Original Ironmaster Pad, or more cushioned compatible pad

[ampire]

Hi, I have the Super Bench Pro, great bench, but the pad is actually too firm. Before I had health issues, I liked a firm bench. I had surgery on my thoracic spine (upper back) due to a spinal cord tumor and it unfortunately triggers nerve pain in my legs from the pressure on the upper back. Some may not understand how debilitating this issue is, but it can be quite bad, and it gets in the way of some of my fitness goals.

Previous bench I had was a Nautilus incline adjustable commercial bench and I did not seem to have that issue with that bench. It was quite a bit thicker and more cushioned.

As a result, I don't use the IM super bench pro as much as I'd like to. I was thinking that a possible solution might be to source the original IM pad, which had a reputation for being squishy, or to have a custom pad made by an upholstery shop.

For a time I was putting a thick yoga pad on top of the bench, but it was a bit cumbersome. I have the hybrid bench pad as well as the oem super bench pro pad, both are too firm.

Any thoughts? Does anyone have an IM original pad and would consider trading me for my newer virtually unused super bench pro pad? I was thinking also about keeping my eyes out on craigslist and buying an older IM bench, swapping the pads, and reselling, but that's a hassle.

[MGM711]

Pretty sure that a Fat Pad will work on the Super Bench Pro. I've been thinking about putting the 12.5 wide Fat Pad on mine so the seat will center for some time now, just haven't done it yet.

[radrd]

Pretty sure that a Fat Pad will work on the Super Bench Pro. I've been thinking about putting the 12.5 wide Fat Pad on mine so the seat will center for some time now, just haven't done it yet.

Which fat pad are you referring to? The Rogue Competition Fat Pad looks to be about .5" too thick and the seat wouldn't fit anymore. Bench height would also increase considerably.

[urbanlifter]

Which fat pad are you referring to? The Rogue Competition Fat Pad looks to be about .5" too thick and the seat wouldn't fit anymore. Bench height would also increase considerably.

I'm willing to bet there is a enough "squish" in the fat pad, where you could compress it down and slide the seat on assuming it's not too wide (12.25" on hybrid pad).

[MGM711]

Which fat pad are you referring to? The Rogue Competition Fat Pad looks to be about .5" too thick and the seat wouldn't fit anymore. Bench height would also increase considerably.

No, the Comp 12.5 Fat Pad works with the seat, I've seen a pic of someone who did it, not sure if it was modified any, but I'm pretty sure it was just a bolted on like normal and the seat worked.

[ampire]

No, the Comp 12.5 Fat Pad works with the seat, I've seen a pic of someone who did it, not sure if it was modified any, but I'm pretty sure it was just a bolted on like normal and the seat worked.

That sounds nice. Let me know if it works, I am pretty interested. Just want something squishy I can sink into. Obviously that's less than ideal for big numbers because its less stable and all that but for me now, I just want to be able to lift modest amounts and not worry about being able to walk after. Definitely the firm IM pad is a trigger, never had it on my old nautilus commercial.


edit: With the Rogue Pad at $190, I wonder if the $45 alternative FB-5000 Pad would fit on an Ironmaster Super Bench Pro. The Rep is 48x12" and the Super Bench Pro is 44x10.5.

https://repfitness.com/products/fb-5000-bench-pad

[MGM711]

That sounds nice. Let me know if it works, I am pretty interested. Just want something squishy I can sink into. Obviously that's less than ideal for big numbers because its less stable and all that but for me now, I just want to be able to lift modest amounts and not worry about being able to walk after. Definitely the firm IM pad is a trigger, never had it on my old nautilus commercial.


edit: With the Rogue Pad at $190, I wonder if the $45 alternative FB-5000 Pad would fit on an Ironmaster Super Bench Pro. The Rep is 48x12" and the Super Bench Pro is 44x10.5.

https://repfitness.com/products/fb-5000-bench-pad

The Rep Wide Pad is firmer than the Rogue Fat Pad for sure, probably somewhere in between the IM and Rogue which may be totally good enough.

[murphyreedus]

The Rep Wide Pad is firmer than the Rogue Fat Pad for sure, probably somewhere in between the IM and Rogue which may be totally good enough.

