Lets get caught up

Gray Matter Lifting

With the GGC in full effect, I haven’t had time to knock out any new videos or reviews, but we did get in TWO new benches with Review Pipeline Articles added to the site. I’ve got some Speed Run feedback for ya below, that I haven’t shared anywhere else.

Wide Body Bench

The Wide Body Bench skips the original trio of attachments like a leg developer, decline pad, and preacher curl, and opts for a Chest/Shoulder Press, Chest Fly, and Bicep Curl attachment along with its standard wide body attachments. This thing is creative, that is for sure. The question, is whether any of these attachments is going to replace a dedicated machine or not.

Out the gate there is a lot of potential with this bench, but also a lot missing. Take a look at the pictures throughout the article, you’ll see some pretty weak finer details in the ladder system, handle, plastic end caps, overall aesthetics, and more. The attachments are really going to be the deciding factor for this bench, because the bench on its own is not going to best the REP Nighthawk. Not by a WIDE margin.

Some “speed run” details are that the attachments so far seem to be pretty finicky. There are a LOT of options for setting them up, they don’t exactly store well, and I’m personally having trouble using a few of them for their basic functions. Still a lot to test, I’ll get my wife on the bench, maybe a few friends too, to see how everything works for different sized athletes. But what started out as a “I’M SO EXCITED FOR THIS” has quickly lost a lot of ooomf.

The bench also doesn’t have vertical storage, and I believe will struggle as a “normal bench”, making it a possible deal breaker for most home gyms.

I’m chatting with the main dude from Wide Body, and he has been helpful. So I’m still hopeful that more testing, tinkering, and learning will give me something workable.

Bells of Steel Buzzsaw 2.0

The Buzzsaw was the first bench from one of the big guys that could take attachments.

It showed up recently, with the leg roller and leg developer, and the preacher curl pad is on the way soon. This is the most developed adjustable bench attachment line-up from any of the main home gym companies. But I have concerns that it might sacrifice some things to get there.

Out the gate, the bench is again lack luster in appearances compared to the REP Nighthawk. The powdercoat is less appealing, the laser cut numbers less refined, it is missing a number of the more attention to detail refinements in performance and function. And the kicker? You remove the handle on the front to add the attachment post. What a weird tradeoff for a home gym bench.

This bench DOES has vertical storage, but it is pretty poorly implemented. Whenever I move the bench, the ladder comes loose, and the bench collapses. Which means you now HAVE to set the bench down flat. Without the handle, moving it is annoying, especially for how heavy the bench is. And the attachments are wobbly when put into the bench. I have yet to put them through any use yet, but I don’t see the decline roller being helpful at all, and the leg developer isn’t going to beat any other option on the market unless I am missing something. Their preacher curl attachment has potential, as it is more of a MACHINE instead of just a pad, but I’ll need to handle it as the Powertec version like that was FARRRRRR from good.

With the price of this bench ($499 without attachments, plus tax and ship), it is going to need to perform above its initial impressions, especially with regards to the attachments, for me to consider this a solid recommendation for a home gym.

What Is Next?

I just ordered the Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 and several attachments, to join the review process for this Adjustable Bench w/ Attachments Showdown. That should ship shortly. This puts our bench count at:

• Prime Shorty

• REP Nighthawk

• Inspire SCS

• Iron Master Super Bench Pro V2

• Wide Body Bench

• 1 or 2 unreleased benches in testing

I MIGHT have 1 more, we will see where that goes.

I’m working on the Freak Athlete Hyper Pro review as I write this, and hope to have that soon. I’ve got 3 other videos and a couple of articles I want to finish before our vacation planned for the end of June (more details in the next newsletter).

I’m also working behind the scenes on something that should make my timelines for putting out reviews and videos a little more consistent. With your support so far, I’m able to put more money back into this “business”. 2023 and 2024 was focused on production gear, improving the physical space of the garage, my office, and that kind of stuff.

I’m looking to take the next step, I just didn’t know how to do it. But an opportunity has landed in my lap, that I think is going to elevate everything I do. I’ll share details when I have it finalized, but this is going to be awesome in a number of ways. As always, I’m still running the show, and I’m going to leverage the community that helped build this, to take it to the next level.

Whats New In The Community?

Darko dropped something really interesting, the “mini rack”. This a 3D printed version of a power rack for your gym. He was originally using this concept to be able to test rack attachments and spacing demands for different equipment, without having to full scale produce. But apparently people liked it, so he build it for real.

Iron Bull Frankenstein Rack Update

I mentioned in a previous newsletter, that we had a new rack coming soon. It has been delayed a few times for various reasons, which I will share entirely when it finally arrives, but we finally got delivery confirmation. In fact, it is supposed to be delivered TODAY. Well, most of it is…

My dude Mark of Flex Marks The Spot shares some behind the scenes details about this rack and where he currently stands with Iron Bull, which I think is an important piece of the puzzle, in the video below. I went ahead and jumped ya to the starting point of the conversation.

Garage Gym Competition

The 2025 Spring GGC closed up for submissions, but we have been CRUSHING it on the Live Streams, Awards, Prizes, and more. As this newsletter comes out, we will be heading into the last couple days of Prize Week, handing out the BIG stuff from Prime Fitness, REP Fitness, JuggernautAI, and more.

And next week I’ll be finishing it all up with a final Data Week live stream, digging into the fun insights, total lifters, and other good stuff.

Other Competitions

My dude Travis Kinney, who was on our RPE Live Stream, is doing a fundraiser tied to a lifting competition between him and his girlfriend. They are raising funds for HopeKids.

Snap City Open

Mark Rosenberg, aka Deadliest Lift, has his annual Snap City Open running right now. If you like to partake in some weirder lifts, win some prizes, and make internet fame, this might be your competition.

r/HomeGym

With the GGC cranking, I haven’t spent much time looking at r/HomeGym lately. My brain is just kind of… not there. But there have been some quality stuff. My dude Dan aka Dr. TattyWaffles aka r/HomeGym Mod, did an AMA on the BeyondPower sub. Check that out here.

And this dude scored a MONSTER Marketplace find.

Upcoming AMA

Depending on when you read this, the AMA for NoFate247 might be cranking along. So make sure to check that out.

One Last Thing…

The next newsletter is going to be 100% about HomeGymCon. So prepare your butts, it should be a fun ride.