Pro Fitness Adjustable Weight Bench Review

If you have a pair of dumbbells and want to start pressing, rowing and doing incline work without spending much, the Pro Fitness adjustable bench is the sensible budget option. It covers the core angles, flat, incline and decline, has padded seat and back with fixed leg rollers, folds away for storage, and costs around £89 from Argos.

What you are not getting is heavy-duty build. The 120kg user limit and light frame make it a dumbbell bench, not a platform for heavy barbell pressing, and the padding and seat adjustment are basic next to pricier benches. But as a first bench, or for a small space on a tight budget, it does the important job, adding angles to your dumbbell work, for the least money. Step up to the UFC FID if you want something to grow into.

The core value is the angle range. A flat bench only presses flat; this one inclines for upper-chest and shoulder work and declines for lower-chest, which is most of what a home dumbbell programme needs. The seat and back are padded, the fixed foam rollers hold you for decline and sit-ups, and the whole thing folds flat to store.

For a beginner that covers the essentials. You can press, row, do step-ups, split squats, hip thrusts and core work, all off one cheap, foldable bench. It is the classic first purchase after a pair of dumbbells, and at this price it is a low-risk way to find out how much you will use a bench before spending more.

Two honest limits. First, build: this is a light-duty frame with a 120kg user rating, so it is comfortable for dumbbell pressing but not built for heavy loaded barbell work, where you want a sturdier bench and a higher load rating. Push it hard with a barbell and it will feel less planted than a heavier bench.

Second, the adjustment and padding are basic. The seat has fewer precise positions than a proper FID, so on steep inclines you are relying more on the leg rollers to stay put, and the padding is thinner than the 50mm on pricier benches. None of this makes it bad, it makes it a budget bench: right for the price and the job, but one many people outgrow as they get stronger.

Great for

• Beginners adding a bench to a pair of dumbbells on a budget
• Small or shared spaces where folding away matters
• Light-to-moderate dumbbell pressing, rows and accessory work
• Anyone wanting a low-risk first bench before spending more

Not for

• Heavy barbell bench pressing
• Lifters over the 120kg user limit
• Anyone who wants thick commercial padding and lots of seat positions
• Those who already know they want a bench to grow into (buy the UFC FID)

The Pro Fitness adjustable bench is a sensible budget starter: flat, incline and decline, folding storage and a low price make it a low-risk first bench for dumbbell work. The trade-offs are the light-duty frame, 120kg user limit and basic padding, which most people outgrow if they stick with training and start loading heavier. For a beginner or a tight budget in a small space it does the job; if you want a sturdier, more adjustable bench to keep, the UFC Folding FID is the upgrade, and for HIIT and step work the Adidas deck is the alternative.