| Unit | Dimensions | Possible exercises | Weight limits | Upholstery | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Body-Solid SBL460P4 Check Discounted Price | L:126" W:107" H:83" | 40+ | Bench: 1,000 lbs Squat station: 600 lbs Lat station: 800 lbs Press: 600 lbs | DuraFirm | Lifetime |
If you’re looking for quality gym machines, Body-Solid is a brand name that should always be on your list. They offer a wide array of fitness equipment, and most of their cable machines, leverage machines or Smith machines are top rated.
The Body-Solid SBL460P4 leverage commercial gym machine is the one that we’re going to review here. It’s a versatile piece of equipment which includes three main workout stations and several attachments, allowing the user to perform over 40 exercises.
Technical Details and Specifications
- Assembled dimensions: 126L x 107W x 83H inches (320L x 272W x 211H cm)
- Assembled weight: 705 lbs (319 kg)
- Weight limits:
- FID46 bench: 1,000 lbs (453.5 kg)
- LSA50 squat attachment: 600 lbs (272 kg)
- Lat station: 800 lbs (362.8 kg)
- Press station: 600 lbs (272 kg)
- Leg developer: 400 lbs (181.4 kg)
- Curl station: 400 lbs (181.4 kg)
- Possible exercises: 40+
- Warranty: Lifetime
Frame construction, parts & accessories
The first aspect to mention here is that the Body-Solid SBL460P4 leverage machine includes three main elements, which are the SBL460 PowerLift (the core of the system), the FID46 bench, and the LSA50 squat attachment. All these three main parts are made of heavy-duty, 10
and 11 gauge, high tensile steel tubing. All the steel parts are coated with an electrostatically applied, corrosion-resistant paint finish; however, despite this fact, the machine is for indoor use only. If placing it outside, the bolts and other parts that do not have a corrosion resistant finish may eventually catch rust.
This leverage gym machine with all its attachments is fairly large. It takes 126″L x 107″W (320 x 272 cm) of floor space when fully assembled, and to use it properly, without any hindrance, it is recommended to assign a usage space for it of at least 12′ x 10′ (366 x 305 cm).
The highest point of the machine reaches 83″ (211 cm). Therefore, if you want to place it in a room with a ceiling height of 7′, it will be a very tight fit.
Evidently, since it’s a large machine, it’s also very heavy. With the frame fully assembled it weighs over 700 lbs itself, without any weight plates loaded on its pegs. The weight of the machine provides a lot of stability so you won’t have to worry that it will move or wobble. Not all of its base bars are equipped with rubber pads, some of them have plastic caps. Therefore, it’s best to assemble it and use it on a rubberized mat in order to prevent any damage to the floor.
The Body-Solid SBL460P4 Leverage Gym features 2 – 2″ and 3″ thick DuraFirm™ seat, back and shoulder pads which offer optimal comfort during the heaviest workout routines. The
DuraFirm™ upholstery is extremely durable, sweat proof and highly resistant to wear and tear. This being said, with proper care, the pads on the bench, the core of the machine and on the other attachments can last a lifetime.
The lat pulldown station and the press feature pivoting handles covered by high-density foam, in order to provide a secure and comfortable grip. Their joints integrate high-grade ball bearings, which deliver a smooth operation of the press and pulldown station.
Although this is a leverage machine and uses conventional weight plates, it still integrates one pulley, situated in the middle of the main upright post. This pulley allows the user to perform various mid-pulley exercises, such as ab crunches or trunk rotations. It’s a heavy-duty nylon pulley, which also integrates an industrial grade, sealed ball bearing for smooth operation.
In terms of small accessories, the machine includes only a set of two Y handles with long straps and rings, which allow you to attach them to various points of the machine in order to perform certain exercises. A cable with rings and stoppers is also included, in order to use with the mid-pulley. However, a straight bar, ab harness, triceps rope or other accessories of the sort are not included.
Workout stations & attachments
In the section above, we’ve broadly covered the main structure of the machine. In this section, we’ll address to each and every workout station and attachment included with the Body-Solid SBL460P4 Leverage Gym.
Bench (FID46). The Body-Solid FID46 is an adjustable bench, offering the possibility to perform incline, decline, and standard presses. It’s equipped with the DuraFirm padding and upholstery. The top of the backrest integrates a set of handlebars to hold on to when performing leg curls. The bench doesn’t attach to the machine. Its rear base features a set of wheels so you can easily move it away from the press when you don’t need it.
Press station. This workout station offers the possibility to perform quite a bunch of exercises, including upright rows, shrugs etc., not just chest presses. In order to perform chest presses, the FID46 bench is required. The press station is equipped with pivoting handles; the weight plates are to be loaded on the pegs on each side, and there’s no bar in between them. Therefore, the press exercises can be done much safer than on a conventional bench press system.
