Lever Squat | Standing Calf Raise | Viking Press
ATX® Lever Arm Squat Pro – Viking Press Key Features
Construction
Designed and Engineered in Germany.
Certified for Commercial Use by European Standards – EN 20957 I.II.IV – S.
400 kgs Safe Working Load.
High base weight of 134 kgs.
Extra Wide footplate – 90 cm.
6 x Weight Plate holders.
Ergonomic pad design
Extra thicc and anatomically shaped. The additional girth will prevent the pads from digging into your shoulders. While the continuous design leaves no gap for your shoulders to slide in when training heavy.
Oversized Footplate
The width of the footplate has been extended to 90 cm.
The angle has also been lowered significantly to reduce load on your ankles.
The front of the footplate also features a standing calf raise platform.
Viking Press Handles
The maximum grip width is approx. 90 cm which would be equivalent to using a wide grip on a powerlifting barbell.
Two grip variations.
Dual Height Adjustment Mechanism
The height can be adjusted by pushing one of the two solid steel pins. They feature a nylon stopper to prevent metal to metal contact.
Safety Stoppers
The unit features a total of 8 safety stopper pin adjustment positions. The pin is manufactured out of 30 mm thick solid steel
Resistance Band Training
Welded on resistance band pegs for those who want to change up the strength curve or add some additional resistance to their training.
Industrial Bearings
The lever arm operates on 25 mm thick solid steel shaft and features 2 industrial flange bearings which thick cast iron housing
Weight Plate Storage
The ATX® Lever Arm Squat Pro – Viking Press features a total of 6 weight plate holders. Which are manufactured out of 30 mm thick solid steel.
4 x 25 cm long weight horns are located at the back of the unit, while 2 x 18 cm long weight horns are in the middle of the unit.
Oversized Weight Horns
This unit features 35 cm long, 30 mm thick solid steel weight horns.
Comes with a pair of Olympic Adaptors.
Sam's Review
Good quality leg machines that can handle loads of weight aren’t cheap these days. A leg press in this price range will not be up for commercial use. But what sweetens this deal even more is that it has legit shoulder exercise almost worthy of being a stand-alone machine in its own right. German engineering at its finest.
Now I have been selling leverage squat machines for 20 years now. First the Powertec one and now the Megatec one. Both were great machines – excellent exercise, relatively compact for a leg machine and very good value too. Especially since they were great for standing calf raises too.
The ATX-SQM-700 leaves these behind. Everything about it is better. Stronger, more functionality, more features – the list goes on. So I will break it down for you.
Handles
For years people did a viking press on leverage squat machines. They gripped the pads, the weight horns or anyway they could. So when I saw the handles on the latest versions straight away I knew this was a massive upgrade.
Starting from the top, when I saw the unit built for the first time I thought it was missing end caps on the handles. But after using the viking press I know why they are not there. They are designed for heavy lifting.
They are paintwork is textured for grip. The end caps and grips would end up being popped out or destroyed eventually in a hard & heavy strongman style gym. They are 3 mm thick walled – built for big lifts.
Pads
The pad design on this machine is another stand out feature when comparing to previous models. They are much bigger and contoured. I remember on the old designs, if you had more of a tradional squat movement, the base back pads would dig into your lower back. There is no such issue with these one piece designs.
Now even with this upgraded design, if you are lifting heavy you will experience some discomfort. You are always going to feel 200+ kilos on your shoulders. But this would have to be one of the most comfortable ways to do it.
Weight Horns
The weight horns are massive with 36.5 cms of loading space. Previously on the old model they were only 26cm. They are also angled so you won’t need collars to hold the weights in place.
Squat Arm
The squat arm has also been significantly re-designed. It is made from 3mm thick steel. It has reinforcement plates that are 6mm. On the underside it has handles for grip as well hooks for resistance bands. It pivots on a solid steel axis and industrial bearings.
Frame
Another standout difference between this machine and the older versions is the height. This model is shorter. The old versions used to have a bit of flex. This was understandable. A squat machine is going to have to take a fair amount of weight, which is suspended at height.
Just like bridges and skyscrapers are designed to flex, this movement was not a problem. I saw some pretty impressive weight lifted on Powertec Squat Machines with no issues.
By making the frame shorter, this new design has addressed this issue. Plus the side supports intersect the upright higher than the older designs. This not only makes it stronger, but also provides more room for weight storage.
You will also notice the dual start stop positions. Plus there are band pegs for using resistance bands.
Base
Finishing off, there is the footplate which is massive. This accommodates so many foot positions for different variations. You will also notice that there holes in the base so that you can bolt the machine down.
Personally I have never done a heavy enough viking press to move the machine, but if you can and it is an issue there is a solution. Or you can just leave weight on the weight horns.
Exercises
Aside from the obvious exercises – squats, viking press, standing calf raise and lunges – there are other exercises that you can do. The Gym Professor did a video on some of the variations. Now some of them are marginal, but others like the chest press are performed by their gym members regularly.
After selling Powertec leverage machines for years, in a home situation a leverage arm like the one on this machine is a major source of innovation. You will be surprised what people come up with playing around. But don’t buy this machine on these variations.
The squat and shoulder exercises more than cover the cost of this machine. With squats you can do traditional squats and a hack squat movement. Pendulum squat machines are all the rage now.
But these machines can be massive plus cost a bomb. I am no biomechanical expert, but with correct body position you can get pretty close to the movement at a fraction of the price. What this machine lacks in comparison to a pendulum squat, it will make up for it as a great shoulder press.
That is the best way to value this machine. All the other exercises are just the cherry on top.
So if you are a gym this a great way to add to quality exercises at your gym for the serious trainers. At this price you would be hard pressed to find a machine that can do two quality compound movements on two different body parts with heavy weight.
At this price you would be hard pressed to find a machine that can do two quality compound movements on two different body parts with heavy weight.
For a home user, if you lift heavy but don’t have the money or space for a quality leg press that can handle decent weight, then this machine will be worth a look.
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