APEX FITNESS APEX BENCH REVIEW: IS IT WORTH $499?

→ Check out the Apex Fitness Apex Bench here:
https://www.apexfitness.com/liftlab

There are a lot of really good adjustable benches around the $500 price point.

But after getting hands-on with the Apex Fitness Apex Bench, there is one thing that immediately separates it from most of the competition:

The upgradeability is kind of insane.

The bench itself is comfortable, extremely stable, highly adjustable, and honestly one of the best-looking benches I’ve had in my gym.

But the real selling point is the ecosystem Apex is building around it.

You can start with what is already a very good adjustable bench and gradually add attachments for Nordic curls, seal rows, dips, belt squats, leg extensions, leg curls, lat pulldowns, landmine movements, and more.

This isn’t my full Apex ecosystem review yet. I have all of the attachments, but I haven’t spent enough time with every one of them to give you a fair review of the entire system.

I’d rather actually put everything through its paces than rush out a review after using each attachment twice.

So for now, let’s focus primarily on the Apex Bench itself.

And so far, I’m impressed.

QUICK VERDICT: IS THE APEX BENCH WORTH IT?

If you just want an adjustable bench for flat and incline pressing and you’re trying to spend as little as possible, I probably wouldn’t buy the Apex.

There are much cheaper benches that will handle those basics just fine.

Where the Apex starts making a lot of sense is for someone who wants a premium adjustable bench they can keep for years and gradually build around.

The build quality is excellent. It’s rock solid under load. You get more adjustment positions than you’ll probably ever need. The pad is comfortable and grippy. It stores upright.

And then you have the attachment ecosystem.

That’s really what separates the Apex from a traditional adjustable bench.

APEX BENCH BUILD QUALITY AND STABILITY

Calling a weight bench beautiful might sound a little ridiculous, but Apex put a surprising amount of attention into the details here.

The bench uses 11-gauge steel throughout, and I went with the stainless steel version.

You also get details like:

• Knurled adjustment handles
• Knurled pop pins
• Laser-etched adjustment numbers
• Apex logo cutouts throughout the frame
• A branded footplate
• Metal covers around the rear wheels
• Color-matched accents depending on your configuration

Almost everywhere Apex could have replaced something with cheaper plastic or taken a shortcut, it seems like they went the other direction.

Does any of that make you stronger?

Of course not.

But if I’m spending premium money on something that’s going to sit in the middle of my gym for years, I appreciate when it actually looks and feels like premium equipment.

Personally, this may be my favorite-looking adjustable bench I’ve had in the gym.

More importantly, it’s incredibly stable.

I’ve used the Apex Bench for pressing, rows, and exercises using attachments like the Striker Pad, and this thing does not want to move.

There’s no noticeable shaking, rattling, or instability.

The bench weighs around 105 pounds, so it has some real mass underneath you, but interestingly, it doesn’t feel particularly difficult to move.

A big reason is the weight distribution.

My GET RX’d FIDAB-2 is another heavy-duty adjustable bench I’ve used extensively, and that bench feels more front-heavy when I pick it up. The Apex feels surprisingly easy to grab with one hand and roll around using the rear wheels.

The knurled front handle is another small detail I really like.

If I were grading the Apex Bench strictly on build quality and stability, it gets an A+ from me.

APEX BENCH ADJUSTABILITY: 17 BACK PAD POSITIONS

Yes.

Seventeen.

The Apex Bench gives you 17 different back pad positions with adjustments roughly every five degrees.

Do you need 17 different positions?

Probably not.

If anything, having this many positions creates a new problem because now you have to remember exactly which angle you liked.

But personally, I’d rather have too much adjustability than not enough.

The ladder system also makes increasing the incline easy. You can simply lift the back pad and move it into whatever position you want.

Dropping it back down requires using the handle, and getting it completely back into the flat position takes a little more attention.

One feature I especially like is the built-in -10-degree decline.

