Marcy Olympic Weight Bench for Full-Body Workout MD-857

This weight bench is great quality everything is solid and sturdy. Instructions were pretty straight forward but the packaging was exceptional. The small parts, bolts, washers, and nuts, were all vacuum sealed with a cardboard backing that had everything labeled and organized. It really saved time and energy. You're going to need an adjustable wrench or a socket wrench to do the job.It does come with 3 allen wrenches. Most of the nuts were 16mm, There was one point I used a 19mm socket for one of the longer carriage bolts. The instructions were very straightforward, once you got past the initial shock of how many parts there were. My only gripe for this bench press is that I'm 5'5 and the bench sits high. I expected this to be a "problem" and weighed the pros and cons. The squat rack and 2 piece design, with separate incline bench for this price was worth that problem, but just to clarify for anyone else. If your 5'6 or below your going have trouble getting comfortable setting the balls of your feet on the ground. You're feet will touch the ground but your knees will most likely be set lower than your hips (lower than you're most likely used to) so it might feel a little awkward. I personally just step on a set of 45lb dumbbells to adjust my posture, which works for me. Anyways the rack itself is great I love the height adjustment for the catches. The screw tightened knobs are spring loaded halfway which is great for on the fly adjustments, saves time, and energy. You don't have to completely unscrew it out to adjust the height every time, loosen up 4 or 5 turns... yank the knob... adjust and tighten and you're good to go. The incline adjustment pivots on the bench are strong. All the joints are riding on pretty solid carriage bolts. I personally sprayed them with WD-40 but it's not really necessary. One thing about the design, the curling bar specifically the arm pad design seems forced... I looked at it and figured a guy in the engineering department decided to slap it on there as one last added feature because it would work. Which it does, it's nice but as I was finishing up setting this up those 2 things left me scratching my head. The quality of everything else is great then you see the arm pad height adjustment screw knob, which is literally is just a screw unlike the spring loaded ones in the rack. The knob on it is obnoxiously awkward it rubs against the seat it does really seem like the design was forced, along with the pin that actually secures the curling bar. (I was finishing up assembly and realized that pin was there wondering to myself, "What the f*** is this?" I thought I skipped something but soon realized what it was. Neither of these 2 take away quality of the bench. Quite frankly, you could use it without the arm pad and curling bar. The leg developer and inclining bench are still phenomenal build-wise and work very well and you do have the option of using the curling bar if you choose.

I bought the two-piece option 10 years ago. I honestly forgot it came with a rack for the bar and holder for weights. I use the bench with a Valor fitness power rack I bought on Amazon as well. This bench is great because it does so many things in my small home gym. I can use it for bench, dumbbell bench, incline, db incline, preacher curls, leg curls, leg extensions, nosebreakers, and more. I can even do decline bench and decline db bench if I want as it will negative incline. I can also attach the preacher curl attachment backwards, put my legs over it and hook my ankles under the leg curl pads to do situps when it is declined. I'm about to go work some nose breakers now and I was just looking at this bench thinking I should give it 5 stars. I consider it to be a good value for a home gym. It is fairly stable, the height is good. I think if you wanted to use it to step on and off it may be a little wobbly for something like that if you don't do it at the top. My ceiling height is too low for that in my basement gym. It is a bit large, but it is easy enough to pick up and move around. It does not fold up at all.

