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Does that stuff strike you as being cheap crap?

Is there anything you can see obviously wrong with gear for light home use or are you generalising?

Can you show me what you consider decent so I've got a comparison?

Edited by ActionDan

The benches appear cheap to tell you the truth. They look like they wouldn't be very stable/solid, and the material of the upper (pads) wouldn't be very durable.

The cage looks alright, but the materials themselves look a little thin? I could be wrong though. Its hard to tell unless you see it in person..


Just generalising tbh. Going by the typical "if it looks too good to be true, that's because it is" principal.
There's nothing wrong with cheaper equipment for home use, but I doubt the warranties would be worth the paper they're written on, so it's better to spend a bit more for a setup that will last a lifetime.

I'm not saying the stuff I sell is the greatest, but at least it's tested and rated, and the warranties are usually quite good.

e.g.

http://www.gymquipfitness.com/product-details.php?action=view&proId=555

http://www.gymquipfitness.com/product-details.php?action=view&proId=149


The lat pulldowns, etc on power racks are usually quite gimmicky as they aren't strong enough to take a decent amount of weight.

 

Thanks TTT.

God_speed: Correct, they can be moved inside the rack and yes I've never done incline bench. I've never been madly into weights or overly strong, I just do it to keep some level of physique (I work an office job) and to assist with working on my car/around the house. I've never repped more than 100kg on the bench anyway (atm only a touch over 90kg) and it's only been recently that I've started making an effort to do some more compound work and get involved in some of the "proper" lifts like squats and DLs etc, hence the rack.

 

No worries Dan. I'm in a similar situation. Definitely recommend incorporating incline in your setup / routine. Decline as well if possible.

Agree on seeing the equipment before buying. Have bought a cheap bench setup way back and the welds holding the seat (split seat/backrest) to the frame snapped. POS. If you can I would shell out more to get a decent build, it will last longer, feel better to use (sturdier, fewer problems like cable sheathing crapping out, frames bending etc) and you should get some form of resale out of it as well

Wow, no doubt it's a good bench but for that money I could buy 7 average ones =\

I realise safety is also a factor.

http://www.gymquipfitness.com/product-details.php?action=view&proId=134

^top level domestic bench (adjustable)

They're way better to use than pin-locking benches too, all you do is lift the pad and it locks on one of the teeth along the support.

EDIT: Anyway, enough advertising in this thread.

Edited by TM7GTR

 

Why do you believe incline and decline bench should be done?

 

TTT I did flat bench for yonks with only occasional incline work. Had decent depth in the pecs but lacking a lot near the clavicle / pec major... I found doing a lot of volume on incline work over the past 2-3 years helped bring that out, a lot. With decline, I don't notice the effects as readily, but I find it is good for balancing out the incline work as well as finishing off the chest routine as I find them easier to do.

Haha! The only true stability test any bench needs

Or what about these two? look mid range?

http://www.fitonline.com.au/p/4304600/york-aspire-fid-dumbell-bench.html

http://www.fitonline.com.au/p/4281877/bodyworx-c324sb-fid-utility-bench.html

Odd that they top out at 200kg.

I'm 86kg now, repping 91ish kg, that's already 75% of the capacity and Im not a big lifter.

then again, realistically I won't go much if anything beyond 90kg in weight and maybe 100kg rep on the bench, not much room after that though and I suppose that's a ways off.

Definitely prefer the York one for what you want it for, you'd definitely find those leg extension pads getting in the way.

Dunno why they're only rated at 200 but the fact it says 'user weight' makes me think they have factored in the use of some weights on top of the user weight... what weight exactly, who knows? But 200 is stuff all. And Dan I wouldn't put it past yourself to bench more than 100 in the near future, if you're 86kg youre pretty much the same weight as me and I can bench that but don't consider it to be at all a strong bench figure.

I know I "could" bench more as I used to rep in the 110 range for sets of 10 but I have no desire to go back to that in terms of chest size. I'd be happy to get back to an even 100 for the psychological factor.

What do you think Tom, the York one look better?

I should see if I can even bench 100kg lol. Most I've ever even bothered unracking was 95kg, which I managed 3 (sketchy) reps from memory. Been sticking to dumbbells lately, predominantly incline press over flat (aesthetic basis). Pushed out 36kg x7,7,6,7 reps last night, which is a PB on incline for me. New PB for flat DB press too last week - 42kg x7 on my 4th set.

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