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36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pure Power! It Works! Yeah, It Definitely Works!, February 6, 2008
This review is from: Powertec WB-LS Workbench Leverage Gym (Sports)
I bought my Powertec Workbench Leverage Home Gym for 4 months now. I waited to give this review because when you look for something like this one of the main things you want to know is, "Does it really work?" I spent months researching and trying out comparable machines like BowFlex, Weider, and Soloflex. I chose this machine because I wanted to lift REAL weight. I also needed something versatile and something that I wouldn't easily outgrow.
Space: The machine measures `6.5 feet Long x 3.5 feet Wide x just over `7 feet Tall. You will need at least `10 x `8 feet of floor space and a 7.5 high ceiling.
Packaging: Comes unassembled in 2 flat, heavy boxes. Total Weight: 328 lbs
Assembly: I assembled it by myself in 3 hours. The instructions were sketchy at times.
Capacities: You can load up to 500 lbs on the Press Arm, 350 lbs on the Lat Machine, 250 lbs on the Leg Lift, and 300lbs on the Squat Bar.
Quality: Has an in-home lifetime warranty and built to last. No weebly, wobbly, weight bench here. The bench is well padded and covered with good material.
Workout: Pure Power! I like that you can use real Olympic Weight Plates. No stretch bands, power rods, magnetic resistance, etc.. 100 lbs will feel like 100 lbs, no doubt. The press arm is self-spotting (good safety feature) and the leg lift and leverage arm move smoothly. I don't like that I have to completely empty the Press Arm when switching between some exercises. I sometimes avoid this by getting my wife to adjust the spotter arm while I lift the Press Arm. Considering that this is a multi exercise machine vs. single purpose benches that you'll find in the gym, this is only a minor issue. I found the movement on the leverage arm to be somewhat limited when doing Tricep exercises, I bought a Tricep Rope and it solved the problem
Recommended Accessories:
Olympic Weight Plates - These are the plates with the big holes. You can only use this type.
Olympic Curl Bar -Powertech offers the curl arm attachment, but save your money this.
Tricep Rope - A straight bar is included, but the rope will let you hit your triceps a whole lot better.
Gym Floor Mat - Protect the floor under your weight bench. The machine weighs over 300 lbs not including you and the weights you put on it
Powertec's machines are the real deal. Very heavy duty construction and built to last. This machine will give you as close to a gym workout as you can get using a single home gym. If my space wasn't limited, I might've chosen the PowerRack instead, but it's been four months now and I am very happy with my choice. I wish the Owner's Manual had more detail about exercises. A training video would've been nice. I had a hard time finding a store with a floor model I could try. Dick's Sporting Goods is the only store I know of that has them on display. My answer to the original question: I like the results. It works! Yeah, it definitely works!
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a home gym should be, June 27, 2008
This review is from: Powertec WB-LS Workbench Leverage Gym (Sports)
By far the best home gym. I have had the crossbows, bowflex, and others. Nothing compares to the Powertec home gym. When you max out your bows and bands and it tells you that you are benching 280, and you know that's not possible, it's time to move up to heavier duty equipment.
This latest version seems to be about as perfect as can be, they added a little handlebar below the bench to grab while you lie on your stomach and do hamstring curls. And you can do pull ups too.
The gym was easy to put together. Grab a sharpie and label all the bolts, nuts, screws, washers before you start, or it may get confusing. It takes about 4 hours to put together by yourself. I had to go back and remove a few bolts, and exchange them for different ones, because I didn't label them. Otherwise, it would have taken only 3 hours. But it was a joy to watch this monster come together in the basement.
Most of it is already put together and you just have to piece it together. If you ever have to move, it can easily be disassembled into 3 main parts and will be easy to move.
The chest exercises are easy to do. Incline, decline, flat bench all feel about right. The bench is a little higher off the ground than normal, so in decline, your legs may just dangle, unless you are taller.
The lat pull down works well. Great motion. Awesome pulley. Probably one of the smoothest, most perfect pulley motions you are going to find. Great for bicep curls, tricep push downs and more.
You can also actually do real squats. Swivel the bench around, attach the attachment, and you can do serious real squats. All of this without the need for a spotter.
Also, it doesn't take up as much space as I originally thought. It fit in a normal 8 foot basement, with plenty of space overhead. Not sure I believe it is actually 7.5 feet tall.
One dumb issue, on the sides it has two poles that you can stack weights on as a storage area. You can store extra weight here. Well, they are held on pretty loosely with a small bolt. And if you screw the bolt in too tight, it strips, and then it is loose. That part actually sucked.
Poweretc service department is great, if you have any missing parts, they respond quickly and send them out.
Great product overall, very well built. It has a lifetime warranty, and it's obvious why.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best machine...EVER!!, November 10, 2009
This review is from: Powertec WB-LS Workbench Leverage Gym (Sports)
Bought this from Powertecfitness directly (lower than here) and LOVE IT!! Took about 2.5 hours to put together solo. Wasn't difficult, just be sure to properly lay out the hardware (nuts/bolts). It's a nice, strong, sturdy piece of equipment to replace a aged Smith machine I had (10 yrs old) and is sure to last at least as long as it did. For the suggestion that the screws to hold the weight storage arms in place being too short: I used the 102 bolts instead of the 64s because, when I was done, I had 4 extra despite following the directions and checking 3 times that I'd used the correct bolts all over. The 64 is for the seat back and the 102s are waaay longer, which is great to hold what is probably an already sufficiently well-constructed weight-rest even better. I'm hoping to use this bench for years and enjoy each and every workout. The movement is smooth and changing plates/exercises is relatively easy, but remember it's not a Bowflex; you're using real weights. It also comes with a wall chart of exercises, though a booklet of exercises as done on this machine, I think, would have been a great addition. If you have any previous lifting experience, there ought not be any problems knowing how to perform the exercises.
I find I'm stronger than I thought after years of using that Smith machine and it's very limited range of motion. Yay!!!
I also have Powertec's leg sled (leg press machine) and am loving that, too!! Safe alternative to squats. Great, smooth movement, and a comfortable cushion to boot! Also comes with an attachment for working calves. Awesome products, Powertec!!
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