I’m really impressed with the GMWD Chest Press Machine. Overall, this machine is smooth, solid, and genuinely a joy to use. The independent converging arms feel great during presses and allow for a very natural range of motion. Once set up, it feels sturdy and well-built, and it’s an excellent addition to a home gym for chest, shoulders, and even some ab work. There were a couple of minor downsides, but nothing that ruined the experience. Some of the arms arrived with dents, and the box didn’t include assembly instructions. That said, customer service was excellent — they quickly provided the instructions so I could start assembling right away and also offered a partial refund for the cosmetic damage, which I really appreciated. The pop pins can be a bit stiff to pull out at times, but for the price point and overall quality, it’s a small trade-off. All things considered, this machine delivers great value for the money. It performs smoothly, feels durable, and is backed by responsive customer support. I’m very happy with the purchase and would recommend it to anyone looking to upgrade their home gym without breaking the bank. Read more
This is a great heavy duty machine, especially for the money. Easy set up, works great, keeps you lined up. Read more
My local gym got rid of their machine bench press, replacing it with free weight benching. I much prefer using machines since I don't need anyone to "spot" me on those and it just feels safer altogether, allowing me to use more weight. I therefore looked around for a machine that I could install at home, since benching is one of my favorite exercises. I picked this machine primarily because it was advertised as folding up nicely. That's important to me because I don't have a lot of space to work with. Setup was very easy. The instructions say that you need two people to set it up, but that's really not necessary; I did it all myself in under 30 minutes. There are two sizes of bolts/nuts and you will want to use a ratcheting socket wrench to attach them, since the included wrenches are frankly useless (I actually used two wrenches per attachment which made everything go a lot faster as I could ratchet from both ends). You really need to gronk down the bolts hard so that it's stable. The hardest part of assembly is, ironically, the lightest part -- putting on the bench. This is because the drawings are so tiny that it's difficult to see which holes are for the bolts and which are for the restraining pins. I needed to use a magnifier for that. One other irritation is that the bearings fall out of their sockets pretty easily while you are assembling pieces; there is no lip that keeps them in. There are four of them and they are held in place with cable ties during shipping, but one of mine was missing a tie and the bearing were just loose in the box. Since they are assumed to be in the right place, they aren't referred to in the instructions, so it took me a minute to figure out where they went. Once it was put together, though, it was very stable. I picked up some used Olympic-sized weights from a local sports store and started using it. The armature is incredibly smooth -- actually smoother than the machine that I had been using at the gym. There are weight clips for Olympic-size weights, though you barely need them since the handles are angled up. (It also supports 1" weights, though there are no clips. and I actually recommend the 2" size anyway -- if you don't already have weights -- since they are much easier to put on.) I love this machine so much I am using it every morning, not just on "chest day." It folds up nicely when I'm not using it (see picture), though I tend to only fold up the bench as I prefer to keep the weights on the arms rather than taking them off and putting them on all the time. Besides bench presses, I also do (with the bench folded up) suitcase lifts and shoulder shrugs, and it all feels totally natural. (I haven't tried the foot cushions for situps/crunches yet, since I tend to use an exercise ball for those.) I will probably start using the bench for free-weight bicep curls as well so save my back some pain. I am taking off one star, and while you might think it's because of the assembly issues, it's actually because of the weight storage. Although there's plenty of room on the front of the legs to have placed weight spindles, they are actually placed on the back, and therefore very difficult to get to if your machine is up against the wall. I've ordered a couple of weigh holders that are intended to go on a wall and instead I will just drill them into the front legs to make weight storage more convenient. Read more
Pros: super easy to put together by yourself, though expect about 2 hours of time. Have an adjustable wrench and a socket handy. Sturdy, well made. the range of motion is exactly what i want and is a really unique take on a bench press, far better than the seated ones or using a smith machine. I'm in my 40's and still have the brain of a 25 year old lifter and I like that its a really safe way to lift heavier when i'm solo 285lbs felt stable! I have not tried decline, but really never liked decline benching so I don't think i'll mess with that. It's also very functional for shrugs, which IMO should be called out on the listing! The angle is perfect for them. Lastly it really takes up very little space. By flipping the bench upward it further saves space when not in use. Very small footprint. I'm beyond happy that something like this was available for the price range, and if I elect to add any other piece of equipment, I will be checking this company out. Read more
The bench itself is very easy to assemble, and feels pretty solid. The bench is plenty long enough for most heights. I have a shoulder injury I am recovering from and this is much easier on my shoulder then a barbell bench press. As you lift upwards the arms converge and give you a great natural feeling almost like using dumbbells for bench press. The bench folds up when you are not using it if you are tight on space. Overall its a great piece of equipment for a home gym, and the supports have plenty of adjustments for a customized feel. Read more
I'm 6 ft 1 and 250+ lbs and lift very heavy weights, this enables me to have a machine I typically use at commercial gyms at home. Haven't figured out how to really row or OHP properly yet but with how adjustable it is I'm sure pressing will work. It took me a few hours to build and was relatively easy to do. I lifted on it yesterday and it felt great on bench and incline bench, I personally love the converging feeling. It loses a bit of stability when it's in incline mode but perhaps that's because of my weight and the fact that I hand tightened everything, but overall it's an incredibly solid machine with no wobble. Only thing I'm knocking it for is that the adapters for normal plates don't screw on, or I was missing the screws (no spot in hardware for them) so I just taped them onto the machine. Again, for the price this is comparable to $800+ machines like the powertec multipress. Combine this with barbells and dumbbells at home and you'll never need anything else for strength training or bodybuilding purposes. Read more
