A weight bench is the piece of gear every press, row and seated lift sits on, so it is worth buying once. The choice comes down to three things: how much load the bench is rated to carry, which positions it adjusts to, and how much floor it takes up. Every bench in the RooFitness range is compared on those numbers at the end.
Start with the load rating
Every bench in the range lists a supported load. That figure covers everything on the bench at once: you, the bar and the plates. A 100kg lifter pressing 80kg puts 180kg on the pad, which is the full rating of the Flat Bench and more than the 140kg rating of the FID Adjustable Bench. Work out your heaviest realistic set, add your body weight, and buy a bench rated comfortably above that total. The commercial models are rated to 350kg for exactly this reason. They are built for whoever walks into a gym, not for one person's numbers.
Flat, FID or commercial
FID stands for flat, incline and decline, the three back-pad positions an adjustable bench offers.
- A flat bench is fixed. It has the fewest moving parts and the lowest price, and there is nothing to set between sets. It covers pressing, rows and any seated work that does not need an angle.
- A FID bench adds incline angles for upper-chest and shoulder pressing, and a decline position for decline presses and sit-ups. Decline only works when the bench has padded leg supports to hold you in place, and the adjustable models in the range list them.
- A commercial FID bench adds a military-press position, a heavier steel frame and a higher load rating. The Deluxe Commercial FID Bench ships at 60kg against 11kg for the FID Adjustable Bench, and that mass is what keeps it planted under a heavy press.
- A bench and rack package pairs a FID bench with a barbell rack. Read the included list before ordering. The barbell, plates and collars are always separate.
Measure before you order
Assembled sizes are on every product page and two of them matter. Length and width give you the floor space: the FID Adjustable Bench is 104cm by 39cm, the Commercial Flat Bench 133cm by 46cm. Height matters on adjustable benches because they stand tall with the back pad upright, and the FID Adjustable Bench reaches 108cm. Leave room around the bench for the bar and, if you press heavy, for a spotter. The All-in-One Weight Bench folds between sessions, which makes it the pick for a room that does other jobs.
Pad height is worth a glance too. The International Powerlifting Federation's technical rules put a competition bench between 42cm and 45cm from the floor to the top of the pad, a range chosen so that most lifters can plant both feet flat. Use it as a reference point when a product page lists height. A lower pad suits shorter lifters, a taller one suits longer legs.
What to check on the product page
- The supported load against your body weight plus your heaviest lift.
- The positions listed, and padded leg supports if you want decline work.
- Assembled length, width and height, and whether the bench folds.
- What a package includes, and what it leaves out.
- Freight. Benches are heavy, so shipping is quoted by postcode at checkout, and the larger items arrive as kerbside freight.
The RooFitness benches compared
The figures below are taken from each product page. Where a page does not list a value it says so here, rather than guessing.
| Bench | Supported load | Positions | Assembled size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat Bench | 180kg | Flat | 120 × 52 × 50cm |
| FID Adjustable Bench | 140kg | Flat, incline, decline | 104 × 39 × 108cm |
| All-in-One Weight Bench | Not listed | Flat, incline, decline, five settings, folds | Not listed |
| Wide Adjustable Flat Incline Decline Bench Press | Not listed | Five settings, with a bar rack and a leg curl and extension attachment | Not listed |
| Adjustable FID Bench and Portable Squat Rack package | Not listed | Flat, incline, decline, with two height-adjustable stands | Bench 104 × 39 × 108cm |
| Commercial Flat Bench | 350kg | Flat | 133 × 46cm footprint |
| Deluxe Commercial FID Bench | 350kg | Flat, incline, decline, military press | Not listed |
| Deluxe Commercial FID Bench with Squat Rack | 250kg bench, 180kg rack | Flat, incline, decline, military press | Rack 165 × 92 × 157cm |
The range also has the Commercial Sit Up Bench, a fixed decline bench for abdominal work, and the Hyper Extension, a fixed 45-degree back-extension bench rated to 180kg. The Sissy Squat Bench is rated to 130kg. There are two glute ham developers, the compact Floor Glute Ham Developer and the 11-gauge steel Deluxe Glute Ham Developer.
Related
All weight benches · Power racks and cages · Squat stands · Dumbbells