Leg developer. This attachment basically comes with the bench. It allows you to perform both leg extensions and leg curls. It integrates three pairs of 3.5″ (9 cm) foam rollers to provide optimal comfort during leg exercises.
Lat pulldown station. The first aspect to mention regarding this workout station is that it can be locked in order to also serve as a pull-up station. Its handles also pivot, just as for the press, and feature rubber foam coating. They may be a bit wide apart for a short user, but to avoid awkwardness when performing pulldown exercises, you can always use the included Y handles or an optional crossbar. This way you should also be able to perform close grip pulldowns. The seat features several adjustment positions, however, its backrest does not adjust. It features the same DuraFirm upholstery and padding as the bench.
Curl station. This workout station is attached to the main core of the machine. It features large elbow pads in order to provide perfect comfort even when using the heaviest loads.
Mid-pulley station. As we’ve mentioned above, this Body-Solid leverage machine integrates a mid-pulley for ab crunches or other mid-pulley exercises. This workout station uses the weight load of the lat pulldown station.
Squat attachment LSA50. The machine’s squat station offers the possibility to perform leverage squats and leverage calf raises. It included the squat arm with four large pads which go over your shoulders. The bottom part of the machine, right under the squat arm, has a plate for foot placement which is slightly inclined.
Weight Resistance and Spotting System
The Body-Solid SBL460P4 is a leverage machine. Therefore, it doesn’t include a fixed weight stack. Its workout stations must be loaded with free weights in order to provide resistance.
The machine doesn’t include weight plates. Its pegs are 2″ thick, designed only for Olympic weight plates, so you won’t be able to use 1″ Standard plates. Although the plates aren’t included, each peg of the machine comes with its own spring collar for securing the weight plates on the pegs.
This Body-Solid leverage gym machine offers a unique spotting feature, which provides safeguards at every station which prevent the user from remaining pinned down under heavy weight loads. For example, the press station has a U-shaped frame with the weight plates on the outside and no bar in-between them, so when pressing heavy loads the risk of any accidents is considerably diminished.
Possible exercises
Bench press
Incline bench press
Decline bench press
Converging bench press
Converging incline bench press
Converging decline bench press
Standing shoulder press
Seated shoulder press
Converging seated shoulder press
Upright row
High row
Bent-over row
Chest-supported mid-row
Shrug
Lat pulldown
Close-grip lat pulldown
Pull-up
Preacher curl
Standing bicep curl
Tricep press down
Leverage squat
Leverage raise
Pronge leg curl
Leg extension
Ab crunch
Cable trunk rotation
These are the core exercises that can be performed on this machine. However, with a little bit of ingenuity, you can perform more than 40 gym grade exercises. Also, some of the exercises may require extra accessories such as a short bar or long straight bar, ab harness, cuffs etc.
Assembly and Maintenance
It wouldn’t be fair to say that the assembly of this machine is an easy task. Even though the included manuals offer pretty clear, step-by-step assembly instructions, putting it together will take more than 6-7 hours. It’s also recommended to be assembled by two people. Some of the tools are included (Allen wrenches), but you’ll also need some adjustable wrenches and a Phillips screwdriver.
When it comes to maintenance, this Body-Solid leverage machine doesn’t require much. The joints may require lubrication after a while if they develop squeaking noises. Also, it’s recommended to periodically check the integrity of the parts to make sure no workout station will fail during an exercise involving a heavy load.
The Pros
- Heavy-duty, commercial grade construction and heavy load capacity for all workout stations;
- DuarFirm padding and upholstery;
- Unique spotting system for maximum safety;
- Three main workout stations allowing three users to exercise independently;
- Adjustable bench included;
- Leg developer and preacher curl attachment;
- Mid-pulley for ab crunches;
- Pivoting handles providing excellent flexibility during exercises;
- Y handles with long straps included;
- Lat pulldown station can be locked in order allow the execution of pull-up exercises;
- 40+ possible exercises;
- Little maintenance required;
- Excellent warranty.
The Cons
- Not too easy to assemble;
- Compatible only with Olympic plates.
Summary
The Body-Solid SBL460P4 is a leverage machine which includes the FID46 bench, the LSA50 squat attachment, a lat station, a leg developer, a curl station and a chest press station. It’s a highly durable, high-capacity, commercial grade fitness machine. It’s perfect for users of all levels, including powerlifters, as its stations can support impressive loads. It comes with an excellent warranty, and considering that it offers the possibility to perform over 40 exercises, we can safely say that it has a great value/price ratio.