REVIEW – Time to work on those muscles! I’m testing the Flybird Adjustable Olympic Weightlifting Bench, which is designed as an upgrade for your home gym if you’re getting more serious about your weightlifting. This particular model puts an emphasis on adaptability for bench press variations, but has some extras for other exercises as well. Let’s get strong. To the review!
What is it?
The Flybird is an adjustable weightlifting bench with an extra wide barbell rack to support up to Olympic-sized (7.2′) barbells. It also includes a preacher pad and leg extension.
* Assembly hardware
* Instructions
* 47″ wide by 61″ deep
* Barbell rack height adjustable from 36.5″ to 46″
* 47″ wide rack
* 35.4″ long back rest
* Accommodates 1″ standard or 2″ Olympic weight plates
* Barbell rack weight capacity 660 pounds
* Leg developer weight capacity 220 pounds
* Bench capacity 900 pounds
* 8 backrest angles including flat, incline & declines
* 5 curl pad heights
* 5 barbell rack heights
Design and features
Note: barbells, dumbells and weight plates shown in this review were not provided by Flybird, but they do sell packages on their website to include these items with their equipment. Check out the link at the end of the review for more information.
The Flybird Adjustable Olympic Weightlifting Bench is designed as a step up from a basic bench to handle more advanced weight training. While it doesn’t look super bulky, the alloy steel frame and reinforced bracing are designed to take on heavier weight.
Here’s a shot with a barbell & weights in place. Flybird puts the total weight capacity at 660 pounds on the barbell rack, 1000 total pounds on the bench (including body weight), and 220 pounds on the leg extension.
This design is built primarily for bench press variations. The barbell rack features a 47″ width that supports up to Olympic-length barbells (7.2′ long) and wide grip bench press exercises. I have an Olympic barbell on the rack for reference.
The plastic feet on the base have adjustment wheels that allow you to level the bench when you have it where you want it. Note that there is no anchor point to bolt the bench to the floor, which you may want to consider if you’re getting into really heavy weights.
There are three posts on the rack for hanging weight plates: two storage posts on the back side of the bench rack, and one on the leg extension. Each of these posts has a 2″ collar (shown here) that slides over the post to support Olympic plates with a 2″ diameter hole.
Here’s a couple of shots with my weights on the bench. I have the Olympic-style gear with the 2″ hole. You can pull that collar off if you have the plates with 1″ diameter holes. The collar locks in place with a screw on the underside (not shown).
Moving back t0 the barbell rack, you’ll find that it is adjustable from 36.5″ to 46″ tall with 5 different height positions.
That big knob on either side of the rack unscrews to allow you to reposition the height. There is no quick release system for adjustments during your workout. You’ll need to completely remove the locking screw, reposition your rack at the desired height, and screw it back in again.
The bench has an extended backrest/headrest combination that supports taller folks or individuals with longer torsos. The seat itself is 14″ long, while the backrest & headrest add an additional 35.4″.
The backrest is designed to be set in 8 different possible positions. There’s a fixed base bar that also keeps the frame together and a moveable bar that can be repositioned in any of the 3 slots shown here. See how the bracket angle changes slightly in each position. That’s to match the angle of the back pad.
The back rest hinges at the seat to set your angle. You can remove that moveable bar and rest the seat on the fixed base bar for a decline bench press at -15 degrees.
You can also reposition that moveable bar to one of the other brackets as shown below for incline presses. This gives you your flat option, a 15 degree angle, and a 30 degree angle as shown below.
This 30 degree angle is the highest point where you can still leverage the barbell rack.
Once you get past that point, you’ll use the U-shaped brace that pivots out from behind the backrest and slide it into one of the brackets on the lower frame. There are 5 positions available (30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 degrees). A locking pin (second pic below) keeps that brace anchored once you get it where you want it.
These higher angles would be where you swap the barbell for dumbbells. It does allow for the use of either the moveable bar or the brackets at the 30 degree position, but you’ll want that movable bar in place for barbell work with the extra stability.
The Preacher Curl pad inserts into a slot on the front of the bench. This pad measures 15.75″ at the top and tapers down to 13.77″ with a total depth of 11.81 inches. It has a nice thick pad for comfort during use.
The angle of the Preacher Curl pad is not adjustable, but the height can be set to 5 different levels or the pad can be removed entirely. A quick release knob on the back of the post allows for quick adjustments.
The Leg Extension is a pretty straightforward design with knee pads and foot/ankle pads for either leg extensions or hamstring curls.
There is a locking tab for the Leg Extension (you can see it locked in the pic above) that you can set if you want to keep that bracket from moving. This comes in handy if you’re doing abs on the bench or decline presses & want to stabilize yourself by hooking your feet under those pads.
Your kit also includes 3 1″ spring clips and 3 2″ spring clips for your weights. You can see them in action in pictures around the review.
