P-LM13 Powertec Lat Machine Back – New and Improved.
The new Powertec Lat Machine P-LM13 is back in the Powertec line up after a short hiatus. The previous P-LM and P-LM10 were both solid pieces of gym equipment – they could handle well over 130+ kilos and still run super smooth. However the main criticism with the machine was that the range of motion was limited.
So the new P-LM13 model was designed with this specifically in mind.
Range of Motion
The range of motion has been extended in two ways. First is the seat section has been lowered. I actually proposed this fix after my friend performed this modification on his old P-LM.
This mod alone gave the old P-LM plenty of range for people around the 6ft mark.
The other change made for the range of motion was top pulley has been recessed into the top of the frame. Previously this was housed in a section below the frame.
The end result is that you have loads more range on lat pulldowns. To get an indication I am 6ft and have got plenty of stretch here:
Other Changes
The change that really stands out is that the upright supports and chrome guide rails have swapped position. This has been done so you can add a weight stack later on.
Another minor change that I submitted to Powertec was the inclusion of a foot plate. On the old P-LM the machine could sometimes lift when doing bicep curls. It was easy enough to stop by resting your toes on the seated row foot pegs. But a foot plate would make it a whole lot easier plus it looks good too.
The Verdict
We had not long set up our first showroom model when a couple of likely looking lads came in who were setting up a home gym. They jumped on and threw on a few plates and just said that it was a lot smoother than the one in their old gym. A couple of hours later they came back and we were forking it on the back of a table top truck for them. I then had to assemble another unit.
Check out a short video of Lee training on it at the bottom of this article.
There is some additional assembly instructions that can be downloaded from the Lat Machine Product Page. If you need any other information don’t hesitate to ask.