The Official Adjustable/Flat Bench Thread

[Deep-Voiced-One]

Discuss all about your adjustable and flat benches here...

Wider bench and seat pads, or narrower? Pop pin, or ladder style design? Adjustable FI, FID, or just plain flat bench? Competition specs, or doesnt matter to you? 2x3, 3x3, or beyond? 11ga, or 7ga? Cheap, or expensive?

Post pics of your adjustable or flat benches and compare them with others, discuss features, specs, reviews, pros, cons, what you would keep and/or change on the brand bench you went with and everything else, you can also add a future bench that you potentially might want as well and make suggestions...but under no circumstance: NO DEDICATED BENCH PRESSES, LEVERAGE BENCHES, OR COMPETITION BENCH PRESSES ALLOWED IN THIS THREAD!

INDEPENDENT ADJUSTABLE AND/OR FLAT BENCHES ONLY!!!

So lets get started...

[Deep-Voiced-One]

Here's my primary and only rack bench, a Legend 3103 adjustable bench...

http://imgur.com/3UYfrW1

http://imgur.com/42iq1M7

Pros: Built like a tank, works well for flat benching (Which is what I been mainly using it for), adjustments points are placed well, (though aesthetic) big choice of frame and pad colors combinations.

Cons: The back pad can be bit wider for benching in the rack (but this can also be a pro cause it might be better narrower for dumbbell and cable work), the bench height isn't bad but it can be just a bit shorter for benching (mainly minor cons in my opinion).

Possible new primary, or secondary bench that I want is the Rep Fitness FID bench. I might swap and use the Legend FI bench for dumbbell and cable work and if I get the Rep FID use that as my main rack bench.

[turbolsxstang]

My primary bench press bench is my rogue monster utility bench with fat pad. I'm a big fan of the fat pad. Bench is very solid and heavy duty my main complaints are it be nice if it had wheels and a handle to make moving it around the gym easier and I wish rogue would cut the bench down shorter when ordered with the fat pad. Its on my list of thing to do some day to cut it down to 17.5"

http://i.imgur.com/nuwVLik.jpg

My second bench is a legend 3103, really the only complaint I have with that bench is the pad width of 10" and that was my reason for buying the rogue bench. If buying new I would recommend ordering it with a 12" pad like others on here have said you can do. Mine was bought as a display model for less then half price so I can't complain! Pad height for me is perfect, I'm a big fan of pop pin adjustment. Pad gap doesn't bother me at all.

http://i.imgur.com/LEQ5q0h.jpg

[keyboardworkout]

Pawgs and fat pads

Now if I could just get Mech to build me a frame.

[Deep-Voiced-One]

Turbo, that's cool that Legend offers the wider pad upon request, I'm not sure if they offered that back around 2012, or 2013 when I got the 3103, but it's too late now lol, so Rep FID it is and I think the back pad width is just about 12" (or maybe just a hair thinner) on the Rep bench, plus the addition of decline to the mix.

Keyboardworkout, Hahahaha!!!

[Anthony21]

I have my Rogue Monster Bench with my Thompson Fat pad



Picked up an Atlantis adjustable bench yesterday.

[Deep-Voiced-One]

Anthony, does the Thompson Fat Pad live up to its name when benching with it? Looks interesting and the support looks awesome on it.

[Anthony21]

Anthony, does the Thompson Fat Pad live up to its name when benching with it? Looks interesting and the support looks awesome on it.

It definitely does. It's probably one of the better investments (aside from my bar) i've made for my training. I love how the bench has a good grip to it so I feel a lot more stable while benching. There is no slide at all when you bench from it. Also the added width feels good in regards to me really getting my full upper back set.

