hi, newbie here and i'm planning to get a bench for home use.
came across two brands; fitness concept and aibi, but im not sure which one to get so im hoping to get some advice from experienced ppl here

for aibi this is the bench i'm interested
AIBI B-1001 bench
i've got an offer to add-on a lat pulldown and arm curl equipment which are optional for the bench and a barbell and 20kg rubber-coated plate all for RM1500

as for fitness concept, this is the bench that i saw a few months back
APEX bench
it was around rm690 and i dunno whether they still carry them around
*anyone got visit fitness concept recently can confirm this??

so im not very sure which one are good but for the aibi set, my fren said he'll try to cut the price down for me but no guarantee...

any advice??
thanks

price wise the difference is quite a lot...
as much as i like the aibi set, if i were u, i would get the 1 from FC.
speaking of which, weights r expensive too.
do check if bars r included too

for the fitness concept APEX bench there never include the barbell and weights, so its rm690 just for the bench, so if i include the 20kg weights and barbell it would be around 800 if not mistaken

what if i can get the AIBI bench around rm900~1000, quality wise which one is better?

aibi comes with the bar?

note tat u might still need to add on weights...

sorry bro, i can't comment cos i hv not seen the stuffs in person

Sorry tumpang thread,u know those exercises that requires u to have a bench,would there be any substitute for it?Like maybe can we use a stool perhaps?Instead of needing to buy an expensive bench

You can always do benchpresses/flies on the floor, but you won't get the whole ROM, maybe 5-10% less.

Tumpang also. hehe yeah i have been doing it on the floor instead of on the bench. would like to buy a bench too. looking for a cheap set !

Ah I see,how bout dumbbell rows?This needs a bench right?I don't suppose u can do it on the floor?

I thought dumbbell rows are something like this? http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?act=Msg&CODE=01&VID=in
u can just do it on a chair. by the side. =P!

dumbell rows?
u can do it on almost anything.
coffee table, chair, sofa, bed etc if you don't have a bench.

Those that maybe need bench are maybe those inclined exercises? or any other that are better done at a certain angle? O.O. not sure as i dont have a bench XP

Aha,that's how I do it too,on a stool,just wanted to see whether it's allright

Yea,sometimes I do on a stool,sometimes on the bed

Ya exactly,how to do those incline exercises if dun have a bench?

haha yeah i saw scooby did his own inclined rest O.O.
http://scoobysworkshop.com/
forgot where was it located. Save $$
Try googling ba hahaha. but i guess we..or me would just be too lz to build our own bench.
Anyway i saw at giant cheapest inclined bench 200

That's still pretty expensive man,might as well build ur own bench using some wood

Better make it properly bro, don't want you to risk injuring yourself if the bench breaks while benching heavy, just because you wanted to save some bucks.

I've been telling this to almost every thread that asks about bench. Why not try exercise or gymballs instead ? It's much, much cheaper than a bench & U can perform practically any exercise that requires a bench, except for those decline positions. But or course, U need to use dumbbells la, I suppose with barbell also can, but risky. It works Ur core as well. I've been doing swissball dumbbell presses, flyes, incline presses, seated military presses, seated shoulder presses, etc. Maybe some of U here think Swissball/Gymballs are for ladies, etc, but I dare U to try it first. Plus, U can do lotsa core exercises with a Swissball.

Swissball Dumbbell Bench Press

ohh the reason im not going for swissball or normal bench coz i wanna add in barbell bench press in my workout and i need the incline bench level for shoulder ^^

sumore the AIBI bench come with lat pulldown and also the barbell holder is possible for squats but of course its not as good as squat rack ^^

but if i cant lower the AIBI bench price i might as well go with fitness concept APEX bench, so need some feedback on the stability of the bench, if it is not very stable i'll prob go for AIBI bench coz it "looks" more stable XD

Why not consider joining a gym ? at RM1500 U can definitely afford a year of membership in most gyms, heck I only pay less than RM 1000 per year. If u r consistent enough, you will adapt to the weights very quickly and sooner or later it's not gonna be enough

a few reasons deterring u ?
- Wanna build up ur arms, shoulders and chest and don't wanna get to big mindset
- can’t afford a gym membership (well if u can afford 1500 for a bench like that, hmm)
- Gets intimidated in a gym setting , seriously there are lots of friendly folks in the gym ... I think

why not consider incorporating bodyweight movements. You can pack on a substantial amount of muscle mass from bodyweight training alone (though beginners and intermediate trainees will obviously have more potential for growth).

If u advancing and needs some external resistance, a few ideas
- weighted vest ( It’s really quite simple: take a heavy-duty backpack and load it up with sand or pea gravel.)
I recommend putting the sand in a heavy-duty garbage bag, sealing it, and then placing it in another bag. Once the load is double-bagged and sealed, place it in the backpack. You can use multiple bags to increase or decrease the weight of your vest as necessary. The backpack can be worn on the back or front of the body since each will create its own unique physical demand.

