Are Lever Arms Worth it in a Home Gym?

[@NoFate247]

Did I give a fair assessment of Lever arms or am I just a bitter old man? Support the Honest Pirate Ship: nofate247.com/affiliates/

[@CraigularjJoeWoodworks]

Good review, I own bells of steel lever arms. The 2 things I use them for are part of my warm up for Olympic lifting (a few times per week) so they work for me… but admittedly I would say most people won’t benefit from them. Something I recently learned is if you mount them inside the rack they won’t tip the unsecured rack. My BoS levers have detachable handles so it’s a little different that the ones you have

[@avinashtyagi2]

Completely fair, but I am interested in seeing Bulletproof Fitness's version when they finally, eventually, come out (innovative company, but their products take forever to release, still waiting for their PCD)

[@jasondobson7719]

I could not agree with this video more! I'm embarrassed to say that I drank the Kool-aid. I bought the Titan ones for my Rep rack thinking that they would be a game-changer by replicating all the Hammer Strength presses, back and shrug machines. NOOOPPPPE! I was very disappointed. But because I'm so stubborn, I was determined to make them work. I brought them to the machine shop I work at to modify them, and fab up articulating handles like Rogue's. They did improve them, but still not worth it. For what they do and how they do it is just not worth how cumbersome they are to set up and trip over when not in use.

[@NoFate247]

Where do you usually store them, on the rack?

[@jasondobson7719]

@@NoFate247 on someone else's. Lol! I sold them.

[@floydowens7602]

This and Basement Brandon's honest review are the best on YT. Really appreciate this review. It's saving me some bread. Much appreciated.

[@NoFate247]

Yeah nothing worse than buying something to have it completely under deliver on your expectations. What's going to be your next home gym purchase you think?

[@floydowens7602]

@@NoFate247 My next purchase is going to be the Rep open trap bar. Setting the small goals as a reward.

[@NoFate247]

This is the way @@floydowens7602

[@alfredo31024]

Got the iso arms for my pr4000. I use mine about 5 times a week. From different pull ups styles to presses. Biggest issue is the set up by I don’t mind the minute it takes to move around. Good video thought. To each their own.

[@NoFate247]

Glad to hear they are working for you! Not my bag but if you are making them work for you that is all that counts

[@alfredo31024]

@@NoFate247 yea to each their own. That’s the beauty of building your own gym right. Adding and removing stuff is part of the fun.

[@AnthonyTran]

My previous gym had the rogue lever arms. You’re 100% right. They were a pain in the ass and took forever to set up. And for hypertrophy work, the resistance curve is all wrong for a lot of exercises.

[@NoFate247]

Bingo!!!!!

[@briand5047]

Totally disagree. I love my lever arms...after warming up on my Tony Little Gazelle, then the Titan stealth leg press, on to the Suzanne Somers thigh master, then MonkeyFeet leg extentions, lever arm rows and then the shake weight as a finisher.

[@NoFate247]

Suzanne Somers sold about 100,000 of those thighmasters if she sold 1. Don't forget the shake weights! Tony Little's hair is still legendary

[@bigk2080]

I definitely fall into the regret column. I bought a pair from Titans scratch and dent for $200, still struggling to find the scratches and dents😂. After a few months I considered selling them until I saw a video of the Vendetta trolley adaptors and I doubled down and bought them. I happy to say that they are a game changer and I use them in everyworkout. That being said if I could go back and do it all over again Id buy a Powertech Lever gym and a cheap 2x2 rack.

[@NoFate247]

What's your favorite exercise with the trolley adaptors?

[@aptn22]

You’ve had quite a few hot takes that I’ve agreed with wholeheartedly. It just shows you’re actually trying to use this equipment. Lever arms aren’t worth it, the Thompson fat pad is too wide for the average user, rogue USA competition plates are a pain because they’re too thin making them a pain to pick up in everyday use. These reviews make you a really good resource for the average home gym owner.

[@NoFate247]

I use everything I review and try to use it for a while to get a good feel for it. My frame is way too narrow for those fat pads. I always assume massive 250 dudes rock those things. What do you want to see me review next

[@aptn22]

@@NoFate247would love to see more home gym tours. Honestly I think you’re due for 2024, we haven’t gotten a full nofate home gym tour yet. Would love to see it!

