PRx Functional Trainer Attachment Review

In this PRx functional trainer attachment review, I’m gonna give you all the details about this innovate 3-sided trolley system.

PRx collaborated with Dialed Motion and brought the Sidewinder into the PRx folding rack world.

What’s fascinating to me is the retractable cable system that automatically adjusts cable length like a dedicated functional trainer.

Let’s check it out!

Unboxing

I got the dual sided functional trainers so that’s why I have two boxes.

All the pieces came in boxes with cut outs specifically fitted for each piece.

Different packaging than the bubble wrap and styrofoam I’m used to seeing but it works since everything arrived unscathed.

Here’s what’s included in one box:

• Trolley

• Upper arm

• Cable retractor

• Loading pin

• Handle

• The other box has the same pieces.

Specs

• Upper arm dimensions: 9″H x 15.5″W x 0.8″D

• Weight capacity: 250 lbs per side

• Compatibility: PRx Profile Pro racks (89″ or 95″)

• Pulley ratio: 1:1

• Cable travel: 64″ on an 89″ rack, 70″ on a 95″ rack

• Weight post: 13.75″ useable length

What Is The PRx Functional Trainer Attachment?

The PRx functional trainer attachment is a plate loaded, cable pulley system specifically made for PRx performance racks.

It uses a 3-sided trolley with a retractable cable that eliminates the need to change cable lengths for different exercises.

If you’ve ever used a DIY cable pulley system, you know switching out different cables is a pain in the ass.

The functional trainer is compatible with 3×3 PRx Profile Pro racks with both 5/8″ and 1″ holes.

It comes with aluminum pulleys for a smooth, fluid motion, and 1:1 pulley ratio so what I load is the actual weight I’m lifting.

And since the upper arms are flat, I can fold my weight rack without having to take anything off.

NOTE: If you’re interested in a similar cable system and you own a rack from a different brand, checkout the Sidewinder.

Installation

Installation for the upper arm takes a little bit of time but I only have to do it once.

I connected the upper arm to the upright with a couple of L brackets.

The bottom L bracket goes through the upright and the top L bracket goes through the top linkage arm, upright, and pullup bar.

Inside each upper arm there’s three aluminum pulleys.

Aluminum pulleys give the cable system a smoother, fluid motion so it’s no surprise when with this instead of plastic pulleys.

If you get the dual sided set up, the cable setup is a bit different between left and right sides.

On the left side, the cable runs on the top of the pulleys.

On the right side, I had to remove the middle pulley and run the cable under it.

This is done so I can run the cable on top of the middle pulley and to the opposite upper arm when doing lat pulldowns and other exercises.

I’ll show you what I mean later but this is done so I can lift on the opposite side of the weights so they don’t touch me when I’m next to the upright.

Here’s what it looks like once I connected both upper arms.

I previously had the kipping pullup bar but that ate up a lot of the upper upright so I had to change to the multi-grip for better trolley travel.

I’m happy with the set up and the flat design on the upper arms allows me to fold up the rack without having to detach them.

Top Benefits Of The PRx Functional Trainer Attachment

1:1 Pulley Ratio

There’s a lot of functional trainers out there with a 2:1 pulley ratio, which means you lift half of what you select.

PRx’s functional trainer uses a 1:1 pulley ratio so I’m lifting exactly what I load.

This means I don’t have to load as many weight plates to hit a certain weight.

Minimal Swing

From my own experimentation, I’ve found that running cables through multiple pulleys reduces the amount of swing on plate loaded cable systems.

And that’s exactly what PRx does by running their cable through at least three pulleys on each side.

They can still swing a little bit but it’s not as much as a cable going through a single pulley.

On lat pulldown setups where I’m lifting weight on the opposite side, the cable runs through both upper arms (5 pulleys) so it doesn’t swing at all.

Space Saver

Since the functional trainer is an attachment to my rack, I save tons of floor space.