I just put the Rep AB-5000 wide back and seat pads on one of my Dynamic bench to replace the 10" factory pad. It's probably firmer than the FB-5000 fat pad that I had, but doesn't seem uncomfortable to me.


https://repfitness.com/products/wide...41067598119070

[ampire]

I just put the Rep AB-5000 wide back and seat pads on one of my Dynamic bench to replace the 10" factory pad. It's probably firmer than the FB-5000 fat pad that I had, but doesn't seem uncomfortable to me.


https://repfitness.com/products/wide...41067598119070

If you still have the FB-5000 pad, would you be willing to measure the hole spacing on the FB5000 rep pad?

[radrd]

If you still have the FB-5000 pad, would you be willing to measure the hole spacing on the FB5000 rep pad?

I won't be able to do it until Sun, but I have both the IM SB Pro and the FB5000 and can measure hole spacing for you.

[murphyreedus]

If you still have the FB-5000 pad, would you be willing to measure the hole spacing on the FB5000 rep pad?

I don't have it anymore, or I would. It was one of the original pre-order ones anyway, and not sure if they've changed things since then.

[ampire]

I won't be able to do it until Sun, but I have both the IM SB Pro and the FB5000 and can measure hole spacing for you.

Sweet thanks.

I don't have it anymore, or I would. It was one of the original pre-order ones anyway, and not sure if they've changed things since then.

No worries.

[radrd]

If you still have the FB-5000 pad, would you be willing to measure the hole spacing on the FB5000 rep pad?

Looks like the holes on the Rep pad are 6" center to center and 32" lengthwise. The IM SB Pro appear to be 5.5" for the widest pair and 36-3/4" lengthwise.

[urbanlifter]

Sounds like you have two options to make it work, perform an extensive surgery on the pad and install tee nuts into the plywood backing. Or, go the Edge Fitness method and simply lag bolt it straight through the existing holes of the bench.

[ampire]

Sounds like you have two options to make it work, perform an extensive surgery on the pad and install tee nuts into the plywood backing. Or, go the Edge Fitness method and simply lag bolt it straight through the existing holes of the bench.

I am thinking about the former method with threaded inserts. My concern with lag bolts is if it would damage the foam or pierce vinyl, or risk of tear out from plywood.

I'd probably do the Rep pad because its only $45. At 4" tall, it would fit nicely with the IM seat which has about 4.25" accommodation.

[urbanlifter]

I am thinking about the former method with threaded inserts. My concern with lag bolts is if it would damage the foam or pierce vinyl, or risk of tear out from plywood.

I'd probably do the Rep pad because its only $45. At 4" tall, it would fit nicely with the IM seat which has about 4.25" accommodation.

Lag bolts worked fine on my Cybex, Edge Fitness uses a 3/4" thick plywood on their pads so you just have to make sure the botls are the right length to not poke through whatever material you are working with. Think I remember REP saying they used either 1/2" or 3/4" thick. Threaded I'm sure would give you peace of mind, just labor intensive.

[ampire]

Lag bolts worked fine on my Cybex, Edge Fitness uses a 3/4" thick plywood on their pads so you just have to make sure the botls are the right length to not poke through whatever material you are working with. Think I remember REP saying they used either 1/2" or 3/4" thick. Threaded I'm sure would give you peace of mind, just labor intensive.

I think I'll buy the Rep because its so cheap and test the squish and the ability to fit the seat and make a judgement if I should drill it, otherwise could return unmolested and new.

I'm not too concerned about the increase in height because I do almost everything with some amount of incline using the IM seat, so as long as the seat fits on and it should, that won't matter. I also use it as an inversion table with the decline crunch leg attachment so hopefully it won't change the geometry so much as to make it unusable.

[ampire]

Looks like the holes on the Rep pad are 6" center to center and 32" lengthwise. The IM SB Pro appear to be 5.5" for the widest pair and 36-3/4" lengthwise.

I appreciate the information.

This might be hard to compare, but does the 4" thick Rep have more squish (compress-ability) than the IM pad? The IM pad feels like a piece of plywood with fabric on top.

[radrd]

I appreciate the information.

This might be hard to compare, but does the 4" thick Rep have more squish (compress-ability) than the IM pad? The IM pad feels like a piece of plywood with fabric on top.

