HVO Leg Curl / Extension Machine

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I was recently contacted by the company HVO, which makes various fitness equipment, with the hopes of me possibly reviewing their products. After some discussion, we settled on the leg curl/extension machine because it is something that I would actually use as someone who enjoys leg day.

Again, this product was sent to me by HVO for free. But I explained to them that this is going to be an unbiased review with me expressing my own personal opinions.

First, in terms of packaging, everything arrived in one cardboard box. All the parts are bubble wrapped, and mine was largely unscathed, with only one part that had some noticeable scratches.

Installation of this machine is relatively straightforward, as most of it is already pre-assembled, and everything is put together with only a few bolts. The bolts are also well labeled, so you can get the entire thing put together relatively quickly.

As far as the machine itself, it’s relatively compact and is a good bit smaller than a single horse stall mat. This is partly why I wanted this machine. It doesn’t take up too much space, and I felt that it was worth giving up that space in my single-car garage gym.

In terms of use, I’ve only put a few workouts in on this machine, but I would say that overall my experience has been good. I do want to point out that you can use this machine sitting up or lying down, depending on how you set up the pads. I personally only use this machine sitting up to save some extra space. The only reason to make the pads lie down is to do lying leg curls, but with the 24-position sundial, you can basically achieve the same thing sitting up. Lying vs sitting will hit slightly different muscle groups, and you can look that up for yourself, but for my uses, it’s close enough, and I’d rather save the floor space.

Speaking of adjustments, this machine does offer a few different options. The back pad goes back and forth, up and down. The Seat pad’s angle can be adjusted. The thigh roller goes up and down. And you have two sundials to adjust your leg positions. With the larger sundial, I really appreciate that they added position numbers because I do adjust this multiple times a workout to change between leg curls and extensions. There are no position numbers on the smaller sundial, but this isn’t a problem for me because I keep it in the same spot for everything, so it never gets adjusted. I can see this as being annoying if you constantly have to adjust it. Overall, there’s a lot of adjustability with this machine that I think most people are going to be able to make it work for them.

As far as the pads, I really have no complaints here. They are both 2 inches thick and offer adequate stiffness, but are not uncomfortable.

Now, let’s talk about actually using this machine. Personally, I only wanted this machine for doing seated leg curls and extensions, so I have the most experience with that. For these exercises, I think this machine does a great job once you get your proper positions dialed in. I haven’t used a similar machine since I worked out at a commercial gym years ago, so I don’t have a good frame of reference, but I’m so surprised that I can get such a pump and burn from just one 45lbs plate. It can get pretty difficult when doing a lot of reps. That being said, I think this machine would be beneficial for those who don’t own a lot of plates because most people would not need it with these exercises.

In terms of versatility, you technically can do quite a few different exercises with this machine. But some of the more practical options are highlighted by HVO, and I think that this machine is viable for those exercises. For example, you can position the leg roller to sit above your thighs and do calf raises. The machine is actually really functional for this. Then for those who like split squats, again, the leg roller can easily be positioned to give you a place to rest your foot. I really wish that I got this machine sooner because I spent hundreds of dollars on a pair of Rouge leg rollers that attach to a rack. I much prefer to use this HVO leg roller because it’s already there, and there’s really no setup time.

Again, overall I would say that this is a good machine, but not all is perfect. There are a few minor things that I think can be updated. First, there are two little square tubes that are used as storage locations for the thigh rollers and back pad. What I don’t like is that it’s just metal-on-metal contact. Over time, this black paint is going to get destroyed and I think these areas are going to be prone to rusting. I say this because my machine already shows signs of rust internally. This is something exclusive to this particular product, but really any gym equipment that’s imported can show signs of rust because it’s sitting in a container for potentially months, going over the ocean, then sit some more in a warehouse for who knows how long when it hits the US. So I’m not necessarily knocking HVO for this, I’m just saying that if this area gets scratched up, it too may start to develop some rust. My next complaint is with the selector pin for the smaller sundial. For some reason, when some weight is added and the machine is in use, this pin constantly makes a popping noise. It’s something that I’ve personally gotten used to, but is an annoyance nevertheless. Lastly, the handles that are attached to the back pad of my machine are angled weirdly. This is because the circular couplings that they attach to are welded unevenly. This is one of those fit and finish things that separates products. Aside from looking weird, I also don’t like how these handles are just held in place by a small bolt that loosens very easily under use. From my experience, it’s basically impossible to tighten these handles down and not have them wiggle out of place over time. This should definitely be addressed. But luckily for me, I never use this machine lying down, so I never have to worry about this.

