CAP Barbell Flat/Incline/Decline Bench

I'd been looking at benches for quite some time now that I've gotten more into strength training than I'd ever been before and decided the space in my workout room was worth it...Most were simply a bench. Some had ankle support...I was eyeing a $250 when I came across this one on Amazon...that had more.Now granted it has a weight limit on it, but I think that's more because you can do sit ups on this one and to support very heavy weight may require a wider bench of more weight...but this is very heavy and other than that, it seems like it would work with twice the weight limit.I LOVE the backrest moving up and down...in simply a flip of your hand...all the way down for situps, a bench, flip around with the back all the way and face the other direction laying on the seat and raise and lower your legs for core work, lean on the bench or lay on it for arm work...it was solid but I think that takes a lot of work to get to that...with a two-man building team which I'll touch on in a moment.In the photo it looks like this is red, it's actually a dark tan faux leather with ample padding and a yellow logo. What you may not notice in the photo is that it also has 4 hooks underneath that hold two dumbbells for easy access.There is even a one step way of folding this up for easy storage via one pin.To me, it's phenomenal al this has for the price...far more than the ones way more expensive. That said, I know why.You are paying for convenience to pay more...this is a two-person job putting together and that's coming from someone who puts every piece of furniture etc together in this house because I have a world of patience and ability to read directions...but you have to have one person hold a wrench as another tightens it (tip: use a ratchet set and a wrench rather than 2 wrrenches). And you have to decipher the directions they haven't updated...like it tells you to put together a few pieces in the directions that they already put together and they labeled a part number 30 in the directions but there is no part labeled number 30,,it was 20...but get past all that and you have a superior bench.That said, using two people to ensure that every screw is uner taught is something you have to do in a weight bench...you want it sturdy. We did so and this is incredibly solid. But I also have a horrid bruise days later on my index finger from fighting to ensure it was all tight and that wasn't easy and took time with a wrench that slipped and grabbed my finger instead.Conclusion: It took an hour and 2 people to put it together (not actually doing it but figuring and reading the directions along the way very carefully) but I saved over $200 from the bench I almost got that did far less and I couldn't be happier. If you have patience and know how to tighten a bolt, I'd say you'll love it. If you bench an estreme amount of weight or want to throw things if it takes you longer to build something, I'd say go with a commercial bench. I wish they'd made the middle 2 pieces one piece...that was the hardest part but I think they split it into 2 to make it ship in a more compact box but I think they could charge more if more pieces were put together prior--For me, I love it and building it was a bit like labor pains...you may hear some cussing out of character during, but it feels worth it in the end. Ordinarily for the building time I'd knock off a star in my review, but I feel they compensated for that by putting so much into a bench that costs so little...so I feel they took this into account and it made it worth it for me.

if you are careful assembling the gazillion pieces that come in the box, you will have a serviceable exercise bench. I got mine mainly to do sit ups while I watch TV and to lift weights under ten pounds. There is a sheet of exercises that comes with the bench.I was very careful assembling the bench and I used the box it came in to help me align pieces (see photos). Some of the rubber and plastic parts come already put together. You do have to both read the instructions and study the diagrams.Be careful, when tightening several bolts in a single area to not fully tighten any one of them until they are all close to completely screwed in. When they are all almost completely screwed in, then tighten each one. If you tighten one before you have put any others in, stuff will get out of alignment and be impossible to assemble so everything meets up as it should.You will need scissors to cut tape and cable ties. Get yourself a towel to wipe your sweat and have a drink nearby because you'll probably need these! Although 2 adjustable wrenches are recommended, I used one adj wrench and some adjustable pliers. What I wish I had had was either a second person to help me or else, a set of sockets or those wrenches that come in specific sizes.If you can get the main frame (front and back and center supports) together without getting too frustrated, the rest is fairly simple.A note on the lock nuts: the wider end (without the nylon) goes on the bolt. There is blu-ish stuff on the slightly tapered end of the lock nut inside the hole. That's nylon that helps lock things in place. It makes a tight seal so that's why you'll need something to hold that nut still while you use something else to turn the bolt.I think that if you are over about 5'10" or are a long-bodied or long-legged person or are a very large-framed or excessively heavy, bulky person, this bench might be too small or uncomfortable for you. I'm 5'4" tall and it's fine for me.Everything seems to be made well enough, and I will repeat again, IF put together carefully. It took me about 2 hrs from opening box to finishing cleaning up. I believe at least 30 min could've been cut off that time if I'd had a helper or a set of those sized wrenches.I think the bench is nice-looking, with CAP embroidered on the backrest and is well-worth the money. It has a brown seat and backrest with black trim (see photo) and looks nice. The fabric is just stapled on but it's okay at this price level.So far, so good!Four stars because it is kind of a pain to assemble and something this cheap can't have five stars. But it's not shoddy. It will work okay for a home exercise bench.

Out of the box, I'm incredibly pleased with this bench. I was a bit wary of ordering this bench because it has a bunch of reviews about challenging assembly, but the instructions I received were well-written and detailed, with numbers that matched the numbered parts. I've put together so many pieces of furniture in my life, and these instructions are the best I've ever seen. It took me just under one hour to assemble the bench, and that includes opening the box and removing the plastic wrap from all the parts. I suggest making from the instructions: use a socket wrench to turn the bolt and a ratchet wrench to hold the nut, rather than two regular wrenches to tighten everything. It's much faster and easier.The bench itself looks and feels incredibly nice. It's very sturdy. I haven't done a full work out on it yet, but I dropped the backrest into decline position and did some sit-ups and leg raises and then I did a few dumbbell bench presses with the backrest in flat position. I should note that I am a 5'3" woman and the length of the bench is perfect for me. If you're taller than 5'6" and want to do bench presses, your head will probably hang off the end of the bench, in which case this is not the bench you are looking for.I'll post an update if my opinion changes after using the bench for a while. For now, it appears to be an excellent bench. Not just an excellent bench for the price but an excellent bench, which makes the low price even better. Five stars.