Favorite Gym Equipment

maldorf · Dec 8, 2020

Ruhlfreak55 said:
Hard to go wrong with very much that Nebula made in my experience.

Their leg press is legendary.

lookslikesausage · Dec 8, 2020

alfresco said:
Memories . . .

I first used this monster machine at a Nautilus Gym in SF back in the late 70's.
Nautilus machines were hard to find back them and I drove all over the bay
area looking for them. And I found this gym that had one of anther pieces
but this one I have never seen or tried (I may have seen one in production
in Lake Helen, FL.) so I was raring to go. I did one set to total failure, could
not budge the ankle pad then I had my training partner drop down the leg
press platform ASAP and I did one set of leg presses to total failure. My
legs were so wasted than that when I stepped off the machine I hit the
floor like somebody pistol whipped me. I did not do another cycle.

Another machine I really liked was the Nautilus Super Geared Hip and Back
machine. Unlike the Nautilus Leg Press Machine which eventually became
very popular, Geared Hip and Back was a great machine, built like a tank,
that did not have a long life and was very rare where I came from. Never
have felt a pump in my hips and lower back since.

I was a bit difficult getting into because you had to scooch yourself under the
padded movement bar and between the padded shoulder pads and them
strap yourself in with a padded hip belt. Then . . . your were ready to 'ratchet'
yourself under the movement bar with your legs up around on a sliding back
support and then extend, uncurl your legs until they were straight and parallel
to floor. It was murder. I have no recollection of how I got out of it or even
having seen another one of those machines. If anybody here has used one of
these machines I would love to hear about it.

The original Nautilus plate loading triceps machine was a great machine too
that could be made better by simply using a 2 x 4 between your hands when
in a neutral position, something that you could grab on to.. Arthur told me
about using one and had considered supplying one with the machine but
thought that people, a) would not use it or b) people would disregard it as
a left over piece of packing materials . . . or both.

View attachment 123603

This is basically an inverted reverse hyperextension (pad is on ankles though for reverse hyper but still very similar).

Nautilus Duo-Squat looked like a great piece but i've never had the chance to use one. Many people rave about the MedX Avenger Leg Press but again, never used one, let one seen one. MedX was an offshoot of Nautilus, as was Hammer (Arthur's son Gary started Hammer). Although Hammer is by far the most popular of the three currently, iy goes to show you how deep the Nautilus roots run in the equipment game.

Bcali909 · Dec 9, 2020

The nautilus pullover over machine the same one dorian yates used. My gym has it and all I can say is that machine is the best for your back. There's no type of machine that can stimulate the lats the way that machine does at least in my eyes.

LATS · Dec 9, 2020

Ruhlfreak55 said:
pretty rare for a gym to have a bunch of it. They haven't been in business for some time now (rogue bought them)

Actually the new equipment from Arsenal ( flex Lewis is half owner) makes the nebula equipment too.. they bought the designs.. they have made some modifications to some but its essentially the same

benchmstr · Dec 9, 2020

N.L....M..... said:
Unfortunately because of my back and shoulders I can’t really do anything in the squat rack. When I healthier and younger it was mine too.
The only free weights I can really use are dumbbells.

I can almost guarantee that I’m younger than you with more extensive shoulder and back surgeries/injuries...and I’m still doing something in the squat rack at least 5 days a week...I could get rid of my entire gym equipment collection and keep the rack with a roll away bench and be a happy man

N.L....M..... · Dec 9, 2020

benchmstr said:
I can almost guarantee that I’m younger than you with more extensive shoulder and back surgeries/injuries...and I’m still doing something in the squat rack at least 5 days a week...I could get rid of my entire gym equipment collection and keep the rack with a roll away bench and be a happy man

Well it’s not an injury competition but with both messed up rotator cuffs where I can’t lift my arms up above my head, slipped discs and epidural lipomatosis and a messed up neck I’d be an idiot to risk it and deal with the pain and possibly not be able to walk when I don’t compete in powerlifting and my only goal is to get bigger. Honestly barbell squatting never did much of anything except gave me a stronger squat. I actually grow better since without using a barbell. I don’t have the ego. The main thing I get out of barbell benching is shoulder pain and more time out of the gym trying to recover. I loved deadlifting but I’m pretty sure it did almost nothing for putting size on my back. Even if I could heal completely and get to the point of a healthy movement with a barbell I wouldn’t because it wouldn’t be useful Other than to feed my ego.

