Legend Fitness Multi-Press Review!

[swimmer32]

I've been kicking the tires for awhile on adding a chest press or multi-press to my home gym. Most of my lifting is done with free weights, so I figured a machine would be a nice change and just another tool to use. The powertec multi-press looked like a pretty good option, although I was really on the look-out for a commercial piece with a weight stack to make changing weights easy for my wife. I looked for a number of months, and in August ran across a craigslist ad for the Legend Fitness Multi Press as seen here:

http://www.legendfitness.com/product...963_press.aspx

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any reviews on this piece of equipment (or really, on any multi-press). But the price ($275) and the reputation of Legend convinced me to give it a shot. I'm really glad that I did! My initial thoughts for the multi-press was that my wife would get a lot of use out of it, and I'd probably use it on occasion for some higher rep work. I've really enjoyed it though, and I actually use it 2-3 times per week now.

Pro's
1) You can adjust the backrest to four different settings - flat, 30 degree, 45 degree, and 75 degree.
2) You can adjust the arm height to five different settings and two different handle areas, so you can adjust how much a stretch you get in each position.
3) While laying or seated on the machine, it is rock solid and stable.
4) The weight stack moves very smoothly and quietly (a big plus since I workout in the mornings).
5) The biggest surprise for me is how great of a stretch I can get with this machine. It's great for isolating chest or shoulders - much better than I expected.

Con's
1) From what I understand, the power-tech multi press allows you to also do exercises like shrugs and rows. These don't work on the Legend piece. The bottom support beam gets in the way for rows, and the machine is not stable enough for shrugs (it tilts towards the weight stack). To be fair, Legend doesn't claim you can do these specific exercises with their multi-press, but thought I'd mention it anyways.
2) In a perfect world, I'd love converging arms, but like I mentioned above, I'm able to hit chest and shoulders hard without that feature.
3) I wish there was a neutral handlebar. I have long enough arms so I can use a neutral grip and grab the actual arms in between the handles, but that's probably too wide of a grip for someone shorter in stature or with shorter arms. You can probably rig something up for neutral grip press, but I haven't experimented on it yet. I'd love to be able to some close grip presses for triceps - I may have to try and figure something out.
4) The weight stack was a PITA to get set up. I basically had to balance the weight on the springs before I put the guide rods in. Luckily my wife was able to help me out, it was definitely a two person job to get the weight stack in - everything else I was able to do on my own.
5) That seat gap is large. I stick a towel in it when I use it so it's not a huge deal to me, but I've lost three kids in it already.

A couple other notes before the pictures. The unit I bought only has the 200 pound weight stack, which is a bummer. I'm hoping to get a pin adapter soon so I can add some free weights to it. But you can get it with 250 or 300 pound stacks. Would I buy it new for $2K? Not a chance! But I feel like I stole it for $275, and I think I'd be perfectly happy if I was able to get it for $500. Let me know if you have any questions!

[deadwoodgregg]

Nice review on a rarely seen piece swimmer.

[swimmer32]

Nice review on a rarely seen piece swimmer.

Thanks! I'm always nervous picking something up when there's not much information on it. I thought I'd post a review for that very reason - the only thing holding me back from jumping on it immediately was the lack of information. Hopefully this review helps someone else out in the future.

[AttyGuy]

It's . . . . Legendary.

[2MoreRepz]

Nice swimmer. Nothing like a quality pec developer.