Tib Bar Guy Apex Ecosystem Review

In this The Tib Bar Guy Apex Ecosystem review I’m gonna give you an in-depth review of everything that comes with it.

They call this the “The Most Advanced Weight Bench Ecosystem” for home gyms because of the 25+ machines it replaces.

I went over to The Tib Bar Guy headquarters to test out everything on this beast. Keep in mind this is in pre-production and improvements are being made.

With that being said, here’s my review of The Tib Bar Guy Apex adjustable bench and all attachments.

What Is The Tib Bar Guy Apex Ecosystem?

The Tib Bar Guy Apex Ecosystem is a complete training system built around The Tib Bar Guy’s APEX adjustable bench.

You can mix and match attachments depending on your training needs and replace multiple machines that take up too much floor space.

With 10 attachments to choose from, this is one I’m very excited to test out.

RELATED: Freak Athlete ABX Bench Review

The Tib Bar Guy Ecosystem

Apex Adjustable Bench

I’m gonna start with the center of this entire ecosystem: the Apex bench.

It’s an FID bench weighing in at 105 lbs, 11-gauge steel, commercial grade foam, grippy vinyl, and knurled knobs, so it’s well built.

Now I’ll show you some things that The Tib Bar Guy is doing different than most benches…

Three Ports

First, the frame has a triple port system (one in the front and two in the back) where different attachments can be inserted.

I’ve never seen any other bench with 3 ports but this bench also has 10 attachments, which most don’t.

Really smart design because it doesn’t take anything away from the bench and gives the user more options.

Retractable Band Pegs

These pieces are optional but they’ve added retractable band pegs that slide out of the hind leg.

All benches will come standard with the band peg slots in case people want to upgrade later.

The heads are magnetized so when they are hidden they don’t slide out.

I personally like using these when I tested doing banded dips and pull ups but they can be used in many other ways.

Fold Out Handles

This hidden feature is one I’ll show you in more detail when I get to the leg developer section.

It’s a flip down handle below the seat so that I can hang on when doing lying leg curls.

I like that it’s stealthy and out of the way when I don’t need it.

27 Angles

The Apex has a ton of angles for the back pad (17 in total) and they range from – 10 to 85 degrees.

Why would I need that many angles, you ask? It’s because of the wide variety of attachment options the bench has.

The seat pad has 10 angles ranging from – 20 to 30 degrees.

I like the negative seat pad settings when doing Nordic curl regressions (I’ll show you that soon)

NOTE: Some of the attachments below will be compatible with other weight benches like the Rep Nighthawk and Rep Blackwing.

The Tib Bar Guy Apex Ecosystem Attachments

Apex Leg Extension / Leg Curl Machine

The Apex leg developer can be used with several forms of resistance…

I can use it plate loaded, with a cable machine or functional trainer (the cable attachment is extra), and it has built-in band pegs to attach resistance bands.

And it has a double weight horn for those who really like to load up on leg extensions.

I have the Rep Nighthawk bench but don’t have their leg developer yet to compare it to Apex’s.

I’m gonna start from the bottom and work my way to the top to show you all the features on the leg developer.

First off, there’s two wheels at the front.

The leg developer only weighs 48 lbs but it’s awkward to lift so this makes it much easier to move around.

Built-In Band Pegs

Right behind the wheels you start to see the first band pegs.

These are welded on so they already come included with the leg developer.

By the way, the end caps next to the right of the band peg will be metal on the final version.

Here’s the other band peg towards the back of the leg developer.

There’s two horizontal and two vertical band pegs on each side.

And right above that, you can see they’re using an aluminum pulley for the cable attachment so cable exercises feel super smooth.

Here’s an example of how I ran a resistance band through the band pegs.

I anchored the band on the first vertical peg, then ran it above that one, came down to the back peg, then to the front and anchored it to the weight horn.

This of course can vary based on the thickness of the resistance band you use.

Here’s what lying leg curls look like when with the resistance bands.

