Super Econo Pulley Systems

I would love a separate cable machine. It's the first thing on my wish list. But for now, in my small bedroom room, this gives me access to a cable. And for that it's priceless. It's obviously not perfect. But one advantage it does have over some cable machines, is that you can pull at any angle and as it rotates, it allows rotational movements etc. too. I can't comment on this vs cheaper pulley's on Amazon etc. But I can say that this fills a gap in my gym, and I get the famous Spud Inc straps with it too. They are sweet and make the purchase worth it for that alone.

In a world where everyone argues over aluminum or plastic pulleys, this plastic pulley allows for a high point change of direction for my triceps extensions. It works great, and in spud inc fashion, a little more sturdy than the DIY pulley it replaced

Before upgrading from my shorter rack this was less useful for anything but leaning forward to do tricep push downs. Once I had a taller rack it felt a lot better. Then I got rid of the whole thing for an actual cable machine. To aid with the swing that will tend to happen you have two choices both with their own considerations. 1. Go lighter and slower, which some people would benefit from in the name of time-under-tension and mind-muscle-connection. 2. Bands or chains connected to a secondary weight will create a ballast or guide rod to keep your weights in-line. You have to set it up with enough back-off distance that the tension doesn’t do something crazy like turn the whole thing into a trebuchet.

This is something you could (and should) build on your own. You get a lot of momentum while in use b/c of the design. Budget friendly, but you get what you pay for.

I have a few of these in my gym. They are great space savers. Heavier weights are a challenge. One of my racks is too tall for this to work so I added some loose chain to lengthen the cable. Works like a charm. After about 6 years of heavy use I had to replace them as the black covering was cracking.

Spud straps are built to last, and a company I trust to make great straps, I use them all the time in the gym. Before I got a functional trainer, this was a great option for cable work in my rack.

It works in a pinch but not great for shorter racks. It can swing quite a bit too when you’re doing reps so I found I had to slow way down sometimes. It was good as a beginner pulley system before upgrading.

Works fine. Not great on an 80” rack since it’s a bit long. Cable and pulley are sturdy and loading “pin” is easy to load. Not the cheapest for what it is, but it does give some extra capabilities to a rack.