My garage gym is on one bay of a two car garage so I don’t have room for a dedicated functional trainer.

Here’s a close up of the upper arm and cable retractor when I have the rack folded against the wall.

I could have the loading pins hanging from there as well but I take them off so they don’t swing around when I’m unfolding the rack.

Don’t need a metal pipe hitting my noggin.

And here’s a view of how the trolley sits when the rack is folded.

Since the trolleys are three sided, nothing sticks out in the back so they never touch my wall.

Best Features Of The PRx Functional Trainer Attachment

Retractable Cable System

I first came across a cable retractor when I reviewed the now extinct Rail Trainer.

When that first came out, I thought it was the coolest thing invented for DIY pulley systems.

But Dialed Motion’s system is much better they incorporated the rack trolley to really dial it in.

On one side of the cable retractor there’s a switch where I lock and unlock the cable.

When it’s locked, the cable can’t increase in length but it can get shorter.

In the unlocked position, I can change the length from the cable retractor or from the trolley side.

The bottom of the retractor has a slit with a couple of chrome teeth right next to it.

This is where I insert the loading pin and it clamps to the retractor automatically.

When I want to release the loading pin, I push both teeth towards the middle and it unlocks.

The loading pins are chrome and have a triangular base with rubber pads on each corner.

Notice how the top of the loading pins has a tip that fits inside the retractor like a lock and key.

This is much faster than having to deal with carabiners.

I just push the retractor into the loading pin top and it’s locked.

Aluminum Pulleys

Each upper arm has three aluminum pulleys running through them which I like for two reasons.

One, the cable being spread out over several pulleys makes it less likely to swing so it gives it more stability…

And two, aluminum pulleys can handle more weight than plastic ones and their smooth surface gives the cable a more fluid motion than plastic pulleys.

Same thing goes for the trolley.

Each trolley has two aluminum pulleys sandwiched inside a pulley block.

The pulley block swivels 180 degrees which lets me work from any angle.

3 Sided Trolley

When I first saw PRx’s announcement that they came out with a trolley for their folding racks, I was confused.

If you’re not familiar with PRx racks, they have linkage arms (red arrow) that connect the uprights to the wall.

So I couldn’t understand how the trolley could move up and down the uprights with these arms in the way 🤔.

And then I saw the back of the trolley…

The three sided trolley is a genius idea that I never even thought of because I’m used to trolleys that wrap around the uprights.

From the outside, the trolley looks simple but I’m gonna take it off and show you how much detail they put into from the inside…

Yellow arrows: The top and bottom of the trolley are lined with 3 pieces of UHMW plastic to prevent metal on metal contact

Green arrows: These are magnets that keep the trolley on the uprights as I move it up and down

Red arrows: These are spring loaded and fit both 5/8″ and 1″ holes so they work on every hole in my rack

The knurled handles on the sides are spring loaded so when I want to move the trolley, I pull on them and the metal knobs retract

And of course, I gotta have handles to use these thing and these are really nice.

They’re knurled and made of aluminum so they’re very light but strong.

Excellent design on the trolley and it works flawlessly.

Flat Upper Arms

When I first saw the upper arms, I wasn’t a big fan of how they looked.

But after using the functional trainer attachment for a while I’ve gotten to like them because I see how they work.

I talked about how running the cable through three pulleys makes it swing less…

But the arms also keeps weight plates out from my training space so I have more room and don’t bump into them.

My Favorite Exercises Using PRx Functional Trainer

One of my favorite exercises to do with the PRx functional trainer attachment is lat pulldowns.

I pull up a bench, secure my legs down, and attach my favorite cable attachment (UClips back bar).

See how there’s no trolley on the left and the weight plates are hanging on the opposite side of where I’m pulling from?

That’s the beauty of having the dual cable set up so I’m gonna show you how that’s done…

Remember when I told you that the right upper arm cable set up was different? I ran the cable under the second pulley to pull off this set up.

