Need adivce on lever Gym

[Mussie123]

Hi,
i wanted to put together a home gym and decided to look at a lever gym because of its many SAFE uses.
What do u guys think of these two lever gyms/
no1fitness.co.nz/strength-equipment/home-gyms/ip-lever-gym-w-squat-p-curl.html $800
or
fitnessandleisure.co.nz/afawcs0125789/Leverage-Gym:--Free-Weight-Power-+-Safety-and-Control-of-a-Machine:-Now-with-75-or-115kg-Weights-Included-+-Free-Assembly-(In-Auckland-Metro-Area)/CATID=26/SUBID=55/ID=397/SID=301643168/productdetails.html -- $2000

or even something like this
no1fitness.co.nz/strength-equipment/home-gyms/multi-station-gym-orange.html[/url]

thanks
:D

[lrich1]

I honestly have no Idea, I can't find anything about those gyms other than the website. My advice is to watch craigslist/classifieds, as you can find name brand lever gyms (nautilus, bowflex, etc.) for much less ($100-300) and since they are name brand, you will be able to find reviews to have a good idea of the pros and cons.

[donforeman]

I know its temping. I had to try buying the powertec too! After using it for a few workouts I knew it was not for me. Some people like them though, but I would never buy one new. I got mine used and actually made a little money on it in the month or two that it was mine. The second one you linked to is garbage. This is really good at helping you choose equipment http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=113942001

[Mussie123]

any reason why you didnt like it ?

[donforeman]

any reason why you didnt like it ?

Yes mostly it had to do with the way the machine fit my body. I disliked the squat the most it did not feel like a natural movement to me. Some people love them though.

That's the problem with buying new. People sometimes don't get a chance to use a variety of equipment enough to really know. They blow their money on a big ticket item and they don't have anything to compare it too, so it has to be the best thing on the planet ... right. :) I will say that just using the powertec before I bought it the machine felt great and it was only after one or two real workouts I really began to feel like the movement was unnatural. I'm not telling you to go one way or the other really on the Powertec you can find a lot of happy Powertec people here. What I am suggesting is if you want one either try to find one used so if you dont like it you wont get hosed selling it again or beg or borrow enough workouts on a friends so you know that it really is the equipment for you. I did read where other people have posted that shorter people fit the Powertec better. I replaced it with a old ironmaster gym I got on Craigslist for $75. Personally I feel its a lot better, but its still not gym quality and doesn't allow the freedom that a power rack would. There are some legitimate concerns with a smith style machine too! That is what the ironmaster basically is, just without the high quality slides. I like my older version, it is smaller than the newest version and fits in the space I have very well. I'm keeping my eye out for a smaller power rack or a combo smith/power rack that is reasonable and close though. The great part is when it comes down to unloading the ironmaster is yes I dont think I will have any problem getting my $75 back plus I was able to use it for months. That's the buying used advantage that lets you buy and try a lot of equipment until you find something that really suits you.

Then the stickies say get a power rack, get a power rack, oh and get a power rack. They really are leading you down the best path. Other items will work but its up to you.

[Mussie123]

thanks for the reply man, the main reason i saw the powertec as a good reason is because of its saftey features when it comes to bech pressing and sqauts, not having to rely on a spotter as it is a home gym.

[KBKB]

thanks for the reply man, the main reason i saw the powertec as a good reason is because of its saftey features when it comes to bech pressing and sqauts, not having to rely on a spotter as it is a home gym.
Any reason you're looking at a lever gym instead of a power rack? Is a power rack not safe enough?

[Mussie123]

haha never actually looked at one closely >.< . umm so something like this powertec 1?

fitnessandleisure.co.nz/afawcs0125789/Powertec-Power-Rack:--$895-and-free-freight-to-non-Rural-Delivery-addresses/CATID=26/SUBID=25/ID=445/SID=999792420/productdetails.html

[bicepbilly]

Any reason you're looking at a lever gym instead of a power rack? Is a power rack not safe enough?
Exactly what I was thinking

[Mussie123]

so whats the reason i should go for that instead of a powertec lever gym?

