Powertec Lat Systems – Are they smooth? Are they heavy duty?

When people are looking at the Powertec Power Rack System or the Powertec Lat Machine they often ask is the Powertec lat system smooth and heavy duty. I thought I would post a video so you could make up your own mind.

Powertec Lat System In Action

Here is a short video of Brad on his last set of Lat Pulldowns on the Powertec Power Rack System. The Powertec Lat Machine has the same set up.

I can’t say exactly how much he was lifting but it was around 80kgs. As you can see the machine won. Some of the cheaper lat machines with the single upright supports feel smooth with lighter weights like 30 or 40kgs. However when you up the weights the resistance really varies through the range of motion. Hopefully you can see the constant resistance demonstrated in this video.

No Mechanical Advantage

This video also shows you that there is little if any mechanical advantage. Sometimes certain gym equipment can have a mechanical advantage due to the arrangement of the cables and pulleys. So you might be lifting 100kgs but it is only taking 80kgs of effort.

Another piece of info worth noting too is the effectiveness of the rollers that lock your thighs in place. As you can see at the end of the set the weight Brad is lifting would easily lift him off the Powertec bench if the rollers weren’t locking him in position. Many lat units on power racks do not have these.

This video is at least 6 or 7 years old and we have lost count of how many set of these set ups. One of the reasons we have sold so much of this gym equipment is because people are blown away by the action and the feel – so after they try it at a mates home gym they can’t wait to set their own up!