Vintage Benches - Have Respect, but Pass
York Bench Advertisement Courtesy of Bear’s Fitness Facebook Page
A piece of vintage equipment I'd pass on would be a bench sold for the home gym. I've tried them, and it's kind of like doing an ego lift. At any moment it feels like everything could just fall apart. Like anything else, better quality brands used better quality steel and piping. A York bench like the one in the advertisement above may weigh less than your modern bench, but the piping and steel slats were fairly strong. A DP bench like the one I tried out below was worthy of a Mikey Mac O’Brien lift. Check out Mikey’s lifts on Instagram @mikeymaybeme.
Better quality brand standard and Olympic benches as well as vintage commercial quality benches may not collapse as easily as the DP above, but you’ll still need some new shoulder blades. The problem I have with these is the actual bench and lack of padding. They’ve felt like I’m laying on a flat board, like I have one of those COVID-19 Shutdown homemade wooden benches. The upholstery was also pretty slick. Push too hard with my feet, and I’d end up sliding off. To be fair, maybe it’s the age and use, but looking at the padding and the upholstery, I doubt it. They’re a far cry from a Thompson Fat Pad. Plus, they’re fixed. They don’t move - at least not easily.
Vintage York Olympic Bench Courtesy of Worthpoint Listing
Other than the overall quality of benches intended for the home gym, the greatest innovations are being able to stand up benches for storage and wheels to move benches. As the quality of benches increased over time, so did size and weight. Being able to move and store your bench in a home gym is valuable.
The quality of modern benches has increased so quickly to a commercial grade that there are affordable bench options that I'd suggest you just pick up. I had a Marcy Pro that got the job done for a long time. Then I saved my pennies and picked up the Rogue Adjustable Bench 3.0. Yet, I’d still suggest you try lifting on a vintage bench. Just give it a shot and then return to your REP or Rogue. If not for anything else, it will give you a whole new appreciation and respect for the lifters in the past and what they did on those flimsy, slick, thinly padded benches!
