StaminaX Adjustable Ab, Back, and Core Strength Exercise, Sit-Up Fitness Hyperextension Weight Bench for At-Home Workouts

I put this thing together last night, only used it once but so far I'm pretty impressed for the price point. I'm 5' 9" @ 175lbs, I typically use a 45lb plate when doing Hyperextensions, and I have used the more expensive $300 Body Solid 45 degree hyper and commercial ones at LA Fitness. Surprised to say that this thing actually holds its own with the others, very solid and stable! Biggest surprise was the steel thickness, this thing actually has a decent quality feel and once everything was put together and tightened down I felt almost ZERO movement from the Hyper. Being a male, my biggest concern was the front pad not being split, but on the lowest height setting I can honestly say it was comfortable and I don't see any need to add towels to protect the "McNuggets" LOL. There were some little blemishes from shipping, the rollers had some dents in the foam (will probably expand with time), and the bolts/washers were cheap, but overall nothing worth complaining about there.PROS1) For the price, this thing cant be beaten. It is VERY sturdy and functional for lower back and hamstrings!2) Two knobs on the main support, once both are tightened down there is ZERO wobble.3) Adjustable rear roller pad (Height, and distance from the main support)4) Foldable! I have a garage gym, space is precious, being able to hang this on a wall is AWESOME!5) Decent finish, but you are paying less than $80, don't expected a commercial chip resistant paint job.6) Fairly simple assembly, probably took 15-20 minutes to get everything level.Assembly Tip: Same way you would assemble any piece of fitness equipment, DO NOT fully tighten everything down from the beginning. I put all the bolts on and the hyper was visibly crooked at first, an amateur may think its just a piece of junk and try to return it. Assemble the machine tightening to hand strength on a flat surface, then adjust the machine to a comfortable position and lightly test it out, this will help get it level on the floor. After it feels level then go back and make sure everything looks straight and tighten making little adjustments where needed.CONS (Most Nit Picky)1) No footplate. Honestly though, I don't think it REALLY needs one. My feet rests easily on the back support, no biggie.2) Bottom feet of the front and rear supports are plastic and were slightly bent front shipping. It doesn't affect the stability, nothing to get upset about and I'm sure I could call Stamina for some replacements. Not worth it to me.3) Main pad is a little on the thin side, after continual years of abuse I can see it being the only thin that may need reconditioned or replaced. Heck, by that point I'm sure a towel would suffice.4) Made for tall people: I'm 5' 9" and the lowest height setting is absolutely perfect for me, I can rest my feet firmly against the bottom support and get good range of motion! If you are shorter than that, you might have to modify and have your feet suspended off the ground resting against the foam rollers (which is fine). Or drill another hole into the main support, which would take you less than a couple minutes to accomplish and might help those who are a couple inches shorter.Final verdict, I got a discount on the price due to Amazon points but I believe even at full price I would definitely purchase again. Of course the Body Solid Hyperextensions are amazing, but at 3x-4x less I'm still getting the same end result yet I can fold this one up and stick it in a corner when not in use. If you have limited space (apartment or garage gym), and are looking for a good way to add a workout to your lower back and hamstrings, then I don't see how you could possibly go wrong with this piece of equipment.

The 45 degree back hyperextension is a really versatile piece of equipment for strengthening the posterior chain, all the way from your hamstrings to your glues to your spinal erectors. There's a paper you can find online called "Are All Hip Extension Exercises Created Equal" which shows why this piece of equipment is unique. Unlike a vertical movement (stiff leg deadlift or good morning) or a horizontal movement (roman chair) the 45 degree bench requires muscular tension throughout the entire range of movement. It also just feels good to hang off of.I used to use one at the gym (remember those?) and although I dislike exercise equipment at home, I decided this would be a good buy. This is definitely something which is easier to buy than it is to DIY.The product itself is made from decently thick powder coated steel, with what look like decent welds. There is some rocking due to the fact that my old wooden floors are very uneven, but the bench itself is quite sturdy. I'm not sure if I'd trust the dip bars, not because the welds look bad, but just because there isn't a ton of weight keeping the thing from flipping over if you apply weight all the way out. Adjustments are made with a spring loaded adjustment pin, and another screw down pin to make it all solid.I didn't see reviews on the size. I am a fairly leggy 6'3, and when full extended the bench is too long for me. I would be more concerned about being too short, but if you are of average height you should have no problem with the length. One improvement I would like to see is the width. It is nice to spread your legs a bit for better glute activation, but the supplied ankle support is pretty narrow. This could be easily fixed with a piece of pipe, however. The padding is just okay - certainly not as cushy as a commercial machine but I also don't find it uncomfortable.Regarding size in the room, it's pretty big when unfolded but when folded it's fairly compact. You won't slide it under a couch but it will lean nicely against the wall.Packaging was nice; coming in a surprisingly small box. Assembly instructions were about normal for offshore workout equipment - clear enough but I managed to get two things backwards. Fortunately it's fairly obvious when you've gotten something wrong, and there is a very limited number of fasteners used. I like that it comes with little plastic covers for all the nuts, which really adds to the appearance.I'll see how it holds up, but after a few uses I'm happy.*Update*After more use and adjustment, the machine really is uncomfortable. It's not just the lack of a gap for my particular anatomy, but the top is fairly hard. I can work around this with a pillow or towel, but better padding design would make this a 5/5 for me.

For a cheap folding mobile back extension. This things pretty dang good. I’m 6-1 190 and I’ve used 45 lb weights on her so far and felt fine. It’s pretty sturdy no crazy wiggle or movement. Height wise I don’t even have it all the way out 6-3 would prob be fine maybe 6-4 max. But these folding tube metal machines are just never going to be as good as commercial ones. Especially ones for $100. I have tight space so wanted one that could fold away. Height adjustment isn’t the best but it’s ok. Overall it’s doing the job that I want it too and happy with it. The foot placement is a little weird you can feel your feet pressing down is counter acting you from flipping forward but also feels somehow sturdy. A little different to get used to but it’s fine now that I have the hang of it