ATX® Lat Tower Option Buying Guide
A Power Rack is one of the best investments that you can make in any gym environment. They allow you to do loads of exercises safely. Most importantly, some of those exercises like bench press and squats, are considered the most effective in terms of building strength and muscle mass.
In a home gym, or even a studio, you could train forever with just a Power Rack. You can hit every body part with multiple exercises.
However, adding a Lat Tower to a Power Rack will expand your universe like no other piece of gym equipment. It not only adds loads of exercises, but the added exercises complement the ones that you are already doing on the Power Rack.
While you can do quality exercises like chin-ups and bent-over rows with a Power Rack, the variety is a little thin. The Lat Tower gives you several quality pulling and rowing exercises, along with their many variations.
The list of accessory exercises and variations with a high/low pulley are nearly endless.
But the best part, particularly for gyms that are tight on space, is that Lat Options take up very little additional space. This is even more impressive when you take into consideration the vast number and quality of the exercises that they offer.
The ATX® Advantage
I mentioned in the ATX® Power Rack buying guide that ATX® is not only a mile ahead of their competition with their rack design but also with the quality and quantity of their optional attachments.
They have released a total of 8 different Lat Tower Options, which consist of both plate loaded and stack weight versions. The range includes options for users of different experience levels and budgets.
If you are looking at the range for the very first time, it can get quite confusing when you are choosing which one will suit you best.
In this article I will break down the different features of the different Lat Options to help you choose the best suitable option for your ATX® Rack.
The Design
Frame
One of the best things about any of the ATX® Lat Pulldown Attachment is the simplicity of the design. The frame itself is manufactured out of structural steel which not only provides you with a smooth movement, regardless of the load but also increases the overall stability of your Power Cage.
60 mm x 60 mm x 2 mm – ATX-LTO-510. ATX-LTO-520
80 mm x 40 mm x 2 mm – ATX-LTO-650-PL, ATX-LTO-650-SW
70 mm x 70 mm x 3 mm – ATX-LTO-750-PL, ATX-LTO-750-SW
Integrated – ATX-LTO-800-CA-PL, ATX-LTO-800-CA-SW
Height
In the past the lat tower attachments would increase the overall height of the power cage. This prevented some of the users with limited ceiling height from getting this addon.
ATX® have solved this issue by making sure that the lat tower sits slightly lower than the highest point of any ATX® Rack. This is particularly handy when squeezing your Power Cage System up against the wall in a room with a pitched internal ceiling.
194 cm – ATX-LTO-510
214 cm – ATX-LTO-520
218 cm – ATX-LTO-650-PL, ATX-LTO-650-SW
224 cm – ATX-LTO-750-PL, ATX-LTO-750-SW
Base Weight
The overall stability and the smoothness of the movement has a lot to do with the base weight of the lat tower option, even when it shares the weight with the rack.
21 kg – ATX-LTO-510
22 kg – ATX-LTO-520
48.5 kg – ATX-LTO-650-PL
152.5 kg – ATX-LTO-650-SW
56 kg – ATX-LTO-750-PL
168 kg – ATX-LTO-750-SW
43 kg – ATX-LTO-800-CA-PL
159 kg – ATX-LTO-800-CA-SW
The ATX® LTO-510 & LTO-520 are the smallest members of the family. However, that does not mean that their structural integrity is compromised and that you will be left with a substandard product.
To reduce the manufacturing costs and still provide the optimum stability, ATX® opted for a single guide rail design. A 60 mm x 60 mm x 2 mm tube to be exact.
No matter how much weight you are planning on loading, you will never be able to Pull/Row enough to make the guide rail flex!
Stack Weight/ Can you upgrade later?
One of the main benefits of the stack weight version is the reduced footprint as well as the time saved loading/unloading the weight plates. But not everyone is willing to drop an additional few hundred dollars on a luxury which could be worked around.
Personally, I do not mind changing the weight plates as it gives me something to do between sets. It also allows me to load up the carriage in gradual increments (as low as 0.25 kg!)
For those who want this luxury but are not ready to spend the additional money in a single purchase, ATX® offers the opportunity to upgrade their plate loaded version (ATX-650 or ATX-750) with either *115 kgs or *125 kgs weight stack.
(*depending on the model of the lat tower)
Unfortunately you can not upgrade the ATX-LTO-510 or ATX-LTO-520 to a weight stack.
Pulley Type
Quality pulleys will not only allow you to pull/row more weight but also aid in the smoothness of the movement.
You will find four different types of pulleys in the ATX® Machines:
90 mm – Nylon, 160 kgs capacity
115 mm – Nylon, 160 kgs capacity
120 mm Extra Wide – Nylon, 160 kgs capacity
140 mm – Aluminum, 160 kgs capacity
Each of them features dual bearings for improved stability, fluency of the movement, and increased weight load capacity.
Guide Rail Type
The previous generation of the lat tower attachments featured a 25mm thick steel, hollow tube design. This arrangement did a fantastic job providing a silky-smooth movement, even when heavyweight was being used.
