Apex Adjustable Bench Initial Review
Non affiliate link: https://www.apexfitness.com/products/apex-adjustable-bench
Finally getting around to reviewing the Ironbull uprights I got in that have both 5/8 and 1″ holes.
Overall I really like them, super cool to have both options on a rack. I really think this is a good design for uprights but Ironbull is no longer shipping these in the US and supposedly stopping production of them in Canada too. Bulletproof fitness is creating a similar rack that should be coming at some point and will be interesting to see if this catches on or not. The keyhole design was never utilized by rogue but maybe other companies will use it.
In my video I did say these would be great for VTS but someone pointed out that if the VTS hook got caught in the 1″ hole, it could slip, and with a lot of weight could potentially break or get damaged. So that’s something to think about. Otherwise I think this design only has advantages. Nice to be able to swap out any attachment like this.
My current set up with this is 96″ frankenstein uprights and 24″ titan series crossmembers. Still need to get a few more stall mats to put it on.
Also for clarity, I did get these for free. Ironbull said one of my previous videos helped inspire the design so they sent me these as thanks. It did take them a very long time (like 1.5yrs) from that original email to me actually getting them. I am not an affiliate with them or any company.
Non affiliate link to hyper pro: https://freakathlete.co/products/hyper-pro
I picked up these straps a few months ago to help my son during bench press. While I personally prefer pins, I tend to set the safeties a little high for him as a safety precaution since he’s only 15. Nearly every set he would touch the pins and it would rattle him…so I went for straps. Someone on the HGD actually gave these to me, I just paid for shipping (and I gave them a little extra for being a nice person).
So far so good. They are very tight which a lot of people prefer because it makes them easier to set. They have just enough slack to adjust them (offset) by 3 holes.
They take one second to get on and off the rack. By far the easiest safeties to work with. Super easy for my wife and son.
The strap quality is great. Very thick with good stitching. I do wish I could use color straps like Bells of Steel offers and I may get those at some point.
Here a non affiliate link to the rep straps: https://repfitness.com/products/strap-safeties-2-0
I’ve been posting about this bells of steel preacher attachment for a while and am glad to finally get it reviewed. Honestly its a great option for those that don’t want to be tied to a bench ecosystem. This and the bells leg curl and extension attachment.
I don’t have anything negative to really say about this piece. It works as it should. I’ve used it with cables, ez curl, dumbbells, and the weight horns that it comes with. Only gripe with this and any bench attachment is storage. This fortunately stands by itlsef and is easy to move around, you just need a 2×2′ area to store it.
There is an easy mod if you want to stabilize it with your bench using a piece of wood but I dont think you need to do that. Its working just fine as is. I’m looking forward to more companies creating stuff like this that stands alone (looking at you gearforfit).
I created this short for the bullet proof fitness contest. I do mean what I say in the vid – this is one of my favorite purchases over the past few years and has absolutely changed my training. At this point I’ve switched most barbell exercises to the VTS Lite.
Is VTS Lite perfect? Nope. I’ve covered some of that in my reviews. It can be tricky sometimes to get the latches in the holes. However, for its flaws, its got some big advantages over other smiths – like the fact that I can still use the uprights when its put on the top of my rack.
If you can’t find this deal, be patient and keep watching walmart’s site. It keeps popping up then going away. Its been doing this since sept 2025 (currently writing this as of 2/2026)