Yes, a bit more squish on the Rep pad. It's still pretty firm but I prefer to do tricep bench dips on the IM pad because my hands sink into the Rep pad more.

[ampire]

Lag bolts worked fine on my Cybex, Edge Fitness uses a 3/4" thick plywood on their pads so you just have to make sure the botls are the right length to not poke through whatever material you are working with. Think I remember REP saying they used either 1/2" or 3/4" thick. Threaded I'm sure would give you peace of mind, just labor intensive.

Finally ended up buying this Rep FB5000 12"x4"x48" pad. I am curious about lag bolt length. If the plywood is 3/4", what lag bolt length should I use? Do I want the tip of the bolt to exit the plywood under the foam to properly fixate the pad or do I want the lag bolt to be slightly shorter so it doesn't penetrate the foam?

I found this reddit post, they used 8x Lag Bolts (5/16" width, 1" length). https://www.reddit.com/r/homegym/com..._pro_with_rep/ I am not sure how thick the FB3000 plywood is, but the overall FB3000 pad is 2.8".

[urbanlifter]

I'd say slightly shorter, so that it's not protruding through the board but probably wouldn't kill you if it did slightly. Highly doubt you'll compress the pad all the way down to the backing, but I wouldn't risk pushing it too far. So if the wood is 3/4" thick and you have a 1/4" thick piece of steel mount, I'd buy a 1" lag bolt and you should be just fine with a washer.

Off topic, recently I drilled into the SuperBench Pro to mount it to my Belt Squat machine, must say I was VERY surprised at how thick the board was. It appeared to be over (or close) to an inch thick, so maybe that explains some of the stiffness of the pad that comes with it (which I prefer).

[ampire]

I'd say slightly shorter, so that it's not protruding through the board but probably wouldn't kill you if it did slightly. Highly doubt you'll compress the pad all the way down to the backing, but I wouldn't risk pushing it too far. So if the wood is 3/4" thick and you have a 1/4" thick piece of steel mount, I'd buy a 1" lag bolt and you should be just fine with a washer.

Off topic, recently I drilled into the SuperBench Pro to mount it to my Belt Squat machine, must say I was VERY surprised at how thick the board was. It appeared to be over an inch thick, so maybe that explains some of the stiffness of the pad that comes with it (which I prefer).

Thank you for the help, as always. I'd rep but I cannot. I'll probably go with 1" lag bolts and see how it does. The FB5000 plywood is probably as thick or thicker than the FB3000 in that reddit post.

[ampire]

I received the pad and placed it on the Ironmaster frame, but I haven't screwed it on yet. The pad is a good fit for the frame, and is definitely more comfortable. The vinyl is nice and grippy and feels great and the foam is very thick. As a guess I think the plywood is around .6" so probably either nominal 1/2 or 3/4", unsure.

Heightwise, it feels better for me at this height. I am not super tall, but I do have longer legs and shorter torso, so it works for me.

There is the issue of the pad being longer than the Ironmaster pad, so you have to either bias it towards the seat end or towards the head end.

If you bias towards the seat end, you can get full 90 degree tilt, however there are existing holes in the pad that are about 1/8" further apart then the Ironmaster holes and these holes conflict with any hole I would drill. Mounting it with only 6 bolts rather than a full 8 is not really something I want to do.

If you mount it so that the maximum incline is 80 degrees (you lose 2 clicks), that existing hole is no longer an issue. This is not a big deal for me because I find the 90 degree incline to be unpleasant for anything I do, so I never use it.

The crunch attachment fits fine no matter how you have the pad, and the seat perfectly but very snugly fits over the Rep Pad.

[thedickus]

I received the pad and placed it on the Ironmaster frame, but I haven't screwed it on yet. The pad is a good fit for the frame, and is definitely more comfortable. The vinyl is nice and grippy and feels great and the foam is very thick. As a guess I think the plywood is around .6" so probably either nominal 1/2 or 3/4", unsure.

Heightwise, it feels better for me at this height. I am not super tall, but I do have longer legs and shorter torso, so it works for me.

There is the issue of the pad being longer than the Ironmaster pad, so you have to either bias it towards the seat end or towards the head end.

If you bias towards the seat end, you can get full 90 degree tilt, however there are existing holes in the pad that are about 1/8" further apart then the Ironmaster holes and these holes conflict with any hole I would drill. Mounting it with only 6 bolts rather than a full 8 is not really something I want to do.

