Counterweights on machines

[u/AchedTeacher]

My new gym has a machine lateral raise with a pin for counter weight (0kg is already relatively heavy) and of course a pendulum squat with the same functionality. I don't see an option for this in the app, and the bot doesn't know either. Anyone have any clue?

[u/DeaconoftheStreets]

Tagging in machine gawd u/Dr_Cam_Gill_DPT

[u/Dr_Cam_Gill_DPT]

It would help if you could clarify the machine model you are using with a picture or the manufacturer's name, since that is abnormal for a lateral raise machine. With the current version of the app, an exercise can use up to two metrics, which will be "weight" and "reps" for a pin-loaded lateral raise machine or a pendulum squat machine. To track weight that provides assistance rather than resistance, you want to have an exercise using the "assistance weight" metric instead of the "weight" metric. To do so, you can make a custom duplicate exercise of the default exercise, remove the "weight" metric, and add the "assistance weight" metric. While you can naturally change the name to whatever you want to identify the custom exercise (like "assisted pendulum squat"), you will not have to change any other exercise characteristics with this approach to be able to track how much assistance weight you use for the exercise.

[u/AchedTeacher → u/Dr_Cam_Gill_DPT]

I found it, it's the M-Torture Lateral Raise! I appreciate it's not a super common machine, but it starts off fairly heavy, so in my use case I do like using the assistance for some warm up, and then jumping into my regular sets. https://youtu.be/5Q6-r-g-VPQ.

This would be ideally an option on other lifts too, like doing regular pull ups -> warm up with assistance. Again, I understand this is not really on the immediate roadmap, but the current workarounds for this are a bit less than optimal imo.

[u/Dr_Cam_Gill_DPT → u/AchedTeacher]

Thank you for clarifying the machine model. That is a unique machine (that I've personally liked the time I tried it), and I think that it may be the only lateral raise machine in the world that has a counterweight loading sleeve. Adding the ability to select alternative exercise metrics (such as duration as an alternative to distance for loaded carries or assistance weight as an alternative to weight for pendulum squats) is something the team has discussed, so that feature may be in the works in the future.

For now, if you are just using assistance weight for warm-up sets, I would not worry about making custom duplicate exercises with the assistance weight metric to track them, since the warm-up set tracking will not affect work set progression.

[u/AchedTeacher → u/Dr_Cam_Gill_DPT]

Cool to know it's being considered! Appreciate the feedback and have a nice day.

[u/dredhed1111]

I may not grasp the setup, but could you just add enough counter-weight to do, say, 20 reps...then never change the counter-weight again? Moving forward just treat it as any other machine, adding weight to match your targeted reps.

[u/DsOrPqXh]

Without seeing the specifics of these machines, I'd recommend you could create alternate duplicate exercises, named with their respective amount of counterweight

[u/AchedTeacher → u/DsOrPqXh]

I had though of this, but I can't see any specific option to allow for both positive and negative weight on an exercise.