Fitness and Nutrition

Lat Pull Down Machine (optional rowing)

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Aug 2, 2010
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Lat Pull Down Machine (optional rowing)

Any recommendations? I am looking for a high quality one for my home and willing to buy used. The ones I see on amazon all have some 1-star reviews and appear to have flimsy construction, hazardous design and poor assembly instructions. Perhaps it's best to just visit some fitness equipment stores. I want something that is going to last 20 years not a cheap toy.
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Thanks. It's sold out and there sure are a lot of CONS with that machine. It seems to be a common thread amongst all these lat pulldowns that the instructions are horrible and parts to put it together are missing. Why don't the companies that sell these things care? I'd rather pay more and not have these problems.
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eonibm wrote: Thanks. It's sold out and there sure are a lot of CONS with that machine. It seems to be a common thread amongst all these lat pulldowns that the instructions are horrible and parts to put it together are missing. Why don't the companies that sell these things care? I'd rather pay more and not have these problems.
Yeah those come and go every couple months. It’s an affordable one, if you go to the commercial side you’d be more than double that price.

The ones in most fitness stores are going to be light duty.
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Dark Phoenix wrote: Yeah those come and go every couple months. It’s an affordable one, if you go to the commercial side you’d be more than double that price.

The ones in most fitness stores are going to be light duty.
I have no problem doubling the price. I don't want the pulley to come off the wheel or have it wobble either.
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I already had looked at them before. They don't have a lat pull down machine but only larger home gyms where that is incorporated into it.
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eonibm wrote: I already had looked at them before. They don't have a lat pull down machine but only larger home gyms where that is incorporated into it.
Thought they owned Hammer Strength which owns stand alone units.
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Thanks for that. They do. It's really buried on the website. They have exactly what I am looking for and the quality looks great as it's a commercial lat pull down. No rowing capability but that's ok.
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Turns out LifeFitness has a pull-down and row machine for about $3,300 CAD including tax. Whoa! I'd love to find one of these used as the weights and frame aren't going to become defective. It's only the pulley, cables and bushings that ever really have to be serviced/replaced.

https://lifefitness.com/facility/produc ... wn-low-row
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flaris wrote: https://www.powerbodyfitnessinc.com/pag ... ton-canada

They are based out of Mississauga. Got a pair of j-hooks made from them, cannot recommend enough.
I took a look at their website. They are a lot less expensive, Canadian-made, list all of the manufacturers of the parts they use, specify the steel gauge, etc. and can customize any of their products to your specifications. Sounds like a good choice for me. Thanks!
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flaris wrote: https://www.powerbodyfitnessinc.com/pag ... ton-canada

They are based out of Mississauga. Got a pair of j-hooks made from them, cannot recommend enough.
This is really useful, thanks! I've been looking for weight plate holders to fit on a 3 x 3" frame, can't find them after Treadmill Factory stopped carrying them. Just got in touch with them, and they might be able to do something custom.
eonibm wrote: I took a look at their website. They are a lot less expensive, Canadian-made, list all of the manufacturers of the parts they use, specify the steel gauge, etc. and can customize any of their products to your specifications. Sounds like a good choice for me. Thanks!
Just out of curiosity: Any reason you don't just do pull-ups or chin-ups? If the weight is too much, there are lots of progression (including using bands) to get you there.
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bdckr wrote: Just out of curiosity: Any reason you don't just do pull-ups or chin-ups? If the weight is too much, there are lots of progression (including using bands) to get you there.
The lat pulldown is a very versatile machine, especially with the low row.
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bdckr wrote: This is really useful, thanks! I've been looking for weight plate holders to fit on a 3 x 3" frame, can't find them after Treadmill Factory stopped carrying them. Just got in touch with them, and they might be able to do something custom.


Just out of curiosity: Any reason you don't just do pull-ups or chin-ups? If the weight is too much, there are lots of progression (including using bands) to get you there.
I use only free weights but for my lats/back I do have one of those chin up/pull up bars that you install on a doorway, but I find I am just to heavy (or not strong enough!) to pull myself up more than 4 or 5 times and there is no way to lighten myself (except to lose weight!). I've tried standing on a stool and having my legs help but it just doesn't work that well. With the lat pull-down I can set the weight I want. Also, I am thinking of getting their mid-row model and there is really no way to do that with free weights. Furthermore, although there are free weight tricep exercises, I can do tricep curls with the rope on the lat-pull down.

I did look at the low row but find the mid-row machine more comfortable than rowing while sitting on the ground, not to mention I do not have to re-position myself from the lat pull-down position.

