Benches

[MattimusMaximus]

Anyone here tried a fat pad bench? I’m looking at getting a new bench because mine is wobbly af and feels broken on one end.

I’ve seen these fat pad benches that I’ve never heard of but they say they’re IPF standards. Is the fat pad what they use in comp? Never competed.

[TimK]

Anyone here tried a fat pad bench? I’m looking at getting a new bench because mine is wobbly af and feels broken on one end.

I’ve seen these fat pad benches that I’ve never heard of but they say they’re IPF standards. Is the fat pad what they use in comp? Never competed.

Comp width is 12”, fat pads are 14”.

[Cody]

Anyone here tried a fat pad bench? I’m looking at getting a new bench because mine is wobbly af and feels broken on one end.

I’ve seen these fat pad benches that I’ve never heard of but they say they’re IPF standards. Is the fat pad what they use in comp? Never competed.

No, they don't use fat pads in competition. They feel different than regular bench pads, esp for big boys with big presses.

[TimK]

I think the marketing you saw about being comp spec is probably referring to the overall height of the bench.

[MattimusMaximus]

@Cody @TimK

Have either of you tried the fat pad? Thoughts?

I’m also trying to decide between another flat bench or an adjustable bench but I worry the adjustable will feel weird during flat benching... I remember commercial gym ones feeling strange but that was many moons ago.

[Cody]

Cody TimK

Have either of you tried the fat pad? Thoughts?

I’m also trying to decide between another flat bench or an adjustable bench but I worry the adjustable will feel weird during flat benching... I remember commercial gym ones feeling strange but that was many moons ago.

Not personally, no. I don't think a good adjustable bench is any different than a good flat bench (except for the adjustability, obvs). Don't buy a weird design, you'll be good to go.

[TimK]

@Cody @TimK

Have either of you tried the fat pad? Thoughts?

I’m also trying to decide between another flat bench or an adjustable bench but I worry the adjustable will feel weird during flat benching... I remember commercial gym ones feeling strange but that was many moons ago.

I haven't, I know a lot of people think they're awesome, either just because they're more comfortable or because they can bench a little more on one due to the improved stability. Personally I don't see the point since I do plan to continue competing in powerlifting and I don't want to get used to a benching on big wide pad and then show up at a meet and get thrown off by the 12" width of the comp bench.

Assuming it wasn't a wobble issue, the thing about commercial gym adjustable benches is that they are often only 10" wide and sometimes higher than a proper flat bench (17"-18"). But if you get a solid adjustable that's the same width and height it should work fine. The gap between the back pad and the seat pad might be an issue, some people don't mind it but I dislike it enough that I shelled out for the Rep Fitness "zero gap" AB-5000 and I like it a lot. I only have space for one bench (instead of an adjustable plus a dedicated flat bench) so it's great for my purposes.

[bobmen10000]

Fat pad is very nice if you are fat (wide.) Take the following with a grain of salt as 1) I am not as knowledgeable in terms of strength, equipment or competing as Tim & Cody & 2) I tend to succumb to rhetorical flourishes but: the fat pad feels significantly better than a standard pad and I didn't notice any difference (in terms of strength) when using a competition pad in my 3 previous experiences benching at meets. The Fad Pad also saved my sex life...or not.

However, to be completely honest, I was just as satisfied with the version 1 Hefty Bench (Pad) from Titan as I am with the official Rogue Fat Pad - the only difference being the rogue pad is so much grippier. I just didn't like the Hefty Bench feet, thus it had to go - and now I can't give it away, which is a shame as it is a perfectly serviceable bench. V2 is even better from what I gather.

If it was me, I would get the Rep version of the fat -wide -pad (provided they are in stock) along with whatever bench you like. I have the FB-5000 Comp Flat Bench (I added a Fat Pad as Rep's wide pad was out of stock for several months) and am very happy with it. I believe Cody recommended it at the time as I was looking for something with a single foot at the front, apparently I am not alone in that area as Rogue copied their design recently.

[mgil]

The Rep Large Gap Adjustable Bench is fine for me and saved me some money and wait time.

[FredM]

My rep fat pad is still sitting in a bag. I liked how heavy it made my fb 5000 which is too easy to move around on my platform as is.

But I’m apparently not man enough for a fat pad. My longest term strength goal is to be hyoodge enough to prefer my fat pad. Right now it gets in the way of full depth and makes me lose my arch trying to press against it to lower the bar all the way.

[MattimusMaximus]

Thanks for all the input, it has been very helpful! I’ve got some research to do now but I’m leaning towards an adjustable.

Good brands are hard to come by here in Canada and Rogue Canada charges a fortune for delivery. Not sure if anyone has heard of “Bells of Steel” but they look half decent for equipment. Anyone ordered from them before? @Mahendra ?

