I am a 47 yr old man in recovery from addiction. I have been sober since 2010 and exercise has been a huge part of my life since I was 18 years old during my first stay in prison. I have been through many trials and tribulations over the years but self discipline and self improvement have become a major part of my recovery.
I will be sharing my workouts, along with some of the many ways that physical fitness and self care have helped re-shape my life. Join me and hopefully you will be able to take something that may help you re-shape your own life.
Пікірлер
Great review. Thanks for going in depth about the cons.
Gotta be honest, they listen and make improvements. Good company so far.
You can do soooo much with cables. Shoulders. Chest. Arms. Back. I'm excited to see where this goes
Its a great option if its in your budget. It has become a staple in my home gym
I'm very interested. However, that string would definitely want to be easy to change. Especially if you want to use it as an all in one 5 days per week
I watched a video for changing it, but I haven’t tried it myself yet. Looks fairly straightforward but I will do a video on it when it is time to change it.
Great review. I’d like to see lateral raises and overhead tricep extensions.
Home Gym Talk: Episode Nineteen - Shoulders & Arms (Leaving the ego at the door) kzread.info/dash/bejne/eHiGldt-pKvOoag.html
This video should show both of those exercises. I have some others where I was able to use the bench for tricep extensions as well.
Thank you for the videos. What brand are the yellow double and single handles?
a.co/d/9oka0bp
Your review inspired me to get a Voltra 1 with travel platform and bar mount. Used it now for about one week with platform and bar mount on pull up bar and think it's a great piece of equipment. I realised you can also combine chain with eccentric mode for quite effective exercises. Am toying with the thought of adding a second Voltra 1 plus small rack or the Vitruvian Trainer+ for bench exercises, squats....
Thats great!! They are pretty customizable with the various mounting options and settings. Happy to hear that it is working out for you. I see it as the future for cables at home. Such a space saver and easy to use.
Have the shogun flex, similar product- only goes to 44 pounds- was really happy with it until I broke the rope off….really tempted to get this
I did look at quite a few other models, but with the amount of weight I wanted this was the only thing that seems to be strong enough at the moment.
@@homegymtalk you know if they sell mounting accessories if you don’t have a squat rack? The website is a little unclear on that
I believe they have a wall mount. I know they sell a travel platform that you stand on. Works good for pull exercises.
Thoughts on the sliding rack mount vs the adaptive rack mount? This isn’t something I want to keep on my rack all the time? Also do you have a referral code for the device? Great review so far man!
Thank you! No referral code my friend. All my reviews are just to help the consumers make an educated choice. The sliding rack was right for me. It comes off and goes on very easy. The adaptive rack mount seems like it would take a little longer to move around for various exercises.
The accuracy of the weight on such a small machine is crazy! Apart from the cost, have you ever wanted to use two of these at the same time for dual arm use?
I have actually thought about grabbing ing another one. I think cloning them and doubling the weight on some exercises would be amazing. Haven’t pulled the trigger yet, I am still into my barbell exercises too much to need 400lbs on a rack
@@homegymtalk Hey man, i've really appreciated the content on the Voltra 1. Do you have a referral code/link for the device?
Thank you for asking. I dont have that kind of relationship with them. I just review them for myself and you guys, no affiliation. Just want my fellow gym goers to be informed on whats out there.
Any issues with the hinge between the back & seat pads? In your video, it looks like it's not recessed enough, meaning the pads might compress to the point that your butt could hit the hinge. Rogue doesn't seem to show any clear photos on their site of how deeply that hinge is recessed.
I have not. I will be sure to highlight that in a future video. It seems pretty tight actually. The gap isn’t big enough to be an issue for me, at least not yet.
No issues yet, the gap isn’t big enough to affect my workouts. I will try to highlight that in a future video.
Force=mass x acceleration, the fact that it isn’t moving with the 90lbs actually means it’s pretty dead on the money, if voltra was more than 90, it would pull it back up.
That is a great point. I definitely should’ve paid more attention in science class.
Great video. The more I research this bench the more I want one.
