Bodymax CF310 Squat Stands

 

 

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This is a great set of stands for the price although I will start by saying it would be better to pay a little extra and get the Bodymax CF 415 which would be a more stable, safe setup with more features and fixes most of the problems with this one.

Secondly, I agree with some of the previous reviews, except that 1. you can file burrs off 2. it is a very inexpensive piece of gear so stop complaining 3. lanky legs are NOT an excuse to not go to the ground in a squat, 6'2" is NOT tall and your knees will suffer, not benefit, from "tiny squats", so don't complain the bars are not high enough.

Now for the good points:

Inexpensive. Well made, well, mine was. I covered the tops with handmade 5mm leather so nice and soft landing for the bar. The rubber bits wear out, you see.

Strong. It can handle 200kg no problem, except be careful not to knock it over. You can do rack pulls from the safety pins - however, be careful if the bar rolls from the back to the front with heavy weight, the momentum can tip it forwards.

Bands. It is possible to put a second barbell at the feet, loaded with weight, and then attach bands between the bottom barbell and the top and do band bench presses. I would not do this for squats, though, obviously the bar would be in the way. Few setups allow putting a barbell at the base like this.

Dips. From the safety bars. If you remove the plastic guard you can attach the safety bars to the top arms and make them really high - OK they rattle a bit and it is not ideal, but this means you can use the thing for dips. Don't like the square safety bar? Slide PVC over it to get thick bar dipping.

Height Range. You can put it high enough to do chins off the barbell (knees bent, not the best but better than nothing.) Safety bars generally, the top hole for squats, the second top for bench. All the lower holes are more for rack pull type work. However, if you don't like the range, then consider putting the stands on a raised surface e.g rubber mats or wood blocks. You can bolt them on if need be. And you could easily make wooden sleeves to go over the safety bars to raise them to precise points.

Safety bars. Strong. Works for Bench and Squat. Can dip off them. Rack pulls. Only complaint is they are a bit short and you would not want to miss them. Can also be used as the bottom point for pin presses, rack pulls. Serves as a lower hold for barbell when curling etc..

Easily moved. Two pieces, each not very heavy, can stack on top of each other for a small footprint.

Open. No crossbar connecting the two items means nothing gets in the way of your bench etc... although this sacrifices stability. But this means you can easily change it to suit different length bars - for example, a triceps bar etc.. which are about 4' long.

BAD POINTS:

For a bit more the Bodymax CF 415 is a better piece, although, it can be 2x the price or on special, 50% more.

The safety bars really would be better if a bit longer. But not a problem really.

H shaped feet and a 6' bar mean you could trip walking a squat out .... also, you are not squatting inside the rack. Although with a 7' bar this should not be a problem too much as the feet are further apart, if using a 6' bar, could be a problem. You could build a base to squat on that is higher than the feet and therefore, squat inside the rack with no feet to trip on.

Not REALLY strong. I would not use it with more than 200kg, and things get dicey if you knock it over. Although, if you bolt it to a base you could make a really elegant squat platform.

Stupid pins for safety bars are thicker than the pins on the upper arm which means the upper arm pins are not engaged ... also means, with weight on the rack, you cannot move the safety arms up and down. ARGH! using smaller pins on the safety would mean THEY are not engaged and can be moved up and down the rack even with weight on it. Not too much of a problem since you prob. will only use the top position anyway. But an oversight of the designers.


So in summary, well worth the money and can suit most people for most of their lifting lives. If you outgrow it, it can still serve a purpose as a great utility rack, and if you modify it, it can be a very powerful rack. You could even buy two sets and connect them with wood on the safety bars to make a very interesting open top power cage. That would be around 160 + wood for a portable, stackable open top cage. If you join the bases as well it would be very stable.

At first glance these look great. But the manufacturing process leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.

Too much glue was used on the rubber grips on the spotters, and the rubber was too long anyway and badly cut. Burr was left on the inside of a lot of the 1mm channel. The welding is not machined and is gappy in the corners, showing the rusty metal underneath. Some of the channel was misshapen (mainly on the spotters), which mean the plastic inserts don't stay in properly.

The spotters only have a pin on one side so I would rather not use/rely them.

Good points however would be the design (they meant well), the paint job and the bolts are big enough to handle the weight.

I'm sure you'll agree it's tough deciding on what kind of squat stand/rack/cage to go for. Putting aside best intentions that I'd be squatting two times my bodyweight within a couple months training, I decided to go for entry level equipment. The main alternative to these were the York stands, which at the time were about 50% more expensive than these and seemed to be a lesser design.

I got these direct from Powerhouse Fitness during their sales and they dispatched them very quickly. Only criticism I had was they didn't update the order status in my account so I didn't know they were on the way. Worked out ok, but bear in mind if you order from them.

As the previous reviewer has said, these stands are well designed, but are let down in the execution.

The good points: adjustable rack and spotters, wide foot print, decent size box sections, welds are well formed though not pretty, can probably take higher weights on the uprights.

Bad points:
Some burrs on the formed sections. Racking the bar will take some of these off, but not all.
The spotters are pinned in place on one side only; a curious arrangement as a single pin would've been preferable. I've tested it and I'm happy enough but I may drill through the box sections and fit a long pin or bolt if my weights rise by much (fingers crossed!)
The two main parts of the uprights are a `rattling fit' which is more a symptom of the price point than a problem.

In use the stands are good. Overall I'm not delighted, but I'm not disappointed either: 3 ½ stars.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Squat Stand Review
Very pleased with the product, especially at the discounted price I paid, is very sturdy and makes Squats far easier to do when training at home.

Published 9 months ago by Gary Fenwick6511

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical for Squats/Bench/Dips (when combined with spotters and square poles)
Very stable, even for squats (only tried up to 90kg so far) A bit harder using it for chin-ups (put it on the higher setting, add some thick felt and stick a bar on. Read more

Published 11 months ago by biscuitfiend

5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Well balanced, holds upto 110kg, easy to move and easy to adjust.

Good all round product again by Bodymax and Power House Fitness. Read more

Published 13 months ago by Mr. R. J. Aston

4.0 out of 5 stars perfect for the home gym
Purchased these back in may this year and they served me well! not the best build quality in the world but i got these on special offer from powerhouse fitness (thought Amazon)... Read more

Published 15 months ago by Mr. A. Davies

5.0 out of 5 stars Affordable solution
After looking around for power racks and other safety equipment necessary for safe powerlifting I settled on the cheapest option with these squat stands. Read more

Published 16 months ago by T. Walton

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, for the price.
Reading other reviews of this item, I was in two minds whether or not to buy them. On a budget, and after having looked around for a long time, I decided to chance it... Read more

Published 18 months ago by Abbadoo

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