benchmstr · Dec 9, 2020

N.L....M..... said:
Well it’s not an injury competition but with both messed up rotator cuffs where I can’t lift my arms up above my head, slipped discs and epidural lipomatosis and a messed up neck I’d be an idiot to risk it and deal with the pain and possibly not be able to walk when I don’t compete in powerlifting and my only goal is to get bigger. Honestly barbell squatting never did much of anything except gave me a stronger squat. I actually grow better since without using a barbell. I don’t have the ego. The main thing I get out of barbell benching is shoulder pain and more time out of the gym trying to recover. I loved deadlifting but I’m pretty sure it did almost nothing for putting size on my back. Even if I could heal completely and get to the point of a healthy movement with a barbell I wouldn’t because it wouldn’t be useful Other than to feed my ego.

I do more with a safety squat bar and buffalo bar than standard barbell these days...I get more out of hamstrings and flutes that way and don’t have to worry about the shoulders. Plus, I have a winning belt squat machine that I do my rep work with....but even when I just used a regular belt squat with plates chained on to me that was a great exercise.

For whatever reason benching has never hurt my shoulders...I can only attribute that to doing high rep rear delts with a light band(20-30lbs) between every set of bench I have done for 8-10 years now..can’t even remember why I started doing it.

not trying to start a contest...just pointing out my stubbornness and love for that damn squat rack lol

Rot-Iron66 · Dec 9, 2020

The Olympic Barbell Set. SQ, Bench, DL, OHP, Rows (on and on).
As far as machines, I like some of the Hammer Strength. (Certain ones).

Ruhlfreak55 · Dec 9, 2020

LATS said:
Actually the new equipment from Arsenal ( flex Lewis is half owner) makes the nebula equipment too.. they bought the designs.. they have made some modifications to some but its essentially the same

REally? I had not heard/ realized that. We were looking at getting a few Arsenal pieces for the gym, just wish they had a sale.

N.L....M..... · Dec 9, 2020

Bcali909 said:
The nautilus pullover over machine the same one dorian yates used. My gym has it and all I can say is that machine is the best for your back. There's no type of machine that can stimulate the lats the way that machine does at least in my eyes.

Can you post a picture of it if you get a chance?

Bcali909 · Dec 9, 2020

N.L....M..... said:
Can you post a picture of it if you get a chance?

For sure! but I dunno when there gonna open up the gyms in california

LATS · Dec 9, 2020

Ruhlfreak55 said:
REally? I had not heard/ realized that. We were looking at getting a few Arsenal pieces for the gym, just wish they had a sale.

Yeah.. I owned several nebula pieces in the gym I owned.. arsenal has the exact duplicates.. not sure where they acquired the designs but they have them all lol

Ruhlfreak55 · Dec 9, 2020

LATS said:
Yeah.. I owned several nebula pieces in the gym I owned.. arsenal has the exact duplicates.. not sure where they acquired the designs but they have them all lol

Not that I was doubting you but you're definitely right. I went and looked and that is definitely a nebula leg press. I wonder if Rogue sold the designs since they don't sell real equipment much?

Ruhlfreak55 · Dec 9, 2020

interesting that Rogue still has the leg press listed on their website as well. I wonder if maybe the designs have come off patent at this point?

cage99 · Dec 12, 2020

The power rack.... You can do soooo many exercises with that one piece of equipment.

Cage

lookslikesausage · Dec 14, 2020

Nebula was Tom Eilerman's company out of i think Ohio. He designed all of that equipment and often even delivered it himself to gyms (he did to one i belonged to). I believe Rogue hired him for a bit as a consultant but didn't do much with him. If you notice, they have the same bench as the Nebula adjustable bench (awesome bench by the way). Rogue might also be producing what was once the Nebula leg press also. I think Tom also hooked up with Arsenal more recently as many of their pieces are very close or identical to the Nebula line. Nebula made top of the line stuff.

LATS · Dec 14, 2020

lookslikesausage said:
Nebula was Tom Eilerman's company out of i think Ohio. He designed all of that equipment and often even delivered it himself to gyms (he did to one i belonged to). I believe Rogue hired him for a bit as a consultant but didn't do much with him. If you notice, they have the same bench as the Nebula adjustable bench (awesome bench by the way). Rogue might also be producing what was once the Nebula leg press also. I think Tom also hooked up with Arsenal more recently as many of their pieces are very close or identical to the Nebula line. Nebula made top of the line stuff.

Yes tom is involved somehow.. I used to talk to him quite a bit when he owned nebula.. great designs..