Life Fitness Dual Pulley CMDAP For Garage Gym

[GamecockLifter]

Hey guys, I have an opportunity to pick this up off-market and I've been asked to make an offer. I would be buying from someone I know well in my industry, so I expect I can get a very good deal.

I haven't really found anything for sale used to comp it out. Obviously it's expensive if buying new ($4,200), but this particular unit is from 2009. It's in very good condition.

Any suggestions on where to start?

it's a very heavy unit (1,265 lbs), so I would also need to figure out logistics to get it home...

...which brings me to my next question: would you put something like this in your home gym?

[deadwoodgregg]

Mike Dimond has one in Columbus, Oh. and is asking $2995.

CSM in Atlanta has one for $1800.

I don't think these would be hard to sell once listed.

I would offer $1000.

[Hardgains88]

Functional trainers are awesome in a home gym. They are by far the single most versatile machine and you can use them for hundreds of exercises. Unlike a lot of machines they are more like a free weight then a machine in terms of functional real strength gains so a natural fit for home gyms.
This is a very good unit build quality wise and would be a good addition, but not my 1st choice for a few reasons. The dual cable column style dont let you adjust the width of the cables just the height. The better option are the ones like free motion, they use adjustable arms to vary the height and width. I have a paramount unit like that and I use it every workout for something but if I was to buy again I would go with a cyber bravo with the support option, they have a unique take on adjustable arms that offers a few benefits. As far as price, Deadwood was spot on for offer, though I might be inclined to go a few hundred more if it came down to it. If it winds up being too much more then you might as well go up a little more and get into the more versatile adjustable arm style.

[gym62richard]

Functional trainers are awesome in a home gym. They are by far the single most versatile machine and you can use them for hundreds of exercises. Unlike a lot of machines they are more like a free weight then a machine in terms of functional real strength gains so a natural fit for home gyms.
This is a very good unit build quality wise and would be a good addition, but not my 1st choice for a few reasons. The dual cable column style dont let you adjust the width of the cables just the height. The better option are the ones like free motion, they use adjustable arms to vary the height and width. I have a paramount unit like






that and I use it every workout for something but if I was to buy again I would go with a cyber bravo with the support option, they have a unique take on adjustable arms that offers a few benefits. As far as price, Deadwood was spot on for offer, though I might be inclined to go a few hundred more if it came down to it. If it winds up being too much more then you might as well go up a little more and get into the more versatile adjustable arm style.

Got to agree with HG, on my functional trainer the arms cannot be adjusted laterally. I'm currently trying to do a deal on a Cybex Bravo. The ability to adjust the width between the pulleys and the integrated support pad really gives the Bravo the edge over my current unit.

The downside for me on the LifeFitness unit is the 4 to 1 pulley ratio, although I think this unit has the heavy stacks, personally I don't like the feel of a 4 to 1 ratio and I've been struggling to find a good Bravo that is configured 2 to 1.

I don't really have a clue as to it's value, but here in the UK ft's in general tend to hold up well.

[a7stringkilla]

4:1 is garbage unless youre only working for speed or rehab on it. I personally would pass on it.

[GamecockLifter]

Thanks for the help guys. I’m going to pass.

[sm1ke]

HG made some great points. If I were to replace my FT, I would invest in one with the adjustable arms. That said, I really liked using this FT when I had access to it. The 4:1 sucks, but I stacked as much as 120lbs of DBs on top of one weight stack to do seated rows. It's a very sturdy piece.

[Hardgains88]

Got to agree with HG, on my functional trainer the arms cannot be adjusted laterally. I'm currently trying to do a deal on a Cybex Bravo. The ability to adjust the width between the pulleys and the integrated support pad really gives the Bravo the edge over my current unit.

The downside for me on the LifeFitness unit is the 4 to 1 pulley ratio, although I think this unit has the heavy stacks, personally I don't like the feel of a 4 to 1 ratio and I've been struggling to find a good Bravo that is configured 2 to 1.

I don't really have a clue as to it's value, but here in the UK ft's in general tend to hold up well.

