Fitness Gear Pro Series Bench vs Pro OB-600: Which to Buy Used and What to Pay

A used Fitness Gear Pro Series bench sells for about $475, and the Pro OB-600 bench and squat rack combo it gets confused with sells for $500 to $550. The folding Fitness Gear bench that people also call a Pro Series sells for $280 to $360 and is rated for 250 pounds against the OB-600’s 1,000. Same brand name, four times the capacity difference, and that gap is the whole story of this range.

I move used strength equipment for a living, and benches are the item people get wrong most often. They buy on price, discover the pad flexes under a real load, and resell it eight months later. Fitness Gear is Dick’s Sporting Goods house brand, and the range runs from genuinely solid Olympic benches to lightweight starter gear wearing the same logo. Below is what a Pro Series bench actually is, how it differs from the OB-600, what to inspect, and what to pay.

What a Fitness Gear Pro Series bench actually is

Pro Series is a line name, not a single bench, and that is the source of almost every mix-up on the used market.

Dick’s has put the Pro Series label on several Fitness Gear benches over the years: a flat Olympic bench, an Olympic adjustable bench, and bench-with-upright combinations sold under model codes like the OB-600. They share a family look, silver steel frame with blue accents and a black vinyl pad. They do not share a capacity rating. So when a listing says “Fitness Gear Pro Series bench” and stops there, you have not learned the one number that matters.

Read the sticker, not the listing. Every one of these benches carries a rated capacity printed on the frame or under the pad, and it counts your bodyweight plus the bar plus every plate. Ask for a photo of it before you talk price. A seller who cannot produce one is selling a mystery bench, and mystery benches price like folding benches.

Consistent across the Pro Series: heavy-gauge steel tube frames, a back pad running flat through incline, Olympic-width spacing so a 7-foot bar clears, and bolted rather than welded construction. What varies: whether uprights are included, how many pad positions you get, whether there is a leg developer, and the capacity number. Assume nothing from the badge.

Which Fitness Gear bench is actually worth buying

The Pro OB-600 is the one to buy. It is the Olympic bench and rack combo: two upright posts, adjustable J-hooks, a multi-position back pad, and 1,000 pounds of rated capacity including the bar and plates. Everything below it is a bench, not a training station. The honest hierarchy:

• Pro OB-600 (bench and squat rack combo): silver and blue frame, two drilled uprights, blue J-hooks, adjustable pad, 1,000 pound rating. The one that supports a real barbell program.
• Pro Series Olympic adjustable bench: the same general build quality without the full rack setup. Good bench, less versatile.
• Fitness Gear folding adjustable bench: 250 pound capacity, folds for storage. Fine for dumbbell work and nothing else. Never put a loaded barbell over it.

The capacity rating includes your bodyweight plus everything on the bar. A 250 pound bench with a 185 pound lifter has 65 pounds of headroom. That is a 65 pound bench press ceiling, which most people pass within a year.

Cross-shopping brands? Our guide to the best weight bench options covers the wider market, and the weight bench listings show what is inspected and available.

Pro OB-600 vs Pro Series: what actually changes

Both are Olympic benches with heavy steel frames and adjustable pads. The difference is whether you get the rack, and that decides what you can train.

	Pro OB-600 combo	Pro Series bench	Folding adjustable
Rated capacity	About 1,000 lb	Olympic rated, heavy	About 250 lb
Squat rack uprights	Yes, drilled and adjustable	Limited or none	No
Barbell work	Bench, squat, press	Bench press	Dumbbells only
Pad positions	Flat, incline, decline	Flat and incline	Flat and incline
Folds for storage	No	No	Yes
Used price	$500 to $550	$450 to $500	$300 to $360
Best for	Serious barbell lifting	Bench-focused training	Small spaces, light work

Buy the OB-600 if you own or plan to own a barbell and plates. The uprights turn a bench into a training station, and the drilled holes set catch height for benching and squatting. Buy the folding bench only if your whole program is dumbbells and your whole floor space is a corner of a bedroom.

One thing worth saying plainly: a bench and rack combo is not a power rack. The uprights hold the bar and that is it. No safety cage, no spotter arms catching a failed rep at chest level. If you train heavy and alone, that matters, and a full rack is the better answer.

Is a Fitness Gear bench solid enough for heavy lifting?

Yes for the Olympic models, no for the folding ones. The OB-600’s steel frame and 1,000 pound rating put it with most mid-tier home benches, and I have picked up plenty still tight and square after years of use.

Where it gives ground to premium brands is the pad and the wobble. The pad is thinner than a commercial bench’s, so it compresses faster and the vinyl cracks sooner. And because the frame is bolted rather than welded at every joint, bolts loosen and the bench develops a small side-to-side rock. Both are fixable. Neither is a reason to walk away.

What makes me walk away is frame flex. Load the bar, lie down, press. If you feel the uprights shift or the frame twist under load, that is not a bolt issue and it does not get better.

What to inspect on a used Fitness Gear bench

Six checks, in the order I actually do them.

1. Push down hard on each end of the pad. You are feeling for a soft spot where the foam collapsed and you can sense plywood underneath. Collapsed foam is the most common problem on a used bench and the least worth paying for.
2. Check the vinyl seams and corners. Small cracks spread, and once the cover splits, moisture gets into the foam and the pad is finished. Surface scuffs are fine.
3. Grab the uprights and rock the whole thing. Some movement means loose bolts, a ten minute fix. A lot of movement, or movement you can hear, means worn bolt holes, which is not fixable.
4. Cycle the pad through every position. The pin or ladder should seat cleanly at each setting. A pin you have to force is a bent bracket.
5. Look at the J-hooks and their liners. Missing liners mean the bar sat on bare steel, which chews up knurling later. Cheap to replace, but it tells you how the gear was treated.
6. Check every weld and the feet. Look for hairline cracks at the joints and rust where the frame met a garage floor. Surface rust on the feet is cosmetic. Rust at a weld is structural.

