FID bench from Body-Solid and power rack

[Sean122]

h t tp://w ww.fitnessfactory.com/Home/Item/3146/GFID71/Body-Solid_Heavy_Duty_FID_Bench/


h t tp://w ww.fitnessfactory.com/Home/Item/3137/GPR378/Body-Solid_Power_Rack/


Considering getting both of these to start my home gym. It is priced almost perfectly, since my total budget is ~$1,000. I already have a 300lbs oly bar weight set. What I like about the bench is that I can eventually add the leg developer station. Any thoughts on this set? Thanks guys.

[m6305]

I couldnt open your links, but I have both bodysolid power rack and their heavy duty bench. I would not combine two if I were you. The rack is great and I'm very happy about it. But the bench is so dissapponting, its too heavy to move around, its very awkward to use in decline position, I'm 5,10 but its impossible to use the decline in the rack !! I guess if you are 6,4 you MAY be able to do the decline in the rack. I have Ironmaster superbench and boy there is a huge difference between these two benches Ironmaster is far superior and versetile and much much easier to use anywhere in any rack.

[rlundregan]

h t tp://w ww.fitnessfactory.com/Home/Item/3146/GFID71/Body-Solid_Heavy_Duty_FID_Bench/


h t tp://w ww.fitnessfactory.com/Home/Item/3137/GPR378/Body-Solid_Power_Rack/


Considering getting both of these to start my home gym. It is priced almost perfectly, since my total budget is ~$1,000. I already have a 300lbs oly bar weight set. What I like about the bench is that I can eventually add the leg developer station. Any thoughts on this set? Thanks guys.

I have checked out that bench, and it is HUGE...too big for me at 5'9". It is clunky and hard to move, as the guy above mentioned. Why not consider the FI bench instead? I think the model number is GFI21. I have an older model like that (mine doesn't have wheels). I believe it is rated for 1000 lbs in the flat position and 800 in the incline positions. I haven't missed the decline function at all, personally. The FI bench sits a lot close to the ground. I love mine!

Also, you should know that the leg developer attachments for benches usually suck. I don't have experience with the model you are referring to, but generally they aren't very adjustable, and could lead to some knee issues if you aren't careful....just some food for thought!


As an aside, you could have included your question about this bench and rack in your other post--it's all part of the same discussion.

[AttyGuy]

GO to www.fitnessfactory.com and use the chat feature. Talk to Matt or Kyle. see about the floor model (sale) rack and a smaller bench.

[dskoo65]

But the bench is so dissapponting, its too heavy to move around, its very awkward to use in decline position, I'm 5,10 but its impossible to use the decline in the rack !! I guess if you are 6,4 you MAY be able to do the decline in the rack. I have Ironmaster superbench and boy there is a huge difference between these two benches Ironmaster is far superior and versetile and much much easier to use anywhere in any rack.

having owned and used both the GFID71 and IM benches, id completely agree.

id also say the powertec rack is a better value for a few reasons, but the BS rack is fine. i never cared for benches that use the ladder type seat adjustment. they never feel quite as stable to me (except some really commercially built ones.)

[AttyGuy]

I've got the GFID31 and I'm 5'10" No problems using the bench in an incline position. Of course, I'm not so enamored of incline benches. . . . Flat is fine.

[donforeman]

I just went through the rack choices deal so maybe I can help on shedding some light on the 378 rack.
If you call Matt you can get a NEW GPR378 for four hundred shipped to your door and wheeled in to your garage. Its a older model with the square spotters and j-hooks, but doesn't have the exterior hooks, but that's a plus to me! At first I thought you couldn't mention the price, but its a older model and they are closing them out. If the older models are gone, I doubt this pricing will continue.
The rack does have some faults and some strong points in my eyes.

Lets start off with the bad 1st:
1) Its a little short 79" to be exact. I have to do pullups with bent legs (not a huge deal)
2) The rear cross member gets in the way at times, so you sometimes have to flip the bench around (all the mid level racks have this problem - the only way to get rid of it is to go with something like the R3)
3) The 4" bolts are not supported on both sides of the tube and the metal even though its 11 gauge will distort slightly.
(You don't have to tighten the 4" bolts that tight. I had a chance to cut out some reinforcement plates, but decided against it )
4) 3" hole spacing (Some racks are smaller. This turned out to be an non issue with me as one set of holes turned out to be perfect for flat bench and with incline/decline you have some wiggle room)
5) The lat attachment blocks the space behind the rack = not a good thing for bench positioning! (I don't care as I don't plan on ever buying that, as stand alone machines are cheap on CL)

Positives:
If you read the real reviews of the rack from OWNERS and not the armchair quarterbacking from non-owners trying to justify their purchase - the reviews are just about he same.
1) The thing is solid! The rack has 34" of usable depth,( 40" to the outside of the uprights or 52" total). This and the 3" construction make the rack very stable.
2) Its a deep rack! 34" of depth, this helps a lot when flipping the bench around and using the front uprights to lift off of. While racks like the R3 are only 24 and do just fine, they don't have the rear cross member to deal with. Trust me the depth is a great thing with both stability and when your dealing with a rear cross member and a bench.
3) The pullup bar!!! Its nice! Its NICE! Straight and knurled and the very thin coating makes the thing really feel good. At 170lbs I can just grab the bar and the rack doesn't budge a bit for pullups even though its in the front.
4) Price (READ ABOVE)

