New Resistance Weight Set Question

Factual Questions
1

I have recently decided to try and get in better shape. I purchase a Weider 8525 weight system.

http://www.iconfitness.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=979&prrfnbr=100430

I took several hours to assemble this properly, followed every instruction, and didn’t once attempt a shortcut, or the ol “I see where this is going” and just assemble how I think it should be done. Once I completed the setup, something was not right. The cable that goes to the weight plates in the back seemed too short. The top plate rests about 3 inches above the weight stack. The manual referes to what to do if there is excess slack, but doesn’t mention anything about not enough cable.

I called the 800 tech support and they asked me if I had the cables routed properly (I believe I do) then said that this was normal, and that the cable would stretch out in about a month. I can push down on this top plate, insert the pin and do my workout, but can anyone tell me if this cable really will stretch out?

thanks

2

It will stretch to some degree. Whether it will stretch 3" depends on many things, like total run length, material, diameter, etc. You should be able to speed this up by pinning it at a substantial weight, and then binding the butterfly handles together overnight., but this (or any other nonstandard usage) are probably frowned upon by some warning in the instruction manual. Weider doesn’t want liability.

I assume that you’ve adjusted the pulleys or turnbuckles opposite to the “take up slack” positions. You might just monitor the gap over the next few weeks and see if it’s decreasing at a suitable rate. If anything it should stretch faster in the first weeks, then slow.