That gives you a small decline without needing another attachment.

That’s something I specifically notice because of my experience with the GET RX’d FIDAB-2.

On that bench, I need to use the leg roller and change the bench position to create my decline setup.

The Apex gives you that small negative angle right out of the gate.

APEX BENCH SEAT ADJUSTMENTS

The seat is almost as adjustable as the back pad.

You get 10 different seat positions ranging from 30 degrees down to -20 degrees.

The seat uses a pop-pin adjustment instead of the ladder system used on the back pad.

My biggest complaint here is almost a consequence of having so much adjustability.

Sometimes it can be difficult to immediately tell which position you’re in.

The numbering isn’t always particularly easy to see while you’re adjusting it, so occasionally I find myself holding the pin out and moving things around until I find level.

It’s a small inconvenience rather than a serious problem.

Also, if you’ve seen my Apex Bench in one of my videos, you may notice mine has a split seat.

That does not come standard.

I have the Nord Max setup, which replaces the standard seat with a split configuration that allows the pads to separate for Nordic hamstring curls.

WHAT ABOUT THE APEX BENCH PAD GAP?

There is approximately a one-inch gap between the seat and back pad.

I know some home gym owners are borderline emotionally invested in bench pad gaps.

I’m not one of them.

The Apex back pad is long enough that I can position myself completely on it without the gap affecting anything I’m doing.

If having virtually no gap is one of your biggest priorities, there are other premium benches that handle this differently.

But for normal training, this just isn’t something that bothers me.

I’ve had the same experience with other benches I’ve owned. Even my REP AB-3000 2.0 has a larger gap, and after years of using that bench with both my own training and personal training clients, it was never something that seriously affected how I used it.

For me, pad gap is pretty far down the list of things that actually determine whether a bench is good.

APEX BENCH PAD AND COMFORT

The pad itself might actually be one of my favorite parts of the Apex Bench.

It’s grippy without feeling ridiculously aggressive, and the firmness sits right in that sweet spot between hard and overly cushioned.

Basically, you get on the bench, start lifting, and don’t think about the pad.

That’s exactly what I want.

There’s another reason I like the material that probably matters more to me than the average home gym owner.

I’m a personal trainer, and clients use the equipment in my gym throughout the day.

That means sweat, deodorant, dirt, and everything else eventually ends up on my benches.

Some grippy bench materials have larger pores that make them a nightmare to clean. White deodorant gets buried in the material, and suddenly I’m spending way too much time scrubbing a weight bench.

The material Apex is using has a much tighter texture.

It still gives me plenty of grip, but it’s also very easy to spray down and clean.

That’s a big win for me.

I even tested the grip by placing something on the pad and gradually increasing the incline.

It stayed put through around 50 degrees before finally sliding at approximately 55 degrees.

That’s a seriously grippy bench pad.

APEX BENCH UPRIGHT STORAGE AND MOBILITY

Despite weighing around 105 pounds, the Apex Bench is surprisingly easy to move.

Put it into the flat position, grab the front handle, and the rear wheels make it easy to roll around the gym.

More importantly for a home gym, it stores vertically.

There’s a protective UHMW section at the bottom that allows you to stand the bench upright when you’re finished using it.

At this point, I almost consider upright storage mandatory on a premium home gym bench.

Floor space is too valuable.

Even in a decent-sized garage gym, having a bench permanently sitting in the middle of the floor gets old quickly.

Being able to roll the Apex into a corner and stand it upright makes a big difference.

THE REAL REASON TO BUY THE APEX BENCH: THE ATTACHMENT ECOSYSTEM

Everything I’ve talked about up to this point makes the Apex a very good adjustable bench.

But none of it is the main reason I’m excited about it.

The ecosystem is what makes this bench different.

Apex has built the bench around multiple attachment points, and at the time of my review there were already around 10 different attachments available or being developed for the system.

