DONOW Leverage Gym Power Rack Squat Rack Lever Gym with LAT Low Row System Home Gym System Workout Station 2:1 Ratio

Best home gym ever
This lever gym was inexpensive ($360), is safe to lift heavy solo, can be adjusted endlessly to accommodate your body (I’m 6’4″/180 lbs) and your training (strength, hypertrophy, or aerobic). It took 3 hours to assemble, with about 20 minutes being site placement. It stands 7′ high and needs a 5′ radius of clearance. It has a big footprint, but easily replaces two or three other machines. This gym is well designed. The lever arms move independently or as one and allow for multiple grip types. It accommodates 1″ and 2″ weight plates. The cable is smooth and takes heavy loads. But note that using the pulley cuts the weight in half. A lat pulldown with 100 pounds feels like 50. When loaded, this gym is stable and allows you to perform dozens of exercises with hacks. I just had my first workout with this gym. It was the best home workout for legs I’ve ever had. I was able to squat my bodyweight without a spotter. With a small platform, I was able to deadlift and do RDLs. I finished with standing calf raises. It came with an ankle attachment for glute kickbacks. This gym rocks!

Pretty good for the money!
OK I just put this machine together today and I’ve been messing around with it for a few hours and when I first received it all-in-one box which was good it felt pretty heavy so I felt good about my purchase because I felt it would be durable because it felt heavy but as I was taking each individual piece out of the box each piece felt actually really light and I was questioning my purchase because I was starting to feel like maybe it’s not durable enough for me even though I knew this was the budget model donow lever gym obviously and I got it at a really good price compared to the much more expensive more heavy duty ones out there and once I got it put together as I put the bar across both lever arms so that they work together and not independently it didn’t feel like a barbell really because there is some play in there and I don’t really like that because it makes me feel like it’s kind of flimsy at least compared to a barbell but once I really got everything together and tightened everything up and put my standard weights on it because I don’t actually own any Olympic 2 inch weights which is another reason why I bought this specific machine because it accepts the 1 inch standard iron weights also which is awesome and it does come with adapters for the Olympic weights as well but I’m just not going to use those unless I ever get Olympic weights but it gives you a really good workout for sure that you feel right away, it’s a lot safer than free weights and more fun to use in my opinion and it’s a really Interesting machine and all these lever machines are super interesting and I’ve been wanting one for a long time and ever since I tried out the hammer strength machines in a gym a really long time ago I thought it was a genius idea to be able to put weights on lever arms basically even though this machine isn’t nearly as sophisticated as a hammer strength specific machine because it’s more of an all around home machine but before I even got it in the mail after I ordered it as I was researching it compared to the other models I saw that you could only put 150 pounds maximum on each lever arm so that would be 300 pounds total which isn’t really that much because sometimes companies will say you can put a certain amount of weight on something and they’re just exaggerating so I was worried that what if I put even less than that I don’t want it to fall apart or kill me but if that number was legit it would be okay because I don’t ever plan on lifting more than 300 pounds or even maybe 200 pounds on the level arms maybe but then I saw that it says you can only put 100 pounds on each side of the pulley so that would be 200 pounds maximum and that concerned me even more because 200 pounds maximum on lat pulldowns or cable rows for example isn’t really all that much so I was just hoping I didn’t make a bad purchase and then people say that if you actually put 200 pounds on it it’s actually only 100 pounds bwcauae of the advertised 2:1 ratio and then I was really regretting my purchase because 100 pounds isn’t much at all to be doing lat pull downs from the top pulley or back cable rows on the bottom pulley obviously but for curls on the bottom pulley or tricep extensions on the top pulley it would be okay but as I put it together I actually did put 100 pounds on each side of the pulley which is the maximum supposedly and I can do 10 repetitions for lat pull down’s or back rows on the bottom pulley but it is heavy and I do hope to get stronger but if this is all the weight I can put on it without the machine falling apart that will be OK I think even though I’m not very strong or in very good shape right now and I can already max out the pulley system according to the most amount of weight