Why is the guy in that video wearing a mask? Seems weird. Is he trying to remain anonymous or something?
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ditch the lat pulldown machine for home.
so much money, takes up too much space, all for something you can outgrow so easily.
i personally havent touched a lat pulldown machine in so many years, and i've got one of the strongest backs at my gym.

stick to pullups and chinups.

here's a progression routine that will work almost guaranteed:
you'll do these once every other day (sets x reps)
1x1 (start)
2x1
3x1
4x1 (week 2)
5x1
1x2
2x2 (week 3)
3x2
4x2
5x2 (week 4)
etc...


you'll be able to do sets of 5 in a few months.
you don't have to follow mine, because mine starts off too easy (for you) and progresses way too slowly.

but i hope you get the idea that through correctly planned progression your strength will increase.
if you google it, you'll find much better and more realistic progression paths for pullups with set instructions if you fail at any point.

good luck.

btw, i'm up to doing 5x5 with an extra 45lbs hanging off me super easily.
all thanks to super simple progression methods.
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eonibm wrote: I use only free weights but for my lats/back I do have one of those chin up/pull up bars that you install on a doorway, but I find I am just to heavy (or not strong enough!) to pull myself up more than 4 or 5 times and there is no way to lighten myself (except to lose weight!). I've tried standing on a stool and having my legs help but it just doesn't work that well. With the lat pull-down I can set the weight I want. Also, I am thinking of getting their mid-row model and there is really no way to do that with free weights. Furthermore, although there are free weight tricep exercises, I can do tricep curls with the rope on the lat-pull down.

I did look at the low row but find the mid-row machine more comfortable than rowing while sitting on the ground, not to mention I do not have to re-position myself from the lat pull-down position.

Why is the guy in that video wearing a mask? Seems weird. Is he trying to remain anonymous or something?
That guy is me. Yes, anonymous, because our channel has almost 20,000 subs, and we're trying to keep on-line separate from real life.
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bdckr wrote: That guy is me. Yes, anonymous, because our channel has almost 20,000 subs, and we're trying to keep on-line separate from real life.
Oh I thought it was a riff on those Chinese people that always seem to have those masks on too! But not only a face covering, but also a head covering and then even sunglasses too! What do you think would happen if people saw your face? It's the first time I have seen a youtube vide demo'ing something (products, services, fitness, etc) wear a getup like that and many have millions of subscribers vs your 20K.

Just sayin'/askin'.
Last edited by eonibm on May 25th, 2019 9:44 am, edited 4 times in total.
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hdave wrote: ditch the lat pulldown machine for home.
so much money, takes up too much space, all for something you can outgrow so easily.
i personally havent touched a lat pulldown machine in so many years, and i've got one of the strongest backs at my gym.

stick to pullups and chinups.

here's a progression routine that will work almost guaranteed:
you'll do these once every other day (sets x reps)
1x1 (start)
2x1
3x1
4x1 (week 2)
5x1
1x2
2x2 (week 3)
3x2
4x2
5x2 (week 4)
etc...


you'll be able to do sets of 5 in a few months.
you don't have to follow mine, because mine starts off too easy (for you) and progresses way too slowly.

but i hope you get the idea that through correctly planned progression your strength will increase.
if you google it, you'll find much better and more realistic progression paths for pullups with set instructions if you fail at any point.

good luck.

btw, i'm up to doing 5x5 with an extra 45lbs hanging off me super easily.
all thanks to super simple progression methods.
Thanks. I could try that but that sure seems like a quick progression. What type of hand position(s) and when? There are many different ones.

As for getting the machine, space is not an issue for me as I have a room devoted to working out. Neither is money. As for outgrowing it I don't know how I would as it goes up to 220 and I am 175. Also, how does one do something akin to rowing without it?
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eonibm wrote: Oh I thought it was a riff on those Chinese people that always seem to have those masks on too! But not only a face covering, but also a head covering and then even sunglasses too! What do you think would happen if people saw your face? It's the first time I have seen a youtube vide demo'ing something (products, services, fitness, etc) wear a getup like that and many have millions of subscribers vs your 20K.

Just sayin'/askin'.
The biggest difference is that we're mainly a channel playing a specific mobile game (Injustice) that has been around for 4-5 years with a declining audience. We do other unrelated stuff (like the chin-up video) every once in a while (once a year?) for the heck of it.

Only a small proportion of channels reach millions of subs, and it takes a lot of work to make a living at it (we are only averaging about $1000 USD/year), so we do the channel just for fun. So it's not worth the risk of posting something that could come back to bite us in real life.

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