I've been using this bench for about 3.5 months and overall I'm quite happy with it. I'm a beginner who had done a little dumbbell and weight bar stuff over the years but had never done a bench press in my life. I didn't feel like it made sense to go to like a power cage setup so went with this. It's a 4 star rating so I'm am absolutely satisfied but I'm going to breeze through the positives as I think it's the negatives that might help others decide if this is what they want. Positives: It came undamaged; the setup instructions were clear; it's seems sturdy, well built and no piece looks or feels shoddy; everything works and fits correctly; it has held up without any problem so far after 3+ months of daily use; I was not expecting to like the preacher curl pad but I am loving doing preacher curls (which I hadn't done before); aside from adding some padding to where the leg lift portion contacts the rest of the bench and the barbell crutches in general (more on those in the negatives portion) I haven't needed to add my own improvements to the equipment; though I am not utilizing it yet, I like the squat rack on the back, it's well padded too, and love the weight pegs on the bottom to hold extra weight plates. I'm excited to use this thing everyday and leave happy with the workout. Negatives: Like others have reported it came in a box that was severely damaged. The weight of the equipment and the lack of stabilizing foam means the weight doesn't get dispersed across the box and so heavy points break the thin cardboard and the plastic straps around the box cut into it and break the cardboard. Happily there was a significant amount of plastic and cardboard wrapped around ends and edges, so while the state of the box had me expecting a return, I only found a single small scrape when I opened everything up. Still, they need to ship this better. I do not like bench press "crutches" (the pieces that hold the barbell) that come with the unit. They extend 7" from the vertical posts and, for me, were very much in the way while doing bench presses. Even when I consistently cleared them they were on my mind while I lifted. They are also, like others have reported, not coated or wrapped in anything so they immediately scratch and scuff (and hearing it happen every time you put the weight down sucks). The safety "crutches" (that you install lower in case you can't get the bar back up to the normal crutches) extend 10" out from the vertical posts and are also not coated but both of those things are fine, for me, as you place these low enough to not interfere with your lift and they should rarely, if ever, actually come in contact with the barbell. The last thing I don't like about the unit is the vertical posts. While they are absolutely sturdy and generally satisfactory, they have an odd dimension and too few holes. I decided to buy j-hooks to replace the 7" crutches but the vertical posts are 2" x 2.5" (rather than the more common 2"x2" or 3"x3") and so I had to by 3"x3" j-hooks and then use spacing foam to prevent the hooks from leaning (I also tried 2"x2" hooks but they just didn't clear the 2.5" side of the posts). It ended up working out fine but a more traditional sized post would have been better. It also seems like there should be twice as many holes in the vertical posts for placing the crutches/j-hooks. The holes are 5.5" apart from the top of one hole to the bottom of the next. That seems like a dramatic distance to me. The placement works out for me but just barely (though it's not uncomfortable at all, thankfully) and it really feels like the holes I'm using are the only possible placement that would work for me. It would be nice to feel like there were some options with something that is constructed to be "adjustable." In general, I'm happy with the purchase and I'm using it daily.

I almost ordered the Marcy MD 867, which was getting hard to find.....then I researched and found the MD 857 and am glad I did. From what I can see, the 857 is actually better designed and has all the features of the 867. When using the leg extension, your feet do not touch the floor. The 6 roller design is a must. The seat back can be adjusted to near vertical, but this is not a lockable position, still usable though. Although a 7' weight bar would be more conducive to the width of this unit, I am presently using a 6' bar without problems. With a 6' bar, there is little room for error when racking the bar, but a spacer on the bar can be used to position the weight plate farther from the upright. I have attached a pic for clearance reference. I really like the plug-in bar racks on the 857 versus the 867. Although the seat is a little loose upon adjusting your weight, once I began my exercise, it didn't seem to distract me or make me feel unsafe. Also, putting this unit together from the box was very easy. All the needed hardware is included in two blister packs and are labeled with description and part number. The hardware I received in the blister packs was exactly what was needed to complete the unit, down to the last washer. Also, this unit is capable of using weight plates with 1" holes....just don't install the Olympic 2" plugs onto the weight holders during installation. Overall, this is a really nice unit for the price. It may not be designed for commercial use like at a gym, but for home use....I think it is a really well thought out, sturdy, and well designed unit. Kudos to Marcy for putting together such a nice and universal bench for a reasonable price point.

It's excellent. It took 7 hours to assemble and needed some kind of ratchet wrench but it was worth it because I'm working out for real and feels legit.