[@NoFate247]

2 gym tours planned for 2024 Q1, just need to clear up the backlog of videos. Notice I was wearing shorts in this one... (filmed this one about 4 months ago) @@aptn22

[@connormckay9429]

I think the most optimum set up for lever arms is a combination of 3 seperate things: the arms themselves, the kaisen adapter that allows them to articulate, and then the vandetta strength attachment thats a trolley and allows you to set a starting point for them. Granted, just like everything else that can "do it all" its gonna cost you some cha ching to do it but i think its what Im gonna do to add on to my rep rack

[@NoFate247]

What exercises are you hoping to get out of them?

[@connormckay9429]

@@NoFate247 Mostly just the standard pressing movements in combination with bands, feel like itll be nice to switch up the routine with some of that as opposed to the dumbbells and barbell which are the only things i currently have

[@ommaigod]

I think the main reason for lack of functionality is because lever/jammer arms are in their infant stages. With some tech innovations like we're starting to see with Vendetta, I think that will change.

[@NoFate247]

You have a point. Some great innovations are definitely in the works

[@murdog04]

I feel the jammer arms only really become an asset when you have the ability to keep them hooked up to your rack and not have them impeded any other movements. I have a functional trainer (The Ares) on my power rack and these arms would totally get in the way if I left them mounted. Too much of a pain in the tail to take them off and on. I have the Bulletproof Isolator (which I love), but I had to get a separate upright so I could keep it attached. I feel if it takes more than 30 seconds or so to get your equipment set up for an exercise, you probably are just not going to do it. Thanks so much for the great review.

[@NoFate247]

I see some people utilizing these setups that take 5+ minutes to get ready and if it takes me more than 60 seconds, for get about it. How do you like the ares?

[@CM-rt8gt]

I agree with above, I have the ares attachment and love having the functional trainer and lat pull down, but putting ISO arms on it wouldn’t be practical or work very well.

[@LukesGarageGym]

Checking in! My lever arms haven’t moved from the floor in 3 weeks 🤣

[@NoFate247]

Exactly!!! Fun for the first week and then dust collectors right?

[@LukesGarageGym]

@@NoFate247 YESSIR!

[@andrewstearns9276]

😂

[@BasementBrandon]

I know some that love them but ain’t nobody got time fo dat

[@NoFate247]

Time....the most precious resource

[@redwhiteandblueblood]

I think it comes down to training styles and convenience with the jammer arms Someone like Basement Brandon is a competitive powerlifter, so if he's going to do accessories it'll likely be powerlifting specific to his bench press, like tempo bench, block presses, close grip bench to hit his triceps/lockout more, or maybe some incline presses or dumbbell presses etc I recently bought an ATX squat rack and their body building style jammer arms (only weigh 10kg each, basically the same as mounting a safety spotter arm) in the hopes of it being a full blown attachment rack to give me a heap of different training options eventually, something my 2x3 power rack cannot achieve as that particular supplier will not bother to upgrade their line and move with the times. I'm confident I'll get a good amount of accessory work with my jammer arms on chest, back and shoulder days when I'm not hitting the barbell.

[@NoFate247]

Agreed! Lots of people love and fully utalize jammer arms. I just wish about the people who buy them and never use them

[@MDRFoto]

After adding a couple of adapters (vendetta and gympin) i use my lever arms during every single bodybuilding workout

[@NoFate247]

NICE!!! What lever arms do you have?

[@liftheavyworkoutmix7335]

I like my lever arms a lot. I'm in my mid 50's and these are easier on my joints and I have had good results.

[@NoFate247]

If it is working then definitely don't change it

[@hybridresistance]

About to post a video on lever arms and was doing a search on titles, which lead me to your video. Surprised to see a lot of similar assessments, especially emphasizing the basic exercises.

[@NoFate247]

Thanks for checking in!!!!

[@NoFate247]

Shoot me a link to your video once it's live

[@joecowan3719]

You are right on the lever arms, but good point about adding bands. The bands have upped my utilization on mine. Bye bye Belicheat 😜

[@NoFate247]

Yeah Bands help them feel a bit more natural and add resistace at the top, but these will never replace hammer strength machines. Poor Bill, sad to see him go but curious why so many coaches want to keep doing it into their late 70's. I kinda want to be retired by then? Where you think he'll land?