Neutral :
The j hooks are almost mini spotter arms! They are 6" long and decrease the valuable space inside the rack. The good news is they are beefy! The could be used as mini spotter arms. I'm building my own replacements (not hard at all)and there was a recent Powertec j-hook thread where they list other sources for J hook fabricators. BWTG will fabricate anything you want. http://www.blackwidowtg.com/product_p/j-cups.htm I wanted a little different J hook, otherwise I would be using them!

Overview the rack is not a commercial rack, Commercial racks are mostly welded weigh 400lbs plus and cost BIG$$$ new! This is a mid range rack that body solid has continued to improve. Look at the older gpr378 and they are missing the gussets that make this thing so solid! There have been other improvements in the spotters but that's not a big of a deal to me.

Now for a bench...My hoist bench has a 800 lb rating and works fine but I would look at http://www.fitnessfactory.com/Home/I...Incline_Bench/ I'm eying one on CL right now for 100! Its my thought that the design will allow you to position the bench over the rear cross-member very easy. With my hoist bench, there are only a few spots that can be set over as most of its lower parts are very close to the ground. Matt may cut you a deal? I'm not sure of the weight limit though?

I would be very wary of any bench with an all flat bottom (Ironmaster) as it will not let you jump the rear cross member at all. You may not need to but it never hurts to have more options

[AttyGuy]

Excellent post by Donforeman. And I don't use "excellent" much in serious posts. The GPR378 works and its sturdy. You can always order extra j-cups from Matt and Kyle at the outlet store, or you can have them custom made. Extra j-cups are the only thing you will need for the rack that you don't get when you order it.

Lets start off with the bad 1st:
1) Its a little short 79" to be exact. I have to do pullups with bent legs (not a huge deal)
2) The rear cross member gets in the way at times, so you sometimes have to flip the bench around (all the mid level racks have this problem - the only way to get rid of it is to go with something like the R3)
3) The 4" bolts are not supported on both sides of the tube and the metal even though its 11 gauge will distort slightly.
(You don't have to tighten the 4" bolts that tight. I had a chance to cut out some reinforcement plates, but decided against it )
4) 3" hole spacing (Some racks are smaller. This turned out to be an non issue with me as one set of holes turned out to be perfect for flat bench and with incline/decline you have some wiggle room)
5) The lat attachment blocks the space behind the rack = not a good thing for bench positioning! (I don't care as I don't plan on ever buying that, as stand alone machines are cheap on CL)

Don hit all of the weaknesses of the rack. No. 5 isn't so much a weakness as an unwise decision to make -- attaching a pulldown to the rack. I understand why people would do it, for space reasons, but it is so much better to have a separate pulldown and they can be inexpensive. I found a used GLM83 for $200 with weights and loads of attachments. I sold everything but the pulldown/low row (GLM83) leaving a net price of $50. I then bought all new attachments (the others were not what I wanted) and two 8" Oly weight horns and had a total price for a great pulldown/low row setup at $175.

Remember you get what you pay for and for an inexpensive rack, the GPR378 is hard to beat. I plan on keeping mine until I'm ready to buy a commercial (Legend, EliteFTS, etc.) rack.

[Skidmarx]

I j
1) Its a little short 79" to be exact. I have to do pullups with bent legs (not a huge deal)

I hated that with my old rack. To me, pullups don't feel right when you have to fold up your legs.

[Stasher1]

Lets start off with the bad 1st:
1) Its a little short 79" to be exact. I have to do pullups with bent legs (not a huge deal)
2) The rear cross member gets in the way at times, so you sometimes have to flip the bench around (all the mid level racks have this problem - the only way to get rid of it is to go with something like the R3)
3) The 4" bolts are not supported on both sides of the tube and the metal even though its 11 gauge will distort slightly.
(You don't have to tighten the 4" bolts that tight. I had a chance to cut out some reinforcement plates, but decided against it )
4) 3" hole spacing (Some racks are smaller. This turned out to be an non issue with me as one set of holes turned out to be perfect for flat bench and with incline/decline you have some wiggle room)
5) The lat attachment blocks the space behind the rack = not a good thing for bench positioning! (I don't care as I don't plan on ever buying that, as stand alone machines are cheap on CL)

To me, #2 would be most irritating thing about that rack. I have an older Parabody rack that has the lower crossbar set back 8"-10" from the uprights, and sometimes even that's not enough room to get a bench in the right position. A decent FI bench like the GFID21 or the Nautilus NT1010 make seated OHP's and incline bench presses much easier than they would be with most FID benches.

In any case, I definitely wouldn't pair the GPR378 with the GFID71. It's a combo that will aggravate you every time you work out.