And that’s the HVO leg curl/extension in a nutshell. For under $400, I think that this is a good buy. It offers a good amount of versatility for those who want a multipurpose machine and but is also very good at what it’s primarily designed to do, and that’s leg curl and extensions.

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Building a Platform for the Titan Fitness Squat Max MD

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I’ve been using my Titan Fitness Squat Max MD for about a month and am constantly reminded that I’m a bit too short for it as I keep bottoming out when hitting parallel. I bought a different belt that’s slightly shorter, but it turns out that only helps until I reach over 300lbs, and the belt material stretches a bit, making me bottom out again. So, the only real answer is to build a platform that raises me up a bit, giving me the clearance that I need.

Obviously, there are a lot of ways to approach this project. What I’m going to show you is what I feel is one of the easier approaches. That being said, I did do a couple of optional steps to make my platform look and perform better. Not every step that I’m about to show is necessary, and I’ll let you know that when we get there. Also, I personally already owned a lot of the materials to get this project done so your mileage will vary. I’ll do my best to include as many reference products as possible for you below. With that said, let’s get started.

Probably the most obvious approach to building a platform is to use wood. For my project, I decided to go with a non-pressure-treated 4”x4” for the internal structure. This is because right off the bat, a 4”x4” would give you a 3.5” lift right out the gate. You just cut it to size, stand on it, and you’re done. Not much else needed. With most other wood sizes, you’re probably going to have to do some sort of stacking, which just takes more effort.

I originally planned on cutting two pieces of 4”x4”, sticking them side by side, and calling it a day. That would give me a 7” wide platform to stand on, and that would be perfectly functional, but a little bit ugly in my opinion. I ultimately decided to wrap the platform, completely covering the 4”x4”, so I also picked up a 4’ x8’ sheet of plywood. For this, I went with the thinnest sheet that my Lowe’s had, and it was 5mm thick. With my platform, the plywood is purely for aesthetics. It’s just to cover up the 4x4, which is what’s giving me the structural rigidity. So spending money on thicker plywood would just be a complete waste of money in my opinion. Pro tip, if you don’t have the means to rip a full sheet of plywood or just too lazy to do it like me, some hardware stores sell smaller pre-cut sheets but at a higher cost per square footage, and some hardware stores have large saws that will be able to cut the wood down for you. But just be careful with this, as some of the workers are not proficient with the saw and can make inaccurate cuts. I say this because this happened with my project. The guy cut a little bit too short. I didn’t double-check at the store and had to make adjustments to everything at home.

At this point, I want to talk about the platform size. This will ultimately depend on you and what you want. I would recommend that you stand on the Squat Max in your normal squatting stance and measure your foot from side to side. Remember, your feet are going to be angled a bit, so account for that. I personally gave myself some extra space and decided to cut my 4”x4” to 9.5”. I had 4 of these side to side, which gave me a length of 14”. So my internal structure was 9.5”x14”.

To attach these blocks together, I just used some wood glue between the sides and clamped everything together to dry. You can reinforce them even more by nailing or screwing them together but I didn’t think this was necessary considering that they’d be locked in place once I get the plywood on.

Next, it was time to cut the plywood down to size. Again, there are a few ways to approach this. I went the easiest route and decided to just butt the ends to each other. I would say that cutting the plywood down was the hardest part of this project for me because it’s 5mm thick. That doesn’t translate perfectly to the imperial fraction system that we normally use when dealing with wood. 5mm is just over 3/16” of an inch. So what I’m getting at is unless you’re extremely anal about measuring and cutting, there’s going to be some descrepencies when you go to assemble. Especially, if you have a 4”x4” that’s not perfectly straight like I did. Just know that and be prepared for some gaps. If you don’t care, then no problem. If you do care, then there are ways to fill the gaps. But in saying that, I cut 4 pieces of 14”x10”, 4 pieces of 10”x4”, and 4 pieces of 14”x4”.

