The Phoenix 98220 Power Bench is a good entry level bench that I have used for several years to make lifting gains, but it has its limitations. I have used standard and Olympic bars with this bench without any problems, but there is less room for error when I use the standard bar. The incline setting is closer to 35 degrees than the standard 45 degrees, but I actually found that the lower degree angle is better on my shoulders and provides better chest simulation. The padding on this bench is hard, which is good when I'm heavy bench pressing, but I wish the head section of the bench was softer. Even though this bench squeaks and has a slight wobble it hasn't shown any major signs of falling apart after several years of daily use. One downside to this bench is that it doesn't adjust to 90 degrees completely, which makes seated shoulder press a little awkward, but still doable. The leg curling portion of this device is adequate but the foam pads slide off the bar and dig into my ankles whenever I use more than 70 lbs. I would definitely recommend the Phoenix 98220 Power Bench for beginner lifters, but its very limiting for advance lifters.

kingoftheink

Westchester, IL