Thank you! It really is just a beast of a bench. If you have enough room to move it around it is well worth the money
*Promo SM*
I’m not a huge cable user so I bought the Shogun Flex for $250. Have had it a few days and used it in two workouts so far. Probably nowhere near the quality of the Voltra but has an eccentric mode which works pretty smoothly. Battery life could be better but that’s possibly due to how much I’m changing the settings in the app trying to test the features.
I know there are some quality units out there. It really depends on how much weight you need and how much you use it. I like the quality of the Voltra with the heavy weight. I bet there are a lot of people that could get away with a smaller more affordable unit like the shogun
Very cool gadget, but I’d be worried that it would crap out after a couple of years. At that price point you could just get a decent functional trainer or a used commercial grade functional trainer.
I think we are all in the same boat. It is so new that there is not enough information available regarding how it holds up over time. I am going to stress test it to the best of my ability and report back. Thank you for the comment!
Great review! Looks like such an awesome bench but 1k plus is a hard price to justify. I wish they would at least throw in free shipping lol.
Thank you. Yeah, the shipping was outrageous!
I have been wondering about this newer bench and appreciate your review. It is really nice to watch a review by someone who actually lifts and uses the equipment day in and day out. Not to bash but most reviews are by affiliates who are new to the game and talk specs and color but not how it works in actual usage and function. Thank you!
Thank you very much for that feedback! I like to look at the usability of these products for the everyday gym goer. I figure if it works for me it will work for others and vice versa. It really is a solid bench, but it is a monster. Big, heavy, and a little tough to maneuver in a small space. Love the stability though.
I got the same bench in the same colors. Love it. And it’s worth every penny
Agreed. Very bulky in comparison to my other bench, but worth it for the stability!
This is one of those tricky decisions because the Pros far outweigh the Cons BUT items like the dialed motion unit offers a similar variation but will NEVER need a new battery, cable looks like it will last longer, etc. We can use real chains and real bands but overloading the eccentric like it does is next level. People just have to get used to having to replace cables and batteries after spending a lot of money. Guess this might be one of those amazing devices that is for people with deeper pockets than most.
I had looked into a unit like that before buying the voltra. I agree, I think the dialed motion unit allows for a true cable system experience. I found that for the type of cable use that I needed I was willing to have to replace some of the parts to have the pros of a true weight free experience. Thank you for the comment!
It's a very cool device! I love how it can let you pick how long string goes out before resistance so you could hook this up to rack mounted leg curl/extension and use that vs weight and have much better range of motion and higher eccentrics. I spent so much already on gym rack weights dual cables from Rep but I like how it can be moved, taken on trips, just a ton of versatility.
As a new piece of technology that can replace or work alongside so many parts of home gym equipment, I think devices like this will begin to take the place of a lot of those bulky hard to move machines. My favorite thing about Beyond Power right now is how responsive they are to their customers to work out bugs and do software updates that accommodate what the people want. That alone puts them at the top of my list. Cant wait to see how this evolves. Thank you for subscribing, and thank you for your feedback!
Damn wish this was out awhile ago got Dual Rep cables. I have a rack mounted leg curl/extension this would be awesome to give it resistance especially more for the eccentric! Thanks for review looks amazing.
Thank you for watching and commenting. I have been thinking about getting the rack mounted leg extension for this. Trying to find one that will fit the Rogue rack. Great idea man.
Bells of Steel is a bit under $400 I think not too bad and not too hard to put up/down takes 15-20 seconds to put up and same to take off. I can imagine doing 150 up and 200 eccentric. Would likely make knees bullet proof. Have you tried doing high rep lighter squats with it? @@homegymtalk
No squats with this yet, I am excited the get the travel platform and do some RDL’s with the eccentric on 150/200. I will put up a video with that for sure. I will look into the leg extension attachment, thank you!