- Another method for increasing load on some exercises (like squats) is holding a heavy object. Objects can include (but aren’t limited to) large rocks, sandbags, sand, or lead-filled PVC pipe and cement bags.Get creative here! Look for heavy objects around your house. Depending on the object, it can be held in a “goblet” or “Zercher” position

- Bulgarian Sandbags



A few gym-less training ideas
- http://www.synergy-athletics.com/effective...unges-of-death/

Day 1
Exercise Sets Reps
A1. Split Squat Jumps 4 8-12
A2. Prisoner Squats (with pause) 4 15-20
B1. Plyometric Pushup (with pause) 3 8-20
B2. Decline Pushup/Dips 3 10-20
C1. Pullups 3 AMAP (as many as possible)
C2. Squat to Y-Stand 3 10-15
D1. Reverse Crunches 3 10-15
D2. 3-Point Plank 4 45s-1 minute(alternate feet)

You can always do these in a nearby playground and save your money, if u are in it for the long term, U will end up having a headache disposing the goddamn bench that takes up space when u r much stronger and muscular. Don't be that guy that wants huge arm and barrel chest ONLY.

This post has been edited by ken86: Nov 10 2010, 09:31 AM

Where's Ur location ? In IOI Mall Puchong there's a shop called Dynamex (it's actually a disti for fitness products for gyms). I was there a couple of weeks ago. They were having a promo for a adjustable weight bench, very solid, almost gym quality bench, free 72" barbell with 50kg weight & gloves. All for RM980 I think. The bench can be adjusted for flat, decline & incline. There's also the standard leg developer la...

This post has been edited by tenno: Nov 10 2010, 10:08 AM

at my apartment there's a playground for kids...i use the monkey bars there for pull-ups...
not tat i can do a lot of times, but at least i know i tried

Lol same,I too use the monkey bar at my playground to do pull-ups,but since urs is in an apartment,urs is probably clean and well-maintained..my playground there,it's rusty and the monkey bars are missing But of course I just use the bar only

And I oso can't do many times either

This post has been edited by bigbangformula: Nov 10 2010, 01:25 PM

ken86
ohh thanks for the advice and recco,
no, the reason i choose to workout at home rather than hitting the gym is bcoz i have no transport to hit the nearest gym
the only machine in my apartment gym are treadmills and sit up bench =.=

and yeah I've been thinking bout the problems to move/dispose of the bench in near future. Its not easy to sell off a big bulky bench even if i sell it for lower price since its eating up quite a space.

I'll definitely hit the gym when i grow bigger and when i've got my own transport to travel around coz i know gym environment is better.
and thanks for the ideas ^^ i'll try them out

tenno
I;m staying at Sri Petaling area, IOI Mall puchong i think i can check it out if i can ask my fren to give me a ride ^^ you've got any website showing the bench information so i can check it out before i go all the way there?

I've tried Dynamex's website, but I can't find anything similar. Since U're pretty close by, why dun just go & check it out ? It's on the 2nd floor on the old wing. U can go upstairs from the McDonald's side, it shud be close by. There's also a Fitness Concept store in that same wing, maybe U can comparison shop la. Gudlak !

This post has been edited by tenno: Nov 11 2010, 12:35 AM

Have u tried walking /cycling to gym ? It's a great way to increase NEPA (non-exhaustive physical activities) which has a host of benefits and better than slaving ur way on the treadmill.

ohh im kinda lazy to walk/cycle all the way to gym tho nearest gym is at carrefour which is about 10mins+/- cycle from the place im staying.

ohh i've got some news from my fren
he'll be able to get me the AIBI bench with either one of the add-on (the lat pulldown OR arms curl add-on) include barbell and 20kg plates for rm9xx
and the bad news is i hav to make up my mind fast coz the offer is not going to stay for long....

but the bench from fc are with lat pulldown n flyes, so im still thinking which 1 i shud get? Any opinion?

This post has been edited by regulus2010: Nov 11 2010, 09:07 PM

Bro where are u staying?

im staying bkt jalil area, the nearest gym im saying will be at carrefour and im lazy to walk or cycle ther XD

cycling for 15 mins isnt far dude.

i've got classes from monday till friday 9am till 5~6pm and when im back i need to prepare my dinner and i dun think i still wan to cycle for 15 mins to the gym which i hv to pass by the packed temporary bus station at bkt jalil...

tats the reason i decide to get a bench... and sometime if the weather is not so good, its a problem to cycle over the gym you see.

This post has been edited by regulus2010: Nov 12 2010, 12:00 AM