Has anybody ever had a FID bench that was not level?

I have a FID Inspire bench I bought at Chicago Home Fitness for 300 dollars. It has a 800 lb capacity and it seems like a real nice bench. I have had it for a couple of months and I always felt one side was lower than the other. I didn't know if it was my garage floor or what. In the area I have the bench the floor is level, so I checked the levelness of the bench and it was quite a bit off. I honestly feel like my left part of my chest was getting bigger than my right or maybe it was in my head. The company is ordering a new one for me and I hope it is level this time. I it possible for one side of your body to get stronger than the other if the bench is not level? Have any of you guys had this problem in your benches? Thanks.

[QUOTE=ahoskinson44;1021280363]I didn't know if it was my garage floor or what. In the area I have the bench the floor is level, so I checked the levelness of the bench and it was quite a bit off.[/QUOTE]

Did you also check to see if the garage floor is level? How do you have your bench oriented? (Garage floors often slope downhill towards the garage door to allow for drainage.)

[QUOTE=KBKB;1021305403]Did you also check to see if the garage floor is level? How do you have your bench oriented? (Garage floors often slope downhill towards the garage door to allow for drainage.)[/QUOTE]

The area I have the bench is level in all directions and when I took it to Chicago Home Fitness it was unlevel there too. The guy thinks its a weld or something that is off. He tried to give me there floor model which was an older model and not as nice, but that one was not level either. I wish I could get my money back.

[QUOTE=ahoskinson44;1021315413]The area I have the bench is level in all directions and when I took it to Chicago Home Fitness it was unlevel there too. The guy thinks its a weld or something that is off. He tried to give me there floor model which was an older model and not as nice, but that one was not level either. I wish I could get my money back.[/QUOTE]

I hope they can get you a replacement that is reasonably level.

If not, you might be able to add some layers to the feet on the low side to make the bench more level.

[QUOTE=KBKB;1021323173]I hope they can get you a replacement that is reasonably level.

If not, you might be able to add some layers to the feet on the low side to make the bench more level.[/QUOTE]

I hope the next one is level. Thanks for the advice.

Just like racks, benches can be assembled and bolts tightened before the bench has been allowed to settle, which can give it a bit of a wobble. I have a Nautilus bench that I thought was manufactured incorrectly, but it was simply assembled wrong. I loosened a couple bolts, picked up the "crooked" end of the bench, and then let it drop to the floor. I then sat on it while I retightened the bolts (not too tight, though). It now sits perfectly flat on the floor.

Yes, I've seen and used benches that were not level. More often than not the culprit is a nut or bolt that is not equally tightened or the padding somehow being compromised. The only time I've ever seen the bench itself (meaning the metal) not be level was a lower end model where two pieces were joined together near the mid-line of the bench and one appeared to have been dropped because it was slightly bent. This caused the user to feel "off" when on the bench.

Yes, it is entirely possible for one side of your body to become better developed due to a warped bench. It'd be the same training principle as if you were doing dumbbell presses with one side constantly 5 lbs heavier than the other. I'd think this would have to be quite a noticable flaw on the bench to result in such a thing though.

The manager of the store said there was nothing he could do with my particular bench because there weren't any bolts to tighten or loosen up underneath and then put a washer as a shim or something underneath. He said it was probably a weld, so now I am just waiting for a new bench. Thanks for your help guys.