As a Speediance owner I gotta say It's a nice piece of equipment, BUT... The price tag is a killer. For a bench press or squats you'll need two of these. On top of that, you need a rack (a half-decent one adds $1500), and it takes much more space with the rack in the basement. My speediance is perfect for basic push/pull workouts. But it lacks for squats, deadlift and bench press (220lbs max). Vitruvian lacks in pull down capability, but it goes up to 440lbs. Great for squats, deadlifts and bench press. My perfect combo is speediance + vitruvian. It will still cost less than two of those pullies + rack system. The price would need to be cut by almost 50% to convince me.
Based on your setup, and the desire to have everything be electronic, that makes perfect sense. To replicate what you can do with those two devices using the Voltra1 would be expensive for sure. Personally, I only use it to supplement the need for a full weight stack pulley system. The Voltra1 does offer other mounts besides the rack mount that eliminate the need for the squat rack, but again, I would not feel comfortably moving all of my lifting to E-Weights. I love me some old fashion squats and deadlifts with the barbell and heavy weights to throw around!!
@@homegymtalk thanks for the reply. We both agree then. I like "old school" weights too, digital weights have a different feel and no momentum/inertia (can be a good thing, less cheating). Digital weights feel heavier. I can squat 220 lbs 2-3x but I’ll barely squat 180lbs on speediamce. It’s weird. It blocks me at a certain phase due to no inertia. I’d go with regular rack and weights but I’d need a proper rack with a safety hook - my 130lbs wife is great at everything but spotting 😆 and those are expensive and roomy (racks, wives even more pricey). To complete a set with a good rack and 440lbs costs more than vitruvian. If I go beyond 440lbs (which in squats feels more like 500lbs IMO) I can always sell and replace. I doubt it if my joints can manage to exceed 440lbs digital though. Safe lifts!
Price would need to be lower for me as well but I've got a buddy who has a Speediance and I wasn't impressed. Why design a cable machine that short when the standard height of a functional trainer is 7-ft. There are 2 motors in a Speediance but the max weight is only 220-lbs. Whoever designed the Speediance workout videos didn't know what they were doing. My buddy said you can design your own workouts but the software sucks so he uses the basic workout mode for his training program and the Hevy app b/c Speediance can't do any of that. Seems like you're paying a lot of money for that gym and only using a small part of it when a decent cable machine would beat it.
How does it feel for lat pull downs? Does the cable rub on it going straight down or do you need to angle it?
I can use it straight up and down, prior to the most recent update it was a little jerky with the heavier weight. But they have addressed that in the most recent update. So, now it is smooth and it feels really good going up to 200 pounds
Thanks man 🙏
💪🏻
Great technique!
Thank you my friend!
Thanks for taking one for the team, and shelling out the cash to do an unbiased review! As many have already said $2400+ is a lot to front for a device with an unproven track record, but the ability to bump up the eccentric on lifts is a very attractive capability. Especially since there’s more focus on time under tension and eccentric overload for improved hypertrophy. Keep up the great work!
The eccentric adjustments are huge. There is quite a few options in here that are impossible without the innovation to bring tech into the gym.
@@homegymtalkagreed the eccentric modifier is a game changer. This may not be “the” machine that will change everything .. but.. maybe the v2. I guess its as u put it, let’s see what thr company does, software updates, warrantee extensions etc. The whole power output measurements, reps, its pretty slick. Thx for the review
I am curious to see what they do. There is a lot room for development here
it looks like your rack is very deep- what is the measurement? Do you think if you were to do it again you'd go as deep?
Hope the price comes down on these
I think we are all hoping for that!
Man, for $2500 or around $2700 or more to your door you could've gotten a whole lot more and for 2 of these to do flies and crossovers Oh Good Gracious over $5400 you could've gotten a stupid Great cable set up or a whole gym. I can't understand the price tag on this with all that is out there. It's no where worth the price. Do you realize what you could get for $2700 or $5400. You must not Oh Well
I get it, it may not be for everyone. I dont have the space for something that large in my home gym to set up a double cable system in addition to my squat rack. Personally, I love the versatility of this and it is worth the price for me. It does work as a travel unit and it has many more functions than a traditional weighted cable pulley system. My favorite part is that if I move this is coming with me and I wont be selling my weight-rack on facebook marketplace for half of what I paid for it.
