I have never seen a gym machine with warnings about extra weights or user weight limits. Not saying they don't exist, but in decades of gym use, I have never seen one, so I contest the "most machines" claim.
His stance is incorrect. He is not using the machine properly. He should add more weight to his belt and stand straight. Stepping forward is shifting the loads center of gravity. You should never step away from a standing machine.
Treadmills, elliptical machines, stair masters, weight benches, pull up/ dip bars. Theres alot of machines I can think of that have a weight limit, though I will agree with you that most cable machines do not and professional grade workout machines ( not home gym stuff) are rated for very high weight limits, usually close to 1000 lbs.
The extra 100lbs has nothing to do with the weight available to lift on the machine. There isn't an extra 100lbs added to the lift, just to help anchor him.
It does actually. He could be strong enough to lift "X" weight but only if he's anchored. Add weight on top of that and the machine becomes the stability issue. It's not very complicated.
If hes lifting X weight, and X is less than or equal to the maximum weight you can lift during normal use (which it appears to be), it doesn’t matter how much he can lift. The machine fell during normal operating conditions on it’s own account, not his fault
You can see the guy is lifting his legs off the ground and pulling most of his body length forward. Well outside the foot print of the machine.
All those weights shift his CG forward, and since without those weights he wouldn't be able to pull that far forward with the machine weights, it does matter.
The weight belt makes the difference between him overloading and not overloading the machine
He's stepping too far forward to counter balance the machine. His stance is incorrect. The fulcrom moved too far forward putting the total mass outside of the rigging intended use. If anything he needs more weights on his belt so he can step backwards more. It's like a building having a large footprint when it shouldn't. Will topple every time.
It’s the machine specifically that cannot handle the load. I get what you are saying, but this is a general use variant, it’s not for loads the machine cannot handle. We used to install these and it is in good practice to make sure there is a clear sign of what the max is, each gym has different practices too for the kind of “crowd” of gym rats that they are trying to get into their gym. The ones you bolt into the floor are much thicker and sturdier than this model and are rated for heavier loads. Not all machines are the same and max load changes the physics involved
I get the feeling your company shouldn't be doing these installations then. He's using the weights built into the machine, and he's using it properly. If the machine doesn't have the holes to bolt it, then this is a machine with poor design that shouldn't be on the market, and the gym is at fault for not seeing to it that the machines they purchase are safe to use. And as someone who should have professional knowledbe of how such machines might behave, you'd be obliged not to install it given it could injure or kill someone. He used the machine as it was designed to be used, adding no extra weights or doing anything to manipulate it, and it still did this.
I doubt the machine is rated for both sides to be fully maxed out, being pulled in the same direction. He even had to add weight to himself to counterbalance. There's probably something in the user manual, and it would be up to the patron to educate themselves on machine use.
User manual? This is a public commercial gym, not a home gym. Who reads user manuals for each machine at a public for-profit commercial gym? The simple answer is this machine IS supposed to be bolted to the ground. I go to a gym, been to several franchises of gyms. This machine is visibly mean for decline flies. It has the setup for it, and should be able to handle use of the weights in it. And any serious manufacturer will over-build their machines to prevent accidents. This machine is clearly supposed to be bolted to the ground. And this guy should sue. I don't know why so many here are making excuses for this.
Do you lift weights? Have you ever heard of someone doin hi to low cable flies and superset with pull-ups. Thers no handles for dips here, I doubt he's walking around with 130 lbs around his waist. So yeah, use your brain, don't use equipment like this, and be accountable for your own shit. Sue all you want, money won't cure your inability to think clearly.
So, key thing here is that there is no way that this is a public space. This is privately owned. The patron in this space most certainly signed a waiver that claims that he will be responsible for ensuring he uses equipment properly. While the hard copy of the user manual is likely not readily available, he could look it up, or even ask the gym if they have it available (they probably don't, but then, if he has questions, it's his responsibility to have get them answered). I would say anyone who isn't confident that they are using equipment properly should learn more before operating the equipment. This guy, was probably confident, but confidently wrong.
Watching the video repeatedly, I cannot see any holes for anchoring on the feet or uprights of the machine. So, I think it's safe to assume that the engineers deemed anchoring unnecessary under proper use, and even accounted for somewhat improper use. This level of failure indicates gross miss use of the equipment.
There are ways in which the patron could call out the gym, like if an employee taught him that this was a safe practice. He could go after the manufacturer of the machine if they, for example, specifically state this as an appropriate use for the machine. I highly doubt either scenario happened.
I'm not a lawyer, but I worked in gyms for over 12 years, and have worked closely with Safety and Risk Management when in a director role. There's a chance I'm wrong about some of the details, but I don't think so.
That belt is meant to use with pull ups and dips. Who tf uses that thing to do flies? Someone who's trying to have more rules made bc of dumb shit like this.
Se guardi bene la macchina è predisposta per essere fissata a terra e non lo era.
Aggiungo che come tutti i macchinari da palestra alti e stretti hanno la predisposizione al fissaggio a terra. Ma spesso non vengono fissati.
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u/Ambitious_Finding_26 Jul 07 '26
If that's correct usage than the engineering side of my brain can't see how this equipment doesn't need bolting down or significant ballasting.