Creating the perfect home gym doesn’t require a lot of fancy equipment. Forget about all the gear you see in a typical gym.
The truth is, you only need a few things to get an amazing workout. One of those things is a workout bench. It makes life easier for anyone serious about strength training.
One such bench is Gold’s Gym XRS 20. It is recommended mostly for beginners and intermediate users, but those who are more advanced may enjoy it too.
It is solid and versatile and it is fairly cheap. It doesn’t come with bars or weights, so keep that in mind when looking at it and its price, as you’ll need to add those too.
Some say it’s the best, others will certainly disagree, but Gold’s Gym XRS 20 Olympic is definitely worth checking out. Keep reading to find out everything about this workout bench.
TLDR: Review of the Gold’s Gym XRS 20
Gold’s Gym XRS 20 Olympic is available on Amazon, the price varies from retailer to retailer.
The bench is perfect for a full-body workout, allowing you to work your upper body as well as the lower body as it comes with a squat rack too. From a preacher curl to working out with some weight plates, It can hold up to 600 lbs which is a great weight capacity for a bench at this price.
It is easy to move around, which is great if you don’t have a dedicated space in your home for your gym. It has safety spotters, perfect if you are alone when you work out.
It also comes with various attachments, like a preacher pad, which makes it easy to use for a wide variety of exercises, working for several muscle groups.
Are there any cons? Yes, there are. For instance, there are no safety spotters for the squat rack.
This might not be an issue for a lot of people, but for a weight bench that is supposed to be great for beginners, it is definitely a minus. The height of the roller leg cannot be adjusted, which might be troublesome for some people.
It is not easy to assemble and the instructions aren’t the best. If you’ve never assembled a weight bench before and don’t have a lot of experience with them and how they’re supposed to look, you’re not going to enjoy this process.
Despite all this, the bench itself is worth it. It is rare to find a workout bench that has so many benefits at such a cheap price. Yes, there are cons, but you can eventually work around them.
In-Depth Review of the Gold’s Gym XRS 20
The bench has a seat size of 72L x 26W x 22H inches when assembled, a rack size of 32L x 48W x 64H inches, and a total weight of 128 lbs. It has a service warranty of 90 days, which is not great, but still enough if you consider the price range.
It includes a squat rack, with a lower leg growth attachment, and a crinkle preacher pad plus a modifiable weight bench. You can do all the major exercises such as squats, preacher curl, leg extensions, leg curls, incline dumbbell press, bench press, and more.
While it can hold up to 600 lbs, users seem to all agree Olympic bars are out of the question as they will destabilize the bench.
This might seem like a downside, but you need to keep in mind the main target audience is formed of beginners and intermediate people, who will most likely not want to use such a bar anyway.
You’ll need to perform some maintenance, especially to tighten the bolts. With proper care, the bench is fairly durable due to its materials and the way it is built. For instance, the preacher pad has a polyester exterior which is double-stitched, ensuring it is both comfortable and durable.
The Gold’s Gym XRS 20 also comes with a leg advancement accessory. Sadly, this part has a weight limit of 300 lbs, which is a real minus if you consider the bench itself can be used for a weight capacity of up to 600 lbs.
Who Is It Best For?
The bench is first and foremost aimed at beginners and intermediate people. If you’re more advanced, but don’t have a big budget, you may enjoy Gold’s Gym XRS 20 Olympic, but there will also be certain features you’ll miss.
You will enjoy it regardless of your level if, for instance, you can’t currently get to the gym at the moment, but you know you will eventually return. In this case, you probably don’t want to spend a lot of money on equipment, so this is the perfect choice to stay in shape at home.
If you have no space to store it and hope you can assemble it before each workout, it may not be the best bench for you, because the assembly process can be quite difficult and it takes a while.
However, it is easy to move around, so you can place it in a corner and just take it out whenever you need to.
What do people say about it?
With a decent customer feedback score on Amazon, it’s safe to say Gold’s Gym XRS 20 is fairly appreciated by users. Positive reviewers say that despite the bench not being as solid as those you find in a gym, it can be a good replacement and it allows you to do plenty of exercises.
On the opposite side, one of the common cons is that it is not adjustable enough, and shorter people will find it hard to use for certain workouts.
We see more or less the same pattern from users reviewing the bench on YouTube. For instance, one user considers it one of the best weight benches to get for your home gym, but he does warn it is a little higher, so if you are short, you may experience some issues.
Another reviewer finds the same con and adds the fact that the leg attachments are not the best and they come off while you move the bench around. While this won’t stop you from getting a good workout, it can certainly be annoying.
The Bottomline
Gold’s Gym XRS 20 Olympic is a cheap workout bench that’s perfect for beginners and intermediate users. More advanced users might find it less solid than benches in gyms, but it is still a good piece of equipment if you can’t get to the gym and need a cheap replacement in the meantime.
For a bench at this price, it offers a lot of adjustments and options so that you can work out your entire body, from arms down to your leg!
Don’t forget you need to purchase barbells and weights separately. All in All, Gold’s Gym XRS 20 is worth a try and it is probably one of the best workout benches in this price range.
If you enjoyed this article, please check out our review of the Gold’s Gym XR 6.0 Adjustable Bench Weight Review or our other reviews for information on other equipment that will help you build the best home gym.