One thing to note, is that the band pegs have plastic rollers on them so the bands don’t get damaged due to friction.

I can see myself using this to warm up but also in combination with plates or a cable machine to make the exercises harder at the top.

Dual Weight Horns

Next up is the dual weight horns…

These are 7″ long and chrome so they don’t get scratched easily.

Adjustable Leg Rollers

The leg extension rollers are thick and comfortable but they will be a bit thicker for the final version.

As it is they’re already positioned in a way where I get a good pre-stretch at the beginning of leg extensions so adding more padding will increase that.

These leg extension rollers are easily adjustable to 6 height positions.

The leg curl rollers are adjusted at the top and have 8 positions to choose from.

Just the other rollers, these have the same thickness and comfortable padding.

And the thigh pads are flat and lined with the same grippy vinyl as the bench.

From this view you can also see the handles which are knurled.

Leg Curl Handles

Here’s a closer look at the flip down handles under the seat pad.

I’m showing you with the bench standing up so that you can get a better view of how they work.

Here’s another view in real action while doing lying leg curls.

When I’m done with leg curls, I flip the handles back to a horizontal position and they’re out of the way.

And here’s what the cable system attachment looks like…

It connects to a cable machine, goes through the aluminum pulley, and connects to mag pin on the leg developer.

Apex Barrett Belt Squat Machine

The Barrett belt squat attachment is the one I was most excited to test out of the entire ecosystem.

This attachment works together with the back pad spine to create a long lever which is super smart.

A long lever reduces the forward pull seen with short lever arms and allows me to feel more of the actual loaded weight.

This one connects to the port on the back pad and works with the -10 angle on the bench so that I can get go ass to grass for full depth belt squats.

What I really like about it, is that it doesn’t take up a ton of space since the bench pad makes up the majority of the lever arm.

I’m gonna break down all the parts so you can see how it works…

Kickstand

The kickstand is spring loaded and has a small knurled handle.

Using the kickstand is straight forward, I push the handle down to get the kickstand up and pull it up to get the kickstand down.

Here’s what the kickstand looks like when it’s supporting the attachment.

Now I’ll show you the top part of the Barrett belt squat…

Knurled Magnetic Pins

Both the handle and weight horn are folded down and locked in place with knurled mag pins.

The mag pins keep them in place so they’re not flopping around when the attachment is folded.

I pull out the mag pin, stand the weight horn up, and use the mag pin again to lock it in place.

Current weight horn is 15.5″ long but they will be making it longer so there’s more room to load it up.

And the other mag pin is for the handle.

This one I can insert in different positions depending on the angle I want to use for the handle.

After I pick the angle, I insert the mag pin to lock it in place.

Then I select the height of the handle with the pop pin below it.

There’s a chrome rod at the end of the attachment to secure the belt squat belt.

FYI, they are including a belt with the attachment so it’s all ready to use.

66″ Lever Arm

Now here’s what makes this different than rack mounted belt squats.

Including the back pad, it uses a 66″ long lever arm! The longest lever arm I’ve seen on a rack mounted belt squat, is 47.5″ on the Fringe Sport Mammoth belt squat.

The longer lever arm matters because I can feel more of the weight I load and it creates less of an arch so there’s less forward pull.

I can also use the belt squat with the Apex Hybrid board (I’ll show you more details about this slant board later).

The slant board has a cut out in the middle so it avoid hitting the kickstand.

This way I can do heel elevated belt squats and calf raises.

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Check out the video above that I posted on my Instagram where I show how the Barrett belt squat works.

Overall, I’m impressed on the design of the attachment and how good the exercises feel.

I show three exercises but this can do just about any lever arm exercise you can come up with.

Apex Matrix Machine

The Apex Matrix machine is a unique attachment that can be used for both upper and lower body exercises.

For the lower body, I can use this for sissy squats, split squats, and dynamic hip thrusts.

And I remove the footplate to use it as a preacher curl bench.