If you mount it so that the maximum incline is 80 degrees (you lose 2 clicks), that existing hole is no longer an issue. This is not a big deal for me because I find the 90 degree incline to be unpleasant for anything I do, so I never use it.

The crunch attachment fits fine no matter how you have the pad, and the seat perfectly but very snugly fits over the Rep Pad.

Glad to know that works. I have the IM Superbench Pro. I attached the hybrid pad and like the width at the shoulders, but I can't stand the contoured design. I want it even width all the way for cross bench pullovers or anything where I've just got my shoulders on the side. At $49 seems like a good deal.
Did you end up mounting the pad without having to drill any more holes into it? I have zero desire to try to alter it.
Do you have the leg ext/curl attachment? I'm wondering how well that attaches with the pad being longer on that end. I also don't use it in the 90 degree setting, so that won't bother me.

[ampire]

Glad to know that works. I have the IM Superbench Pro. I attached the hybrid pad and like the width at the shoulders, but I can't stand the contoured design. I want it even width all the way for cross bench pullovers or anything where I've just got my shoulders on the side. At $49 seems like a good deal.
Did you end up mounting the pad without having to drill any more holes into it? I have zero desire to try to alter it.
Do you have the leg ext/curl attachment? I'm wondering how well that attaches with the pad being longer on that end. I also don't use it in the 90 degree setting, so that won't bother me.

You will have to drill it, it is unavoidable. I haven't done it yet. At $49, I don't think drilling is a big deal to be honest. I will let you know how that goes. Hopefully I don't ruin it.

I don't know how close the leg extension has to sit but it looks like it should sit flush with the head end of the bench.

The max angle if you set the pad flush at the head end is 50 degrees, so it would work fine for a dumbbell incline bench but you wouldn't get a proper shoulder press, which for this bench is like 80 degrees.

[urbanlifter]

Looks nice, hopefully it works well! The reduced angles wouldn't bother me too much, I only use my IM Pro for flat or on the first incline setting anyway (sometimes a little higher for abs). My CAP (Legend 3103 clone) is what I use for my upright shoulder work. But I still enjoy the hybrid pad, don't think I'll have to swap that one out unless the pad gets damaged or something. If/when that happens I'd probably bite the bullet and do another custom Edge Fitness pad with the anti-slide material. They make some really nice pads, Rick was willing to cut them to your desired length last time I ordered.

[bisonp]

Nice mod. I also like how you put wheels and handles on both ends. I've considered that myself.

[ampire]

Nice mod. I also like how you put wheels and handles on both ends. I've considered that myself.

Yeah, as someone with back issues, I like to maximize convenience to reduce any burden. If you do the wheels and handle on the front, you will need longer bolts on the front. The bolts you need are M12x1.75x110. I got them from Home Depot. I believe the stock bolts are M12x1.75x100. I'll update once I get the pad mounted, probably do that on Tuesday.

[ampire]

Yeah, as someone with back issues, I like to maximize convenience to reduce any burden. If you do the wheels and handle on the front, you will need longer bolts on the front. The bolts you need are M12x1.75x110. I got them from Home Depot. I believe the stock bolts are M12x1.75x100. I'll update once I get the pad mounted, probably do that on Tuesday.

The ironmaster mounting hardware (metric bolts) are close to 5/16" imperial size but the hole diameter is roughly 3/8" imperial. I will probably go with the 5/16" because I want to have some wiggle room for adjusting, if I am slightly off center with the 3/8" it will be hard to center it.

If I mount one end flush so I can use the 85 degree max incline, then I have two fewer bolts at the head end due to overlap with the Rep threaded insert. I am going to mount it this way and hope it is adequate. There are still 6 bolts holding it. If it tears out, then I rotate the pad 180 degrees and try again but with more offset and less max incline. You can see that overlap where the white paint pen circles are relative to the threaded insert.




... update ...



Pretty happy with this end result. I don't know how strong the lag bolts are, or if only running two on that end will be an issue.

I used a 9/64 pilot hole and I installed the bolts using a ratchet very slowly and carefully. It isn't hard to torque them in, but its tricky to make sure you maintain a 90 degree angle and cut a decent thread.

[radrd]

Bump