WOW GOODCATCH RICHARD!!! I wasnt aware of it being 4:1 ratio. Its a looser unless you get a great deal, like $500- $600. Even with the heavy stack it will only be good for isolation movements or functional hi travel low weight stuff. I personally think 4:1 are better suited for rehab type stuff,
Even if the stacks are 250 pounds, they may be much less, thats only 62.5 pounds at the cable. These arent usually used for heavy lifting stuff but there are a lot of novements 50-60 pounds just wont cut it. the feeling the 4:1 has is certainly smooth, but it will be different then other cable machines you will have used. The benefit is it has 4 times the cable travel of a 1:1 macine like a lat pull down. The weight will move 1/4 the distance the cable does, its also cool for some odd fun stuff like sprinting against the cable resistance type sports training but not great for general strength training.

[a7stringkilla]

If you’re handy, you could shorten the cable and bypass the pulley that’s between the guide rods at the top, and that would convert it to 2:1. Looks like everything should still line up. Don’t know what the cable travel will be though, but I know it’ll be about half of what it is at 4:1.

[gym62richard]

WOW GOODCATCH RICHARD!!! I wasnt aware of it being 4:1 ratio. Its a looser unless you get a great deal, like $500- $600. Even with the heavy stack it will only be good for isolation movements or functional hi travel low weight stuff. I personally think 4:1 are better suited for rehab type stuff,
Even if the stacks are 250 pounds, they may be much less, thats only 62.5 pounds at the cable. These arent usually used for heavy lifting stuff but there are a lot of novements 50-60 pounds just wont cut it. the feeling the 4:1 has is certainly smooth, but it will be different then other cable machines you will have used. The benefit is it has 4 times the cable travel of a 1:1 macine like a lat pull down. The weight will move 1/4 the distance the cable does, its also cool for some odd fun stuff like sprinting against the cable resistance type sports training but not great for general strength training.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to buy a L/fitness dual pulley, I think it came with 400lb stacks, very well built unit, for want of a better description it felt sluggish, which I guess is the whole idea of the 4 to 1 ratio, just not right for me.

[Skidmarx]

I'd love to have that unit. Nice ones I've worked out on are Precor and Matrix

[Duplicitous]

I'm partial to 1:2 units also, but I had the opportunity to pick one of these up a few months ago for a great price and couldn't pass it up. It's buttery smooth and I have zero regrets about it. They typically sell for $1,800-2,000 on the used market here btw. I've literally only seen one for under $1K and that's the one I bought. :P

[JustTheDad]

2:1 vs 4:1 makes almost no difference if the 4:1 has twice the weight on each side. It allows you to work further outside the machine and if you loose strength or balance, the plates fall half the distance and move slower. For fitness, 2:1 is nicer if the stacks are the same, but 4:1 is always going to be nicer if it has the heavier stacks. I don't think you can even get a Bravo with the heavier stacks unless you get it with the 4:1 ratio.

How heavy are the stacks on that 4:1?

[irongrandpa]

2:1 vs 4:1 makes almost no difference if the 4:1 has twice the weight on each side. It allows you to work further outside the machine and if you loose strength or balance, the plates fall half the distance and move slower. For fitness, 2:1 is nicer if the stacks are the same, but 4:1 is always going to be nicer if it has the heavier stacks. I don't think you can even get a Bravo with the heavier stacks unless you get it with the 4:1 ratio.

How heavy are the stacks on that 4:1?

I've never seen a FT with 400lb +stacks. Plus, I've used one that had a 4:1 ratio and didn't like the feel of it as well as machines with a 2:1 ratio. My FT (2:1) allows the handles to pull out further than I've ever needed. Probably 6' - 8'.

[JustTheDad]

I've never seen a FT with 400lb +stacks. Plus, I've used one that had a 4:1 ratio and didn't like the feel of it as well as machines with a 2:1 ratio. My FT (2:1) allows the handles to pull out further than I've ever needed. Probably 6' - 8'.

I don't know what the stacks on that machine are. The point I'm trying to make is that the final resistance could be as high as on a 2:1.

On my Bravo, the max resistance per side is 85lbs. It's a 2:1 machine. The max is 82.5lbs on the heavy stack machines with a 4:1 ratio. I wouldn't consider that a significant difference in resistance. The pulley replacement costs would be higher on a 4:1 since there are 4 more pulleys.

