Body Solid Flat, Incline, Decline FID Weight Bench GFID31

Regarding assembly, it took me some time to figure out how to attach part D to part A. This is because the line drawn between them in the diagram originates from the wrong portion of part D. Also, attaching part B to part A took time to figure out because there is no line drawn between them in the diagram.

When the bench is in flat position, there is a 3.25 inch gap between the back pad and the seat pad. When the back pad is declined, then the gap is 4 inches. As the back pad is inclined, the gap narrows and eventually is eliminated. Also, tilting the seat pad helps to narrow the gap.

I bought the bench to do exercises with dumbbells. I am 5'' 10" tall. When doing dumbbell bench presses in flat or inclined position, I need to rest my feet on the "U" shaped portion of the frame, and with my legs spread wide, in order to feel comfortable. When the back is declined, I need to tilt the seat and use the foam rollers with my legs for support (as if in position to do sit ups), but that is fine.

When the back is declined, the back doesn''t come to a rest on the base frame but, instead, rests near the top of one of the rungs and, seemingly, on the wrong side of the rung. This possibly is placing undue strain on the rung or on the bolt that attaches the back to the base. I contacted the Body-Solid company and sent photos to them of my bench; and they have informed me that my bench is assembled correctly and is not defective.

The bench is solid, but a bit awkward and uncomfortable to use. Notice in the photo of this product that the woman has her legs spread wide, as if that''s what you''re supposed to do, and only her toes touch the ground in that position.

I have not purchased the preacher curl attachment (model GPCA1) for this bench. I don''t know what the proper procedure would be to install the attachment, but based on my knowledge of how GFID31 is put together, I think that it would be neither convenient nor easy to switch back and forth among attachments. Another thing is, in the photo, the preacher attachment looks way too low for me; but maybe it could be raised higher.

I haven''t purchased the leg developer attachment either (model GLDA1), and I won''t do so, because the bench doesn''t have handle bars to hold onto for support and for leverage when doing leg exercises.

I wish that the bench was a few inches closer to the ground, and I wish that the upper foam rollers could easily be removed (and easily be re-installed later) whenever desired. But in order to remove both of the upper foam rollers, at least one end cap and roller needs to be removed from the bar so that the bar and the other roller may easily be removed. When assembling the bench, I had to hammer the caps on and force the rollers on; and so they would need to be pried off. I don''t know how many times an end cap can be forced on and off without losing its ability to attach to the bar.

Once you have the bench assembled you will be very happy with this solid, well made weight bench. The assembly is tricky and there are no instructions except for a parts diagram that can be difficult to follow. You will need wrenches and/or a metric socket set to properly assemble this bench. This a a heavy duty bench that is rated up to 1,000 pounds and Bodysolid provides a lifetime warranty. I found the bench to be very stable and comfortable. I have used it in all modes: incline, decline and flat and the adjustments are very easy. There are two wheels on the base which are useful when you want to move the bench. In summary, I believe this is the last weight bench I will ever need to buy.

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I just finished setting up the bench. Fit and finish are very good. Feels very solid.

After reading some of the other comments, here are some suggestions about assembly and use:

1)lay out and number all the bolts, washers and nuts

2)lay out all the parts, assemble the feet first, then the seat, then the back

3)the end caps for the leg/foot pads go on a little easier if you slightly bend the teeth(on the inside of the cap) inward with pliers. Seat one end cap by putting the cap on a solid surface and hitting the other end of the tube with a hammer.

4)you do not need to disassemble the foot pads to get this attachment off. Simply till the seat (not the back support) up 2 holes and it slides out without hitting the foot supports of the bench.

5)when using the preacher curl attachment, again tilt the seat up 2 holes, this shifts the center of gravity so that the back part of the bench doesn''t lift off the ground when you put the barbell on the attachment

6) If you are under 5ft10inches tall you may want to consider a different bench, this one is high if you don''t have long legs

Hope this helps

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This bench has all the options and great potential, but it doesn''t seem to be balanced correctly. It very well may be due to this owner''s assembly skills, but I should note that when I stack a 45-lb. plate on the leg extension, the other end of the bench lifts up slightly. If you have the chance to find one first, set it up fully, put on the extensions with some weights, and move around on it. It''s supposed to be fairly stable...unfortunately mine isn''t.

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I bought this from a store instead of online, for the same price.

Pros:

Sturdy construction

Wheels for easy movement

Declines for sit ups and bench presses

Leg piece is removable

A leg workout attachment is sold separately and available

Preacher attachment is also sold separately, but I did not buy that.

Cons:

The unit is too tall for me. It sits 22 inches above the floor, my knee is 19 inches off the floor. So when I lie down for a bench press, my feet are off the floor. To put your feet on the floor, you would need a knee

Does not decline far enough for a serious sit up in my opinion.

If you buy the leg workout attachment: You need to buy an olympic adapter for olympic plates, and the dimensions are again too big for me.

Regarding the support beam for the back, the roller does not line up well with the lower frame.

The pieces in the box did not match the pieces in the instructions. The instructions have several mistakes in them. I was able to figure it out by intuition though.

I would only recommend this unit for very tall people.

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