Once I got all the plywood cut, it was time to assemble the plywood box around the 4”x4” internal structure. To hold the plywood in place, I used brad nails. I would recommend that you add some wood glue here to make an even more sturdy structure. I didn’t because I was in a rush to get this project done and didn’t want to sit around waiting for the glue to dry.

Again, because I was working with some imperfect wood, there’s going to be some gaps. You can skip this step, but if you care like me, you can fill in the gaps. This can be done with wood filler or, in my case, spackle because I have a bunch lying around. This particular product that I’m using goes on pink and dries white. Not the best look, but it didn’t matter to me because I plan to paint my platform black to match the color scheme of my home gym.

Next, I’m going to glue some anti-slip padding to the top and bottom of my platform. For this, I’m using some toolbox liner that I already had lying around. This padding is going to help keep the platform in place and prevent the wood from possibly scratching up the Squat Max. This is another optional step, but I personally really appreciate having this liner on the platform.

And that’s my entire process for building a platform for the Squat Max. I can’t tell you how much of a game-changer this is for me. I can squat so low now, way below parallel, without bottoming out even when using some of the longer belts that I own. I think if you’re under 6’ tall, this is definitely a worthwhile project.

If you're considering buying any of the products mentioned, please support my work by using the links below.

Titan Fitness Squat Max MD https://amzn.to/4mYKBPk

Spud Inc Pillow Belt Squat Belt https://amzn.to/43OJ7OV

Flex 12in Sliding Miter Saw https://amzn.to/4mQ5ex8

Speed Square https://amzn.to/43FlLuQ

Tape Measure https://amzn.to/43OJkBH

Titebond Original Wood Glue https://amzn.to/457PaQS

Wood Clamps 24" https://amzn.to/4kJ8Tut

Brad Nailer https://amzn.to/3HCeGDQ

Brad Nails https://amzn.to/45ccPjb

DAP DryDex Spackling https://amzn.to/43sMb4i

Toolbox Drawer Liner https://amzn.to/4jqYiDr

Gorilla Clear Glue https://amzn.to/3ZLtnuw

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Titan Fitness Squat Max MD Simple Upgrades

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I’ve been enjoying my Titan Fitness Squat Max MD but quickly ran into a few problems. Problems that I’ve found some quick and simple fixes for.

First off, the entire system is metal-on-metal contact. So when you use it, there’s a lot of clanking and excessive noise. I haven’t found a fix for the handles and safety scissors, but one thing that I’ve done to minimize noise in general is by adding some padding on top of the safety bars. I just used some self-adhesive mats that I keep around for random projects. With this, I cut a strip and stuck it to the top of the safety bars. Again, it’s self-adhesive, so it’s pretty straightforward. But in doing this, I essentially eliminated the noise of racking the loading pin.

My next problem with the Squat Max is the amount of movement the loading pin has when it moves up and down the guide rod. This is in place to allow a more natural squat pattern, but in my opinion, there’s too much slop and this results in the possibility of your plates catching the lip of the oval cutout. Funny thing is, the inventor of the Squat Max, Brian Hennessy, saw me say this in my original Squat Max video and he mentioned that that shouldn’t be possible. But when you watch the promo video with him talking about the Squat Max on Titan’s channel, you can clearly see the model clipping his plates on the lip of the Squat Max on the very first rep. So, it’s very much possible. In my case and because I use rubber-coated plates, every time I hit the lip, it tears a chunk off of my plates, and I really don’t like that. To combat this, I’ve done two things. First, is by changing how I position myself on the Squat Max. If you haven’t noticed, when you squat, you naturally sit back and your body naturally shifts back a bit. It’s this shifting back motion that allows the plates to get caught under the lip of the oval cutout. So if you move a bit forward on the platform, you gain a bit of clearance. Then on top of this, I’ve added an edge guard to the lip of the cutout. This adds a softer and more rounded edge to the lip in case I do happen to hit it.

Finally, and likely the biggest upgrade that I’ve made is in picking up a new belt and the one that works for me is the Spud Inc Pillow Belt Squat Belt. I’ve made a dedicated video HERE comparing this belt and the Titan belt that the Squat Max comes with so check that out if you’re interested. But in short, the Pillow belt is going to offer more comfort as the materials it’s made of are softer, more flexible, and offer more effective padding. The Pillow belt is also about 2 inches shorter than the Titan belt. In my case, this allows me to hit parallel on a squat without hitting the bottom of the Squat Max. That alone makes it a worthwhile upgrade for me, but that’s not going to be applicable to everyone.