[@joecowan3719]

@@NoFate247 You see this with people in positions of "power" in their given industry: doctors, lawyers, politicians, coaches. They don't want to retire because then they are just a regular person. Someone like Bill has no life outside of football, football is his life and he wants the record. Now that most teams are going the young coordinator route, and he is set in his ways and wants all the control, I can really only see him going to an older club like the Bears, Giants, DC, but having to take a year off. I heard some silly rumor about Reid retiring after this year...now that would be so bad...for the rest of the league!

[@MrEsNewChannel]

Jonathan's saving the day again. Great video

[@NoFate247]

Thanks for watching and being here. What video you want to see next

[@MrEsNewChannel]

@@NoFate247 what about a review of the RP Hypertrophy app?

[@JoeyJungleGym]

This video hit home (gym) guilty of buying the dream machine add on. Whats not to love about 50 more exercises with 1 attachment? Those things take up about as much time to adjust as a completing 1 more set. The Titan series are well made but they're heavy and awkward and I know there has to be 100 people out there with smashed fingers trying to change levels. Ended up buying an entire 2nd rack just to move them off of the PR5000 . Still only used them twice in the month, with them already set up and ready to go. Had to have it, not worth hassle of getting rid of. The price of trolley arms isn't worth investment.

[@NoFate247]

Yeah I doubt you could sell them for much unfortunately 😥. But we have all made home gym mistakes

[@scooobyj8714]

I have only tried lever arms once and they were fun to use. I don’t think I could justify buying them for how much I expect myself to use them.

[@NoFate247]

Yeah in a home gym, it's hard to buy stuff you won't use more than 1x a month. Whats t he next home gym purchase you've got your eye on?

[@scooobyj8714]

@@NoFate247 I recently threw my back out so I found a great deal on a used reverse hyper. Got it for pre 2020 prices. Haha

[@jared.freedom.gym2021]

Dude, I was so close to getting a pair when I was researching my squat rack upgrade. Watched some videos that showed really fun looking exercises they can offer, and then I (thankfully) found some videos where guys gave this honest type of review and I shut it down. I am in a basement with average ceiling height and I can see that these would have been in the way big time. If I had a huge space and an additional rack, then maybe I'd go with the Crandall Fitness pair. Matt Pendergraph's IG post was the most compelling sales pitch for jammer arms that I've seen though and he had the Crandall pair.

[@NoFate247]

The crandall ones are double jointed

[@NoFate247]

I definitely should have mentioned ceiling height. Wish my basement height was higher

[@tommyj1811]

Set up and adjustment does take a bit, but I like mine. I use them for upper body work with the leg drives so once they were set up and adjusted, they stay put on the rack.

[@NoFate247]

How long do you find setup takes

[@andrewstearns9276]

These are sooooo much money for something that is a hassle to move and use. Great review!!!

[@NoFate247]

Thanks for being here and I wanted them to work well but agree with you, too much hassle

[@1rwlemke]

2 best days owning lever arms - the day you receive them and the day you sell them. When I finally took them off my rack to sell I breathed a sigh of relief. They were useless to me although I agree they do have some athletic applications. Just not my bag at all.

[@NoFate247]

exactly! What version lever arms did you have, if you don't mind me asking?

[@1rwlemke]

I had the Rogue Monster Jammer Arms. I loved the adjustment mechanism on the back - the “trigger” - but I loved it because I thought it was a cool object not because I actually used the arms. I bought for $1,000, sold them for $500. Lesson learned.

[@hyg71886]

I bought rep jammers with vendetta add on. I use them for accessory work. For example I do incline bench and do it on that as well. So I got them for a lot of movements. The problem is they take up a lot of space and they can’t just sit on a rack with out being in the way. So I can’t use them until I move my ares to its own rack and put it permanently on the bk. I think there great however no one thinks about having to remove them constantly am it’s a pain. I do regret the purchase per say but I do regret miss planning as I would have got them later on

[@NoFate247]

Often times we don't know all the issues with a piece of equipment until we get it in. If you are using them that's all that matters

[@hyg71886]

@@NoFate247 ya my worse gym purchases was jammer arms, weighted sled, ssb, pylo box. I moved last minute after I got back to a smaller space so I couldn’t utilize everything

[@02phenom]

Would these arms fit inside a 6 post rack of 41”?

