York 500 Bench

Advantages: stable and versatile....did I mention stable (Its excellent)
Disadvantages: A bit costly, the weights you will need are expensive.

...I can tell you that this is where the York Olympic combo bench really stands out. It is extremely well made. There is no wobble when your doing a bench press which is the biggest problem I've had with cheaper benches (for one thing its incredibly dangerous) infact in any of the exercises I have done, it feels safe and secure. The frame itself is made out of steel (it is hollow steel but is extremely stable) and it weighs 70kg. This does mean that you will need to set the machine up where you are going to use it, because it is quite large and awkward to move if not. Its not a huge peice of kit but you will need a dedicated room to fit it in (It will not fit at the end of your bed unless its an extremely large room. WARRANTY Manufacturers Warranty: Light Commercial Use - corporate facilities, apartment complexes, police and fire... Read review

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Advantages: easy to assemble
Disadvantages: the design could be improved

...During my gap year from sixth form to university I got a job as a lifeguard at the local sports centre and as a consequence spent a lot of time in the gym. I puchased a york 6605 weights bench so I could workout at home instead of travelling to and from the gym on my days off. It was reasonably straightforward to assemble and at first I was delighted with it. However, after using it a few times I began to notice the design faults. Firstly, when doing leg curls, especially quadricep raises it was hurting my shins, I don't think it was designed with tall people in mind (im 6ft 1'). Because of this I had to place something on the seat to elevate my vertical position. The second problem was the bench press. This was fine when performing flat or decline bench presses, but when performing incline ones it is very hard to lift the weights off... Read review

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Advantages: Comfortable strong and rigid
Disadvantages: Price

...When it comes to weight training and handling free weights, it is always best to do it supervised if you are a novice. It is also best to get some tuition. However, one thing you will soon learn is that there are only so many exercises you can do standing up or sitting down. Soon you will need to perhorm chest presses or shoulder raises in a lying or sitting position. You may even want to start exercising your legs. So what you need is a bench. What better bench that one that has been around for years, is proven,adjustable, sturdy and downright popular. So this is the main reasoning behind my York Weights bench purchase. York make a variety of weights benches from the basic rigid one piece bench, right up to the full adjustable, multi functional benches with weights supplied. My bench is somewhere in the middle and costs £120... Read review

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