Advice sought on weight benches ...

[lopxtc]

So not really knowing what I wanted for Christmas, the wife asked directly if there was anything I wanted. Ive been toying with getting a weight bench and she said if I could find a reasonable priced unit I could get it for a gift. Wanted to see if anyone here has had any experience with either of these units as these are the three Ive narrowed it down to ...

Actually any weight bench advice would be great.

First unit Im thinking about;
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/pr...ductId=2975662

Second unit Im thinking about;
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/pr...ductId=1262681

Third unit ...
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/pr...ductId=2763292

Not sure if anyone has used any of theses ... but if you have let me know what you think.

Aaron

[()smoke()]

do you have a barbell and weights yet? i bought a set at sam's a few years ago with a separate rack, which allows you do do squats as well, and the total price was less than a combination bench plus weights

[lopxtc]

Originally Posted by ()smoke()

do you have a barbell and weights yet? i bought a set at sam's a few years ago with a separate rack, which allows you do do squats as well, and the total price was less than a combination bench plus weights

Getting a second hand set from a friend. Press bar, curl bar, and about 150# of weights.

Aaron

[i_got_a_mohawk]

What are you getting from your friend? A standard set or an olympic set?

I don't like the look of any of those 3 benches personally, what might be a better option is some squat stands (as smoke suggested):

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/pr...ductId=3013848

and a utility bench:

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/pr...ductId=3341530

(as an example, dont terribly like the look of that one either!)


Basically because squats are a much more useful (and important IMO) excersise than anything you could do on the bench.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

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[invisiman]

See if you can find somewhere to lie on them before you bought them. I bought one without trying it, and although solidly built, the arms where I rack the barbell when I'm benching fell perfectly where I would have ideally gripped the bar, making it awkward to remove the bar from it's perch, and even worse trying to get it back on.

[bassbully]

Originally Posted by invisiman

See if you can find somewhere to lie on them before you bought them. I bought one without trying it, and although solidly built, the arms where I rack the barbell when I'm benching fell perfectly where I would have ideally gripped the bar, making it awkward to remove the bar from it's perch, and even worse trying to get it back on.

I agree 100% if you can try them out! Everybodys body is diffrent and you might not like the design of one or another. I like #3 from the pic BTW.

[lopxtc]

Yeah there is a Dicks sporting goods here in town ... going there tomorrow to check them out.

Aaron

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by invisiman

See if you can find somewhere to lie on them before you bought them. I bought one without trying it, and although solidly built, the arms where I rack the barbell when I'm benching fell perfectly where I would have ideally gripped the bar, making it awkward to remove the bar from it's perch, and even worse trying to get it back on.

For that reason I'd be going for Oly bars, much wider benches etc (standard oly bar is 7ft)

[conditional78]

This one claims to have a walk-in squat rack, although I've never used one like that so I'm not sure how well it works:

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/pr...ctId=2437312#1

I agree that you should be able to do squats and that you should get a feel for how you fit on it before deciding. Academy used to sell a setup similar to the one I suggested with a high pulley attached where the preacher curl is. If you can find one of those I would highly recommend it. If you are unable to do chin-ups then you would be able to do pull-downs.

[roberthelpus]

Exercise equipment is a definite Craigslist buy. The most exercise that most people get is when they bring it into the house. Al ittle patience and you can just about anything.

[conditional78]

Originally Posted by roberthelpus

Exercise equipment is a definite Craigslist buy. The most exercise that most people get is when they bring it into the house. Al ittle patience and you can just about anything.

DEFINITELY! I bought a bench, barbell, dumb bell handles, set of standard plates, AND a power tower for $50 used!!!

You might consider a "Want to Buy" ad.

[BlacksHole]

While the Olympic size is an improvement, it does come at a cost. If you buy extra weights or bars for your setup - they're more expensive. Also, the bar is much longer, hence you need more physical space. Benches come in 3 sizes: basic, mid, and Olympic. The basic set can work for a regular sized adult, but just barely. These are pretty little compared to the others. If you're not real big, or do not plan to bench much more than 300 lbs or so, a mid may work very well for you. If you want to do a lot of weight and have the best bench you can get, get an olympic. Personally, I use a mid and it pretty much takes over much of my spare bedroom where I keep it. I was also able to easily merge it with an old weight set I had and buy additional weights without spending too much. Mine was from Sears a few years back.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

I dont know what it is like in the US, but like for like weights, the olympic plates are the same price as standard plates. The place I've been looking at recently is actually cheaper for Oly plates

The only real difference is you can end up spending alot more on olympic plates. For instance, im looking (without the money to buy) some proper bumper plates for oly lifting, those are substancially more expensive for even basic bumpers, and by the time you are looking at Eleiko etc, well, ouch!

Granted tho, it will take up more room, and initially it will cost more (the bar is more expensive). On the bright side, you can do oly lifts without absolutly knackering yourself, the bars are a lot more substancial, and it takes (compared to standard spinlock) a lot less time to swap plates over

[Deacon_Blues]

I personally dislike the narrow grip you have to use for lifting the barbell on those benches, but a full size bench is expensive for sure.