Bowflex SelectTech Adjustable Bench Series 3.1

Manufacturer : Bowflex In Stock : 2 List Price: $159.99 Quantity : 1 2

Features

• Transform any space into a personal free weight fitness center
• Adjusts to four different positions for over 30 different exercises
• Comes with a removable leg hold-down brace for added decline position support
• Corrects posture and stabilizes positioning for a safe, muscle-building free-weight workout
• 15-year warranty on frame; one-year warranty on upholstery

Product Description

Transform your workout space. It adds workout variety. It ensures proper posture so that you can maximize your results. It also enables you to do more exercises to get the body you want. The Bowflex Adjustable Bench 3.1 Series is a must-have addition to any workout area. It will turn your space into the ultimate home gym.

Amazon.com Product Description

Get more out of your workout using Bowflex SelectTech free weights with the 3.1 Series adjustable bench. It adjusts to four different positions for workout versatility--over 30 different exercises. It enables you to do more exercises to get the body you want and ensures proper posture so that you can maximize your results. It's the perfect way to transform your space into a personal fitness center.

This bench is also great for correcting posture and stabilizing your positioning for a safe, muscle-building free-weight workout. It's built-strong to last with heavy-duty commercial quality steel and durable upholstery. It comes standard with a removable leg hold-down brace for added decline position support. It wheels away for easy storage and measures 26 by 20 by 56 inches (W x H x L). Assembly is required.

Specifications:

• Dimensions: 56" L x 26" W x 20" H (142.25 L x 66 W x 51 H cm)
• Adjusts to four different positions
• Corrects posture and stabilizes positioning for a safe, muscle-building free weight workout
• Can be used with more than 30 exercises
• Comes standard with a removable leg hold-down brace for added decline position support

About Utility Benches
Despite the competition from trendy new fitness inventions, free-weight lifting continues to be a popular option for home strength training. Free weights offer a special benefit in strength training because they promote quicker strength gains. Free weights also work a larger number of muscles than resistance machines, which tend to focus on isolated muscles.

Specially-designed adjustable pads, grips, and bars help limit and guide movements to minimize the possibility of muscle or joint damage. Plus, from a single utility bench, a vast number of exercises can be performed. Whether it is focusing on the abdomen, arms, chest, or any other muscle group, a utility bench can help you maximize your strength training goals while minimizing your risk of personal injury.

Manufacturer's Warranty
15-year warranty on frame, one-year warranty on upholstery

Customer Reviews

Average Rating of 4.50 out of 38 reviews

Rating :
Big and Sturdy - X. Li, Sep 26, 2009

Kudos to Amazon. Extremely fast delivery and it is all free!

The bench is big, wide, sturdy and heavy. It definitely feels like a gym-quality equipment, if not better (but better looking for sure). I bought it refurbished to save $20, and I am glad to find out that my bench looks brand new.

The equipment is not exactly easy to assemble because the screws require a lot of strength to tighten. But that is for a good reason. Once assembled, the bench stuck on the ground and shows no shakiness or looseness. I assembled the bench myself, but I would recommend two people doing it together.


Rating :
OK, but not as good as the Ironmaster bench - gibreel, Aug 31, 2009

I purchased 3 benches over the course of a few months, returned 2 of them and am very happy with my final purchase. I'm reviewing all 3 of the benches because it was an educational experience and I hope other people don't have to make the same mistakes I did.

As background, I have a small apartment in NYC and wanted a bench to use with dumbbells because I was quitting my gym membership. I wasn't trying to get a full workout machine because while that might be optimal, I don't have enough space for something like that. So the goal was a sturdy, as-small-as-possible bench that would lie flat, but also do incline, decline, and 90 degrees.