you should put on it but I think the weight limit is okay because I only intend to put or use 200 pounds on the pulley for lat pulldowns on the top and back seated cable rows from the bottom cable and if the 150 pounds on each side of the lever arm is legit that will be more than enough for me because I don’t think I will ever even be lifting 300 pounds on it but maybe 200 pounds I don’t know but I don’t plan on maxing out ever really but I would like to be able to do sets of 10 repetitions or whatever that are difficult on all the main compound lifts and the machine was a little bit tricky putting it together but once I got it all together and started using it I’m fairly happy with it, It comes with a lapt pull-down bar which OK and Im using it and 1 short other bar that I haven’t even used yet because it doesn’t spin in the middle like it should to do curls or tricep extensions that need the twisting element really if possible but I have a lot of other cable machine adapters or attachments anyways so that’s ok but another reviewer said it’s exactly the same as the more expensive machines but that guy must be smoking crack or he owns this company because this is a good machine especially for the money but I don’t think it’s really anything comparable to a Powertec, a Body Solid or even the GMWD model even though I haven’t used them they all look like they have more sturdy frames and they all claim to have much higher weight maximums and I believe they do but the Powertec machine is about $1000 more than this one and the body solid is about $600 more than this one or so and the GMWD is either $150 or $300 more than this 1 so if someone has the money or really wants to lift heavier I would try or buy 1 of those machines instead or if you want to get all the extra attachments for the bench for example if you get the Powertec machine with the bench you can buy the leg extension leg curl attachment or the preacher curl attachment or the leg press attachment or the pec fly attachment and there might be 1 or 2 others but that would all be good but then it would just be a lot more money and a lot more space needed also but if you just wanna work out moderately and not be Mr. Olympia, only have the standard 1″ weights like me but just wanna get in better shape and save money in the process I think this machine is probably good enough and I hope it holds up for me and the tricep extensions for example or curls don’t feel exactly as good as what a weight stack cable machine uses because as the cable is lifting your weights you can feel in the middle it’s heavier and when you’re weights are at the top or the bottom it’s not quite as hard due to the arc of the weights but it’s more consistent than free weights but not as consistent as a weight stack pulley machine but you don’t have to balance anything really like free weights which I like and I have an old weight stack pully machine but the pulleys literally cracked and fell apart and the cable was trashed as well and I literally couldn’t even find replacement pulleys that would fit that were as narrow for it but this machine is worth the $400 I believe or potentially even less if you can get a coupon or whatever and I’m gonna be using it more in the near future because I just got it put together today but I’m just a little bit worried about the weight maximum limit as well as how the lever arms don’t feel totally like a barbell when you have the bar going across both of them which is a little bit of a disappointment because it feels a little bit flimsy because of that and I hope my weights don’t bend the bars that they sit on either if I don’t always take them off between workouts but I should expect all that on a budget machine I guess but I think it’s pretty good for the money but not perfect at all obviously and not the most robust or deluxe model out there but for the more budget-friendly poor person who just wants to get a good workout and save a lot of money but not lift huge amounts of weight I think it will be fine and I recommend it.

Functional Fitness Multipurpose Gym
The Donow leverage gym is the best value on the market. I got mine to replace another piece of equipment. It allows me to train the entire body safely. I can do everything with this leverage gym. I highly recommend it. Assembly was easy and my workouts are intense and safe. I love the unilateral function of the lever arms, which allows me the ability to work each side independently. I can do flat incline, decline, bench pressing, lat pull down, rows, squats, curls, standing presses, low rows and so many more exercises. I love the Donow Leverage Gym!

50/50 if it’s worth the money
Easy to put together, took just over a half hour. Tends to slide around if you try to lift heavy. No way to anchor it. Setting the lifting arms for the bench press is either to high for full range of motion or to low causing overstretch of muscles to get started. Designed pour for the bench press. Other than that works great