I tried Primal’s Personal Series HIIT Bench and it might just be the best investment for your home gym setup

Primal’s Personal Series HIIT Bench is one of the best pieces of equipment you can get if your goal is to build serious strength and muscle at home – period.

I’ve said it time and time again: an adjustable weight bench and a pair of dumbbells are two of the smartest investments you can make for your home gym setup. However, you may find yourself presented with a problem – once dumbbells start feeling too light, you’re forced to buy a heavier pair, then another, and another. Before you know it, your living room looks like a start-up gym and your wallet has taken a big hit.

The Primal Personal Series HIIT Bench solves this problem, as not only does the bench feature an adjustable back rest – so you can hit your muscles from multiple angles – it comes equipped with two 40kg adjustable dumbbells that store neatly underneath. It’s your all-in-one strength training solution that saves space, but does it hold its own when it comes to training? Read on to find out…

Primal Personal Series HIIT Bench review: price and availability

The Personal Series HIIT Bench is now available at Primal Strength UK for the recommended retail price of £1029.99. However, for a limited time, it’s available at a special launch price, giving you the chance to save big while upgrading your training setup. It is also available in the US, however, inquiries have to be made directly at Primal US for purchases.

If you’re looking for just a bench or a pair of adjustable dumbbells, both items can also be bought separately. The bench is available to buy for £515.99 and the dumbbells are available for £599.99.

Primal Personal Series HIIT Bench review: specification

• Dimensions: 109cm (L) x 44cm (H)
• Weight: 39.7kg
• Pad thickness: 4cm
• Max weight capacity: 300kg
• Wheels: Yes

Primal Personal Series HIIT Bench review: set up

The only assembling required was setting up the 40kg adjustable dumbbells, as the HIIT Bench arrived at our testing HQ fully assembled. The bench is extremely heavy and comes in a very large box, so an extra pair of hands is advised.

I managed to unbox it myself by carefully tipping the box on its side, sliding the box out from underneath the bench, and then tipping the bench back to its upright position. It was then easy to maneuver around, thanks to the built-in wheels.

I’m pretty hopeless at DIY tasks, but setting up the adjustable dumbbells was easy, thanks to the straightforward instructions. It took me around 10-15 minutes to piece them together and secure the dumbbell base into the little trays that slide out from underneath the weight bench. Altogether, you’re looking at around 30 minutes to get everything set up, then you’re good to go!

Primal Personal Series HIIT Bench review: design and build quality

The quality of this bench, and accompanying dumbbells, is top-tier. As with many of Primal’s products, the bench has a very sleek, minimalist design, so that it’ll look good in a variety of home gym setups. The bench frame is constructed from high-grade steel and the 4cm pad that sits on top is dense, yet still comfortable and made from rip-resistant PU leather. On either side of the bench you’ll also find two sliding metal trays to neatly store your dumbbells when not in use.

The adjustable back and seat pad are standout features on this bench, as many HIIT benches on the market aren’t adjustable at all. While you can still get a decent workout with a flat bench, being able to adjust it to different heights allows you to have a more versatile workout and target different muscle groups more effectively.

The adjustable dumbbells are crafted from solid cast iron with a grippy knurled metal handle, and finished with double-layer matte black paint coating. They’re the heaviest adjustable dumbbells we’ve ever tested, ranging from 6kg to 40kg, each. Selecting your desired weight is easy – just rotate the dial at the end of the handle until you hear a satisfying ‘snap’ that locks your chosen weight into place.

According to Primal, the dumbbells can also withstand being dropped from heights up to 80cm. We’ll take their word for it, as although we’re confident the dumbbells would survive, we’re not too sure your floor would.

Primal Personal Series HIIT Bench review: portability

Thanks to the wheels on the front and sides of the weight bench, it’s incredibly easy to maneuver it around on smooth flooring. There’s no need to lift it off the floor, you can simply just push it to your desired workout spot. Underneath the back pad is a red handle that you can pull up and down to release the wheels and lock them into place – very important to do if you don’t want to go flying mid box jumps.

Primal Personal Series HIIT Bench review: my experience

I put the bench through a range of strength exercises, including bench and incline presses, dumbbell pullovers, rows, Bulgarian split squats, step-ups, and even box jumps – and it held up solidly across the board.

The backrest offers eight adjustable positions and the seat has three, which allowed me to dial in the perfect angle for various chest and shoulder presses. The pad’s width also provided a solid, stable base to generate power during lifts, while also offering plenty of room for confident foot placement during step-ups and box jumps.

Speaking of box jumps, the bench didn't budge once (thank god), it just made a bit of a noise during landing, understandably. It was also a good height (for me) for Bulgarian split squats, however, I do feel it could be slightly too high for some people. Incline chest-supported rows also weren’t ideal, as the dumbbells would knock into the sides of the backrest – so I stuck to single-arm ones instead.

It’s also worth noting there isn’t a lot of scope for optimal foot placement during upper body exercises, due to the rectangular shape of the bench. Although, I didn’t have this problem and I’d say it only really applies to serious lifters.

The dumbbells massive weight variety – from 6 to 40kg and go up in 4.5kg increments – allows plenty of room for progressive overload across upper and lower body exercises. While these larger jumps may be too much for beginners, they’re ideal for intermediate to experienced lifters. The knurled handles provided solid grip, and one end of either dumbbell is flat, so they felt comfortable resting on my knees when setting up for upper body exercises. The only issue I found was one of the dumbbell trays that slides out from underneith the bench was very stiff, which made quick weight changes between supersets a bit tricky.

There's also another small space underneith the bench where you could easily store a box of additional equipment, like resistance bands, a foam roller, or even recovery kit, like a massage gun.

Primal Personal Series HIIT Bench review: Verdict

The Primal Personal Series HIIT Bench is a beasty bit of kit and a worthwhile investment for any home gym. It’s extremely well built yet compact, the adjustable backrest gives you great scope for a variety of different upper body exercises and with those 40kg dumbbells you’ll be well on your way to making some serious strength gains. It’s not cheap, but for those looking to train from home, I think it’s totally worth it. Plus, those 40kg adjustable dumbbells will replace you having to buy quite a few pairs so, actually, I think it's good value.