It’s easy to overlook a weight bench as a part of your gym that requires a lot of thought and attention. We all know they’re important, but your interaction with them is quite passive – you’re essentially just lying on it. You’re not ‘using’ it as such.
The flipside is that if you buy a bad one, you really know about it, so in this article I’m going to guide you through the process when it comes to picking weight benches to power your workout.
If you’re in a rush, these are my ranks for top 3 benches (to help you make a quick decision, #1 should be best for pretty much everyone):
- Rep Fitness AB-3000 FID Adjustable Bench – Best Overall, Great Versatility, & Affordable – Only $249
- Rep Fitness AB-5200 FI Adjustable Bench – Amazing Quality, But You’ll Pay For It – $449
- Rogue Adjustable Bench 2.0 – Competition Specs, Fantastic Quality, But Pricey – $545
Contents
- 1
- 2 6 Key Factors I Look For When Choosing A Weight Bench
- 3 Our #1 Pick for Best Weight Bench – Rep Fitness AB-3000 FID Adjustable Bench (Best Overall & Great For Position Adjustments & Price) $249
- 4 Our #2 Pick For Best Weight Bench – REP AB-5200 FI Adjustable Bench (Great all rounder) $449
- 5 Our #3 Pick For Best Weight Bench – Titan Fitness Single Post Adjustable FID Bench (Solid Value, Generalists’ Choice) $249.99
- 6 Our #4 Pick – Rogue Adjustable Bench 2.0 (Built Like A Tank – The Gym Stalwarts Choice) $545
- 7 Our #5 Pick – Rep Fitness FB-5000 With Wide Pad (The Competitive Lifters Choice) $149
- 8 Different Types of Weight Benches
- 9 What to Look for in a Weights Bench
- 10 Choosing The Best Weights Bench For Your Home Gym & Your Needs
Rep Fitness AB-3000 FID
REP AB-5200 FI Adjustable Bench
Titan Fitness Single Post Adjustable FID Bench
Rogue Adjustable Bench 2.0
Rep Fitness FB-5000 With Wide Pad
6 Key Factors I Look For When Choosing A Weight Bench
To make the review fair, I’m going to assess them across a broad spectrum of considerations. We’ll be looking at:
- Build quality
- Materials
- Comfort
- Cost
- Warranty
- Maneuverability
We will get into more intricate details where I find appropriate, but these are the broad categories I’ll be looking at for the purposes of this review. Doing things this way keeps the reviews fair and objective.
I’m looking at benches from different manufacturers at a number of price points, so you’ll find something to suit your needs and budget.
Top 5 Weight Benches For Your Home Gym
Our #1 Pick for Best Weight Bench – Rep Fitness AB-3000 FID Adjustable Bench (Best Overall & Great For Position Adjustments & Price) $249
Weight Bench
Why We Love It!
- 7 positions to lift in, including a decline
- Excellent build quality
- Great price
- Easy to move
- Leg hooks for ab work
Having changed my mind back and forth over 1 and 2, in the end I settled for the Rep Fitness AB-3000 FID bench as the number one pick, and here’s why…
It offers more positional variety (7 positions from -20 degrees decline through to 85 degrees incline) than #2 on the list, plus it has the leg hooks for abdominal work.
A final relevant point is that at $249, it’s $200 cheaper than #2.
The build quality is excellent, as you’d expect from Rep Fitness, and it is both easy to maneuver and store.
In all honesty, I think Rep Fitness are making the best benches on the market at the moment and this is just another great example of what they’re doing.
The padding is thick enough to be comfortable and hard wearing and will be suitable for lifters of all sizes. It has been load tested to 1000lbs and in truth, could handle more if required.
The padding is grippy enough for almost everyone, so you can push this thing as far as you want to.
The weight of the bench is 95lbs and it’s 17.5″ high (in flat position), 54″ long and 26″ wide. On the Rep website, it has nearly 300 5* reviews.
In terms of price, build quality, usability and versatility, you can’t really match it. It’s the perfect combination. If I was buying a new bench for a home gym, I’m going for this one.
Pros
- 7 positions to lift in, including a decline
- Excellent build quality
- Great price
- Easy to move
- Leg hooks for ab work
Cons
- Some benches have thicker pad foam
Our #2 Pick For Best Weight Bench – REP AB-5200 FI Adjustable Bench (Great all rounder) $449
Weight Bench
Why We Love It!