Depending on how you build your setup, you can add functionality for things like:

• Nordic hamstring curls
• Pull-ups
• Dips
• Seal rows
• Supported shoulder presses
• Lat pulldowns
• Belt squats
• Landmine exercises
• Leg extensions
• Leg curls
• Additional footplate-supported exercises

There’s even a cable adapter for the leg extension and leg curl attachment, meaning you aren’t limited to using plates if you have an appropriate cable setup.

Apex has also teased additional integrations and adaptations.

As someone who loves finding ways to get more out of one piece of equipment, that’s where this gets really interesting.

APEX NORD MAX AND NORDIC HAMSTRING CURLS

One of the attachments I have is the Nord Max setup.

It adds the split seat configuration and gives you another way to perform Nordic hamstring curls without dedicating an entire section of your gym to a standalone Nordic machine.

I’ve tested quite a few pieces of equipment built around Nordics.

For example, I spent a lot of time testing the NordBench Pro, which is a much more specialized compact option where Nordic curls and back extensions are really the two movements that make the machine shine.

The difference with the Apex is that Nordics are only one small piece of a much larger system.

That’s really the theme with this bench.

You’re not buying it specifically to perform one exercise.

You’re buying a platform and choosing which capabilities you want to add to it.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BUY EVERY APEX ATTACHMENT

This is an important point.

You don’t need to buy the Apex Bench and ten attachments on day one.

You can start with the bench and add attachments whenever they actually make sense for your gym.

Maybe six months from now you decide you want to train Nordic curls.

Add the Nordic setup.

Maybe you don’t have room for a dedicated leg extension and leg curl machine.

Add that attachment.

Maybe you want belt squats but don’t want another giant machine taking up floor space.

There’s an attachment for that too.

That’s where I think the Apex makes a lot of sense.

I tend to roll my eyes when a company claims one piece of equipment can “replace an entire gym.”

Usually that means it technically allows you to perform 30 exercises, but about 25 of them suck.

From the Apex attachments I’ve opened and tested so far, that doesn’t appear to be what they’re doing here.

There seems to be real thought going into the individual attachments.

I still need more time with all of them before I give you a full verdict, but the early results are promising.

APEX BENCH VS GET RX’D FIDAB-2

The GET RX’d FIDAB-2 is probably one of the most useful comparisons for me personally because I’ve spent a lot of time training on both benches.

The FIDAB-2 is a really good traditional premium adjustable bench.

It’s extremely stable, comfortable, quick to adjust, stores upright, and has a front attachment port that gives it some additional versatility.

The Apex takes that concept significantly further.

You get considerably more adjustment positions and an entire ecosystem built specifically around the bench.

If I just wanted a heavy-duty adjustable bench that was simple to use, the GET RX’d still makes a lot of sense.

If I wanted a bench that could gradually become a much larger part of my home gym setup, I’d lean Apex.

APEX BENCH VS REP AB-3000 2.0

The REP AB-3000 2.0 sits in a different part of the market, but I think it’s still worth discussing.

I used the AB-3000 for years, including daily use with personal training clients, and I still think it’s one of the better values if your primary goal is simply getting a good flat, incline, and decline bench.

It’s stable.

It adjusts quickly.

It includes leg rollers.

And even though REP doesn’t really market it this way, I’ve stored mine vertically for years.

What it doesn’t give you is the Apex ecosystem.

So if you’re looking at the Apex and thinking, “I don’t care about any of these attachments. I just need a good bench,” something like the AB-3000 may make more financial sense.

If the attachments are part of what attracts you to the Apex, then you’re really shopping for two different things.

APEX BENCH VS FREAK ATHLETE ABX

I think the Freak Athlete ABX is probably the closest direct competitor to the Apex when you start looking at premium benches designed around more than basic pressing.

The ABX has a couple of features the Apex doesn’t.

One is its automatic zero-gap design.

Another is the folding back pad, which gives your shoulders and arms more freedom during certain exercises.

Those are legitimate advantages.

