Powertec Olympic Bench – A Review

by Robert Mangan
(U,S,)

The Powertec WB-OB Olympic Bench is, without doubt, a fine addition to any home gym to those who take weight training seriously. Its build quality is top-notch and the seat and backrest can be adjusted to a number of incline and decline positions. It’s near perfect but there are one or two things that could possibly bother some users.

First off, if you’ve never heard of Powertec Fitness then you should have. The company has a deserved reputation in designing and manufacturing strength training fitness equipment. In fact it was they who first brought the leverage gym on to the market a few years back.

So, as you might expect, the Powertec Olympic Bench has been thoughtfully designed and built to last. The frame consists of 2 x 4 inch, 12-gauge rectangular steel tubing and comes with a lifetime warranty. There are adjustable bar catches on either side of the uprights, which means you can also perform squats – a nice to have option. The bench is fully adjustable and in the incline position can be adjusted to be nearly vertical – great for doing some dumbbell work.

Okay, here’s what I really like about this Powertec weight bench. First off, the seat and backrest are low to the ground which ensures you can place both feet on the ground and get a firm stance when lifting the barbell. I’ve found many other benches of this type to be a little too high off the ground for my liking. They may be safe but I just don’t feel as though my feet are firmly enough planted and because of this I don’t feel safe enough when doing heavy weights.

The folding mechanism of the bench is excellent. It moves smoothly and easily and feels solid enough when in position.

There are also a number of optional accessories that can be fitted to the bench. The bench and accessories have been specially designed so that adding and removing the accessories is child’s play. I have the Leg Lift accessory for leg work.

This is a great bench but there are some things which make it less than perfect.

The stands are set wide apart. There’s about 1 1/2 inches of space on either side before the collar of a 7 foot Olympic bar. So, you need to be pretty accurate. If you’re lifting heavy weights and are a little unsteady you might find yourself placing the bar slightly off center, which is fine, though the bar will be at a slant.

Like I said before, the seat is fully adjustable and easy to adjust but therein lies another little problem. When lifting heavy weights you can begin to feel the back move ever so slightly – hardly noticeable, but enough to put some off.

Apart from these two issues I can’t really find fault with the Powertec Olympic Bench, especially for its price tag. To get better you’re going to have think about getting a full-commercial bench and be prepared to pay a much higher price.

FitnessLyceum.com is an authorized retailer of Powertec equipment. We sell all home gym system at a very competitive price and if you call us we’ll even offer you a further discount.