MaxPro Portable Cable Machine Review: 300 LB Resistance!

I've had MaxPro for nearly 6 months in my home gym and I've been able to use it for just about every movement possible. I'm talking deadlifts, squats, bench press as well as unique ones like lat pulldowns, standing rows, and more.

This is a piece of smart home gym tech, and it offers a significant amount of resistance at around 300 LB. It's lightweight, portable, and fits in a backpack.

With all of this said, is it worth the price? Well, that depends...

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[EAGLINWRX]

As soon as he said the resistance was only concentric I knew what this company was doing. They are using adjustable rotary dampers. In conjunction with recent adjustable shock technology. Basically there’s a hydraulic fluid inside providing resistance, this resistance is varied by changing the size of the passage way, that’s what the dial does.

This is also why they can’t put a “lbs” rating on there because hydraulic dampers are relative to pull velocity, similar to a row machine, slower speeds will provide less resistance than higher speeds. Therefore the company can’t make a set in stone claim of a resistance value for a given resistance level.

[HeelerGSD]

Meanwhile, over at MaxPro HQ: Mass panic that lack of eccentric is a fatal deal breaker.

[cdr]

I am a paraplegic and cannot use most gym equipment. The MAXPRO with wall track is AMAZING for me. Strong back, arms, shoulders, and core. It's fantastic for rotator cuff strengthing, too.

[randomstuff]

I bought the max pro 10 days ago. Really liking it so far. Before purchase I was concerned the lack of resistance in the eccentric phase would result in a huge case of buyer’s remorse. It doesn’t bother me at all, so far.

In fact. I’ve decided the variety the MP provides by not having resistance in the eccentric phase is a benefit rather than a detractor. It doesn’t mimic or replace bands or cables; it’s just its own thing that provides a different workout than you’d get with bands, cables, or weights. I’ve learned that variety is a pretty big deal for me to be consistent in my workouts. So far, the MP is proving to be a solid option.

Design looks and feels sturdy. We’ll see how it holds up after a year of regular workouts.

I also really like that I can do half a dozen different movements pretty effectively without having to change handles or positions. Basic movements include deadlift, a modified clean, curls, cable crossovers (underhand grip), front/side shoulder flys, and shoulder press.

One of the main advantages has been the ability to hit a bunch of different movements quickly without having to load/unload plates or switch machines. I can get a good resistance workout in fairly quickly.

The cable does sometimes get in the way of your motion a bit on some of these lifts. Less than ideal but, for me, the interference isn’t enough to ruin the lift - so, not a big deal so far.

Also, adjusting the resistance is very simple, quick, and work well. I agree that it would be better if the resistance indicator was marked I lbs instead of just numbers that don’t seem to correspond to kilos or lbs. Still, not a huge detractor.

[jayh.]

I agree with everyone else, without eccentric, there’s no point

[AliQ]

For $1500, I would buy a used cable crossover. Will fit perfectly against the wall in my garage :-)

[Preyeyes]

I tried this a couple months back. I like the concept but having no eccentric tension was a complete deal breaker for me.

[AD-uisk]

The idea quality of equipment is going down yet the prices are sky rocketing 😂

[Sam-stwj]

$1, 300 for only concentric resistance? This is useless.

[justinstraight]

Yes it is expensive blah blah blah... Can't we all just appreciate how nice that sliding door looks in the background 😍

[jujimufu]

I died when you stole Sam's lawn mower analogy. 🤣

[DTM]

I was very close to buying this until I read it was only concentric. Cmon man, so close to an excellent home workout device that is portable, SO CLOSE!

[graham]

Not having eccentric resistance makes this a compromised niche item. The only use case I can think of where this would be a good product is for travel fitness. For that the price would need to be closer to ~$300 for this to be remotely compelling. Even in a very small home gym this just doesn't make sense and for $1300 you can get many better products.

[CaptainThemerica]

If they can figure out the eccentric, I’d prefer one of these over a full cable machine for my garage.

[charlesruckerii]

The device is good. It may not have an eccentric out right slowing your speed on your reps can make up for it. There is still tension there just not as much as you use it to lift it's still some there. It's not the perfect machine but it gets the job done and the machine itself was only $600 when I bought it and use a 50 bench from walmart to do all my bench work. Keep up the great work Coop

[apeekintime]

This is the kind of gadget that ends up in a closet gathering dust for most buyers. Too expensive for what it offers but I'd take one for $300 as something I can take on the road. For $1300 I can get a bar, plates, bench, and adjustable dumbbell...Sure gym equipment takes up space but you also remember to use it.

[Xariann]

First of all thanks for doing this review. I wound up buying the bundle.

I am not sure why there seems to be a lot of hate about concentric training in the comments. There is actually a lot of literature out there, including studies, showing that concentric training is actually pretty good.

I am also going to link an interview of Pendley, yes the guy who has a row exercise named after him. You'll see he likes concentric and explosive exercise.

The part about recovering faster and being able to work out more often is also true.

In general for something like a deadlift you don't want to place the bar down, it is best to drop it (if your gym allows it). You skip the eccentric side. The MaxPro allows you to do this at home without dropping anything on the floor.

I am not saying that it's better than doing both concentric and eccentric training, but calling the MaxPro useless because because of the concentric only thing, is a bit of a stretch. It's far from useless.

I do still own kettlebells so I can actually couple the MaxPro with explosive training and if I want to add eccentric load I can do it with the kettlebells (or my bodyweight).

I really love how versatile this is and it's excellent for small spaces. Cables are a fantastic tool and safer than free weights. The fact that you can mount this on a wall or a door or whatever, and you can use it standing or with the bench just lets you do so many exercises, and you don't have to go the gym.

Maybe I am just the type of user this is meant for, but you know, you have your bodyweight if you really want to do eccentric work. You can get things like Kettlebells (I have adjustable ones from Kettlebell Kings so they don't take much space at all). And with the MaxPro on top I feel I pretty much have all I need in a small space.

I am not in any way affiliated btw, I just happened to have used it and like it very much as it meets my needs.

The Pendley interview is below.

[BasementBrandon]

Thank you for doing this so I don't have to!

[AntoLeNice]

Yeah, no eccentric is clearly a deal breaker, especially for this price.

[tenzingyaltsen]

Thanks for the review, it was quite helpful. While I still think it would be useful for travel and a great idea overall, the lack of eccentric resistance really took it from something I’d spring money on to not. I agree, if they could add in eccentric motion somehow, this thing could be gold for travel and those with limited space.