[bobmen10000]

Thanks for all the input, it has been very helpful! I’ve got some research to do now but I’m leaning towards an adjustable.

Good brands are hard to come by here in Canada and Rogue Canada charges a fortune for delivery. Not sure if anyone has heard of “Bells of Steel” but they look half decent for equipment. Anyone ordered from them before? @Mahendra ?

Bells of Steel and Strongarm sports, sort of Canadian sister companies, have both been very responsive to my questions concerning their specialty bar offerings. I have dealt with their US arm, which I think is pretty much the same as their Canadian arm, and have been impressed with their customer service. Not sure about the quality of their benches, based on reviews it seems most of their stuff falls in between Titan (bad to very good) and Rep (good to excellent) in terms of Chinese produced equipment combined with Quality & Assurance.

[Mahendra]

Thanks for all the input, it has been very helpful! I’ve got some research to do now but I’m leaning towards an adjustable.

Good brands are hard to come by here in Canada and Rogue Canada charges a fortune for delivery. Not sure if anyone has heard of “Bells of Steel” but they look half decent for equipment. Anyone ordered from them before? @Mahendra ?

Hey dude, unfortunately I haven't ordered from them before. I've only ordered from XTC Fitness. But to be fair, they are pretty close to where I live so I can just pick up whatever I want/need.

[MattimusMaximus]

@bobmen10000 @Mahendra

Thanks guys! The biggest reason I’m looking at BoS is because they provide free shipping, plus they’re somewhat local to me. I’ll check out XTC as well!

[MattimusMaximus]

So I just measured the bench I’ve been using for the past 3 years and realized it’s quite a bit smaller than a competition bench lol.

Pad width: 9.75”
Floor to top of pad height: 15.75”
Length of pad: 43”

Not sure if this helps or hinders my progress but I’d be curious if my leverages improve or not with a standard size bench?

[michael]

I think Iron Master's new lower profile bench is the most practical adjustable bench for a home gym, if you don't mind the 10" width.

[TimK]

So I just measured the bench I’ve been using for the past 3 years and realized it’s quite a bit smaller than a competition bench lol.

Pad width: 9.75”
Floor to top of pad height: 15.75”
Length of pad: 43”

Not sure if this helps or hinders my progress but I’d be curious if my leverages improve or not with a standard size bench?

12" will almost certainly give you more stability and moving up to comp height might let you get better leg drive depending on your build/technique.

[Cody]

Just an update: I got to use the Thomson Fat Pad on a comp bench yesterday. The material was sweet, super grippy, but it was waaaaay too wide, and made my arms flair a little since the bench actually rubbed against my triceps.

So no, I don't like the width of the Thompson Fat Pad. Rogue makes the same bench pad 2" narrower, and that seems like it's probably a better design for people who aren't ridiculously large.

All that said, I don't think the thicker pad is more/less comfortable. I don't think it makes your bench stronger/weaker. I don't think a thicker pad would affect your bench on a competition bench.

[bobmen10000]

Just an update: I got to use the Thomson Fat Pad on a comp bench yesterday. The material was sweet, super grippy, but it was waaaaay too wide, and made my arms flair a little since the bench actually rubbed against my triceps.

So no, I don't like the width of the Thompson Fat Pad. Rogue makes the same bench pad 2" narrower, and that seems like it's probably a better design for people who aren't ridiculously large.

All that said, I don't think the thicker pad is more/less comfortable. I don't think it makes your bench stronger/weaker. I don't think a thicker pad would affect your bench on a competition bench.

The agony of having appreciable triceps muscles and not having a jiggly puff physique.

Do you know of any other bench pads with comparable grip to the Thompson?

[deant]

Just an update: I got to use the Thomson Fat Pad on a comp bench yesterday. The material was sweet, super grippy, but it was waaaaay too wide, and made my arms flair a little since the bench actually rubbed against my triceps.

So no, I don't like the width of the Thompson Fat Pad. Rogue makes the same bench pad 2" narrower, and that seems like it's probably a better design for people who aren't ridiculously large.

All that said, I don't think the thicker pad is more/less comfortable. I don't think it makes your bench stronger/weaker. I don't think a thicker pad would affect your bench on a competition bench.

This is an interesting take. I've been benching on the Thompson Fat Pad now for about a year. I'm not that big, but I have wonky shoulders. I do love the fat pad width because it really helps me keep my elbows in, back tight and bar path on point. I'm not sure if it is the grippy surface or the width...either way, I love it. That said, I don't notice any additional difficulty with the same weights when I go to a commercial gym. I really hate how slippery the surface is though...I generally have to hit some cardio before benching to get the back of my shirt sweaty so I stick to the pad.