I Pulled 260 Lbs on the Speediance 2S - And It Almost Pulled Me Into the Wall

The Question

Someone in the Speediance Facebook group posted that their machine felt wobbly during lat pulldowns. That got me thinking: the 2S is rated for 260 lbs. I'd never actually tried to lift that much.

On Tonal, I could do 185 lbs - and the machine would pull me up. I was curious: what happens at 260?

Here's what I learned: the machine is rock solid. And at 200 lbs body weight, you need serious additional weight to even attempt this.

Setting Up the Test

First, I needed to address the wobble concern. The original Speediance has locks on the weight stack that need to be centered and tightened properly. If they're at the edge, the machine WILL feel loose.

I spent the first week with my 2S on carpet in my office. It felt wobbly. Once I moved it to a harder surface? Rock solid. Carpet absorbs energy. Hard surfaces don't.

For the lat pulldown test, I was also wearing a weighted vest. At 200 lbs body weight, the machine pulling 260 lbs upward force is stronger than my downward pull. Without extra weight, I'd get lifted - not the other way around.

I put on my weighted vest. Then another weighted vest. Total body weight: nearly 300 lbs.

The First Attempt

130 lbs per side. 260 total.

I couldn't pull it down.

Not even close. The cables came down maybe halfway, and that was with everything I had - knees against the wall for leverage, full commitment to the pull.

But here's what shocked me: the machine didn't wobble. Not one bit. I was expecting flex, give, maybe some scary cable movement.

Nothing. The thing was bolted to the wall - and it felt like it.

The Machine Pulled Me

I tried something different: let go of the bar and let the machine lift me.

At 200 lbs, the machine pulled me up the wall like I was a toddler. My knees came off the ground. I hit the wall - hard.

Tonal couldn't do this at 185 lbs. It would lift me an inch and drop me back. The Speediance 2S just picked me up and held me there.

This thing is rated for 260 lbs. It's not lying.

Round Two: Two Weighted Vests

I found my heavier weighted vest. Combined with the first one, I was pushing 300 lbs total body weight.

Now I could actually complete reps.

The first rep got me to my shoulders. The second rep - full range of motion, all the way down.

It was the hardest thing I've ever tried on a machine. My muscles were shaking. But I did it.

And the machine? Still rock solid. No wobble. No give. No flex.

What This Means

The 2S is built for heavy lifting. The max rating isn't marketing - it's capability.

Here's the context: at 200 lbs, I'm a relatively light user for this machine. Someone who's 250 lbs, 275 lbs - they'd need even MORE additional weight to test the limits. The machine can handle users well beyond average body weight.

The wobble issue the original poster had? Either their locks weren't centered, or their floor surface was soft. On tile or concrete, with properly adjusted locks, this machine doesn't move.

The Tonal Comparison

On Tonal at 185 lbs, I could do lat pulldowns comfortably. At 200 lbs, I couldn't do them at all - the machine couldn't generate enough force.

The Speediance 2S at 260 lbs is in a completely different league. It's not a upgraded version of the same concept - it's a different class of machine.

If you're a big guy - 220 lbs, 250 lbs, more - the Speediance 2S gives you room to grow that Tonal simply can't match.

The Fans

When I was doing those max reps, the machine's fans kicked in. They sounded like a jet airplane taking off.

Tonal's fans do the same thing at max weight. That's not a criticism - it's what happens when you're pushing a machine to its limits.

The difference: the Speediance handled that load without hesitation. The machine wasn't stressed. It was just doing what it was designed to do.

The Bottom Line

260 lbs lat pulldown on the Speediance 2S: achievable, but only if you're heavy enough or add enough external weight.

The machine doesn't wobble. The cables don't give. The max weight rating is real.

If you've been worried about whether this machine can handle serious strength training - stop worrying. It can. It does. And it doesn't even break a sweat doing it.

I was in the 30-day return window when I filmed this. I kept the machine. That's how impressed I was.