Weider Gym

First off - this weight bench had THE BEST DIRECTIONS of anything I ever put together!!!! As an "older" married man (64) with 3 grown children and a house, I have spent many a Christmas Eve putting together bicycles and toys, as well as home furniture and various lawn items. The directions were simple and clearly written. All small parts, screws and bolts are bubble wrapped and clearly marked and numbered on a single large cardboard sheet. No lost or missing parts and clear directions! I could not have been happier. The bench itself is fairly sturdy. I have no complaints - but for comparison I'm 5' 8" and 170 pounds. The most I bench is about 140 - so I don't know how it would work with a larger person bench pressing 250. For me it's fine. I might also add - the leg attachment is one of the best I've ever seen in a home weight bench and is a welcomed addition. My only complaint is that it is a little high up. I can't put my feet flat on the ground when I'm bench pressing. Other than that - overall I'm very happy with this weight bench.

Sad I have to go to a company that appears to be out of business now for these types of fitness equipment, to find something that's actually QUALITY BUILT.I spent hours trying to find a good strong Rack of this type of design, and they ALL on Amazon are cheap China made JUNK.This is the ONLY one that wasn't.... I couldn't even find it in Amazon's SEARCH, had to go outside of Amazon and THEN I found a link to this product.I had the same problem with finding a Quality Weight Bench, had to go to a big Western made product company to get actual quality, while NONE of bench's at Amazon were any good.The difference between this and the weight bench is I couldn't find any Western company making a RACK of this type of design. Weider was the ONLY ONE I could find.I was lucky to even get this, because Weider is apparently out of business, not making Strength equipment anymore. It looks like whomever owns the company now is getting rid of whatever leftovers they still have.Sad day... Amazon needs to get some "quality control" with products they allow to be sold on the site.There are MANY things I've needed to buy and STILL need to buy, and nothing is made well anymore and it's been an absolute NIGHTMARE to find anything of quality of the things I've needed to buy over the last few years because most things come from China now, and they just don't make most things well.Like, I STILL can't get a handheld Wet Carpet Cleaner because they are ALL so poorly made now, in contrast to one I had years ago, which only don't have cause of losing family and having to sell everything off.Anyway... Not happy with Amazon. Especially when I just bought several products, designated a specific delivery day, and they are ALL being delivered DIFFERENT DAYS, over an ENTIRE WEEK. :(

I'm giving this 4 stars for value, because it's an inexpensive beginner bench. Purchased on sale for $54.Experienced lifters should spend more money to meet their needs (and they should know that already).Assembly was quick following the included instructions, but there is no question that you NEED a wrench -- you need two, really, to tighten the locking nuts: one to tighten the nuts, and one to hold the bolts in place as you tighten. If you haven't assembled one of these before, know that the nuts on the hinge bolts do need to reasonably tight, despite the instructions' warning not to over-tighten them: they just need to be able to move, they shouldn't wobble.The included instructions do suggest that two people are needed for assembly, and that's not a bad idea; I assembled it by myself, having plenty of experience with building both IKEA furniture and gym equipment, but it required some contortion. Anyway, very do-able by yourself, but you need a couple of adjustable wrenches, or one adjustable wrench and a pair of pliers.As shouldn't be a surprise for a bench with a >500lb weight limit, this does not feel like a bench you'd use for serious lifting. This feels well-suited to dumbbell exercises and stability exercises like dips and lunges. The adjustable positions have a very good range, from 90° upright to a moderate decline.The fact that this bench does actually lay flat is a big pro for me, as the nearest-priced adjustable bench from the other value brand, Marcy, does not.For a beginner who will be doing dumbbell exercises and stability movements like dips and squats, this is a fine bench.Pros: good value, sturdy enough + sufficient weight capacity for beginners. Includes printed instructions and grease.Cons: does not include a wrench(es), which are necessary for assembly. For easiest assembly, requires two people. Low weight capacity for experienced lifters.

For the money this is super solid. Easy to assemble, I’m female, 125 lbs and did it all by myself in about an hour. Impressive for the money. That being said I do not plan on lifting super heavy and I’m not a 300lb solid rock of a man. If that’s you, probably need something more solid as far as the bench and seat go. It did come damaged it appears from the weight of the bars during shipping, the seat and curl pad were damaged but not to the point I can’t use it. I was on the phone for 20 minutes with weider and they are sending new parts. So I can’t knock off a star for that bc they made it right. For the money. Solid buy and works as expected