Can you use it 90° tilted? Does the screen tilt as well?
Yes you can! The screen tilts and adjusts to the 0 or 90 degree angle.
I am thinking about screwing the Fixed Rack Mount right on the wall behind the curtain so i can turn my livingroom into a gym@mtalk. I do already have a stall bar next to it and a pull-up bar in my corridor and some Vipr weights
That sounds like a great idea. If I didn’t have the squat rack I would do something similar
12-month warranty for a minimum $2,100 price tag. So basically the company has no confidence in its durability. How is that not a con?
I am not sure how a working product with replaceable parts for wear and tear is considered a con. This machine is extremely well made and well thought out. I cant imagine a lifetime warranty, I dont even have one of those on my iPhone…
@@homegymtalk not saying there should be a lifetime warranty but 12 months is short for the minimum $2,100 price tag. Wear and tear aside with the cable, you've got a motor, software components, etc. that could develop issues. Other companies such as Speediance, Vitruvian, Tonal, etc. that use magnetic resistance for their cabling systems all have a minimum 2-year warranty.
Absolutely agree. I dont know much about their reasoning for the one year warranty, so I cant speak on it too much. I do feel like the future of electronic gym equipment is going to be full of new products like this with future iterations being much better and probably with longer warranties as the tech gets better. For me it is worth working with them because I believe that the product will eventually become a reasonable replacement for weight stacks, but that just from my perspective. I can see how others may be deterred by the limited warranty and what “could” go wrong with it. Happy to be one of the ones putting it through the tests to see what it can do so you dont have to risk it if it doesn’t hold up. I will keep challenging it to see what it can handle and keep you updated in future videos. Thank you for watching, and for your input!
@@homegymtalkyeah, I'd be interested in the Voltra if they went with a 2-yr warranty and I like the concept. There's a lot of versatility with this system, especially like you said if you had a pair of them. You could put up some solid weight with just a rack/cage and not have to deal with the hassle of plate stacks.
I mean it’s in an environment where it will probably get trashed pretty easy
Cable is listed as a 12 month warranty on the Beyond Power website, would be interesting to see what they say if you approached them about an in warranty replacement for your cable or if they provide guidance on when the fraying is sufficient to require a replacement. They also just sell it directly it looks like.
They do provide a percentage of cable life left similar to a battery, after 6 months mine is at about 55% left. I am having a replacement sent in and will probably see how far I need to go before changing it.
This looks like such a cool device biggest problem is i dont have a power rack to hook it up to
They do have a travel platform and other ways to set it up in your home gym without a rack.
Me either. I think the travel platform will be good enough for most things and then you can buy their fixed mounting brackets and just fix them to a wall or plank of wood and position it however you want to
I ordered the travel platform, I am looking forward to seeing how much I can do with it. The fixed mounting brackets would be a great alternative to having a squat rack for sure. Looking to see how others have designed their hime gyms with the Voltra1.
@homegymtalk I'm definitely considering this but the price really needs to be knocked down that price is crazy
@@rybaldtI think a lot of people feel the same way.
Color options would be great.
Agreed, I would love it in Black and Red!
love the capabilities of this. i think you did a fantastic job of showing real world usage and being honest about expectations. my issue is and always will be the battery. i don't have an ev because of battery limitations and have had crap luck with phone batteries. if this were 1-1.5k for one or 2.5k for 2 if most likely jump on board but for nearly 5k that's a tough choice. i like the innovation though
My understanding is that the batteries are replaceable. It is not the typical AA batteries. Basically you are pulling against the most compact EV in the world. I will definitely investigate what the cost of a replacement battery pack is to determine the affordability of future replacements.
@@homegymtalk battery replacements are about $400-not cheap, but not pricey enough to invalidate the entire purchase
Thank you. I agree, that is a lot, but not enough to deter me. Guess it comes down to battery life. The battery and cable seem to be where the wear and tear will happen the most, but for what it is and what it does, that seems pretty reasonable to me.