What I had not planned on was the looks of this bench. Matches my gray weight set and looks good as my home gym. Who cares about looks though when performance is what counts. Assembly was easy enough but tedious of course. A trick I learned from an old Indian Chief was to use a razor blade and gently cut out the numbered bolts etc from the package as you need them so they don't get mixed together. It's sturdy and for the price and works well. Two issues I have. Not enough peg holes for the height of the barbell. I have long arms, in the flat position the highest position is barely too high by about two inches which forced me to use the next lowest peg and that starts my rep out at halfway. I prefer to start my reps at the high position, I think in the long run this will keep my max reps weight lower. Second issue is once again on the flat bench is I really have to move my ass forward on the bench to keep the barbell in front of the peg during repetitions. If I could use a higher peg hole that wouldn't matter but once again not enough peg holes for adjustment. I'm six foot, if you are any taller I suggest something else. Otherwise, a fantastic sturdy setup for the price.

bought this about a year ago when I wanted to start working out consistently but couldn’t make it to the gym anymore because of a toddler at home. My main goal was chest workouts, and for that purpose, this machine has done a solid job. I mostly use it for flat, incline, and decline chest press, and it feels stable even at heavier weights. I’ve done flat presses with up to 170 lbs including the barbell, and I also use it for squats with around 150 lbs, and it has held up without any wobbling. For the price, it’s definitely sturdy and well built. That said, not everything is perfect. The preacher curl and leg extension attachments are okay, but they’re not the strongest part of the machine. I don’t really use them and ended up removing them altogether since I have a functional trainer for biceps and a separate leg extension machine. The bench itself is adjustable and works well for shoulder presses too. I regularly do dumbbell shoulder presses on it, and occasionally overhead barbell presses. I also sometimes use it to do biceps using dumbbells, working out abs, triceps using a small bar. I'm 5’10”, and the size and setup fit me well. When I first got this, I weighed around 135 lbs. After using it consistently over the past year for chest, shoulders, and legs, I’m now about 172 lbs. While the results obviously come from consistency and diet as well, this machine has made it much easier to stay on track at home. Overall, it’s not a perfect all-in-one machine, but for the price and for core lifts, it’s very solid. If your main focus is chest and basic compound movements, this is a very good buy for this price. All the best!

This bench/squat rack is awesome! I'm 17 and have been lifting for several years and this weight set is great for me. The set up took about 3-4 hours with somewhat tedious work. The only major flaw in the design is the seat which does not seem sturdy but in all actuality it holds up very well. The incline/flat/decline and should press elevations for this bench make it a very versatile buy. It has a leg curl which does not work that great but i do appreciate the ability to have it and use it. The preacher curl is also useful but not extremely good. It works but you're better off doing curls with a barbell but I also appreciate the fact that it is here and you can use it. The seat can slide forwards or backwards which is also very useful for different body types and exercises. The safety pins that the bench came with are actually very useful if you don't have a spotter i never needed them or thought I did until one day i nearly dropped the bar on my neck doing decline. (I know im stupid for not having a spotter) I probably would or could have broken my neck if it wasn't for the safety pins so yes they are a nice add on. The greatest extra to this bench is the squat rack! I love the squat rack but it can not hold that much weight only about 300 pounds. Which is fine for just about everyone because doing squats for repetitions you really dont need anymore then 300 pounds. The bench also comes with a place to put your weights on when you want to rack them which is a helpful feature. Overall the bench is amazing and the extras it comes with definetly make it a well worth buy. The biggest cons were that the 300 pound weight limit on the bench/squat felt somewhat limiting and with that much weight it swayed a little bit and didnt seem super sturdy but it wasn't going to fall apart or anything. The seat also shakes around slightly and can seem like a big negative at first but overtime you realize it is very sturdy and will not fall off. If you are an advanced lifter such as a heavy guy who can bench/squat more than 350 pounds easily then this may not be for you with that being said id recomend this bench for its quality and accessories. My final verdict would be a 4.4/5 stars. Hope this help you guys out (