Golds Gym Power Tower Review and Setup Notes

I started doing the INSANITY: The ASYLUM program. The difference between this one and Insanity is that there is an optional pull up segment in the Strength DVD. I own, installed and used a doorway pull up bar (amazing how much home exercise equipment doesn’t get used), and found it lacking in functionality compared to normal gym pull up bars. With this new program I didn’t want to settle for a pull up bar so I invested in a power tower.

Power Tower Review

I had the following criteria when shopping for a power tower.

• Sturdy construction
• Be able to handle side to side movement
• Have the functionality to do pull ups in a variety of position
• Comfort when doing the pull ups

Notice I’m more interested in the pull up functionality than the dips and Roman chair part.

After reading reviews online and going to 3 different sports stores and trying all the power towers they had, yes I am that guy on the equipment, I purchased the Gold’s Gym Platinum Assisted Power Tower. It is made by the same company that makes most consumer fitness equipment, ICON Health and Fitness.

The reference for comparison of the Gold’s Gym Power Tower is what I use in the gym. This is a welded heavy gauge steel construction power tower that takes the abuse of at least 50 – 75 people per day.

Sturdy construction – (4 / 5) The ‘A’ frame design, wide base and bent tube steel makes this power tower really sturdy. The score isn’t a 5 because it is bolted construction and not welded like a gym one.

Be able to handle side to side movement – (3 / 5) This is where the Gold’s Gym Power Tower excelled compared to other power towers I tried. When testing this I rotated and changed grip on the pull up bar causing my body to shift around. This movement is within the normal range of use. What I didn’t do was play jungle gym and see if I could launch my body sideways from the power towers. Other power tower pull up bars flexed up to â…œ – ½ inch, but the Gold’s Gym Platinum stayed pretty solid.

Have the functionality to do pull ups in a variety of position – (4 / 5) Most power towers I tested only had straight bars and could only allow for a close grip and wide grip pull up. This is the case with gym power towers too. I like the way the bar turns to a 90 degrees on the inside allowing you to do pull ups with your thumbs facing you. Switching grips to this 90 degree position is part of the Asylum training and was important in my decision. There were only two positions I had a hard time doing, a close grip chin up and alternating hands pull up. This is because of the distance between the separate pull up bars and the angle of the grip.

Comfort when doing the pull ups – (4 / 5) I consider myself average height, 5 ft 10 in. (Not really sure, haven’t measured how tall I am. Maybe I’m shorter and am wishing I’m 5 – 10), with an average arm span. All regular pull up positions felt natural without strain on my wrist except when I tried to do chin ups, which is possible by facing away from the power tower.

Other Features:

• Like most consumer power towers the maximum user weight is 300 lbs (136 kg).
• The assisted chair portion works pretty good and folds away easily, once you figure out the up and out motion. It uses a 4 band system that helps offset the person’s weight.
• The dip arm moves up and out of the way. This is really nice when doing pull ups.

Power Tower Setup and Assembly Notes

I’m not going to recreate the User’s Manual, download the Gold’s Gym Platinum Assisted Power Tower Instructions in PDF form. What I am going to do is hopefully clarify some things so that when someone else puts this together it will be easier.

It took about 3 1/2 hours to assemble this power tower. Of course I was taking pictures along the way.

Tools Used

• 2 Adjustable Wrenches (I used a 17mm socket, an extension and ratchet for one of the wrenches)
• 1 rubber mallet (all out of those so I just used a hammer. Gently of course)
• 1 standard screwdriver
• 1 Philips screwdriver
• Step ladder (some of the final bolts are really out of reach)

When unpacking, separate the plastic from the cardboard so the cardboard can be recycled. I didn’t see any recycle symbols on the plastic. Too bad.

One more thing..You are not crazy. There are some steps like #1, ‘Attach two Base Pads’, where part of the has been completed by the factory.

OK, now that some ramblings are out of the way spread out all the parts to make it easier to find everything.

Do not tighten any locknuts until step 8 is done.

There are numbers on the bolt and small accessory package only. Don’t waste time looking for numbers on larger pieces.

If you see any LEFT or RIGHT indicators on the pieces, the reference is if as if you are looking towards the widest portion of the legs, at least it was with mine. See the image below and the one for Step 5.

In step 1 and 2, I used some Scotch Blue Painter’s Tape to hold the bolts in place.

The feet on the front will most likely not sit flat on the floor. Gently tap them so they sit flat. I cheated by tightening the locknuts a little and the loosening them after I finished tapping the feet. It is a lot easier to straighten these no when the other 100 lbs of the power tower isn’t on them.

I couldn’t help the Happy Gilmore reference.

Step 5 is where the Left and Right reference orientation became clear. It only makes sense that the bars angle inward.

Step 8 is where you put the pull up frame on the top frame. I had to pull out the step ladder on this one to make it easier to tighten those top bolts.

Time to tighten all those M10 locknuts from the previous steps. Since I was putting this together by myself, I used some small pieces of wood to lift up the front legs one at a time to get to the locknuts.

The biggest pain in step 9 was aligning the pull up handle cap. I tried two methods when attaching the pull up handles to the pull up frame.

First method was to align the pull up handle in place and slide the pull up handle cap in place from the side.

The second method was to put the pull up handle cap on the handle and bring it in place from the top.

The tether in step 12 was already attached to the back support. All I had to do was push the adjustment pin in place.

In step 11, 17 and 18 the upholstery pieces, knee pad, armrest covers and backrest, are bolted in place. Make sure these go in straight. If it even feels like the bolts are going in crooked, take them out and try again. One of the bolts didn’t seem like it was going in as smooth as the other one on the knee pad. I swapped the bolts and it seemed OK.

Lastly go back over all the bolts to make sure they are tightened.

Power Tower Final Thoughts

The hard thing about shopping for a power tower is

• finding one that fits the exercises you want to do now
• also is design in a way that it will not be restrictive expanding your routines with new exercises

For me the Gold’s Gym Platinum Assisted Power Tower does a good job of balancing price with functionality and good construction.

During my research I’ve only heard a couple complaints

• The cost to replace the 4 assist bands is around $80. I will have to make sure I use some automotive rubber rejuvenation product to see if I can make these last longer.
• The dip arms are a little wide for some people. They are a little wide, but this focuses on working the chest more than tricep isolation.

Some of the features I really love are

• The Roman Chair folds out of the way
• There is little side to side movement
• Assisted pull ups and dips
• Comfortable pull up position
• Sturdy tubular construction

If you found this article helpful please share it with others. Also, the Amazon links in this article help me maintain this site. Please use them to purchase the power tower if you do decide to purchase one. Thank you.