What I would not worry about: faded decals, scratched paint, a dusty frame, or a missing leg-developer attachment you were never going to use.

What used Fitness Gear benches sell for

A used Fitness Gear bench costs $280 to $550 depending on the model and whether the rack comes with it. Those are real closed numbers, not asking prices.

• $300 to $360: the folding adjustable bench, 250 pound capacity.
• $450 to $500: Pro Series Olympic adjustable bench in good condition.
• $500 to $550: Pro OB-600 bench and squat rack combo, like new or new in box.

Benches barely depreciate in dollar terms because they were not expensive to begin with, but they are miserable to move. A bench and rack combo is heavy, awkward, and does not fit in a sedan. That is why so many sit in garages for years after the owner stops lifting, and why the real cost of a private sale is not the price, it is the Saturday you spend borrowing a truck.

Plates are the budget line most people forget. A bench and rack with no barbell is furniture. Price the whole setup before you call the bench a bargain, and see our roundup of the best adjustable dumbbells if you would rather skip the barbell.

Do you need the bench and rack combo or just the bench?

Buy the combo if you want to squat. That is the deciding question, and it is simpler than people make it.

A standalone bench covers bench press with a spotter, dumbbell pressing, rows, and most accessory work. Add uprights and you can rack a bar at shoulder height, which gets you squats and overhead press. Those two lifts are the reason to spend the extra hundred dollars.

If your ceiling is under about 8 feet, measure before you buy anything with uprights. Overhead pressing in a low basement ends badly. And if you are still assembling the room, our guide to what holds value in used home gym equipment is worth reading before you commit to a layout, along with the broader home gym listings.

Should you buy a used Fitness Gear bench?

Yes, if most of this describes you:

1. You want an Olympic bench under $600 and are not chasing a commercial-gym feel.
2. You lift with a barbell, or plan to within the year.
3. You can inspect the pad and rock the frame before paying, or someone does it for you.
4. You have a garage, basement or spare room, because this does not fold into a closet.
5. You would rather spend the savings on plates than a nicer frame.

Skip it if the used one near you is a folding 250 pound bench being sold as a “Fitness Gear Pro.” That mislabeling happens constantly, and the capacity difference is the entire point of the range.

Benches are heavy and awkward, which is exactly the kind of item our drivers handle every day. One customer had us carry equipment up five flights in a walk-up apartment and it arrived in perfect shape. We pick the bench up, inspect it, and bring it to you, so you are not renting a truck or meeting a stranger in a parking lot. You get 60 minutes with it in your home before you pay: push on the pad, rock the frame, cycle the adjustments. If it is not what was described, you do not pay, and everything carries a 60 day warranty. The details are on how our pickup and delivery works.

Frequently asked questions

What weight can a Fitness Gear bench hold?

It depends entirely on the model. The Pro OB-600 combo is rated around 1,000 pounds including the bar and plates. The entry folding bench is rated about 250 pounds total. Always confirm the rating for the exact model.

Is Fitness Gear a good brand for weight benches?

For the price, yes. It is Dick’s Sporting Goods house brand, so the Olympic models are solid mid-tier gear with steel frames and real capacity ratings. The tradeoffs are thinner pad foam and bolted joints, which means occasional retightening.

What is the difference between the Fitness Gear Pro OB-600 and the Pro Series bench?

The rack. The OB-600 is a bench and squat rack combo with two drilled uprights and adjustable J-hooks, so you can squat and overhead press. A Pro Series bench without that setup limits you mostly to pressing.

How much should I pay for a used Fitness Gear Pro Series bench?

Around $450 to $500, and we have sold them in good condition at $475. Folding adjustable benches land near $280 to $360, and a like-new Pro OB-600 with the rack sells for $500 to $550. If a Pro Series listing sits far below $450, look hard at the pad foam and the bolt holes before you get excited.

What is a Fitness Gear Pro Series bench rated for?

That depends on the exact bench, because Pro Series is a line rather than one product. The OB-600 combo is rated around 1,000 pounds including the bar and plates. Other Pro Series Olympic benches carry their own ratings printed on the frame. Never infer the rating from the line name, and never assume a 250 pound folding bench is a Pro Series because a seller typed it that way.

Does the Fitness Gear Pro Series bench do incline and decline?

Incline on all of them, decline only on some. The back pad runs through several positions from flat to steep incline on every Pro Series bench I have handled, but the decline setting and the leg-hold rollers are model-specific. Cycle the pad through every position before you buy, because a bracket that will not lock is a bent bracket.

Can you squat in a Fitness Gear Pro OB-600?

Yes, and that is the main reason to buy it over a plain bench. The uprights adjust to shoulder height for un-racking. Just know it is not a power rack, so no safety bars catch a failed rep, which matters if you train alone.

Is a used weight bench safe to buy?

Usually, because there is very little to go wrong mechanically. Check the pad foam, the vinyl, the welds and the bolt tightness. A bench with a firm pad, tight frame and clean welds will outlast most of the equipment in the room.

Have a bench or rack taking up space in the garage? List it with us and we handle the pickup, the buyer and the payment. You get paid before it leaves your driveway, which beats waiting on someone who said they would come Saturday with a truck.

Buying instead? Browse the Fitness Gear equipment we have inspected. Every item is delivered and backed for 60 days, and you try it before you pay.