RitFit Gator Bench
INTRO
Hey everybody, PJ here, and today we are reviewing the RITFIT GATOR BENCH. With all of the bench options out there, why would you purchase THIS bench - instead of other options out there?
Let me start by saying say that I would not recommend this bench for EVERYONE for EVERYTHING. The customer seeking this bench is someone who is looking for something very specific…and let’s cut to the chase…it has the following features which makes it stand out from other benches in this price range: 1) the articulating Head rest and 2) the removable/adjustable elbow pads for bicep isolation.
ALTERNATIVES
SOME are other benches out there that have articulating head rests:
Exponent Edge Infinity Bench
Mikolo Bastet 2.0
Freak Athlete ABX
However, those benches are MORE expensive…AND none of those benches (except for the ABX) have an elbow pads attachment.
There are other benches out there such as the
KEPPI BENCH 6000 (which is abut the same price as this one), but it does not have the folding head rest like the GATOR.
Prime Fitness Adjustable Bench (or the Prime Fitness Shorty Bench). These also do not have articulating head rests. You can separately purchase elbow pads for it…but you have to pay for those separately. Altogether this option will be triple the price of the RITFIT gator.
Therefore, if you are looking for a bench with either or both of these two features, then this is a bench for you to consider.
FEATURES
So here is the deal…this bench currently costs about $350 dollars and even less when using my PROMO CODE: RFDESIGN, so keep the price in mind as we explore the various features. It has Chrome touches, and laser cut cutouts, and knurled knobs making for a bench that looks very nice.
Weight Capacity: The manufacturer advertises an1600LB load capacity, which I assume is the static load capacity in the flat position. Whereas the headrest supports up to 396LBS.
It is a FID Bench, meaning that it can be used in the FLAT, INCLINE positions and DECLINE positions.
Adjustment angles: This bench offers 10 backrest angles (0–85°), 5 headrest positions, 3 seat angles (0°, 15°, 30° degrees) , and 3 decline settings (at -2.5°, -4.5°, -7° degrees).
Overall Length = 57.8”
Seat Pad length = 12.6”
Back Pad length= 25.9”
Head rest length = 9”
Pad Width is 11.8”
Weighs 109 LBS
It is a Ladder style, which means that you can raise the seat and back pad one handed, but use two hands to lower the back pad.
Back post: not super clear what height starting you are at. Since the decline is very subtle, it can be hard to tell if you are flat or at a slight decline just by looking at the bench…so I wish that the back post had a line marking or the bench had some may of readily determining if the bench is in the flat position or at a SPECIIFC decline angle.
The bench Gap Size is 2”. This is rather larger, but it really has not been a problem for me.
Accessory Work/Bodybuilding…Not Powerlifting
This is not a Powerlifting Bench. While is bench pad height at 17” tall in the FLAT POSITION, putting it within the International Powerlifting Federation’s specification for allowed height, its slicker upholstery means that its not IDEAL for powerlifting where you typically want a grippier upholstery. Therefore, this is more of general purpose bench design with some features aimed at Accessory work. Another valid way of looking at this is to think of this its not designed as a Powerlifting Bench, its designed more as a Body Building bench.
Since the Upholstery is a smooth vinyl , it makes it easy to wipe down…whereas grippy upholstery is best for bench pressing, but get dirty, crud, dead skin cells, bits of paper towel, etc, can make SOME grippy upholstery fabrics look gross over time.
If you are concerned with not having a grippy surface You could add some grippy shelf liner and you can get a huge roll of this stuff for just a few bucks, and then you get the benefit of a grippy bench, and the benefit of a upholstery that can be easily cleaned. Link to buy shelf liner here: https://amzn.to/4bqeYZX
Regarding the firmness of the back pad…its not super firm, but not super soft either. Again, this is not a powerlifting bench – where you probably want it firmer than this – but the Gator bench’s firmness level is great as a bodybuilding bench.
