Favorite/Unique Machines you've tried?

[joos23]

I really liked swing squats and j-bells

 

[xpoc]

Ive only ever been to one gym that has that little contraption that allows you to train your shin muscles. Its super simple. I know you all know what I'm talking about. I miss seeing that little thing.

The Las Vegas Athletic Club has a Hammer Strength Tibias shin raise machine.

 

[thethinker48]

The Las Vegas Athletic Club has a Hammer Strength Tibias shin raise machine.

We have this exact device in our gym.

I use 5 lb plates on each side, and it destroys your TA

 

[USMuscle9403]

My gym doesn't have any of this shit, not even a hack squat. I've honestly thought about canceling my contract early and start going to this other (pretty awesome) place that's 5x as expensive, but it's probably worth it. They have hack and belt squats, I know that. Plus some awesome machines I love for back.

 

[maldorf]

That's a lot! I'm up to 1 plate ea. side, but I'm so worried about my bum knee I take all new leg movements slow and easy. I've increased in weight every time I've used it but now I have a goal to shoot for!

I used to have some knee pain, mostly tendonitis, when I used the swing squat and it never made it hurt. Id actually switch to doing them if my knees were screwed up.

 

[thethinker48]

My gym doesn't have any of this shit, not even a hack squat. I've honestly thought about canceling my contract early and start going to this other (pretty awesome) place that's 5x as expensive, but it's probably worth it. They have hack and belt squats, I know that. Plus some awesome machines I love for back.

I used to pay $30 a month for my Y membership. And pay $40 a month for this gym.

It's 10 minutes further, but that's no issue

I would look around you locally to see if there's a family owned gym, chains are a pain in the ass, and I'd rather give my money to a mom and pop place

 

[Durro]

Hoist Fitness equipment. I finally have a chance to try them and the Hoist Roc-it stack Lat Pulldown and Hoist Roc-it stack Row machines are new at one of the gyms I go to. I get a great squeeze in my back, where is depending how I do the movement. It’s great but the down side is I’m already at the bottom of the stack! They also sell plate loaded machines they might be better to add more weight. But the squeeze on those is awesome!

 

[maldorf]

Hoist Fitness equipment. I finally have a chance to try them and the Hoist Roc-it stack Lat Pulldown and Hoist Roc-it stack Row machines are new at one of the gyms I go to. I get a great squeeze in my back, where is depending how I do the movement. It’s great but the down side is I’m already at the bottom of the stack! They also sell plate loaded machines they might be better to add more weight. But the squeeze on those is awesome!

Some of the hoist is pretty good. My gym has that as well as Keiser. I like the hoist bench and the dip machine. I think they also make a combo assisted pull up and dip machine too. The leg extension is pretty lousy. Many of ours are plate loaded.

 

[nidnoy]

Man I am jealous reading about some of these belt and swing squats and even the sissy squat apparatus. I have bad lower back and some knee pain and those things sound like they would really work well.

 

[maldorf]

 

[cmryan]

I was wondering if anyone has tried any of the flywheel devices like the kbox?
I was really close to springing for one during quarantine.

 

[Millineum Man]

I tried a leverage squat chain based-machine by Powernetics called a Bear Squat a while back. I liked it so much that I bought one. It’s plate loaded and extremely smooth. You can do heavy squats, inclined squats(really feel them in the glutes) and even jump squats for explosive power. I even bought a machine they make called a Power Trainer. It’s a machine that replicates a power clean, but you can do deadlifts, bent over rows, high pulls, clean & jerks, RDL’s, and split squats.

 

[Millineum Man]

 

[Millineum Man]

 

[lookslikesausage]

Flex Hack Squat. It's 30 or 35 degrees where as most hacks are 45 degrees. Arsenal/Nebula made a great hack too. Strive (now Prime) Leg Curl (plate loaded). Cybex Seated Calf Raise. Cybex Standing Leg Curl (plate loaded, really loved this one) & the Flex Hamtractor (also great). Flex & Nebula made awesome leg presses back in the days when i was able to leg press. those two were my favs.

Flex Leverage Lat Pulldown (plate loaded, incredible piece). Nautilus Nitro Lat Pulldown (plate loaded). The old Nautilus Pullover machine that Dorian used in Blood & Guts. It's also plate loaded and that thing was wonderful.

Strive Biceps Curl (plate loaded). Resolute PS Simplicity Biceps Curl (Redcon1 gym has this piece). Flex Bisolator.

Hoist makes an adjustable angle hyperextension bench which really felt great on my back.

 

[Sandpig]

Ive only ever been to one gym that has that little contraption that allows you to train your shin muscles. Its super simple. I know you all know what I'm talking about. I miss seeing that little thing.

Here in Vegas, all of the LVAC's that I train at, has one of those. Very effective

 

[Sandpig]

Flex Hack Squat. It's 30 or 35 degrees where as most hacks are 45 degrees.

I'm guessing the foot platform on this goes all the way to the ground correct? I hate most of the new hacks as the platform is up high. I'm old school, I like doing mine the way Platz does them.

 

[lookslikesausage]

I'm guessing the foot platform on this goes all the way to the ground correct? I hate most of the new hacks as the platform is up high. I'm old school, I like doing mine the way Platz does them.

same here. i like to go hams to calves and raise my heels up off the platform and roll forward on the balls of my feet and then push off the balls of feet and then heels back into the platform as i reverse direction. shouldn't/can't use as much weight this way and it can be rough on the knees but hammers the hell out of the quads, which is the purpose of the Hack Squat anyway.

Below is a Flex Hack Squat btw. Startrac bought Flex at least 15 years ago and still produces the same Hack Squat i believe. if it's not the same, it's pretty close.

 

[JohnBoston]

this old bent over row

it has a wooden platform
with a bar that goes front to back
so you put the weight on the front
stand on the platform and do bent over rows

but i have also been using it for deadlifts
i stand close and flex the back with it

this pic is a more modern example than the wooden one i use, but

i dont see many gyms with them

 

[Biggerp73]

The pullover is both rare and also the most important machine a gym can have