@@homegymtalk thankfully, they also stock spare cables for $100
11:11 can you please make a video on the replacement of the string. 🙏🏾
They have shipped me a new cable and I will have that video up on that as soon as it arrives.
Is the string replacement covered in warranty?
Looking good, I might get one, considering I don't have much space for a cable installation. And indeed, it would be better if you could more easily switch between weights, especially when doing supersets. Just a push and you're back to the previous setting. Shouldn't be too difficult to program.👍
After I did that video I reached out to beyond power and it seems that as a result of people speaking about it they have made an adjustment in the next software update to adjust by 1, 5, or 10lbs.
Thanks for the informative video.
My pleasure, thank you for watching
Can you use it whilst it's charging?
Yes, it will work while charging, unless it is below 5%.
Great video, I was hoping that you will talk about voltra after using it for a longer time. That's a nice in-depth analysis, and great observations. I'm a bit worried about the thread/cable - you've showed that it start to look 'worn out' noticeably after 6 month of use by 1 person (3-4 times a week) - that's not a commercial conditions, so it seems like it has worn out a bit fast. Is there an option to just replace the cable on your own, do Beyond Power sell replacement cable? I imagine that replacing cable on your own needs you to open this thing - does that violate the warranty? ALSO: it has only 12 months of warranty... only 1 year warranty for a premium product? It's a serious con for me - like I cannot be sure if this thing will work properly for years (which I would expect after paying more than 2k USD).
I am with you on that my friend. Not knowing how this device will perform down the road does make me nervous. If it fails, it's a brick, unless replaced or repaired. Big Con. But so far the service and support has been great. I reached out to Beyond Power last night and they are sending me a replacement cable, I assume that they will be selling them as well. They are sending me a link for a video on how to replace the cable myself. I will do a video on that when it comes in as well. Not sure about the warranty, but I will ask and report back in my next video.
presets would be perfect! one click to set the weight quickly!
I am pushing hard for this. I feel like that one change alone would make this device ten times more amazing!!
They are coming from an iOS app. Will allow for programming in drop sets etc.
Very cool. Is there a Virtual Spotter mode for Bench press (if you have two of them)?
They do have an assist mode, which I have not fully explored. I have not had the need for "virtual spotter" yet, but I will look into how the assist mode helps and add that into my next video for you.
Is there an option to change the ratio to a 1:1, 2:1 and/or 4:1 ratio? That would really improve the "jerking" motion and provide versatility for different training modes as well as allow a much smoother experience. Yea, that fraying seems a little worrisome especially for the price. I wonder what their reasoning was behind using that type of material. Overall it's well built for a Gen 1 product.
Great question @marckspal. Currently there is no way to change the weight ratio. At least as far as my knowledge of the machine goes. I did look through it and although that is not an option, it appears to have various settings that will adjust the eccentric control. I am testing that out in future exercises to see how that effects the jerkiness during eccentric movements. According to the Cable Health monitor, that fraying is happening at about 44% of cable integrity, meaning there is about 56% left on it. They did offer to send a replacement cable which I will also do a video on once I receive it. They stated that the cable was, "stronger than steel" when I asked. I guess we will see...
My understanding is that the smoothness resulting from higher weight ratios is a byproduct of the fact that the weight stack is not moving as far and therefore not as quickly as with a 1:1 ratio, so there’s less momentum. With this device there is no moving weight stack to gain momentum and “jerk” against the cable so I don’t think different “ratios” would be needed here.
Thanks for the review
My pleasure, let me know if you have any additional questions. I’m always open to doing another review video to answer more questions
Do you think this could be a reliable replacement for something like the Rep ARES or a good crossfuntional trainer or lap/row machine? I notices with a these kinds of machines if you use a lot of force/speed you don't get the maximum resistance. The device is very interesting since you can adjust resistance you life and the resistance back to the machine.
Honestly, if I had the space in my home gym I would rather have a cross function trainer with a cable system. Given the limited space that I have this has become a great alternative, but I would have to have two of these at about $4000 or more to get all the same benefits of dual cable system. I have found that slow movements are a little jerky on the eccentric movements, but aside from that, it handles everything else that a single cable system could do. They have provided some small updates to work out little bugs, and I have to assume future products will be much better and more affordable. But for what I have going on, I absolutely love it.
