Non affiliate link to hyper pro: https://freakathlete.co/products/hyper-pro
For those interested in the strength curve of the freak athlete leg curl and extension I took out my luggage scale to measure it when plate loaded (not cable). I measured where you put your feet for both leg curl and leg extension. I measured several times each at 3 different points (start, middle, end) and they were all about the same. Here were the averages:
My measurements on luggage scale:
Normalized Ratios:
Normalized to peak/Highest weight = 1.00 (So here I am making the highest point 1.00 so that you can see how the start and end point compare to the peak):
What does this mean?
Basically what this means is that the beginning of the movement is around 3/4 of the peak/Middle and the end is around 1/2 of the peak/middle.
My thoughts:
Do I think this is good or bad? I actually think this is decent for a plate loaded machine. The more consistent throughout the better but I am OK with these numbers. I’ve seen far worse from other machines where the starting point is near zero which is a worst case scenario.
Technically on these movements I’d prefer the highest number to be the start where I am stretched out but overall I don’t think that matters for most people. Also if the start was the heaviest, it would really drop off at the end. But also that would be better with bands that would make it heavier as you stretched them more.
Non affiliate link to Hyper Pro: https://freakathlete.co/products/hyper-pro
Notes:
*Note that luggage scales vary a bit because the weight moves as you move. I did test multiple times time get averages but for example I’d say there is a 3-5% variance. Like the 74% at start might be 72%-76%
*Just a point of reference for this and all machines – don’t worry about comparing 50lbs on this machine vs 50lbs on another leg curl. Compare this machine to itself, figure out weight you can do, and progress from there. Middle point of the lever where the weight is will always be the heaviest.
*I do have the cable attachment but did not measure that during this test.This is for plate loaded only. I did not measure with bands either. Maybe another day I will do those.
I picked up these straps a few months ago to help my son during bench press. While I personally prefer pins, I tend to set the safeties a little high for him as a safety precaution since he’s only 15. Nearly every set he would touch the pins and it would rattle him…so I went for straps. Someone on the HGD actually gave these to me, I just paid for shipping (and I gave them a little extra for being a nice person).
So far so good. They are very tight which a lot of people prefer because it makes them easier to set. They have just enough slack to adjust them (offset) by 3 holes.
They take one second to get on and off the rack. By far the easiest safeties to work with. Super easy for my wife and son.
The strap quality is great. Very thick with good stitching. I do wish I could use color straps like Bells of Steel offers and I may get those at some point.
Here a non affiliate link to the rep straps: https://repfitness.com/products/strap-safeties-2-0
I posted this as a joke but I do think the ‘need’ for a multiflight is interesting when there are so many things that do similar. I say this as I believe cables are probably superior and multiflights take up a lot of space, so its a tough sell in a home gym. But if you have the cash, space, and want the variation, sure they are cool for sure.
I’ve been posting about this bells of steel preacher attachment for a while and am glad to finally get it reviewed. Honestly its a great option for those that don’t want to be tied to a bench ecosystem. This and the bells leg curl and extension attachment.
I don’t have anything negative to really say about this piece. It works as it should. I’ve used it with cables, ez curl, dumbbells, and the weight horns that it comes with. Only gripe with this and any bench attachment is storage. This fortunately stands by itlsef and is easy to move around, you just need a 2×2′ area to store it.
There is an easy mod if you want to stabilize it with your bench using a piece of wood but I dont think you need to do that. Its working just fine as is. I’m looking forward to more companies creating stuff like this that stands alone (looking at you gearforfit).
I created this short for the bullet proof fitness contest. I do mean what I say in the vid – this is one of my favorite purchases over the past few years and has absolutely changed my training. At this point I’ve switched most barbell exercises to the VTS Lite.
Is VTS Lite perfect? Nope. I’ve covered some of that in my reviews. It can be tricky sometimes to get the latches in the holes. However, for its flaws, its got some big advantages over other smiths – like the fact that I can still use the uprights when its put on the top of my rack.
Showing off the Bullet Proof Fitness High/low pulleys. I am having a blast with these. I am using them for chest flies and they are perfect as they allow you to actually do wide chest flies. They also are out of the way and only take 1 second to set up the way I am using them.
My set up is the pulleys attached to my rack facing the sides. Then I am using a weight horn to add weight. I actually keep the weight horns loaded and there all of the time since they are out of the way making it literally take a few seconds to be ready to use.
I think bullet proof should be selling them for this exact movement – just selling the top pulleys and horns for people that want them just for flies. This would keep the cost down for people that dont require the entire set up.
Jammer arms get a ton of hate and for good reason. I typically tell people to NEVER buy them.
Why? Set up takes too long and while they seem really cool for a week, after that they collect dust. 99 out of 100 people end up hating jammer arms after 4 weeks of use (total made up stat but probably pretty realistic).
Anyway, I’ve had these for years and play around with them from time to time. This leg press set up isn’t all that bad and feels pretty good on my quads, just like a typical leg press.
I’ve got the weight out front with the spotter arms, bands connecting to the arms for tension, and I use a pull up bar for my feet so that they can slightly rotate during the press in a natural way. I’ve also got my seat stabilized as you can see in the video with a piece of wood and my rack. Seat is angled at 30 degrees. Might change that to 45 degrees next time. Still playing around with this to find a set up I like.
My goal with this is to potentially just avoid buying an actual leg press to save me space and $$$.
Put some hockey grip tape on my bells of steel wrist roller as it has no knurl and now matches my rogue v bar
