L-PL Powertec Power Lever
I am not going to lie to you. The L-PL Powertec Power Lever was a gimmick. Practically all the exercises that are demonstrated can be performed with a 4ft Olympic barbell. It can be argued that the Olympic barbell option is superior too. Most importantly for the budget conscious, it was a lot cheaper.
Now I am the biggest fan of exercises in leverage format. I am not a person who preaches barbell and dumbbell exercises only. Or that they are vastly superior. In some cases and for some people leverage exercises are better. I have not dismissed this machine out of hand.
Exercises like rows and and bicep curls were good on the Power Lever. You did not have to stabilise and for some you may have felt improved muscle isolation. My counter to that argument would be to use less weight on a barbell and focus on form.
Powertec’s Power Lever Sales Pitch
The Power Lever was originally developed to duplicate the pattern of the traditional standing barbell curl for biceps and forearms. It probably accomplishes this as the best arm curl machine you’ll ever feel.
We also discovered that the unique scissors-type lever arm motion provides the perfect patterns for many strength-building exercises such as rows, shrugs, cleans, deadlifts, push-ups, and even squats.
The dual lever operation makes every movement feel totally natural but as with all leverage machines gives you that added feature of exercise control, that allows you to really focus on the exercise intensity and eliminates the negative balance issues experienced from a barbell or dumbbells.
This simple machine provides a true full body workout. The lever arm is bearing-driven for smooth and silent operation. The unit also folds and locks in the upright position when not in use to save floor space and is on wheels for easy mobility.
Specifications:
Model # L-PL
L=107cm W=92cm HT=92cm WT=20kgs
Weight load capacity =225kgs
Powertec Power Lever Final Word
Although I opened with my thoughts that the L-PL Powertec Power Lever was a gimmick. I think it is important to put it into historical context. Weight lifting is constantly evolving as more performance data is analyzed.
Even NFL teams once focused on machines for strength and conditioning before moving back to free weights. It is human nature to try new things and develop ideas. Back when the Power Lever was being drawn up there was still a focus on machines.
Some customers actually really liked their Power Lever. Home gym enthusiasts will never cease to amaze me. They can take products and work them into their training programs. As mentioned previously this machine could easily be replaced by a barbell.
But it small and relatively cheap in comparison to other machines. Adding to your home gym is not a massive issue. So the additional exercise variations is just another way of adding variety.