- Absolutely rock solid – built like a tank
- Moves easily with 2” wheels
- Small footprint despite the size and weight
- Thick padding
- Grippy pad covering
The Rep Fitness AB-5200 FI Adjustable Bench truly is an excellent bench, beaten into second place purely on the fewer positional adjustments it offers. What it lacks in terms of a decline option though, it makes up for in outright build quality and design features.
This is a bench built from 11-7 gauge steel, weighs 125lbs and is backed with ¾ inch plywood, topped with ultra-dense foam and a grippy top pad.
These features alone make this a real lifter’s bench and it’ll take pretty much anything you can throw at it. The built-in wheels are 2” so make moving this bench around your home gym easy. It can also be stored standing up, which is a really cool feature in a tight space.
You can customise the Ab-5200 with the spotter platform if you want to take your benching to the next level. This versatility, matched with the build quality and the mid-range pricing make me think this bench is a great choice for serious lifters who are looking for something more robust.
In terms of dimensions, it’s 55″ long and the width at base is 20.5″. Finally, it’s 17.5 inches tall. This bench was only beaten into second due to its lack of a decline and the fact that it’s $200 more than the AB-3000.
That being said, with a 5* score after 92 reviews, this is a genuinely great bench.
Pros
- Absolutely rock solid – built like a tank
- Moves easily with 2” wheels
- Small footprint despite the size and weight
- Thick padding
- Grippy pad covering
Cons
- $200 more than the AB-3000 (Our #1 Choice)
- No decline option
Our #3 Pick For Best Weight Bench – Titan Fitness Single Post Adjustable FID Bench (Solid Value, Generalists’ Choice) $249.99
Weight Bench
Why We Love It!
- Great price
- Lots of adjustment positions
- Decline option
- Well built and sturdy
This one from Titan may come as a surprise to many, because there are probably bigger names out there synonymous with higher-end equipment.
My reasoning for this being my number 3 pick is that at the price point, this is a rock-solid bench. For a snip under 250 bucks, this is a welcome addition to any general lifter’s home gym.
Made from 11-gauge powder-coated black steel, it performs well and looks great.
There are 7 back and 4 seat positions, so you have a lot of exercise variety. The decline position is a great feature at the price point and the foot rollers allow you to turn the bench into an abdominal trainer as well.
For the price, this is a truly excellent bench.
The bench has leather cover on top of the generous padding. Whilst this isn’t competition levels of grip, it’s suitable for most users.
If you’re serious about competing as a lifter, this isn’t the bench for you – at 18.25 inches high, it exceeds competition regulations, but if you want a sturdy bench that won’t break the bank, then you’ve found one right here.
Dimensions of the bench are 56.75” long, 25.25” wide and 18.25” high. It weighs 71lbs and can support 1,500lbs. In terms of reviews, it is well-scored with 4.5* after 34 reviews.
Pros
- Great price
- Lots of adjustment positions
- Decline option
- Well built and sturdy
Cons
- Not competition spec
- Leather rather than grippy cover
Our #4 Pick – Rogue Adjustable Bench 2.0 (Built Like A Tank – The Gym Stalwarts Choice) $545
Weight Bench
Why We Love It
- Reliable build quality – it’s Rogue!
- Great versatility
- Competition size
- Can be expanded to include spotter platform
Anyone who knows fitness equipment knows that Rogue makes great equipment at reasonable prices. Their benches are no different, taking their experience of manufacturing top-end fitness equipment and applying it here.
In fact, refining their manufacturing process has made the Rogue Adjustable Bench 2.0 cheaper than the original, despite design improvements.
The updated Rogue Adjustable Bench is made with industry-standard 11-gauge steel, has 6 adjustable positions, 2 seat positions and a thick, dense back pad for comfort throughout exercises.
It’s a great all-round bench and is suitable for beginners and experienced lifters alike.
It’s not a cheap bench, but it’s a good one.
The Rogue 2.0 bench now comes with virtually no gap between the seat and bench when it’s flat. Whilst this isn’t a deal-breaker for me, it is for some lifters, so it’s a nice feature.
The wheels and handle make it easy to move around, plus it is load tested to over 1000lbs. You can add spotter plates and a vertical storage bracket (both at additional cost), making the bench suitable for more performance use and easier to store.
The 2.0 bench is 54.5” long, 17.5” high (competition spec), 11.25” wide and can be stored flat or upright (upright only with additional brackets).
