Yagud Weight Bench Review: affordable, sturdy, dumbbell bench for your home gym

You can’t expect much when you buy a weight bench for under $100. These benches are lightweight, most suffer from wobbles, and are not designed for serious lifting. I’ve been reviewing adjustable benches for over a decade, and most of the time, I recommend avoiding these low-cost, poorly built benches. It’s better to save a few more bucks and get something half-decent.

Still, once in a while, an impressive one does appear in the under $100 price bracket, a bench that is actually worth considering, and the Yagud Weight Bench is thankfully one of those.

When you unbox the Yagud Bench, you realize it’s a surprisingly good bench for the money. Yes, it’s lightweight, this thing only weighs 25lb, but thanks to those wide, stabilizing feet, it feels pretty sturdy.

Of course, there are a few drawbacks to buying this cheap. There’s no adjustable seat, and the padding is a little too soft, which I’ll get into later. The back pad is also quite short, which limits who can use the bench properly. Still, these are not all deal killers.

For the price, I still think it’s worth some serious consideration. The pros do outweigh the cons with this one, and today I want to take a more detailed look at it.

Also, Yugud offer an upgraded version of this bench, which includes that adjustable seat, so at the end of the review, I’ll compare both benches as it will be interesting to see how they match up.

First a quick look at the Yagud Weight Bench product specs!

Why Do We Like The Yagud Weight Bench?

Many people will like the Yagud Bench because it’s easy to move from room to room and folds for storage. And the folding system is really easy to use. It literally takes a few seconds to fold. Plus, it’s a lightweight bench. Once folded, you can pick it up with one hand.

So yes, it’s a small, lightweight bench that fits into most rooms and can be stored easily after each workout. It’s a great choice for people who are short on space.

And assembly is easy, too; you only have to tighten a few screws, and it takes 5 minutes at most. And because it’s lightweight, you won’t need to ask another person to help.

Fast To Adjust – 8 Position Ladder Adjustment System

Still, the foldable design and quick assembly are not what I like most about this workout bench. What sells it to me is the ladder adjustment system for the back pad. It’s much faster to adjust than the pull-pin type you see on most cheap benches.

Also, a ladder adjustment is sturdier. One of the most common issues with the pin-pull system is that the pin can snap under heavy weight loads. This isn’t a problem with heavy-duty benches, but when the pin-pull system is used on low-cost benches, the materials are often low quality and the pin snaps. It’s happened to me and some of my friends and can be dangerous.

When buying a low-cost bench, always try to choose one with a ladder adjustment system for the back pad. Not only is it quicker to adjust, but it’s also safer.

Click here to check price of the Yagud Weight Bench on Amazon

There’s No Adjustable Seat

Adjustable benches under $100 don’t usually include an adjustable seat, which is a shame.

An adjustable seat is important as it stops your butt from slipping down the seat when incline pressing. You need a stable base to press from when performing incline presses, and an adjustable seat will give you that stability.

An adjustable seat is most important when pressing heavy weights, but if you’re only going to be lifting light, it’s not so much of a big deal.

The lack of an adjustable seat is a major drawback of budget benches. While not a deal breaker for everyone, serious trainers wanting to develop their upper pecs need an adjustable seat to lift heavy safely.

There’s an 85° Back Pad Angle.

On the positive side, the back pad has an 85° angle, which is perfect for seated shoulder presses. So many of the cheap wenches don’t include this angle. They either go for the for 90° or 75°.

The problem with a seated shoulder press at 90° is that it doesn’t allow you to arch your back slightly.

A slightly arched back is really important when shoulder pressing, as it allows you to engage your glutes and lower back muscles fully. This creates a much more stable base for pressing and, most importantly, gives you more power.

And the problem with 75° for seated shoulder press is that it’s a bit too low to fully engage the shoulder muscles.

85°, however, is perfect. It fully engages your shoulder muscles and allows you to arch your back slightly. And excellent to see this angle included on a bench in this price range. Well done, Yagud!

Is The Foam Padding Too Soft?

The padding on a weight bench is more important than many people think. If it’s too soft, you’ll have stability issues when pressing heavy weights, and if it’s too hard, it’ll just be uncomfortable and off-putting.

What you really want, and the gold standard for weight bench padding, is high-density foam padding. It’s neither too soft nor too hard; it’s just about right.

The Yagud Weight Bench doesn’t use high-density foam, but it’s not bad. It is a little soft but not so soft it’s going to cause any stability issues, and as it’s just 1.5″ thick, you don’t notice too much. Certainly not a deal stopper and is expected in this price range.

Is an 800lb Weight Capacity Realistic?

The Yagud Weight Bench is a 25-lb dumbbell bench that is low-cost. It’s not a heavy-duty beast with commercial-grade welds and a heavy-gauge steel frame.

It’s a lightweight bench. And I doubt it could cope with an 800lb weight load daily.

Lots of the low cost weight benches love to boast high capacities, but in reality, if this bench took that kind of weight on a regular basis, it would collapse.

Benches that cost under $100 are generally not suitable for rack work and heavy barbell lifting. You need a heavy-duty bench to lift serious weights.

A more realistic max weight capacity for a 25-lb low-cost bench like the Yagud weight bench would be 250lb user weight and 250lb lifting for a combined max capacity of 500lb.

Which is still more than enough for most people’s needs, especially dumbbell training.

Anything Else Worth a Mention?

I think its worth mentioning this bench looks good, it will suite most home gyms, it doesn’t look cheap like so many of the low cost weight benches, the black and read looks cool, its a nice looking bench, and its pretty sturdy too, thanks to the wide front and rear stabilizers.

Plus you also have the adjustable foot rollers which help keep this bench stable on uneven floors, which is a really handy features, the last thing you want is a bench that wobbles.

A good looking sturdy bench for the price point.

5 Minute Assembly

As I’ve already mentioned, this bench takes hardly any time to assemble once it’s unboxed. Theres a few screws to tighten and you need to attach the foam rollers, anyone can assemble this bench. And because its light you should be able to assmble the Yagud bench on your won.

Alternative

Upgraded Yagud Adjustable Weight Bench

The upgraded version of the Yagud weight bench is a little bit more serious, I like this bench. It weighs a bit more than their dumbbell bench and has a more heavy-duty look about it.

It’s still far from gym quality, but for a home bench that costs well under $100, it’s impressive.

What’s most important is that the upgraded version includes an adjustable seat. This is what you want especially if incline pressing is important to you.  Because the adjustable seat is going to prevent your butt from slipping down the bench, and you’ll have a stable base to press from when performing your incline workouts.

The seat has 4 positions, and the back pad has 6.

There’s no decline on the upgraded bench, so decline pressing. Still, if you want to work on your lower pecs, try and get hold of a dip station. They’re fantastic for lower pec development, much better than decline pressing, and they’re cheap. You can get a decent one for $50.

The upgraded version of the Yagud bench uses a ladder adjustment system, which is ideal for fast adjustments. The 85-degree angle for seated shoulder presses is there, too, which is excellent to see.

Another impressive bench from Yagud. The updated version is slightly heavier-duty and comes with that all-important adjustable seat. It only costs a few more bucks than the regular version.

To Sum Up

Normally, I’m not a fan of folding low-cost benches, but surprisingly, I liked both the benches from Yagud. They are both well-made and offer a lot of bang for your buck.

If you’re a beginner and have a set of dumbbells at home, either of the Yagud benches are a good choice. They’re more impressive than most of the low-cost benches with similar price tags.

Yes, I’m happy to recommend either bench, but if you’re serious about weight training, go for the one with an adjustable seat. You won’t regret it. It’s an important feature, even for beginners.