DIY Fitness Club

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Omega Arms Inverted Leg Press

PJ

Introduction

This leg exercise is my favorite Omega Arms Leg Exercise (so far). You will definitely feel it! There is less of a mechanical advantage at play (as compared to the Leg Press (Episode 3 of the series) or the Pendulum Squat (Episode 4 of the series).

Safety Measures

Why do you need the “Safety Strap” if you already have two “Stopper Arms” supporting the load? Answer: Redundancy. Two safety measures are better than one.

What is the purpose of the Tow Strap? Answer: You could just hitch one strap (e.g., The daisy-chained soft loop tiedown straps) directly on the 3 foot nipple - but in the event that the legs (a.k.a., the “Stopper Arms”) fail with a full load - the abrupt jerk COULD (maybe) cause the wood to snap if there is only ONE anchor point. I just felt that by having the safety strap connected to the Tow Strap (which provides TWO anchor points) was safer.

Other Configurations

In the Episode 5 video, I only showed one way to load plates for the sake of time. However, you can choose other configurations as well. One alternative configuration is to have plates on a 60” Nipple (with Olympic Plate Adapters) instead of running a 36” Nipple in front like I did in the Episode 5 video. The drawback to this 60” setup however, is you will need to remove the 60” nipple in front in order to fold it up in order to put it in “Temporary Storage Mode” (which is why i prefer using the 3 foot nipple instead).

Temporary Storage Mode

When I published the Pendulum Squat Video – I got some feedback that tells me that I should have explained temporary storage better (The Pendulum Squat can also be put into “Temporary Storage Mode” by removing the “front” plate-loading  60” Nipple and letting the unit hang off the rear 60” nipple). Therefore, in this video I spent extra time explaining this. Folding up the unit allows for you to use your rack for other exercises (e.g., Bench, Squat, etc.) without having to break the Omega Arms down first. Once you become familiar with the Inverted Leg Press configuration – you should be able to set it up “from scratch”  in a few minutes, and then each subsequent time (with the unit in a Temporary Storage configuration), it should only take 15-20 seconds.

Other Exercises

With the Inverted Leg Press configuration you can easily integrate other exercises such as: shoulder press (while kneeling), Shrugs (while Standing), Standing Calf Raises etc.

Weight Limit

So here is the million-dollar question – how much weight can it hold? Well – I am not a structural engineer. Therefore, I cannot answer that question. Further, If I give you a number – that doesn’t mean that someone else with a different rack, wood and pipes sourced from somewhere else would have the same result. SO – just be careful – start with low weight and work your way up to where you are comfortable. Don’t do anything stupid – This is not steel, it is wood and pipes. So don’t put a ridiculous amount of weight on and expect nothing bad to happen. Also – don’t use this around  kids or pets just to be extra cautious.

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Once you try this for yourself – be sure to let me know how well it worked for you! Happy Lifting!

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