First, I took off the trolley and cable retractor from the opposite end.

There’s nothing to unscrew for this…the cable just sits on top of the pulleys and the trolley doesn’t wrap around the uprights.

Now I unlock the retractor on the right side, pull the cable over the second pulley, and run it over the pull up bar all the way to the left upper arm.

Then connect it to the loading pin on the left and that’s all there’s to it.

Now I can push or pull from the right side without the weights getting in my way.

I like this set up for lat pulldowns, seated rows, tricep pushdowns, bicep curls, and belt squats.

Now back to my favorite exercises using each side independently.

First one is cable flys and cable crossovers and this is one a lot of people love doing with functional trainers.

Another favorite of mine is incline cable presses.

This works perfectly with my incline bench and gives me constant tension that I can’t get with dumbbells so I get a great burn.

RELATED: PRx Incline Folding Bench

PRx Functional Trainer Attachment Pros & Cons

Pros

• Build: Metal parts are made out of thick, powder coated steel

• Retractable cable: Eliminates the need to figure out cable lengths for different exercises

• Aluminum pulleys: Can handle a lot of weight and give the cables a smooth, fluid motion

• 1:1 pulley ratio: I don’t have to load a ton of weight plates since what I put on is the actual weight I’m lifting

• Space saving: Doesn’t take up any additional floor space and I can fold my rack up with the attachment still on

Cons

• Swing: I still get a little bit of swing in some exercises.

• Trolley height: The trolley can only go up to a certain height so taller users doing lat pulldowns might not get a full stretch

PRx Functional Trainer Attachment Price

The PRx functional trainer attachment costs $1200 for the dual cable set up. For a single side, the price is $600.

I personally wouldn’t go one sided just because it limits the amount of exercises I can do.

With the dual setup I get a true functional trainer feel without having a dedicated machine that takes up a lot of floor space.

PRx Discount Code

PRx is not a budget brand and that’s because they make durable, quality products that don’t use cheap materials.

But you know anytime I can get a company to provide me with a discount, I’m gonna pass that on to you so…

Click the red button below to reveal a 5% PRx discount code.

PRx Functional Trainer Attachment Alternatives

Bullet Pulley

Bullet Pulley is a high and low, plate loaded cable pulley system that turns racks into a functional trainer.

It doesn’t use a trolley but has unique low pulleys with a triangle shaped trough and cone shaped nut so that it fits uprights and rack holes of any size.

Dialed Motion Sidewinder

The Dialed Motion Sidewinder is where PRx got their inspiration for their version of the functional trainer.

The original Sidewinder is designed for any 3×3 rack that is not PRx with the main difference being the trolleys fully enclose the uprights.

PRx Elite Pulley System

The PRx Elite pulley system comes with a high and low pulley set up but it’s nothing like the functional trainer attachment.

Yes, I can do a lot of exercises with it, but it’s like every other pulley system out there that uses different cable lengths.

Rig Roller X

Rig Roller X is a rack trolley system with a double weight horn.

It is very smooth and when used in combination with high pulleys, functions just like a plate loaded functional trainer.

My Experience Using The PRx Functional Trainer Attachment

I’ve had a PRx rack for 7 years and believe me, I’ve tried A LOT of plate loaded cable pulley systems (DIYs, PRx’s own Elite pulley system, and other companies).

This is by far my favorite and the one that comes closest to feeling like an actual functional trainer.

Cables travel smoothly, the trolley is easy to move up and down the uprights, and the cable retractor makes other cable pulley systems obsolete.

There is a little bit of swinging with some exercises but for the most part, PRx and Dialed Motion knocked it out of the park.

Is The PRx Functional Trainer Attachment Worth It?

If you own a PRx Profile Pro rack and you like cable machine exercises, there is no better option.

There are no cable lengths to figure out, cables flow smoothly on every exercise, and when I’m done I can fold the rack up without taking anything off.

Save up and get yourself one of these…