[thedickus]

so whats the reason i should go for that instead of a powertec lever gym?
You should learn to do the basics with free weights then branch off to something along the lines of leverage machines. Once you progress you can add variety to your training by incorporating leverage machines, dumbbells, smith machines, etc. Always get a good base first and in body building this means learning how to to barbell benches, incline presses, dips, military presses, upright rows or high pulls, chins, bentover rows, deadlifts, squats, Romanian deadlifts, barbell curls, lying tricep extensions, and close grip benches. All of these can be done safely with a power rack, adjustable bench, and an olympic barbell set relatively cheaper than the cost of what you're looking at.

[KBKB]

so something like this powertec 1?

http://www.fitnessandleisure.co.nz/afa.asp?idWebPage=25789&Powertec-Power-Rack:--$895-and-free-freight-to-non-Rural-Delivery-addresses&CATID=26&SUBID=25&ID=445&SID=999792420&productdetails.html
Yes, exactly.

In addition to what thedickus said - which was a good summary, BTW - one of the things that a machine does is restrict the movement available to you in a number of ways. There are a couple of ways of thinking about this. On the one hand, it's useful for folks who don't have the time or inclination to learn you to do free weight lifts. All the user needs to do is push, pull, etc on the various handles, foot plates, or other controls to perform the exercise. While this does make the machine easy to use, there are some drawbacks...

One drawback is that the machine might not move in the way in the best way ergonomically possible for your body. I've had shoulder issues in the past and can tell you that I'm able to do various dumbbell exercises with no or little pain, but have significant issues with certain machines.

Another drawback is that you're not getting as much out of the movement as you might if you were to use free weights. If you do a free weight squat where the bar may move in all three dimensions, you use a lot of important stabilizer muscles to control the bar path. Most machines essentially give you a one dimensional path. Those stabilizer muscles that are all important for other activities do not need to work in a coordinated way. You are free to push or pull with all of your might along that one dimensional path. You may make certain muscles immensely strong with this approach, but it won't be tremendously useful due to the fact that you haven't also developed important stabilization muscles that'll allow you to do real life movements safely and effectively. It occurs to me now as I'm writing this that some of my shoulder issues may have been at least partially due to the fact that I did machine based exercises for a good portion of my life. I also did a limited amount of free weight work but, at the time, this ancillary to using the machines.

[Mussie123]

thanks for the great replies.
so reading this i found the main two points are:
1) un natural body movements
and
2)price, in NZ the price for a power cage is $1200 with the weights where as the powertec is $2200

so as far as saftey goes, which will be a main factor as im going to do this mostly alone at home (no spotter) and am a newbie to weights, is the powercage 'fool proof' as far as injuries go?

how do these cages compare?
elitefitness.co.nz/BodySolid-PowerLine-Power-Rack/P1108/2751
and
elitefitness.co.nz/New-Product/P1109/2751
thanks

[KBKB]

so as far as saftey goes, which will be a main factor as im going to do this mostly alone at home (no spotter) and am a newbie to weights, is the powercage 'fool proof' as far as injuries go?
Well, the point of the cage is that it takes the place of a spotter. Used properly, it can be more effective than a human spotter.

It's not foolproof though. A fool might forget to set the safeties or set them at the wrong height. If you pay attention to what you're doing and think things through, it'll make this type of lifting as safe as it can be.

Two lifts for which a power cage is especially useful are the bench press and the squat. You should incorporate both of these into your training program. For the bench press, you want to set the safeties to protect your face and neck. For the squat, you want the safeties set just slightly below the lowest point that the bar will travel when performing the squat. That way if you can't squat the weight back up again (get out of the hole), you only have to sink down a bit more to let the bar rest on the safeties.

Experiment with setting the safeties at various heights using an unloaded bar to see which positions provide you with an adequate range of motion, but will still keep you safe for the exercise in question. Some folks mark these positions on their racks to make it quick and easy to set the safeties when going through their training routine.