The Apex answers with what I think is the more interesting attachment ecosystem.

The Striker Pad can also recreate some of the functionality you get from the ABX split-back design, although that requires purchasing another attachment.

So the decision really comes down to what you care about most.

Do you really want zero-gap and the folding back pad?

Or do you want a bench designed to become the foundation of an expanding attachment ecosystem?

For my gym, the ecosystem is what makes the Apex particularly interesting.

WHO SHOULD BUY THE APEX FITNESS APEX BENCH?

I think the Apex Bench makes the most sense for someone who takes their home gym fairly seriously.

This is not a budget bench.

If you’re building your first home gym and simply need something for dumbbell bench presses and incline presses, you can spend a lot less money.

The Apex makes sense if you want to buy one high-quality bench that you can keep for years.

It becomes even more compelling if space is limited.

Instead of buying a dedicated machine every time you want to add another movement, you can potentially add another attachment to something that’s already sitting in your gym.

That can make a huge difference when every square foot matters.

APEX BENCH PROS AND CONS

Pros

• Excellent build quality
• Extremely stable under load
• 11-gauge steel construction
• 17 back pad positions
• 10 seat positions
• Built-in -10-degree decline
• Comfortable and very grippy padding
• Pad material is easy to clean
• Easy to move despite its weight
• Upright storage
• Huge attachment ecosystem
• Ability to add attachments gradually over time

Cons

• More expensive than a basic adjustable bench
• The huge number of adjustments can make finding your preferred setting slightly annoying
• Seat adjustment numbers could be easier to see
• Approximately one-inch pad gap
• Many of the features that make the ecosystem special require additional purchases

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE APEX BENCH

How much is the Apex Fitness Apex Bench?

At the time I filmed this review, the standard Apex Bench was $499, while my stainless steel configuration was $599.

Does the Apex Bench decline?

Yes. The back pad includes a built-in -10-degree decline position, so you can perform slight decline movements without adding a leg attachment.

How many back pad positions does the Apex Bench have?

The Apex Bench has 17 back pad positions with adjustments in roughly five-degree increments.

How many seat positions does the Apex Bench have?

The seat has 10 adjustment positions ranging from 30 degrees to -20 degrees.

Does the Apex Bench store upright?

Yes. The Apex Bench can be stored vertically and includes a protective section at the base designed to contact the floor while upright.

Does the Apex Bench have attachments?

Yes. This is arguably the biggest selling point of the Apex Bench. The ecosystem can add functionality for Nordic curls, dips, pull-ups, rows, leg extensions, leg curls, belt squats, landmine work, lat pulldowns, and other exercises.

Is the Apex Bench good for a small home gym?

It can be a really interesting option for a smaller home gym. The bench itself still takes up the space you’d expect from a premium adjustable bench, but upright storage and the ability to add multiple exercise options through attachments could reduce the number of standalone machines you need.

FINAL VERDICT: IS THE APEX FITNESS APEX BENCH WORTH IT?

My first impression of the Apex Fitness Apex Bench is extremely positive.

The build quality is excellent.

It’s incredibly stable.

You get more adjustment positions than almost anyone is going to need.

The padding is comfortable, grippy, and easy to clean.

It stores upright.

And most importantly, you’re getting access to an attachment ecosystem that can significantly expand what you’re able to do without continuously filling your home gym with standalone equipment.

There are still things I want to test.

I have all of the attachments, and I want enough time with each one to actually tell you which are worth buying, which aren’t, and where some of the more unique exercise possibilities are.

So my full Apex ecosystem review is still coming.

But based on the bench itself and what I’ve tested so far, Apex has built an extremely impressive foundation.

If you’re shopping for a premium adjustable bench and upgradeability matters to you, the Apex Bench should absolutely be on your shortlist.

→ Check out the Apex Fitness Apex Bench and available attachments here:
https://www.apexfitness.com/liftlab

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You can also check out all of myadjustable bench reviewsfor more hands-on comparisons.