Body Solid GFID225 Folding Weight Bench Review

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The Body Solid GFID225 multi-bench is unique in being the only weights bench in their collection to fold almost completely flat, while still offering settings from decline through to 90 degrees during a workout.

But how does it compare to other folding weights benches in terms of adjustment settings, exercise options, and value for money?

In our review we’ll take a closer look at the design features, exercise options, customer feedback, and attachments. This should help you decide if the GFID225 is really the best workout bench for your fitness goals and budget.

Design features

If you’re looking for a compact weights bench that also offers a high weight capacity, variety of incline settings, and well padded back support, the GFID225 could be your best option.

The back support is tapered, with a narrower section at the top (8″) and wider where it meets the seat (9.5″). This offers greater freedom of motion in your back and shoulders during pressing exercises and pec flys, but also adds extra back support to limit the strain placed on your lumbar region when lifting.

As for the frame, the 2″ x 3″ oval tubing ensures you have all the strength, stability, and confidence you need to press heavier weights, with 2.5″ padding on the seat and back support that won’t bottom out.

Transport wheels have also been added to the rear base stabilizer, making it easier to roll the bench inside a power cage or between the uprights of a squat rack if you want to perform barbell exercises.

Having seven adjustment positions makes the GFID225 a more versatile bench than the BFFID10, and allows you to fully develop upper body muscle groups by working them from a variety of different angles, including flat and incline.

Comparison with the Best Fitness BFFID10

The BFFID10 is the only weights bench from Best Fitness to feature a folding design, making it easier to store the bench in compact spaces when not in use.

Weighing in at just 35 lbs, it’s 19 lbs lighter than the GFID225 from Body Solid, but does require a larger footprint due to the extended style of the folding legs.

Despite being the lower priced bench, the BFFID10 is actually the only one to offer an attachment option, which comes in the form of a dual preacher curl/leg developer station (BFPL10) that can be attached to the front of the frame.

Using weight plates as resistance, this provides additional exercise options for your biceps, hamstrings, and quads, with 4″ high density foam roller pads and 1.75″ preacher curl padding for added comfort when lifting.

However, it’s worth bearing in mind that the Body Solid model is the only one of the two benches to include a lifetime in-home warranty across both the frame and upholstery. With the Best Fitness bench the warranty is much more limited, with just 3 years coverage on the frame and 1 year on parts.

One final comparison worth making is between the adjustment options, where the GFID225 provides you with seven different settings, whereas the BFFID10 includes just 5 (10, 35, 45, 55, and 70).

Exercise options

Even when weights benches are used outside of a squat rack or power cage, they’re still capable of supporting a wide variety of exercise options for upper and lower body muscle groups.

Lower body exercises:
Due to the lack of leg developer attachment, you won’t be able to put together quite the same range of leg exercises that you would with benches like the GFID31 (the upgraded model of the GFID225).

However, if you have access to several sets of fixed weight dumbbells, or perhaps a single set of adjustable dumbbells, the bench can still help you train your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves.

Elevated single-leg dumbbell squats with one foot resting behind you on the bench is an efficient exercise for building strength and endurance in your quads without the need for heavy weight.

For your calves, sitting on the bench and resting dumbbells on your knees will allow you to perform seated calf raises, while you hamstrings can be worked using stiff-legged deadlifts, without need to involve the bench at all.

Upper body exercises:
These are the exercises that the GFID225 is truly designed for, but as with the lower body workouts, you’ll still require at least a set of dumbbells.

Exercise options include:

Attachment options

Unfortunately the Body Solid GFID225 isn’t one of the benches that’s compatible with optional attachments, leaving you slightly more limited in your choice of exercises. This is compared to benches like the GFID71, which can be fitted with a preacher curl station, leg developer, or lat pulldown system.

Deciding which bench is right for you depends on the type of equipment you currently have access to, and the space you have available.

If space isn’t an issue and it falls within your budget, we would certainly recommend a design like the GFID71 over the GFID225. That’s because you’ll have access to a wider range of exercise options, higher weight capacity (1000 lbs+), and the quick and easy ladder style of back support adjustment.

However, if you’re in need of something a little more affordable that you can store under a bed or in a closet after your workout, the GFID225 is probably the better option, especially if you’ll mainly be training with dumbbells.

What’s covered by the warranty?