Actually the avenger line is from medx. So Arthur sold nautilus shortly after Gary started hammer. Arthur then got heavily into rehabilitation and designed the Medx range for this reason and became obsessed with reducing friction as much as possible with stacked weight machines (medx machines stack differently) he then produced a hardcore range of plate loaded kit which was the avenger line. The avenger row chest press shoulder and leg press are still rated by many to be some of the best kit ever produced.
I am impressed. You know your shit.
Thanks for the correction. You are absolutely correct. Good catch. I forget it fell from the Medx tree. How could I have been so stupid?
Why do you know this? Most folks don’t even know Avenger even existed. I have never seen on in a gym, did not even know if any were still in existence.
I saw a few of the Avanger pieces at Joe Cirulli’s gym in Gainesville, FL. Arthur sent me there to see meet Joe and see a bunch of MedX that Joe had. He had a few Avenger pieces. They were very rudimentary chrome machines, I seem to remember just a lever arm. I think I remember seeing a hip and back and a leg extension machine but a lot of water on bridge since then.
I did take some photos of them on them but I don’t think they I printed them, I would have to look through 100lbs. of research material I have on Arthur and Nautilus.
I am fairly familiar with the MedX medical and the gym line. Visited the factory in Anthony many times. (Was never very busy like the Nautilus factory in Lake Helen. Arthur even offered me a job in factory as a machinist but I turned it down. Not my kind of machine shop. Looked a sweat shop to me and was one.)
In Arthur’s living room he had a bunch of MedX exercise machines, not medical. I used them when I lived with him. I remember once, dressed in a tank top and shorts (stupid, he had seen some of the best physiques in the world at the time, he even trained some of them . . . I was not impressive) and asking him if he would train me. He didn’t even look up from the book he was reading and said no, not even looking up. I then said “Arthur, this might be the time you get to train me.” Same response.
But he did years prior when he was hosting doctors from all over the world at his ranch I was the invited to attend one. And I did, actually attended another one the next day. On one of the days I raised my hand when he asked if anybody wanted to be tested on the medical leg extension machine and of course I said yes. He put me through the paces, not fun, and got a readout of my strength curve for my quads. That I know where it is.
Yes, the machines were very very low friction, partially because, as you mentioned, the weight stack moved vertically a very short distance for two reasons. 1. to reduce fiction and 2. to help remove momentum or at least try reduce it.
Gotta stop here. Don't want to bore everybody.
Maybe we can get ergo to chime in. No?