Gotcha thanks. I just bought a rep ares and love it but you have to already own or buy a rep rack to use it. This is a very compelling device at its price point.
If you can afford it, it really is worth it.
Why is that? Seems like this is more functional and versatile than the ares or Athena. Heavier weights, easier to rearrange, and different eccentric modes. Seems like a win all around
It is, just expensive to have the same dual functionality of a two cable system.
2 grand for something that will most likely take a sh!t within a couple years? Yeah i don't think so.
It’s definitely not for everyone. It will be an expensive alternative for some, and not worth it to others for sure. For me, it was worth it to save space and make room for other equipment. You can definitely get away with a $50 pulley system that uses plates, which is what I used before this. Worked just fine but was limited by space and the amount of exercises I could do with it. Thank you for watching the video.
Thanks for posting a video with the voltra. You’re the only one who isnt from beyond power on KZread right now using it. Any regrets with it vs using a selectorized functional trainer?
I’m gonna be honest with you, aside from the fact that it’s different, I can’t find anything wrong with it and a couple of my videos I did state some of the issues I have, and they did an update that fixed them. I very rarely find an exercise where I need over 200 pounds worth of resistance aside from lat pull downs. It’s expensive, but so far worth every penny
Very impressed by the tech. For now the price is way too high at $2,099. You can have an equivalent trolley attachment at home for a few hundred bucks. The real market is for people who travel. For only occasional use, $2k is very difficult to justify, not to mention you really need 2.
I know they are marketing this toward Gyms and larger home gyms. I know the cost seems outrageous to some, but I could pay about the same amount of money to have a pulley-based weight rack system installed. I did have a $45 plate-loaded pulley system hanging from my ceiling, and it worked just fine. However I was only able to do a small amount of exercises on it. Where this goes up and down on the squat rack I have access to so many different variations of exercises now. I do believe I’m going to get a second one at some point, but I have gotten by quite fine using dumbbells for my flies for now. It may not be for everyone, but so far I can’t find anything wrong with it other than the price.
This is priced like all high end home gym equipment. $2K-$4K is what you'd expect. Definitely other companies will replicate this and make it more affordable. My primary concern is reliablity...it only has a 1 yr warranty (if something breaks you have a very expensive paper weight), w here as if something breaks on a crossfuntional trainer it's a cheap cable or pulley you replace.
This system is the future. Not quite there yet. The price is absurd at the the moment ($2k each + $500 accessories for each one) and 200 pounds is not quite there maybe 300 minimum, but, those electromagnetic motors are extremely promising. Maybe in 5 years.
Definitely worth keeping an eye on the tech as it develops. Believe it or not the 200 pounds is a true 200 pounds and I can’t think of too many situations where 300 pounds would make sense. I find it hard to do anything other than lat pulldowns that even come close to maxing out the machine. I would say unless you are a heavy bodybuilder you will be able to do just about any exercise going up to 200 pounds.
@@homegymtalk the price is high because there is nothing like this on the market, it would cost me more to get a cable stack not to mention not physically having the space for it. 200+ lbs is only going to be the big compound movements for me which will always be the barbell. Where I think Voltra could do better is offer a discount for 2 purchased at one time, if they cut the price by 15% for 2 that would probably result in a lot more sales for them. Hope competing products come to the market similar to all the adjustable dumbbells out there, then the consumer wins. Thanks for these real world use case videos by the way, much better than the overly produced review videos!
Could you update us on the durability and how happy you are with it please.
Absolutely. Over the last six months the unit has not glitched once. Everything is still in solid working order. I have not noticed any resistance fluctuation. They did provide an update which fixed one of the issues that I had discussed in a previous video about attachments falling to the ground once the timer was up. I use this on a daily basis in my home gym without any issues.
@@homegymtalk Thanks so much!
My pleasure. Let me know if you have any other questions, or want to see it in action for a specific exercise in a future video.