I tried to add this piece of equipment that I got from Amazon, but I didn't remember what it was called. And I didn't want to search through my purchase history just to find it. Then I see it flash before me as I scrolled through Gym Radar's feed! This goes to show how extensive the equipment listing on the site has become. Now for the review of this product, which can be brief. Its build quality is excellent for how much (or how little) you'll spend on it. I like to use it "upside down" with swivel shackles for extra ROM. With apologies to BWTG, this is a useful "lat bar with holes."

I just picked up a 25 lb pair of these plates secondhand and made sure to weigh them first before buying (yes, I am that guy). They both weighed 24.6 lbs, which is good enough for me, and I appreciate them both weighing the same. I'm firmly in the "weight is weight" camp and don't really care about aesthetics. (There's one exception: 45 lb plates that are not the standard diameter, which can mess up one's deadlift prep.) Simply put, those who need their plates to look more like Henry Cavill than Will Farrell should look elsewhere. These are hunks of iron that have mass, are close to their stated weight, and can be loaded onto a barbell to help me get strong - and that's good enough for me and my house. And they were cheap - I negotiated them down to about 60 cents per pound. Lift hard, live easy!

Apparently there are (at least) two different versions of the "four spoke design" BFCO plates, and I own a pair of each. As you can see, they differ in diameter and branding. The weight tolerance is what you'd expect from old-school plates - they can be a hit or miss. The larger plate shown weighs 43.7 lbs (its pair weighs 45.2 lbs) and the smaller one weighs 44.8 lbs (its pair weighs 43.6 lbs). When loading them, I alternate between the heavier and lighter pair so as to get a more equal distribution of the weights on either side. Also, once I load the bigger pair, I can load the smaller one without the use of a deadlift jack, which I consider to be a benefit of owning two different types of these plates. Yes, they have more slop than contemporary deep dish plates, which can cause problems for some, but doesn't bother me too much, given that I use good collars during deadlifts, for example. I don't know the going price of these on the secondhand market, but I got mine for about 50 cents per pound, which is a steal. But truth be told, the biggest reason I have these is for the nostalgic factor of their having been used at muscle beach during the golden era of bodybuilding.

I don't know much about this brand and I only acquired this pad because it was severely discounted on FBMP. I wanted a way to do chest-supported rows and I didn't have space in my gym for a dedicated machine. This rack-mounted pad fulfills that need. However, if I had to pay full price, I probably would have went with a different brand whose reputation I am more familiar with. UPDATE TO REVIEW (Aug 28,2026): When I decided to really load up and "horsecock" some chest-supported rows, I didn't feel safe due to the long attachment arm "whipping" up and down a bit with each explosive rep. Now, I weighed a bit above 180 lbs and I was using around 210 lbs. If I recall, its official site through Amazon listed its weight capacity at 500 lbs. I would not advise testing that limit, given my experience! In light of this development, my original 4-star ratings for build quality and performance have each been docked a star. In short, it performs well, if you stay WELL BELOW its alleged weight capacity. If you intend to go heavy on chest supported rows, look elsewhere, as I did.

My old Planet Fitness had one of these infamous "good girl/bad girl" machine (which is which depends on the boy judging - whether he's a good boy or a bad boy). Having arrived early one morning, when the gym was mostly empty, I decided to try it out ("for science"). The movement felt horrible! I thought I was going to tear something very personal to me. Maybe I lack the requisite mobility or whatever - but it felt like a Medieval torture device. Never again will I use this machine! I'd rather pull sumo to build more adductors.

This is another machine I used frequently at Planet Fitness. I expected to get a good low back pump, but ending up smoking my hamstrings in addition to my spinal erectors. It felt like I was doing a "seated machine RDL" (if that makes sense). If that's what you want, this machine is great. But if you want a machine that targets spinal erectors specifically, you might want to look elsewhere.

This was one of my favorite machines at a Planet Fitness that I used to be a member of. I felt really locked in during the dip motion, and I like the option of having either a wider or narrower hand placement. The slight forward lean of the back pad helps to isolate the triceps.

This is another machine that I used to use frequently at my former Planet Fitness. I felt safe only using moderate weight, because you start at the stretched position, and my old-man shoulders felt vulnerable if I went heavy. They could have included a foot lever, which assists the user to push the handles out when starting a set to alleviate the above worry (some commercial chest machines do have that feature for that very purpose).