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Fold-down first, stays-out later
Benches
A space-saving fold-down bench is the first bench when the room has to get its floor back. A fixed FID that stays out comes later, when the room can spare the floor.
A fold-down or fold-flat bench is the space-saving pick. It comes out for the session and then gives the floor back. That matters in a garage bay or a spare room that still has to be a room. In the spend order it comes after the power stand. The longer note on when to buy one, and when not to, is folding bench.
Bowflex is the bench brand this guide starts from. No model number is named, and this site does not claim a unit was tested. A second bench in the room is Body-Solid. No model number is named. If you already have a Bowflex bench and a Body-Solid bench, do not buy a third. Check which one folds out of the way, and keep using it.
Put floor mats down before the bench lives there. A fold-down bench belongs after the stand if the room needs the floor back. A bench that stays out belongs with the rack path, when you know the walkway you can give up.
Fold-down first, fixed FID later
Buy the fold-down bench if the room is small or the floor has another job. You need the patch back between sessions. You can unfold and lock the pad, then fold it again. Confirm on the listing whether it folds flat or folds onto an end, and what the stowed size is. A picture of a folded bench is not that measurement.
Buy a fixed FID when the stand or the rack stays set, you press often, and unfolding every time is the wrong chore. That bench stays out. It has to stay still when you unrack a press. A light bench that looks fine in a photo is a bad fit if your feet cannot plant or the legs walk. Match the length to the walkway left beside the rack.
The FID named for that later room is the REP Fitness AB-3000 2.0. REP says it cannot be stored vertically. Buy the REP Fitness FB-5000 only if you press flat and do not need incline on this bench. Those two are stays-out benches. They are not the fold-down pick. The later buy order is on the later setup.
What to check before you order
Whether it folds down or folds flat, and the stowed length, width, and height. If it does not fold, it has to live open.
Stated capacity on the listing, not a guess from the photo.
Open height, length, and width, and whether that length still leaves a path around the rack.
Pad width, how the back pad locks, and whether the bench rocks when you set your feet.
Whether it stores upright. Some do not. The AB-3000 does not.
A wheel or handle if you have to move it out of a tight bay.
Fold-down pick
A Bowflex bench that folds
What it is: a space-saving bench from Bowflex, the brand this guide starts from. Open the current Bowflex bench listing and confirm that the one you are looking at folds down or folds flat, and that the lock holds when the pad is open. This page does not name a model. Bowflex sells more than one bench. The fold is the requirement, not the logo alone.
Who it is for: a small home gym, or a room that needs the floor back. Also for someone who already owns a Bowflex bench that folds. Keep that one.
Confirm on the listing: the fold, the stowed size, stated capacity, and whether the listing is one bench or a bundle. Check the current listing. Do not take a price from this page.
Skip a new Bowflex bench if you already have one that folds, or if the second bench already in the room folds and still locks. If the second bench is Body-Solid and still works, keep it. Skip a fold-down bench if you want a FID that stays under a bar and you can spare the floor. Use the AB-3000 below.
What it is: a flat, incline, and decline bench. REP lists a 1,000-pound capacity, an 11-gauge steel frame, a 17.1-inch height, a 56.6-inch length, and a 25.8-inch width. The back pad uses a ladder. The seat changes angle. Leg rollers lock for decline. REP says it cannot be stored vertically.
Who it is for: a later setup with room for one bench that stays out, where you want incline without a second bench.
Confirm on the listing: length against your floor plan, stated capacity, and stock. Check the current listing.
Skip this if the room needs the floor back, or if you only press flat and you need the bench to stand on end between sessions. It does not store vertically. A fold-down bench is the first bench in that room.
What it is: a flat bench, not an adjustable. REP lists a 1,000-pound capacity, 11-gauge steel, a 16.9-inch height, a 50.5-inch length, and a 21-inch width. The pad is listed at 12 inches wide and 48 inches long, 4 inches thick, with a wider pad sold as an option. It has a tripod base, rubber feet, a handle, and wheels. REP describes the height as meeting International Powerlifting Federation standards.
Who it is for: someone who only presses flat, and who wants a shorter, lighter bench they can roll aside. Listed weight is 62 pounds on the standard pad.
Confirm on the listing: pad width (narrow or wide), that you do not need incline, and the current price. Check the current listing.
Skip this if you want incline or decline on the same bench. It does not adjust. Skip it as a first bench if you need the bench to fold flat. Rolling it aside is not the same as folding it.
