Powertec Leverage Squat Machine L-SC
The Powertec Leverage Squat Machine was and always will be one of my favourite leg machines. Leverage squat machines are far more common these days. But wind the clock back 20 years and they were a real head turner.
Back then the options for leg machines were limited and expensive. A quality 45 degree leg press machine was on par with current day prices. Belt squat machines were unheard of. So the Powertec Leverage Squat Machine offered up at less than a grand made it very appealing.
Powertec Leverage Squat Old Listing
A lot of people new to weight training assume that you can only get big by taking steroids. Bodybuilding has been around longer than steroids and the way they got big in the good old days was squatting and eating. This formula still works today; the only problem is that the eating part is easy. The squats are hard work.
Many weight trainers haven’t squatted or don’t like squatting because they don’t feel comfortable or safe. In modern gyms, there are fancy machines that work the legs in all types of movements but the good old-fashioned squat is still the king.
Squat With Safety
The Powertec Leverage Squat/Calf allows you to perform squats in a controlled movement with complete safety. The patented stop/start lever allows you to pick the weight up from the top part of the movement. The spotter bar holds the load if you can’t complete the repetition.
The squat arm has heavy-duty padding that avoids the pain associated with performing traditional barbell squats. The top padding sits on your shoulders and the padding at the rear cradles you into the correct position.
The angle of the footplate on the Powertec Leverage Squat/Calf allows you to isolate the quads, hamstrings, and glutes by taking the load off the back and the knees. The movement will work parts of the leg that you don’t hit with traditional barbell squats because most people don’t get the same range of motion.
The big bonus with the Powertec Leverage Squat/Calf is that you get the added bonus of standing calf raise. The calf block allows full range of motion and the resistance-free motion of the squat arm makes it perfect for training calves.
To top it off, leverage lunges on this machine is one of the best exercises going around. You can target both quads and hammies. Check out Leverage Lunges.
The Powertec Leverage Squat Calf takes only Olympic weight plates. Olympic weight plates are sold separately. Standard weight horns can be purchased separately if you already have standard or 30mm diameter hole plates.
The Start Of A Family
With the split between Powertec and IFS the Megatec Leverage Squat Machine was born. It was very similar to the Powertec versions. This was re-branded to ATX.
ATX took the concept further and then released the best leverage squat machine so far. The ATX-SQM-700 was made to take out all the flaws of the older versions. The frame was stronger so can handle a lot more weight. Best of all they put handles on it so that you can do viking press.