[@NoFate247]

@02phenom maybe but probably not to get a full range of motion. Really meant up be on the outside

[@marcv2902]

I use retractable tie down to elavate me lever arms and took the versatility to the sky.

[@NoFate247]

Is the set up time reduced as well

[@marcv2902]

@@NoFate247 once you marked all your spot for every exercise then absolutely

[@LukesGarageGym]

Just ask your mom OMG! HAHA🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@NoFate247]

Good catch!!! 😂

[@dadav5330]

My lever is heavy in my gym rotation. Mikolo with a position pin is amazing. To each their own.

[@NoFate247]

If you use it then that is all that matters

[@dadav5330]

@NoFate247 also rack have evolved alot to greatly benefit lever arms. Attaching to the Ares or Athena or other cable rack system just allow for so much better versatility like seated chest supported rows. The Mikolo arms allow for pin setting like the vendetta that allows better resistance for bench chest press, strict shoulder press, shoulder shrugs etc. Add the Kaizen Attachment for dual axis, and eve some spotter arms and have a plethora of new options. I had cheap arms and quality ones and you get what you pay for.

[@ladouceurmatt]

I bought second hand rogue lever arms. I tried making everything work, but never liked anything 100% to justify keeping it. Wasn’t worth the hassle setting anything up.

[@NoFate247]

i T HINK MOST people find that to be the case IMO. Thanks for watching

[@Garage_gym48]

Bloody good video. I had some on my old rack. They were exact replicas of the Rep ones.. used them mostly locked in the highest position for straight leg pull ups. They were also really good for monolift/handoff for bench. I tried them for belt squats but it was clunky. They were hard to move and awkward to set up for presses etc. I think Brandon has the best set up possible with the attachment but still doesn’t rate them..

[@NoFate247]

thanks for watching and the kind words. I think for most, even with the high end versions, it isn't going to deliiver on expectations

[@alvinkan3940]

It depends on user.... i use mine every workout you. If you have a vendetta style set up it is very easy to change

[@NoFate247]

There are nicer versions which I think would help people use them more. Just not me bag

[@TheCarterHomeGym]

I would only get them if I had room for a dedicated setup for them. I had the Levergym for a while (which I loved) but ultimately sold because I had other means of doing cable exercises. That left just the lever arm movements, which I didn't feel justified the space the machine was taking up in my smaller space.

[@NoFate247]

Yeah home gym space is always at a premium. How many square feet do you have to work with

[@TheCarterHomeGym]

@@NoFate247 About 250 sq ft

[@IRL26632]

100% agree. Excellent video. My ones are the biggest dust collectors in my gym😂

[@NoFate247]

what kind/version did you get?

[@IRL26632]

There Bolt jammer arms. Paid €280 for them. Biggest waste of money I ever spent on Gym Equipment 😒

[@NoFate247]

:( @@IRL26632

[@tonyallen3138]

I love mine, but I upgraded to the Rogue LT-1 Trolley arms for my Titan X-3 Flatfoot. Mainly due to the handles are able to move up and down the arms with just switching the placement

[@NoFate247]

I def. think that has a huge factor in people liking them on not. Would you have sold them if the handles were fixed?

[@edwardmeyer7178]

I personally like lever arms, but If you only have one rack, then they're really not that great. I have Reps version and Griffins both mounted on a separate Pr-5000 from my Ares 6-post super rack. My basement is fairly big, so I built a total of three Pr-5000's. Lever arms are great if you can dedicate them to their own rack...

[@NoFate247]

Great setup! I don't think most have the space for multiple racks unfortunately

[@leftyrighty6059]

Great video Jonathan! Won’t be on my list to purchase. I did see a YT video from ThreeStormFitness where he used Henny Straps and a barbell to replicate lever arms. Would be much cheaper and infinitely easier to store. Thanks again for making great content!

[@NoFate247]

yeah, I think I've seen the video too. So you can do a DIY version if you are inclined. I'm just old school, stick to the basics and put in the effort.. What's your next home gym purchase?