Articulating Head Rest
The head rest can set in 6 positions (5 with the magnetic selector pin, 1 without the pin), and again it has a weight capacity on the head rest of 396 LBS. When combining the back pad adjustment angle combined with headrest pad adjust you can really dial in the angle of this pad.
Why would someone want an articulating head rest? It turns the Bench into a Chest Support pad allowing for a myriad of exercises such as rows, flyes, overhead triceps extension, and getting the pad out of your face when cable rows.
My only complaint about the back pad was that I wish that the back pad was shorter, and therefore this head rest pad was longer so that the SEAM between those two pads was another inch or two lower. The reason I say this is when doing triceps extensions using dumbbells, I find that the larger dumbbells can hot the top of the back pad. If the seam was lower this would not be an issue.
Elbow Pads for Bicep Isolation
When in place, you can use these elbow pads to isolate the bicep by firmly placing your elbow/back of the triceps against the pad.
Each pad is 8.7” long. and there are 4 positions on both sides of the bench to attach the pads. Full disclosure: When screwing them into the sides of the bench - it does take about 10 seconds per side,. This design ensures that they will not fall off, but I do wish that adding and removing them was a bit quicker.
The pads can be stored on the rear frame when not in use. The pads stay/do not stay on the lower frame when moving it around/storing vertically.
The pads appear to be glued in place on the metal rod, so over time – or if you ever overtighten the pad, the glue could become un-attached. If this happened, it would making screwing the on/off difficult, BECAUSE then the pad would just spin independently of the interior rod. Therefore, if RitFit is going to stick with this design, I feel like they should have knurled caps on the ends of the pad to give you something to grab onto.
Additionally if the pads were design to spin independently of the rod, then you COULD also use it as a leg roller for doing exercises such as spilt squats. However, since they are glued in-place, doing split squats on the pads will probably lead to breaking the glue’s connection to the rod.
My only other criticism with the Elbow pads, I wish that they were flush with the top surface of the back pad …like they are with the Keppi 6000 that way they could act not only as elbow pads, but also as a way to convert the regular sized back pad into a wide bench pad.
Wheels
The RitFit Gator Bench has plastic wheels. However, the wheels do provide a very smooth way of moving the bench around. Having said that, while would prefer rubber wheels to plastic ones, what’s even more important is the size of the wheels.
Since these wheels are on the smaller side, they do not engage until you raise the bench approximately 20 degrees. This is probably my chief complaint about the bench, because if you need to scooch it backwards or forwards, you have to lift it 20 degrees or more before it will move.
Front Handle
The front handle grip feels great. It’s not “knurled” per se, but is does have a cross cut texture. The fit and finish of the bench is really nice for the price point, but the handle is where I think they could have made an improvement,. The handle itself is fine, but the welds are not super clean looking, so if they could have cleaner welds or even some kind of metal or rubber covers to cover up the welds it would look a bit more premium to match the rest of the bench.
No Rubber Pads on Bottom
There are non-slip pads on the bottom of the bench. Non-slip pads, not only does this not mitigate slippage, but bare metal in contact with the ground could lead to rust. This is primarily a concern in a garage located in climates where snow and salt are going to be present on your gym floor.
Rear Width
The rear width of the frame is 25.2” wide. Therefore, while its wide enough to be perfectly stable, it’s not unnecessarily wide. I love this bench when using for my SPEEDIANCE GYM MONSTER 2, because its fits well on the platform, and the frame can be pressed against the Speediance base’s frame to prevent the unit from slipping forward for some exercises, and then scratching up the angled motor cover.
Final Thoughts
Overall the bench is well done, so as long as your expectations are aligned with the price point – and you really want a bench with an articulating head rest. I do not think you will be disappointed.
If the RitFit Gator bench sounds like it is the right bench for you, then be sure to use my PROMO CODE: RFDESIGN to save some money. Further, if you click in my affiliate shopping link before shopping, I do get paid a small commission…it costs you nothing extra and it helps support the channel. Much appreciated!