[peligro113]

I figure I would do a review on this bench because when I was on the market for a bench I found very few reviews on it. It's my first review so be gentle....lol

Specs:
Materials - Steel, variable thickness
Dimensions - 54x26x17.5"
Product Weight - 85 lbs
Warranty - 1 year on pads, 10 years on frame
Weight Capacity - 1,000 lbs
Adjustments - -20 to 85 degrees
Ladder positions - 7
Pad Gap - 2.5"
Pad Thickness - 2.5"
Height -17.5"
cost - $299 with free shipping


First impression was good, box arrived in good shape and undamaged, the materials inside were nicely packed. Rep fitness includes tools to tighten the nuts and bolts, the instructions were straight forward but the bench mostly arrives built although the website instructs you to go through and retighten them. There were some questions regarding the quality of the welds but I found all the welds to be satisfactory, some are not the greatest welds I’ve seen but they will hold up fine. The only thing I could find on the bench that was somewhat crappy looking was the seam for the bench material but that's really stretching it as you can't even see the extra material when you are standing.

I used the bench during my workout this morning and overall I will say that I am extremely pleased with my purchase, this bench has lived up to all my initial expectations and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone setting a up a home gym. The pad material is firm which I like and the wheels make it really easy to move around the gym. I was going to buy the Ironmaster bench but it's height from the pad to the floor made me rethink my purchase. The Rep fitness bench is the perfect height off the floor for me, I measure 5' 9". If anyone has any specific questions regarding this bench feel free to ask.

[sm1ke]

I'm surprised a thread like this didn't exist before this one.

I own these two benches: Tuff Stuff FID TMP-75 on the left, Magnum flat bench on the right (unsure of model).




The Tuff Stuff TMP-75 is very good in the flat position, and very little to no wobble in the incline position. It can do a slight decline (-30 degrees I think), and I believe it can incline to either 80 or 85 degrees. Height from the top of the pad to the floor is about 20 1/4". Width of the back pad is 10". Pad is soft and comfortable, but it may be too soft IMO. The seat pad is quite wobbly on mine, but it could just be due to wear over time. There is a good-sized amount of pad gap, but it quite manageable as the hinge doesn't jab you in the tailbone. The U-shaped feet at the front can get in the way for some people, but they don't interfere with my foot placement when I bench press. It also has a foam-cushioned (but not padded) leg-hold down, and wheels at the headrest for ease of transport. This bench is a bolt together design with a pop pin for adjusting the seat back, and a pin for adjusting the seat angle. Here are a couple more pics:





The Magnum bench is 20" from the top of the pad to the floor, with an 11 1/4" width. The pad on this bench is very stiff, which makes it feel very solid and stable to press off of. There are no wheels on this unit for ease of transport, but each of the three feet on this bench has holes for bolting the bench into the ground. This is a one-piece welded design, most likely previously used in a commercial gym setting. I like this one because its a no nonsense bench that does it's job and does it very well. Additional pics:

[Deep-Voiced-One]

Peligro, good timing! I was interested in that Rep FID bench. What is the width on the back pad? (The site says 11.75", but I always like to be sure from someone who personally owns the said items as well), Thanks.

Anthony, I'll might be looking into that bench as well with the Thompson Fat Pad. What is the height of the bench with the thickness of that pad? I'm 5'8" so I wouldn't want my feet too far from the floor lol.

Sm1ke, that Magnum bench looks cool, it has an old school appeal to it.

[chadsalt]

Mech6 frame, Rogue fatpad. Everything else is crap.

/thread

[cwcmac]

Mech6 frame, Rogue fatpad. Everything else is crap.

/thread

F you for having it and F Mech for not making the frame anymore. So jealous.

[turbolsxstang]

Peligro, good timing! I was interested in that Rep FID bench. What is the width on the back pad? (The site says 11.75", but I always like to be sure from someone who personally owns the said items as well), Thanks.

Anthony, I'll might be looking into that bench as well with the Thompson Fat Pad. What is the height of the bench with the thickness of that pad? I'm 5'8" so I wouldn't want my feet too far from the floor lol.

Sm1ke, that Magnum bench looks cool, it has an old school appeal to it.

From floor to the top of the fat pad the monster utility bench measures 19.5".

[Ramcharger310]

My old adjustable


Current adjustable



My flat bench

[chadsalt]

F you for having it and F Mech for not making the frame anymore. So jealous.

