RitFit Weightlifting Platform (WLP01)

Written By PJ

Intro:

The RitFit WLP01 Weightlifting Platform will allow you to safely perform Olympic lifts and Deadlifts while protecting your concrete! Since getting this product, I have definitely looked forward to Leg Day in a way that I haven’t in quite some time. Having a dedicated space to perform deadlifts - makes it so much more enjoyable.

Check out the YouTube Video Here:

Review:

The product is well made. The 11-gague steel frame is not only nice to look at (with laser cut “Rs” on the corner pieces), but thick enough to take a beating. The Bamboo inserts are thick and durable - and have a nice polyurethane layer on them. The rubber tiles are PLENTY thick (30 mm thick to be exact), and definitely durable. These tiles don’t have any rubber crumbs (like stall mats can have) and have no nasty rubber smell (ALSO - like stall mats can have).

Full disclosure, since the item is currently in my basement, I will not be doing any Olympic lifts. My ceiling height won’t allow it. However, I like having the option to move this to my garage if I ever want to get into Olympic Lifts (which I have never really done before - but they look like a lot of fun!).

My only critiques are the following:

  • The caps on the band pegs are cheap plastic caps. I would like to see version 2.0 with welded caps. These caps will come off pretty easily when adding/removing bands — or my dog will just take them off and eat them.

  • If using heavy duty bands, the unit must be bolted down. The expansion bolts and brackets are included to bolt it down - but I don’t really want to have to do that. Some competitor products have steel slats that go under the wooden insert to help mitigate the platform from rising up when using heavy duty bands because the person standing on top of the wooden insert with slats underneath will help keep the item on the floor. Further, if the wooden insert was one contiguous piece of wood instead of two - this would also help mitigate the frame from being raised when using these heavy-duty bands. That being said, the steel slats and having one contiguous piece of wood would definitely raise the price (not only because it is MORE steel - but shipping such a large piece of wood would also be more expensive). Therefore, I would love it if RitFit could figure out a way to cheaply keep the unit on the floor when using heavy duty bands.

Not mentioned in the video – I did experiment with using long lashing straps to replicate the steel slats underneath the wooden inserts– but because the wooden insert is two pieces it did not work out. When standing between them (on the seam) there was not provide enough pressure to hold it down. When standing on only one of the wooden inserts – the OTHER insert would raise up. I suspect this hack would have worked if the wooden insert WAS one contiguous piece.

All this being said, this item is a quality product, and is still priced slightly cheaper than other similar options. Be wary of deadlift platforms that are much cheaper – those are significantly smaller and only for deadlifting. You need a bigger size to accommodate Olympic lifts – so make sure you are comparing apples to apples – and only price this product against other platforms that are of a comparable size (this one is 95” x 75.6”).

Shopping:

If interest in purchasing, be sure to use my Promo Code: RFDESIGN to save 12% on the RitFit Website  -- or you can buy from Amazon. Those links are:

PJ
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