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Paul D
After building a home gym during Covid, I adjusted all my routines to use a rack, free weights, and adjustable dumbbells. This was great for a few years, and I didn't miss a lot of the accessory leg machines I used to use. Recently, I stayed at a hotel that had a great gym, and realized I DID miss the cable machine. It's a super versatile way to add a bunch of accessory exercises to your primary routines. And there are only so many overhead tricep extensions one can do! Not wanting to spend a fortune, I settled on this Tower v3. And now I am really enjoying adding back in rows, face pulls, cable crunches, triceps pushdowns, cable curls, and a lot more! I was very happy that I could mount this to my Rouge Monster Lite rack. You can see on the photo that I raised it up 3.5 inches off the floor, as I am 6"5', but it would mount without height modification as well. Does this have the same quality as a piece of commercial gym equipment? Of course not. But loading the free weights (instead of adjusting a weight stack) is not a big deal. I use Olympic plates and they work just fine. And you can get some more versatility by using 1 cable or 2 for all your exercises, which adjusts the working load without changing weights. Once you figure out your weights, it's fine. I got a set of attachments from Amazon that are beefier than I expected, and handle most of my needs. Cons: At 6"5', I can sometimes run out of range, even with the increased height that I mounted mine. You can account for this by being creative with positions, and by using 1 cable instead of 2, which gives a bit more extension. Also, I would forget about doing HEAVY rows or pulls from this when the pulleys are moved to the center position (as opposed to the top or the bottom). You can visibly see it flexing more than you would like when pulling 90 lbs, for example. In other words, the construction isn't completely bombproof like my rack. But for most exercises it's just fine, and even if it flexes, and even if it eventually breaks, again take a look at the price. And for those not lifting heavy from the middle, it's a non-issue. Resistance isn't as smooth as you might like, especially during the eccentric phase. You notice it. Hot tip: load both sides evenly when possible for a smoother ride. Aluminum pulleys, beefier metal, and 6 inches taller would warrant me paying at least double for this machine. But all in all, a great value for the money and nice addition to a home gym.
3 years ago
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