If you don’t pick up a new belt, something else that I can recommend is to pick up a new carabiner. My Titan belt started to fray after the very first use and this is because the carabiner that came with the belt is a bit sharp around the edges. Brian Hennessy, the inventor of the Squat Max, saw my original video where I mentioned this problem and sent a replacement carabiner that he sells on his website. For sure, his carabiner is of much higher quality, and the fit and finish are much better. There are no sharp edges, so hopefully this won’t rip up my new Pillow belt.

For now, these minor upgrades haven’t necessarily solved all of my minor complaints with the Squat Max, but they’ve certainly minimized them. What I’ve shown you are simple little tweaks that don’t take much effort and don’t cost too much, so I can definitely recommend them to any Squat Max owner.

If you're considering buying any of the products mentioned, please support my work by using the links below.

Titan Squat Max MD https://amzn.to/3SjN3BS

Self-Adhesive Anti-Slip Pads https://amzn.to/43f23Hm

Edge Guard Strip https://amzn.to/44XY5UZ

Spud Inc Pillow Belt Squat Belt https://amzn.to/45oB6SY

Carabiner https://thehenny.com/collections/accessories/products/replacement-carabiners

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Spud Inc Pillow Belt Squat Belt vs Titan Fitness Multi-Use Hip Belt

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If you’ve been keeping up with my channel, you’d know that I recently added the Titan Fitness Squat Max MD belt squat machine to my home gym. If you’d like to learn more about this machine, I’ve made a dedicated blog for it HERE. However, in that blog, I mentioned how I didn’t like the belt that the Squat Max came with.

First of all, it’s not all that comfortable. Even though it’s made from a relatively soft textile (when considering other belt squat belts) and there seems to be a decent amount of foam in it, when put under loads of over 200 lbs, you can start to feel it dig in around the back and hips.

Second, I don’t like the multiloop adjustment system that this belt utilizes. I personally use the loops that are closest in so that I can get as deep of a squat as possible, so the rest just dangle and get in the way. This wouldn’t be as big of a problem for someone taller who needs to use the other loops, but most people are going to have to deal with some excess. I also don’t like that these loops are textile. I much prefer metal attachment rings because they don’t get damaged as easily. My Titan belt started to fray after the very first use and this is partly because of the carabiner that Titan sends for use with this belt. It’s not the best and a little sharp so it can actually damage the belt. Brian Hennessy, the inventor of the Squat Max saw my original video and actually sent a replacement carabiner that he sells on his website, and for sure, it’s of much higher quality and the fit and finish are much better. There are no sharp edges, so hopefully this will prevent any more damage.

However, my biggest problem with the loops is that they flex and sag a bit under heavy loads. Of course, the entire belt does because it’s all textile, but the loops just add to the problem. When I mess around on the Squat Max with no weights loaded, I can hit way below parallel without bottoming out and hitting the stopper. But anytime that I have more than four 45lbs plates loaded, I have to really watch my form and hike the belt up a bit to actively try and not bottom out. This is annoying because I’m not able to get the full range of motion, and it’s just a minor distraction every time I hit the stopper and feel a little bump.

All of this has led me to search for a different belt squat belt, and if you’ve done the same, I’m sure that you’ve seen the same repetitive recommendation for the Spud Inc Pillow Belt Squat Belt, which is kind of universally touted as the most comfortable belt squat belt. Because of all of these recommendations, I really wanted to pick the Pillow belt up but was hesitant because if you didn’t know, this belt is essentially designed after the original belt that Brian Hennessy developed for the original Squat Max before Titan started producing it. And that’s the same case for the Titan belt that I already owned and hated. So in my mind, I was thinking that both the Titan belt and the Pillow belt would have the same problems. So let’s consider the complaints that I previously stated.

In terms of comfort, the Pillow belt is light years more comfortable than the Titan belt. The material itself is softer, plusher, and more flexible. The design of this belt’s padding is very effective in keeping the exercise comfortable for as long as possible and much more manageable than Titan’s belt. I don’t think we’ll ever really get a belt that will provide 100% comfort when belt squatting hundreds of pounds, but for right now, this is the closest that we probably have.

