definitely go for something like that, looks pretty safe and all, especially for loners like me.

Regards,
-JV
 
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