[Duplicitous]

2:1 vs 4:1 makes almost no difference if the 4:1 has twice the weight on each side. It allows you to work further outside the machine and if you loose strength or balance, the plates fall half the distance and move slower. For fitness, 2:1 is nicer if the stacks are the same, but 4:1 is always going to be nicer if it has the heavier stacks. I don't think you can even get a Bravo with the heavier stacks unless you get it with the 4:1 ratio.

How heavy are the stacks on that 4:1?

390 lbs for a max total resistance of 97.5 lbs per side.

[gym62richard]

2:1 vs 4:1 makes almost no difference if the 4:1 has twice the weight on each side. It allows you to work further outside the machine and if you loose strength or balance, the plates fall half the distance and move slower. For fitness, 2:1 is nicer if the stacks are the same, but 4:1 is always going to be nicer if it has the heavier stacks. I don't think you can even get a Bravo with the heavier stacks unless you get it with the 4:1 ratio.

How heavy are the stacks on that 4:1?

Oh but it does have a real impact on the way it feels, sure 200lb pegged on a 2.1 unit and 400lb pegged on a a 4.1 unit equates to the same weight, but the way the resistance translates to the attachment point, to me at least feels very different.

I believe 4.1 pulley ratio units were initially designed for rehab work, the idea being there is a reduction to the amount of inertia at the attachment point, as the stack only travels half the distance of a 2.1 unit, thus placing less stress onto the joints etc. the 4.1 ratio also translates well into many functional movements, like replicating baseball and golf cable swings.

The downside for muscle building is that the lack of inertia tends to make the movement feel sluggish, this is particularly noticeable as the target muscle/muscles begin to reach the point of maximum contraction. In fact I still prefer to do triceps press downs on my lat machine, 1.1 ratio, for this very reason.

[Duplicitous]

Oh but it does have a real impact on the way it feels, sure 200lb pegged on a 2.1 unit and 400lb pegged on a a 4.1 unit equates to the same weight, but the way the resistance translates to the attachment point, to me at least feels very different.

I believe 4.1 pulley ratio units were initially designed for rehab work, the idea being there is a reduction to the amount of inertia at the attachment point, as the stack only travels half the distance of a 2.1 unit, thus placing less stress onto the joints etc. the 4.1 ratio also translates well into many functional movements, like replicating baseball and golf cable swings.

The downside for muscle building is that the lack of inertia tends to make the movement feel sluggish, this is particularly noticeable as the target muscle/muscles begin to reach the point of maximum contraction. In fact I still prefer to do triceps press downs on my lat machine, 1.1 ratio, for this very reason.

Indeed, they are not functionally identical, but 4:1 is well suited to fast movements precisely because it isn't sluggish. The 4:1 machines allow for rapid extension and retraction. And, ultimately, the max resistance is the same on a 2:1 machine with a 200 lb stack and a 4:1 machine with a 400 lb stack.

[gym62richard]

Indeed, they are not functionally identical, but 4:1 is well suited to fast movements precisely because it isn't sluggish. The 4:1 machines allow for rapid extension and retraction. And, ultimately, the max resistance is the same on a 2:1 machine with a 200 lb stack and a 4:1 machine with a 400 lb stack.

Exactly, if not sluggish, then softer, the way in which the force is applied is just different, a minor difference, but noticeable, I'm just able to feel more of a squeeze on the 2.1 ratio.

When I was looking for my Cybex Bravo, used 4.1 units were plentiful, but finding a 2.1 unit in good condition prove to be a challenge. I visited the Bodypower Expo and had the opportunity to try out new units side by side, both 2.1 and 4.1 ratio, the differences were apparent, not a complete deal breaker, but enough for me to continue looking for my 2.1 machine.
Like most things, it's personal preference, if it were possible to build a cable station with long enough guide rods, then I'd go for a 1.1 ratio every time.

I think the Bravo is so versatile that had it only been available in a 4.1 configuration I still would have bought it, I did manage to eventually find a nice 2.1 model.

[jamesovercome]

I've got a Bodycraft HFT with weight expansion and its worth the money. Killer for rear delt work, curls, rehab.