In terms of the loop adjustment system. It is what it is. If you want the Pillow belt, this is what you have to deal with. Personally, I’m probably going to cut off all the excess loops because I’m likely the only one who’s going to be using this belt. I do want to mention that Spud Inc also makes a belt that not only has an adjustable belt system, but that belt also has metal attachment rings. This would essentially resolve all the complaints that I have with the multiloop system. I actually ordered the Kaiju Adjustable Belt from Spud Inc at the same time as the Pillow belt, but ultimately am deciding to return it because, without even opening the adjustable belt, I can already tell that it’s much stiffer than the Pillow belt. I guess at this point in life, I’d rather choose comfort over ultimate adjustability.

Again, I want to remind you that my biggest complaint with the Titan belt is that it doesn’t allow me to hit parallel. The Pillow belt is actually about 2 inches shorter than the Titan belt and this means that the loops are 2 inches closer to the body. I was barely bottoming out when using the Titan belt, so I just happened to be tall enough to use the Pillow belt and not bottom out. This, of course, will not be the case for everyone. It just depends on your weight, what size belt you buy, and probably most importantly, how long your inseam is. Unfortunately, the size of the Pillow belt that you buy is largely dependent on your weight. So if you’re heavy and short, you’re going to have to buy a larger belt, and in that case, you’re most likely going to bottom out no matter what. At that point, you’d either have to deal with it or build a platform to get some extra clearance.

And that’s going to be it. I think for now, the Pillow belt may not be perfect and check all the boxes off my list, but it’s as good as I’m going to find. I think if Spud Inc ever puts the adjustable belt adjustment system on the Pillow belt, then we might really have perfection, so I really hope that that’s something that they’d consider.

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Spud Inc Pillow Belt Squat Belt https://amzn.to/3Fr732o

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Xero Shoes Forza Trainer

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At this point, I’ve tried about 4 different pairs of shoes from Xero Shoes and the Forza Trainers might be the best weightlifting shoes that I own.

Full disclaimer, I’ve only owned these shoes for about 2 months, so I can’t necessarily speak on the long-term durability of the shoes. But I have used them for a decent number of workouts and can give you a pretty thorough opinion. I do want to preface that I mainly lift weights and focus on powerlifting movements like the squat, bench press, deadlift, and some accessory lifts. So, you’ll be getting an opinion from the perspective of the average gym-goer, not a crossfitter or someone who does Olympic lifting.

Let’s start with the design of the Forza Trainer. This particular colorway is with the morel upper with gum soles. It’s an interesting color that looks kind of like a mixture of brown and grey. Very unique and definitely looks like the color of the mushrooms that it’s named after.

The entire Forza Trainer’s upper is comprised of a few different mesh materials that offer different degrees of ventilation. This means that this is going to be an extremely breathable shoe, so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for cold or wet weather. The upper also features some reinforcement around the toe box, but I think the biggest appeal of this silhouette is the strap system that it offers. At the forefoot is a strap that cinches down as you tighten the shoe laces. There is also a larger strap that tightens the top of the foot and heel together. These two straps really help to lock your feet into the shoes and there’s realistically no escaping from it under normal use.

Moving down, we get a zero-drop sole that’s very minimal in both material and design. Xero markets their shoes as offering a barefoot experience and this is very much so with the Forza Trainier. The very thin sole lets you stand barely above the ground and allows you to feel the surfaces that you’re on in a sense. The general design of the sole itself is also very minimal. It’s basically just a strip of rubber with some small lines cut into it. There’s no real missing chunks or pronounced lugs. When standing on this sole, it feels very uniform and this is good for weightlifting because it means that the user maximizes the forces that they are exerting while pushing and directly transfers it into the ground. There’s also no excess cushioning that can mess with balance or contribute to an unstable lifting surface. This sole is what makes it the perfect all-around trainer for me. I own dedicated lifting shoes that have rock-hard soles that may technically be better for lifting, but I save those for maximum effort days because they just aren’t as comfortable to wear all the time. The Forza Trainer gives me a good balance between comfort and performance, and it’s exactly what I want in an everyday training shoe.

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Men’s Zero Forza Trainer https://amzn.to/4kxI0tI

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