Assembly, Installation, Setup
You may need some help getting the Flybird Adjustable Olympic Weightlifting Bench into the house with a total weight of about 75 pounds. The shipping carton was well packed and protected for shipping and all of the parts are individually wrapped. There are a LOT of parts.
The assembly instructions could be easier. Each page of the manual uses decent illustrations and simple graphics to guide you through the build…
… but the build requires a lot of cross referencing between the illustrated parts list and the inventory list shown below to match everything up.
It’s not super hard, but it does require patience to work through finding the right nuts & bolts to put in the right places. I clocked in over an hour to complete the assembly by myself.
Performance
The Flybird Adjustable Olympic Weight Bench has a nice feature set, but also has limits that may be important to you depending on your specific use case.
Let’s start with the floor footprint you’ll need for the bench. Flybird states that the footprint is 47″ wide (max) and 61″ deep, but that does not include the length of the Leg Extension. Allowing for room to get behind the rack to get to the weight storage and use of the Leg Extension I feel that you should plan on needing at least 8′ of depth in your space. Width requirements would be based on the kind of bar you’re using. I would recommend a minimum of 10 feet of width if you’re using a similar setup to mine with the Olympic-style bar so that you have room to get around the equipment.
This bench sets up very well for variety in your bench press routines. The wide rack allows for narrow- and wide-grip bench press with a variety of available rack heights to match your needs. No complaints there.
You also have a catch bracket for the bar that has a taller back side, which makes it easier to put the bar back by feel after your reps. That front side is pretty low, though, so you need to be careful to not just toss the bar around.
Here are some pics of me doing work so you can get a feel for the sizing. In the pics below I am using 45 pound plates for a total of 135 pounds including the bar. I’m also 5’10 and 220 pounds for size reference.
You can see there is plenty of room on the bench for someone taller than me.
You can also see that there is room for wide grip and close grip maneuvers. I am a wide, chunky dude and have no issues feeling comfortable on this bench.
I do feel that there are limits to the max weight you can safely handle on this bench. Flybird states that the bench capacity is 660 pounds on the rack, but I find that the rig started to feel REALLY wobbly once you get past the 200-210 pound mark. I don’t think it’s a weight issue so much as you’re pushing the limits of the frame for stability. There’s also no safety bar setup available for heavier loads.
Moving on to the other bench positions, the quick positioning works great for stuff like dumbbell presses. I’m using 40 pounds dumbbells here for reference.
I do like the extra-long back rest and head rest for these to keep everything flat. It feels plenty stable with dumbbells at every angle.
You’ve got plenty of options here from 30 degrees to 90 degrees for flyes, curls, lat raises, shoulder presses, etc. The bracket & pin setup also allows for quick adjustments between sets if you’re working different angles.
The Preacher Curl pad is a welcome addition and works just fine. I’ve set up some front and side pics below so you can see it in action.
The cushion is nice and thick, and the quick-change peg is great for adjusting the height and/or removing the pad quickly when you’re in the middle of your workout.
The one thing I am not a fan of here is that, even at the tallest setting, the Leg Extension gets in the way of allowing for a full arm extension on your curls unless you remove it. This is unfortunate because the Leg Extension is locked in with a nut and bolt combination that does not allow for quick & easy removal during a workout.
Speaking of leg extensions, the included setup is fine for extensions and hamstring curls provided you’re not very tall or have long legs. You can see here that I’m just able to get my feet under that pad, and I have (relatively) short legs.
It also works better with smaller plates. I have 2 25 pound plates on here fot these pics. I have done 45 pound plates, and because the whole setup is relatively short you start running out of room for your toes under the plate & pad.
It’s nice that it’s there, but I really wish that there as a height adjustment available and a quick release to get it off so it can be swapped out during a workout.
The long backpad/headrest/seat combination is lovely for doing other work on the bench where you need to stretch out like one-armed rows, leg raises, etc.
I have seen no issues with the integrity of the components so far. Everything feels solid after 6 weeks of use with some light scratching that I would expect from slapping weights around. I also feel that the padded areas are holding up nicely so far with no noticeable tears in the fabrics or padding so far.
Final thoughts
* Long bench allows plenty of room for additional exercises (like flys and bench rows)
* Provides a range of exercise options in one piece of kit
* Feels durable with a decent build
* Leg extension add-on work for shorter folks with a limited range of motion
* Feels unstable when using heavier weights
* Leg extension is not easily removable (unless you unscrew the bolt)
If you’re looking to upgrade from a basic home weight bench, the Flybird Adjustable Olympic Weight Bench offers a nice combination of features and durability that I think will work for a lot of home gym enthusiasts. The build is rock solid, the bench offers a variety of accessible variations, and the Preacher Curl and Leg Extension add-ons are great for rounding our your options. The ability to adapt to Olympic-style plates and bars also gives you options to upgrade your equipment in the future. Just keep in mind that there are limitations in the design that may not work for some folks, especially if you’re getting into really heavy lifting.
Where to buy: Flybirdfitness.com and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Flybird Fitness. Flybird Fitness did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