The German philosophy is always to improve. That is why they have progressed to a solid steel 20mm thick guide rail. With a smaller surface area, there is even less resistance. Solid steel gives even more stability.
As mentioned above, the entry-level Lat Options – ATX-LTO-510 and ATX-LTO-520 – feature a simple square tube design. This significantly reduces the cost as the square tube not only acts as the structure, it also is the guide rail.
Some people may be put off by this type of design. There have been many a cheap Lat Option manufactured using this technique. When you started hitting moderate weights the weight carriage would start binding up.
Rest assured, there are no such issues with the ATX design. The carriage is configured so the drag is distributed evenly. Most importantly the bushing system is unique and flawless. It was used on the first generation ATX® Smith Cable Racks which cost thousands. There was nothing cheap about these machines.
60 mm x 60 mm x 2 mm – ATX-LTO-510, ATX-LTO-520
20 mm Solid Steel – ATX-LTO-650-PL/SW, ATX-LTO-750-PL/SW, ATX-LTO-800-CA-PL/SW
Weight Horn Dimensions
While the weight horn dimensions should not matter to you if you are planning on using Olympic adaptors as you can only use one size. Trust me the length will keep you satisfied. With a 1:1 ratio, you will be able to load up enough plates that will stop you in your tracks.
21.5 cm – ATX-LTO-510, ATX-LTO-520
22 cm – ATX-LTO-650-PL, ATX-LTO-750-PL
24.5 cm – ATX-LTO-800-CA-PL
Weight Ratio
There is nothing worse than the customer having to spend their hard-earned cash on the lat tower attachment only for it to be compromised by mechanical advantage.
The more pulleys are involved in lifting the carriage/weight stack the higher the mechanical advantage. While it might be a great feature to boost your ego or a bragging point for Instagram likes, it is counterproductive.
Thanks to German ingenuity every single ATX® Lat Tower Option offers a true 1:1 Ratio.
While it might not seem like the most innovative feature out there, it does aid the user in a few different ways:
– There is no need to waste your time and money on loading the extra plates.
– It extends the longevity of the cables and pulleys, on the compromised machines, the weight just does not get halved automagically. Some pulleys would be taking the full load, the uneven wear and tear would require far more maintenance than the machines with true weight ratio.
– On an ATX® Lat tower you are lifting the loaded weight + the carriage weight (for plate loaded options)
Weight Load Capacity
There will always be someone for whom the safe working load of 160 kgs will not be enough.
Please remember that the weights you were training within your standard commercial gym will feel completely different on the ATX® Lat Tower due to non-existent mechanical advantage.
140 kgs – ATX-LTO-510, ATX-LTO-520.
160 kgs – ATX-LTO-650-SW/PL, ATX-LTO-750-SW/PL, ATX-LTO-800-CA-SW/PL
Carriage Weight
It comes in handy to know how much weight exactly you are lifting. Especially when you are working out your training loads.
2.1 kgs – ATX-LTO-510, ATX-LTO-520
9 kgs – ATX-LTO-650-PL, ATX-LTO-750-PL
8.7 kgs – ATX-LTO-800-CA-PL
To calculate the most accurate weight you should add an additional 600gr (2 x 300 gr) to the weight of the carriage. This is the weight of the Olympic weight horns.
High Pulley
The ATX® Lat tower options have been designed in a way where you would be able to get the full stretch at the top of the movement. This feature is sought after by taller users who cannot extend their arms at the top.
If you are planning on pulling heavy, the LTO-650 & LTO-750 includes adjustable knee rests. Which will allow you to lock yourself in so that you would not lift when you are pulling the weight down.
This only becomes needed when you are lifting approximately 80% of your bodyweight.
The ATX-LTO-800-CA features an optional seat attachment which can be fitted at a custom height on ATX-PRX-800 Series Power Cage.
For those who are not concerned about training with more than 80% of their body weight, I would recommend opting for LTO-520 or LTO-510. They are just as stable and boast a 140 kg weight load capacity but are significantly cheaper due to the square guide rail design and no knee lock.
For people using the the 510 or 520 systems, once you hit 80% of your bodyweight you can always start doing chin ups!
Low Pulley
It’s all about comfort! ATX® includes footrests with most of their Lat Towers. (Except LTO-800-CA)
This allows you to maintain the optimal stability when doing heavy rows.
Inclusions
Alongside the mainframe you will also receive a few accessories to help you get started:
3 x Carabiners – for securing your cable attachments to the pulley.
1 x Extension chain – for reducing the distance you must pull before you start your exercise.
Classification
Every single machine and attachment in ATX® range is certified for either domestic or commercial use:
EN 20957 H – Certified for Domestic/Small Studio use by European Standards.
EN 20957 S – Certified for Studio/Light Commercial Gym use by European Standards.
Warranty
Every single Lat tower comes with a 5-year manufacturers’ warranty.