How much do plates on Cybex cable lat pulldown weigh?

think48
think48 Posts: 366 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Does anyone know how much the plates weigh on the Cybex Cable Lat Pulldown machine? They are just labled 1-20. I asked one of the trainers yesterday and she said they are 10 pounds each, but I'm not sure I believe it.

At my old gym, as soon as I could do 130 pounds on the pulldown (my body weight) I was able to do pull-ups/chin-ups as well, which made me believe I was pulling 130 pounds on the cable pulldown. Well, at the new gym, I was only able to do to plate 7, which by her calculations, would be 70 pounds and it felt as hard as the 130 pounds.

So....any ideas??

Replies

  • think48
    think48 Posts: 366 Member
    Bump. Anyone know?
  • halleymw
    halleymw Posts: 246 Member
    Cybex makes many different machines, you might go to their website and find the exact one you are using and look at the specs.
    Mike
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    Does anyone know how much the plates weigh on the Cybex Cable Lat Pulldown machine? They are just labled 1-20. I asked one of the trainers yesterday and she said they are 10 pounds each, but I'm not sure I believe it.

    At my old gym, as soon as I could do 130 pounds on the pulldown (my body weight) I was able to do pull-ups/chin-ups as well, which made me believe I was pulling 130 pounds on the cable pulldown. Well, at the new gym, I was only able to do to plate 7, which by her calculations, would be 70 pounds and it felt as hard as the 130 pounds.

    So....any ideas??
    The amount of pulleys on any cable machine will dictate how plates one can pull. The more pulleys, the higher weight one can use since pulleys reduce the resistance.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • jjw85253
    jjw85253 Posts: 1
    edited October 2014
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    The amount of pulleys on any cable machine will dictate how plates one can pull. The more pulleys, the higher weight one can use since pulleys reduce the resistance.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Umm...that's kinda just plain wrong. Pulleys only make lifting "easier" if at least one of them is floating, and even then require you to pull extra distance of cable in order to reduce the load.

    Fixed pulleys, as seen on fitness equipment, can change the direction/angle of the resistance but don't "reduce the resistance" or impart mechanical advantage.

    I took a physics class in High School 25 years ago
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    Most machines of this nature that I've seen have 15lb plates. Then two small additional chunks of weight that are 5lbs each (so you can bridge the gap between each 15lb plate by adding 5 or 10lbs).
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    BTW, a quick google search revealed this: http://www.cybexintl.com/education/fitnesstools/faqs/strengthfaqs.aspx

    As noted, they can apparently span a wide variety of sizes depending on model. There is however, a quick little guide to determine the plate size by measuring it. Bring a tape measure.

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