Plate Loaded Squat Press

Name: Plate Loaded Squat Press
Brand: Cybex
Rating: 4.67 (6 reviews)

Cybex’s Plate Loaded Squat Press is a commercial four-bar-linkage machine built to mimic a barbell back squat’s movement pattern without the spinal loading or balance demands – lifters load plates on either peg, unrack with a push, and squat through a guided path that keeps ankle position correct throughout the range of motion. It’s become a favorite quad machine on its own merits: across r/naturalbodybuilding, r/workout, and r/GYM, lifters repeatedly single it out over a standard leg press for its natural feel and depth, with several noting they keep a commercial gym membership largely for access to it.

At 355 lb and rated to an 810 lb load capacity, it’s built for a commercial gym floor rather than a garage – 82” x 67” x 53” of footprint and no published consumer price (Cybex sells it through dealers on a quote basis) put it well outside a typical home-gym budget or build. Anyone encountering one should expect a smooth, guided squat-pattern movement that’s easier on the knees and hips than a barbell squat while still hitting quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves.

Buying guide

Best GHD for a Home Gym — July 2026

Machine weight	355 lb (161 kg)
Product number	16150
Movement pattern	Guided squat press
Resistance mechanism	Direct four-bar linkage (variable resistance profile)
Maximum load capacity	810 lb (350 kg)
Dimensions (l x w x h)	82" x 67" x 53" (208 cm x 170 cm x 135 cm)

What is a Machine?

What a strength machine is

A strength machine guides the resistance along a fixed path so you can train a movement safely, often without a spotter. The main types: selectorized (pick weight with a pin), plate-loaded (add your own plates for a heavier ceiling and better feel), and functional trainers / cable machines (adjustable pulleys for dozens of exercises).

Machines vs. free weights

Machines shine for isolation, safety, and high-rep hypertrophy, and for training hard alone. Free weights build more stabilizer strength and carry over better to sport. Most well-rounded home gyms use a rack and barbell as the core and add one machine — often a cable/functional trainer or a lat-pulldown/row — to fill the gaps.

The sub-types worth knowing

“Machines” covers several categories that barely compete with each other: GHDs for hamstring and posterior-chain work, belt squats for loading the legs without the bar on your back, leg press / hack squat combos for heavy quad volume, reverse hypers for posterior-chain work and lower-back decompression, cable towers and functional trainers for pulling movements, and row machines. Pick the one that fills a gap in what your rack and barbell already do. Almost nobody needs two.

Space and standalone vs. rack-mounted

Most of these come in a standalone version and a cheaper rack-attachment version. The attachment saves floor space and money, but often gives up stability or range of motion — a tradeoff worth checking on the specific product rather than assuming, since it varies a lot between designs.

A note on ratings

Machine listings frequently show a manufacturer’s own on-site rating, which runs high (4.7–5.0 is typical) and sometimes pools reviews across a whole product family rather than the exact configuration you’re buying. Where we have independent hands-on coverage, our summaries anchor to that instead, and say so on the product page.

How it compares

	Plate Loaded Squat Press	Monster Rhino Belt Squat - Stand Alone	VR2 Selectorized Leg Extension	Body Masters 45 Degree Hyperextension
GymRadar rating	4.67/5	4.67/5	4.67/5	4.67/5
Price		$2,415.00	$2,289.00
Machine weight	355 lb (161 kg)
Product number	16150
Movement pattern	Guided squat press
Resistance mechanism	Direct four-bar linkage (variable resistance profile)
Maximum load capacity	810 lb (350 kg)
Dimensions (l x w x h)	82" x 67" x 53" (208 cm x 170 cm x 135 cm)

4.7/5 · 6 GymRadar reviews

Reviews by source

Expert	4.67/5	6 reviews
Reddit	4.8/5	8 reviews

Cybex’s Plate Loaded Squat Press is a commercial four-bar-linkage quad machine that shows up again and again as lifters’ favorite squat-pattern machine – r/naturalbodybuilding, r/workout, and r/GYM threads independently single it out over a standard leg press for its “very natural feeling range of motion” and ability to squat deeper than typical sled machines. Functionality is the standout dimension, backed by GymRadar’s small independent sample (4.67/5, n=6) and consistent, unprompted community praise with no negative threads found. Value is the weakest dimension for a home buyer: this is 355 lb commercial gym equipment sold through dealers with no published retail price, so it’s realistically out of reach outside a commercial floor.

+Functionality: four-bar linkage keeps ankle position correct through the range of motion and lets lifters squat deeper than a typical sled-style leg press (Cybex product page; r/workout via pullpush.io)
+Functionality: repeatedly named a favorite quad machine across independent Reddit threads, with several users saying they keep a commercial gym membership largely for access to it (r/naturalbodybuilding via pullpush.io)
+Build quality: heavy-duty commercial construction -- 355 lb machine weight rated to an 810 lb load capacity (Cybex product page)
+Functionality: smooth, balanced feel from top to bottom and considered gentler on knees/hips than a barbell back squat while still loading the same muscle groups (Cybex product page; YouTube: Equipment Tour by Dragon's Lair Gym)

−Value: no published retail price -- sold through commercial dealers on a quote basis, and the only prices found are for used/remanufactured/demo units ($3,000-$5,000), not a price this site can point a home-gym buyer to (globalfitnessmarket.com; fitnessequipmentempire.com)
−Versatility: single-purpose squat-pattern machine at 82" x 67" x 53" -- footprint and cost put it well outside a typical home-gym build (Cybex product page)
−Durability: no independent long-term durability coverage found -- signal here is limited to the manufacturer's own commercial-grade claims (Cybex product page)
−Value: independent editorial coverage is thin -- no dedicated review site write-up surfaced, only a small GymRadar sample and Reddit comments (GymRadar; r/naturalbodybuilding, r/workout via pullpush.io)