[@HansDildomacher]

Haha I loved the Airwolf song intro.😄

[@NoFate247]

Great catch!!!

[@squealer42]

My lever arm handles don't affect maneuverability in and out of my rack at all. They're sitting on the floor a good 5 feet away.

[@NoFate247]

How often do you use them?

[@squealer42]

@@NoFate247 I've thought about using them several times already this year.

[@ankitpatel7620]

My local gym has 2 of the rougue lever arm, nobody has used them in 2 years

[@NoFate247]

That sounds about right :)

[@chrisdonnell2575]

100% Truth out of 100 people who have them maybe 1 loves them and uses them. They don't mimic Hammer the resistance curve sucks.

[@NoFate247]

Yeah the resistance curve isn't natural, adding bands can help but it isn't the same as a hammer strength

[@firstfloor5347]

Mine became a dedicated dip/ pull up station and then i sold them for 25% of value

[@NoFate247]

How long did you own it

[@samkrumme4582]

I personally would only want lever arms on a high quality rack instead of a budget rack. Gotta be made well

[@NoFate247]

Yeah I am sure that factors in. What rack do you have now?

[@samkrumme4582]

@NoFate247 bells of steel light commercial I just got. Before I was using the cheap cap 905q n got tired of that real fast.

[@kidbrown2010]

From all the videos and experiences I've seen/heard, my conclusion is that most people are disappointed and don't use them, but the ones that do absolutely love them. It's a big gamble. Personally I'll pass. If they were adjustable to horizontal position without doing chain mods, at an affordable price, then I'd jump in. As they are sold, it's just no value for me training for Hypertrophy.

[@NoFate247]

I definitely think some love them but it's far and few between

[@AlexLifts1971]

I trained at a gym that had a hammer strength machine for you to do push presses looks just like a lever curl no one ever used it

[@NoFate247]

Yeah, most people find they aren't using their lever or jammer arms as much as they thought before purchase

[@AlexLifts1971]

@@NoFate247 yeah I can see that. The machine I was talking about looks like the lever arms. It for you to do a push press from the standing position on an angle. The gym used it to hang bands and belts on. I used it to wrap bands on and do stretches. That and the old school neck machine are two things I never saw people using.

[@TheGhu123]

I am thinking of getting 2 stray dog goat as leverl arms but having second thoughts.

[@NoFate247]

What I hoping to do with them

[@TheGhu123]

@@NoFate247 just place the order for 1 goat to get a feel. If it works out, I will buy the a 2nd one. Worst case I will use it for leg isolation work.

[@turdrhinofiend]

Matt rosenman (who was in the screenshot @4:37) detailed in another video how good they combo with a rack mounted functional trainer, to take the issue of weight/force moment arms away. I think Brandon is more into powerlifting than bodybuilding so it makes sense, also he got them before the new meta of adjustable height pins for different exercises a la vendetta adapters was made. I agree that they aren't for most people, and if you don't have a good setup they are not very good.

[@NoFate247]

exactly - Get the premium versions and right setup/expectations, you'll def. love them. But expecting to use them every workout is probably a gross over reach. Will you ever get lever arms?

[@turdrhinofiend]

@@NoFate247 yeah when I move (hopefully this year) I will upgrade my rack, probably get some peppin fast dumbells, and a belt squat. I might hold off on the lever arms a year or two though, because there are so many different companies coming out with new innovations in them.

[@ShawntreezyBreezy]

Love my lever arms, so much I bought two sets lol

[@NoFate247]

Which sets did you get

[@ShawntreezyBreezy]

@@NoFate247 Boa sliding arms with some Stray dog 24 inch arms to vary it up

[@NoFate247]

@ShawntreezyBreezy nice

[@jacobliston7339]

Great video, very informative! Looks like you're growing your hair out?

[@NoFate247]

Lol just too lazy to get a hair cut. At the rate it is thinning I might not need a hair cut for awhile

[@GarageGymLifeMedia]

Lever arms are the new belt squat. Just the current flavor of the month equipment widget. Not my cup of tea but to each their own.