I’d argue there are cheaper, better benches on the market, but if you’re a Rogue fan and you’ve got the money, you won’t go wrong with this one.
A score of 4.9* after 214 reviews suggests I’m not the only one who likes this bench either.
Pros
- Reliable build quality – it’s Rogue!
- Great versatility
- Competition size
- Can be expanded to include spotter platform
Cons
- No decline option
- More expensive than others
Our #5 Pick – Rep Fitness FB-5000 With Wide Pad (The Competitive Lifters Choice) $149
Weight Bench
Why We Love It
- Perfect for competition prep – matches IPF specifications
- Unbelievable price
- Fantastic build quality
- Comfortable to lift from
I know this is a review for adjustable benches, but I couldn’t review the best benches on the market without including a flat bench.
I like flat benches, but they just don’t offer much versatility and that can be a key factor in a garage gym purchase.
That being said, you can’t criticise a flat bench for lack of versatility because that’s not what it’s designed for.
If you want a flat bench though, this is the best on the market. For the price, you won’t find better.
I’ve mentioned earlier in the article that I believe Rep Fitness are currently making the best benches on the market–they combine quality and price better than anyone and I think the Rep FB-5000 is a perfect example.
It’s a bargain at only $149, coming in $126 less than the Rogue equivalent. The FB-5000 is a 3 foot design as well, making it suitable for serious competition lifters.
The build quality of this bench is another level. It’s made from 3×3” 11-gauge steel, with even thicker footplates.
The pad is 3” thick and is backed with plywood, connected with 4 bolts for stability and another 2 bolt holes are sited for future pad compatibility.
It has a welded handle and wheels for ease of movement. The thick pad is really comfortable to lift from.
The dimensions of the bench are 17” high, 48.5” long, 14” wide and it weighs 62lbs. It’s designed to adhere to all IPF dimensional specs so if you’re in training for a meet, this one is perfect for you.
It’s also an amazing price – you really won’t find this quality at the price point. It has an impressive 5* score after 142 reviews.
Pros
- Perfect for competition prep – matches IPF specifications
- Unbelievable price
- Fantastic build quality
- Comfortable to lift from
Cons
- None, for the price.
Different Types of Weight Benches
If you’re new to this world, I’ll start by giving you a heads up on the different types of benches. You can largely split them into three distinct categories, with sub categories within them.
Flat Bench – Used for competition lifting
Adjustable Bench – Incline, Flat, Decline
Utility Bench – Same as an adjustable bench, but with added leg hooks for abdominal work
At my own personal gym, I have different types of benches for different purposes, but that’s because I own a commercial facility that needs to cater for a range of requirements. At home, your needs are more streamlined, so think of the type of bench you want and need and it’ll help you make a decision.
There are pros and cons of each, so think about your requirements before you dig into your search too much. If you need the variety of an adjustable bench for example, don’t waste your time looking at flat benches. As good as they may be, they just aren’t useful for you.
Whilst I could review all the benches on the market, it’s a waste of my time and yours – you don’t want or need to know about garbage. My job is to help you make an informed choice from a selection of quality benches. In this review, all of the benches listed are great quality and none of them would be a waste of money.
What to Look for in a Weights Bench
To summarise, this is what you need to be looking for in a weights bench to make sure you’re not wasting your money.
Build Quality
Goes without saying, but you want to make sure it’s built from 11-gauge steel, the welding and bolts are high quality. Laser-cut steel tends to have cleaner edges too.
Versatility
The more lifting positions, the better – it gives you more options for exercise. If you can stretch to a decline bench with foot hooks for ab work, even better.
Cost
As with anything, there’s variety. I’d look to stay below $300 though if you can. There’s rarely a need to go over, unless you love the bench that costs more!
Maneuverability and Storage
In a garage gym space is limited, so having a bench you can move easily is important. Bear this in mind when it comes to wheels, handles and footprint.
Choosing The Best Weights Bench For Your Home Gym & Your Needs
You can spend a lot of time looking at different weights benches, but the reality is the decision comes down to a handful of features. My advice is to go with the bench that suits your needs most, whether that’s an adjustable or flat bench. All of the weights benches reviewed here are great quality, so you won’t go far wrong with any of them.
My personal opinion is that the Rep Fitness AB-3000 FID Adjustable Bench is the go-to for most people.
