Fitek Elite Adjustable Bench 3.0 is the latest addition that came out of the Fitek product line. At first glance, you may get the impression that those 21mm holes in the metal frame are made to help lighten up this bench and raise doubts about the safety of this bench. But having gotten my Open Trap Bar, dumbbell rack, sled and multi-grip attachments from Fitek, I was very confident that Fitek would not bring out anything less than above decent quality. Those fitness equipment from Fitek are no doubt commercial quality and you can check out the Fitek Open Trap Bar Review HERE which I am very impressed with.

If you prefer a video review of this bench, please scroll to the bottom of this bench.

So I ordered the bench without too much hesitation after finding out more from the Fitek team which happened to have fantastic customer service. And I am not disappointed at all. In fact, the bench greatly exceeded my expectations.

Fitek Adjustable Bench in a box

Upon taking the parts out of the box, you’ll soon realise the frame of this bench is made from the same 75mm x 75mm (3 × 3) column typically used in the heavy-duty power rack. Instead of the standard 3mm steel thickness, it’s 3.5mm which explains why this bench is heavy. If that doesn’t give you the assurance that this is a very strong bench, I’m not sure what will. Despite those 21mm holes used for add-on attachments such as leg curl, leg extensions, leg press and preacher curls, this bench still weighs in at a whopping 55kg. It’s certainly a heavy-duty frame built to work hard for you. At this point in writing, the attachments are not available.

What I Like About This Fitek Adjustable Bench 3.0

There are many things I really like about this adjustable bench from Fitek. It’s definitely the best bench I have so far.

And here are the things I like about this Fitek Elite Adjustable Bench 3.0.

Easy Storage

This bench is designed to stand upright and there are not many options that do that, especially in Australia. It’s designed in a way that the pad does not rub or touch the ground when it stands upright. Although it may be a small detail, I think this is amazing when it comes to the longevity of the padding. Sure there are benches you can make it stand upright (which are not designed to do so) but you have to ask if it’s safe or can it really stay upright.

fitek bench padding

Portability

When it comes to a heavy-duty bench, it should be made to move around easily, especially in tight spaces. There are some heavy benches I had before that have small wheels which are cumbersome to move around. This 55kg bench ticked the box when it comes to easy portability. It’s got a pair of fat wheels that allow it to be wheeled around easily even in an almost upright position to make space or store away in a corner.

FITEK ADJUSTABLE BENCH BIG WHEELS

The Knurled Handle

The handle of this Fitek Adjustable Elite Bench is unreal. It’s definitely a nice touch to it and seals the deal for me. Besides the cool-looking Fitek branding, it’s knurled and yet not too aggressive. The position of the handle that allows the weight of the bench to be pulled from underneath seems to make it easier to move this bench around versus other benches that have handles that stick out.

Great Adjustability

Not only does this bench provide quick and easy adjustability with one hand (with increasing angles) due to the ladder system, it offers 10 upper pad bench adjustment positions 0, 15, 30, 40, 45, 50, 60, 70, 75, 85 degrees. The seat positions can be set at 0, 15 and degrees. Most other benches offer 7 adjustment positions or less on the upper pad. The angles on this bench are also laser cut on the frame so you know exactly which angle you’re on. Although the ladder adjustment system is very common in most adjustable benches, I feel it’s a nice touch to have a cage ladder system as seen in this bench.

Padding & Gap

The bench pad is very thick, wide and firm and yet not too hard. And measures at 70mm thickness and 305mm width. It feels very comfortable when you do your bench press or dumbbell chest press on it. Another nice thing about the padding is its quality upholstery with grippy vinyl that will keep you more in place when you’re pushing hard with the weights. Also, the gap between the lower and upper pad is considered small measuring at roughly 3.5cm, unlike some benches that have wide gaps which make lying down uncomfortable on the spine when you bench.

Powder Coat

The powder coat on this adjustable bench is definitely top-notch when compared to other benches I had. It seems like it’s thickly powder-coated and it’s also powder-coated on the inside of the steel column which not all benches are. With such details on the powder-coating, I can only imagine this bench will be more rust-resistance and look good for a long time. I had a bench that actually coughs out rust from the inside of the steel frame due to the poor powder-coat quality.

Stability

This Fitek Adjustable Bench is incredibly stable and has got grippy rubber underneath the feet that probably contribute to the stability of this bench on top of its heavy-duty frame. And protects your flooring as well as the feet of the bench from scarring. Having a “tripod-style” base certainly helps you feel that nothing is in the way with your feet down on the floor when you bench press or do the inclined seal row. Because it’s so stable plus the grippy vinyl, this bench is well-suited for hip thrusts which I put this bench to the test. Obviously, having that perfect rectangular-shaped upper bench pad made it perfect for hip thrust.

Killer Aesthetic

This bench is not only highly functional (especially you consider the add-ons such as leg curls, preachers curl and all that) it’s incredibly cool-looking. It will look nice in any gym. And it comes in 4 colours which are gloss black, hot red, matt grey and blue (Original). In my case, I picked the gloss black which goes nicely with my Satin Black Rogue RML-490C Power Rack 3.0

Do I Recommend This Fitek Elite Adjustable Bench 3.0? Or Who Should Be Looking This?

After testing and comparing this bench with many of the other benches I had experiences with, I do feel confident that this bench is built to last. It’s got the best quality upholstery, thick and strong frame and top-notch powder-coating out of all the benches I had and have. It’s definitely a high-quality bench that will likely withstand high usage in a commercial setup.

If you’re in the market looking for a truly commercial quality bench and a bench that is heavy-duty (AND still easy to move around), feel good to use, POSSIBLY last a long time (POSSIBLY because I haven’t used it long enough and nobody does as it’s newly released) and look great in your gym, Fitek Elite Adjustable Bench is definitely a serious contender. Especially comparing it to other similar sorts of high-quality benches such as the Verve Elite Adjustable Bench or the No-Gap Bench both retailed at $899 AUD and Rogue AB-2 Adjustable bench retailed at $1,250 AUD at this point of writing. The Fitek bench is currently retailed at $709. Plus, the possibility of add-on attachments which will be available later (according to the Fitek website), I thought $709 is amazing value for all the great things in this bench I mentioned above.

Be it that you’re upgrading your gym benches in your garage gym or in your commercial gym or looking for a quality bench for a nice home gym set-up you can be proud of, most definitely look at the Fitek Elite Adjustable Bench 3.0. Most mid-range quality benches in Australia would cost between $500 to $600. For another $100 or so more, you could get a high-quality bench from Fitek versus paying another $300 to $400 more for other high-quality benches. So to me, it makes total sense to go for this bench that comes with good looks and a quality build. And again the add-on attachments that I could grab down the road if I want to explore further with this bench.

However, this bench cannot do decline so it may not be for someone looking for a decline bench. In my case, I hardly ever needed the decline option so this bench is perfect for me and definitely so for most people who do not need the decline option. But who knows Fitek may come out with the decline attachment down the road which I won’t be too surprised as they’re always innovating their products based on customers’ feedback.

Overall, I highly recommend this Fitek bench and am very happy with it so far.


Coach TC
Coach TC

TC holds a BSc in Exercise & Health Science from University of Western Australia (UWA) and has been a personal trainer for the last 17 years. He is based in Perth and has been coaching his clients who are usually over 40s and very busy get in shape, move well and healthily with less aches and pain and be stronger for life without living a highly restrictive lifestyle. He offers both online and in-person coaching. You can find out more about him at https://strongerforlifegym.com.au