[@NoFate247]

Disagree. Belt squat shows a lot of positive benefits especially with those who have a bad back. I agree the belt squat setup time is up there though

[@GarageGymLifeMedia]

@@NoFate247 no I mean that it’s the latest fad item to get in the home gym community whether or not it’s actually useful for your training. I’m not saying that it doesn’t have any value at all just like I think a belt squat has a place in our community but I think that there are a fair amount of people who get lever arms who get built squats purely because they saw other people with them on social media.

[@NoFate247]

@GarageGymLifeMedia ahhhh👍🏼

[@HughLeFitness]

Setup time, bulkiness and poor resistance curve? Thanks but I ain't spending no boku bucks on that fugazi product uncle Johnny! LOL.

[@NoFate247]

Exactly!!! Keep those green backs on your pocket so you can swipe up the next big deal or website error 😂

[@Khadak22]

A much better alternative is the powertec multipress. If you have the space.sadly, i don't.

[@NoFate247]

Space is dwindling here too

[@babygiantbarbell1014]

Ahhhh the good ole versatility vs. inconvenience dynamic in the homegym. This category sounds good in theory but is not so good in practice.

[@NoFate247]

Like communism :) Would you ever get jammer arms?

[@babygiantbarbell1014]

@@NoFate247 no I would not because the machines you mentioned were all specifically engineered for those movements. A one size fits all type of implement just can’t be that specific, and I have a feeling that the lever arms would fall by the wayside pretty quickly.

[@brianhopkins5251]

totally agree basics, basics, basics

[@NoFate247]

They aren't sexy but basics win games and drive results

[@time.4174]

First! 😮 I never bought into the idea of lever arms. Too heavy and take up too much space on the rack.

[@NoFate247]

Too much space on the rack and off the rack. I think people are afraid to just do basic exercises and get great results

[@time.4174]

@@NoFate247those my exact feelings. I just have the basics and doing fine. A rep power rack with single cable pulley, weights, straight bar, cambered bar, EZ curl bar (cause curls for the gurls), open trap bar, bands, and 80lb Nuobells.

[@50CalFitness]

Those lever arm handles suck. You should put our handles on your lever arms for a real workout. If you want, you can send us your handles. We'll modify them for you and send them back so you can feel the difference.

[@NoFate247]

The shipping to and from texas is more than the handles cost 😂

[@50CalFitness]

@@NoFate247 ture

[@markchudzinski4201]

To get the lever arms out of the way I put 2 hooks in the ceiling in front of my rack and leave them up there when not in use. As far as adjustments it's pretty easy to pull pins out and move them up or down. And I use my lever arms for multiple angle chest presses, ohp, rows, shrugs, calf raises, lying tricep extensions and more. Do they replace machines? No, but they do add variety which was my main reason for buying them.

[@raymondjurado9203]

Do you think Ken and Ryu would use the lever arm?

[@NoFate247]

Never ! They would just beat up a car for their workout

[@clarkg5946]

I'm lazy and hate setting anything up so my lever arms never get used.

[@NoFate247]

What type of lever arms do you have

[@clarkg5946]

@@NoFate247 I have a cheap pair from Bells of Steel but then I splurged and bought some knurled handles for them. Unfortunately, I wish I would have listened to Brandon or seen your video B4 my purchase. I'm sure some people get good use out of them. But I have other machines that mimic most movements better with no set up time.

[@LoveMountainAdventures]

Airwolf to the rescue!

[@NoFate247]

Always!!!! 😂😂😂😂 most people don't catch that one

[@harrywebster6752]

Airwolf FTW🎉

[@NoFate247]

Classic TV show!!!!! Great catch

[@carps_gym]

Yeah not a leaver arms guy

[@NoFate247]

What's the next edition on the home gym? Or you going to HGC to come home with some sweet swag? Will you hand out the head bands at HGC?

[@carps_gym]

@@NoFate247 currently looking at strongman gear and equipment. I’ll definitely have my stickers, but Headbands maybe something folks can purchase if they are interested.

[@doublejump6578]

Was thinking on a set, but my intuition is correct, not worth it

[@NoFate247]

For some, absolutely worth it. For most, something that eventually won't get used.

[@EARN-750-DAILY_JOB_FOR_U]

"The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary." ---Vidal Sassoon