Building a gym in a small apartment is all about saving space without sacrificing quality. A foldable bench can make or break your setup. In this guide, we’ll break down the best foldable benches for small gyms in 2025 so you can lift heavy and stash your bench when you're done.
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Building a gym in a small apartment is all about saving space without sacrificing quality. A foldable bench can make or break your setup. In this guide, we’ll break down the best foldable benches for small gyms in 2025 so you can lift heavy and stash your bench when you're done.
Let a coach design your perfect small-space gym. Click here to get matched with a coach.
Small apartment gyms don’t have room for bulky, fixed benches. A foldable bench gives you flexibility: you can pull it out when you need it, fold it flat when you don’t, and reclaim your living space.
These benches aren’t just space-savers—they’re versatile, often adjustable, and now strong enough to handle serious lifters. Modern designs in 2025 have improved weight capacities, better stability, and smarter locking mechanisms.
1. Stability When Unfolded
The most important feature is rock-solid stability when you’re pressing or rowing. Look for benches with wide rear feet, thick frames, and solid locking pins that prevent wobble.
2. Compact Folded Footprint
Measure how small the bench folds up. Can you slide it under your bed? Can it stand vertically against the wall? Some fold down to less than 8 inches thick.
3. Adjustable Angles
The best foldable benches offer multiple back pad settings, including flat, incline, and upright. Some even offer decline options, though these may sacrifice stability in ultra-compact designs.
4. Weight Capacity
Don’t settle for cheap benches with low weight limits. Aim for at least a 600 lb capacity to handle your bodyweight and barbell/dumbbell loads safely.
This is a top-tier folding bench that combines premium build quality with compact storage. It folds to stand vertically without wall anchors. It’s stable, versatile, and has a 700 lb weight capacity.
Pros: Stable, compact vertical storage, wide adjustability
Cons: More expensive than entry-level options
Flybird’s updated 2025 model has improved locking pins and better stability. It folds nearly flat for easy storage and is perfect for small spaces. Best for light to moderate lifters.
Pros: Very affordable, ultra-compact when folded
Cons: Lower weight capacity (around 600 lb), thinner padding
This bench supports flat, incline, and upright positions. It folds almost completely flat and is ideal for apartment dwellers who need to tuck it away after workouts.
Pros: Quick fold, solid back support, budget-friendly
Cons: Narrower than some premium benches
Pairing a foldable bench with adjustable dumbbells for small spaces is the perfect combination. You can set up a compact gym in your living room or bedroom, hit full upper body workouts, then slide everything out of the way in under a minute.
If you plan to add a foldable squat rack later, make sure your bench can fit inside or under the rack footprint when folded. Some foldable benches even work with portable squat stands for a super flexible gym setup.
One client of mine lives in a 500-square-foot apartment. She used the REP AB-4100 bench and Bowflex SelectTech dumbbells to create a small but powerful home gym that takes up less than 15 square feet when folded and stored. She trains heavy three times per week and has had zero stability issues with her foldable setup.
Another client started with a budget Flybird bench but quickly upgraded when the thinner pad and slight wobble became noticeable as he got stronger. Investing in a higher quality folding bench from the start would have saved him that second purchase.
Cheaper foldable benches often cut corners with thin steel, loose locking mechanisms, or pads that break down quickly. If you’re lifting over 200 lb in pressing movements, avoid the super-budget benches unless you’re comfortable replacing them in a year or two.
Always check whether the bench meets your lifting goals today and where you’ll be in six months.
The best foldable benches for small apartment gyms in 2025 are stable, space-saving, and durable enough to handle real training. Don’t just buy the cheapest option—buy the one that fits your space and will last as you get stronger.
If you’re unsure which bench fits your gym and your goals, get matched with a coach who has helped apartment lifters build compact, effective setups that actually work in real life.
Let a coach design your perfect small-space gym. Click here to get matched with a coach.