I initially went with the Cory Everson FID Weight Bench. I purchased this bench because it can fold up, lean against a wall and save space. Its main selling point to me was that it seemed similar to the Danskin Space Saver Bench that I had purchased a few years ago (and later sold on Craigslist when I joined a gym). I loved the Danskin bench because even though it's seemingly made for women, it was sturdy enough for my 170 pounds and 5'9" frame but folded up neatly. It was also just $119. I would have gladly purchased another one except it was no longer available. I'm not sure why Danskin no longer makes this great bench, but oh well. Anyway, the problem with the Cory Everson is that it is NOT sturdy. It was wobbly and felt like it might break at any moment. Therefore, I returned it to Amazon. I wouldn't recommend this bench to anyone, any gender, no matter how much you weigh.

Next, I went with the Bowflex SelectTech Adjustable Bench Series 3.1. While it seems like this bench would be able to fold up and lean against a wall, I was surprised that it was so BIG. It was very sturdy, but it just wasn't small enough to lean up against a wall and keep a low profile. The seat is also too wide and it makes doing a simple bench press awkward. I should have known that it was going to be big because the dimensions are clearly specified, but I didn't "internalize" the dimensions until I saw the bench fully assembled. Anyway, I also returned this bench. I wouldn't recommend unless you don't care about the wide seat and you have sufficient space.

The last bench that I bought was the Ironmaster Super Bench Adjustable weight-lifting Bench. It still doesn't beat the Danskin in terms of space-saving abilities, but it's solidly built (extremely so), smaller than the Bowflex (smaller footprint), and comes with a number of attachments to do dips, pull/chin-ups, sit-ups, etc. It's relatively expensive with the attachments that I added, but I couldn't ask for much more. My only complaint is that the height of the bench is higher than benches I've used at various gyms and so my feet don't reach the floor when doing bench press. Also, the seat is awkward when doing incline because it's square, it doesn't remain parallel to the floor (it's always at a 90 degree angle to the bench) and you can't straddle it as easily as other bench seats. But that being said, if you're looking for a dumbbell bench that's relatively small but sturdy, this is the bench for you. I'm very happy with this purchase.

Incidentally, I also purchased the Ironmaster 75 lb Quick Lock Adjustable Dumbbell System and it's the best dumbbell system out there. It's way better than the Bowflex and PowerBlock dumbbell systems. Without going to a store and putting all 3 dumbbells in your hand, you might not be convinced, but I called up Ironmaster and found a local store in my area and took a look in person. The main thing is that the Ironmaster do NOT rattle around at all (like the Bowflex) and the Ironmaster do not constrain the movement of your hand (like the PowerBlock) because they're essentially a "regular" dumbbell except that you can change the weight plates.

If you have further questions, leave me a comment and I'll get back to you.


Rating :
BoxFlex Selecttech Bench - R. Brentson, Aug 29, 2009

Great product! Easy to assemble and very durable materials. The only knock I have is that the bench only has three positions that it can be set to.


Rating :
Worth the money - Reed J. Webster, Aug 24, 2009

I bought this machine to work out at home and its just what I wanted. It was easy to put together and it is pretty sharp looking. I like it and Think it is worth the money for sure. I hope to get a lot of use out of it.


Rating :
Functional, does what it should - emonk, Aug 19, 2009

Arrived quite fast, great delivery service. I've had to wait longer for books to arrive than this thing! The product itself is very good. Stable, everything fits together correctly (all the screw holes line up, etc...), no leftover pieces. The instructions were clear. A few things kept it from getting five stars though.

1- Some of the screws are too long to secure fully. This is only in one place (where one of the legs joins the support feet). It can be easily fixed by adding in a few extra washers.
2- There are plastic caps which pad the arm where it settles into the brackets of the support. One of these caps constantly falls off. A little glue and it's fine now, but that seems like something they could have done for me.

Overall, very happy with it. It'd be nice if there was a way to expand on it (add supports for a bar, different pieces of equipment to set into the front rather than just the stationary brace, etc...) but I wanted a solid bench and that's what I got. Very sturdy, very strong, seems to be made of high quality materials. I'd definitely buy another one if I had to do it over again. It's nice that you can change the positions without having to stand up. You can shift it into all three while sitting down, so moving between exercises is very fast.

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