[peligro113]

Peligro, good timing! I was interested in that Rep FID bench. What is the width on the back pad? (The site says 11.75", but I always like to be sure from someone who personally owns the said items as well), Thanks.

Anthony, I'll might be looking into that bench as well with the Thompson Fat Pad. What is the height of the bench with the thickness of that pad? I'm 5'8" so I wouldn't want my feet too far from the floor lol.

Sm1ke, that Magnum bench looks cool, it has an old school appeal to it.

I'm out of the country right now, but I'll get my wife to get me the measurement tomorrow. I think that it was either 11.75 or 11.5 when i measured it myself a year ago.

[turbolsxstang]

Mech6 frame, Rogue fatpad. Everything else is crap.

/thread

Thanks to this thread and your post I just spent my morning modifying my rogue frame. I cut 2" of height off the bench and the leg that goes down between your feet I narrowed it by 6". Will post pics this evening of it completed and back together once I get home from work.

[peligro113]

Haha I just realized that the REP FID, the RAW FID, and the ValorPro DD40 are all the same bench. I wonder if there are any manufacturing differences?

[Cleveland33]

Can't run Chrome at work so I don't have all my bookmarks, but someone should have the bench wiki to link here.

I have the GOAT of flat benches, this isn't mine but they are all the same

[urbanlifter]

Is it the adjustable Bodymasters though?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Body-Masters...cAAOSw4shX3Xk6

[Cleveland33]

Is it the adjustable Bodymasters though?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Body-Masters...cAAOSw4shX3Xk6

no it's the flat. I have seen that oddball adjustable. the regular FI Bodymasters has to be a top 5 though in the adjustables I would say.

[urbanlifter]

I have secretly lusted over that flat bench for a while, but the price is insane and functionality wise no better than my Atlas. (no handle wheels either)

Local and half the price, maybe...

[Cleveland33]

you mean that slight adjustable or the actual flat bench?

I paid $29 for mine. It's such a tank, I cannot move it while I am on it. Even if I am sitting up and pushing with my legs, it won't budge in the least. It's almost annoying how heavy it is.

[urbanlifter]

The slight adjustable, I just thought it was a really cool idea to have the ability to slightly incline your flat bench quickly. Could almost get away with not having a adjustable bench at all, most of my incline work is done in that range.

[dragon360]

Mech6 frame, Rogue fatpad. Everything else is crap.

/thread

F you for having it and F Mech for not making the frame anymore. So jealous.

Agree on both counts.

[Deep-Voiced-One]

Is it the adjustable Bodymasters though?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Body-Masters...cAAOSw4shX3Xk6

Why does every good preowned piece come from Chicago? When I was looking for a FT same thing, great price preowned in Chicago!

That bench is the best of both while still having a traditional flat bench pad, I'd be tempted to jump on that deal if it was in the East coast.

[ampire]

Heres my adjustable commercial 0-90 nautilus FW090 craigslist find and some of my modest stack of weights


I like this ladder style because it is simpler to use compared to the push pin style and I can cram weights underneath for storage. It weighs somewhere around 125lbs. It is nice to be able to roll a single db under it for doing one arm row for example. The padding is comfortable and the gap isn't bad because it has an intermediate pad. Only thing I don't like is the weight, kind of a pain to get it out of my car and downstairs with one person, and the powdercoat is chipped on the back hinge which I am repainting right now. It would also be nice if the front foot was narrower so I didn't bang my feet on it doing overhead press, but its very stable. It has wheels at the back but they could be done a bit better, it rolls on two bolts and one bolt is close to the frame and rubs slightly.

[Deep-Voiced-One]

Mech6 frame, Rogue fatpad. Everything else is crap.

/thread

Tempted to neg, get outta my thread!!! LOL.

[Cleveland33]

That bench is the best of both while still having a traditional flat bench pad, I'd be tempted to jump on that deal if it was in the East coast.

If I remember this right that pad is 11.25" wide whereas the flat is 12"

Still better than 10" though