Here’s what it looks like from the side…

I can use this one on the upper and lower port of the bench.

It’s also height adjustable and uses a sundial with a special pop pin that can be set to the unlocked position for free rotation when doing hip thrusts.

First I’ll show you the lower body exercises.

For this I connect the Matrix Machine to the bottom port on the hind leg of the bench.

Then secure it in place with the pop pin right above the port.

Sissy Squats

Then I can move the leg rollers closer or further from the pad with the pop pin in front of them.

This lets me anchor my legs down tightly when I’m doing sissy squats.

The base of the foot plate is also line with grip tape so I’m don’t shift around while exercising.

Once my legs are locked in, I can set the angle of the bench to -10 for full range of motion sissy squats…

Or I can bring it up to zero if I want to do something more like a box squats where my butt taps the top of the bench.

Now it’s time to remove the footplate portion to use it for other exercises.

This is easily done by pulling a pop pin and I’m left with the big pad that I can use for hip thrusts, split squats, and preacher curls.

Now I’m gonna give you an up close look at the locking and dynamic mechanism of this pad.

Dynamic Hip Thrusts

Right behind the pad there’s a sundial and the pop pin is spring loaded but I can also lock it in place so that the sundial rotates freely.

If you look at the picture above, the pic on the left shows a small metal peg in a groove. This allows the pop pin to go through the sundial and lock it.

The pic on the right shows the peg outside of the groove. This keeps the pop pin out of the sundial holes and gives it free motion.

Here’s a video of what I mean just in case I lost you.

When I pull the pin out and twist it, the metal peg can’t go back in the groove so now the sundial and pad are free to rotate.

With the rotating feature I can do dynamic hip thrusts where the pad is moving along with my body.

This is similar to what the AbMat pivot pad does so it replaces a hip thrust machine.

Split Squats

When I want to do Bulgarian splits squats, I unlock the pop pin so that it locks the sundial in place.

Now it becomes a static pad where I can throw my leg on top for support.

Preacher Curl Bench

To use the Matrix Machine as a full size preacher curl bench, I insert it to the port on top and lock it to a 45 degree angle (or whatever angle you like).

It comes with a hook attachment for the barbell to rest on right below the pad.

FYI, the hooks will extend further out than the pic you see above.

The hooks make it easier to reach the barbell before my set.

Then when I’m done, I just set it down on the hooks.

Apex Stryker Pad

The Apex Stryker pad is an attachment with a small pad on a sundial with pop pins.

I’ve used similar rack attachments (Exponent Edge Infinity Arm) and they’re versatile because of all the positions of the pad.

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One of the most popular uses for these are seal rows but it can also be used as a half bench, for chest supported cable rows, and single arm preacher curls.

Half Bench (Utility Bench)

I can anchor the Stryker pard on either end of the bench.

Depending on the exercise and how much space I need away from the pad, I can change the direction the the pad faces.

Notice how the pop pin is on a small “neck” that sticks out from the vertical post.

This creates space for exercises like seal rows so that I space for the barbell to travel without hitting the bench or pad.

With the Stryker pad in the vertical position, I can do exercises that I can’t do on a regular back pad.

This half bench or utility bench set up gives me room for my head and upper back to lean back for overhead exercises like dumbbell triceps extensions.

One of my favorite exercises to do with a half bench is the seated military press.

The Stryker pad gives my head room move back just enough so that the barbell travels straight down and I can move my nose out of the way.

I can also flip the pad to the other end of the bench for seated cable rows.

Now I’ll show you some exercises with the neck turned in the opposite direction…

Seal Rows

Here’s what that looks like.

And of course, I can change the angle of the Stryker pad from a flat to a vertical position with the sundial.

My favorite way to use the “neck out” set up is with seal rows using a barbell.

This gives me full range of motion where the bar is not touching the floor or the pad.

And of course, I can use dumbbells too.

Single Arm Preacher Curls

Then I can angle the Stryker pad to about 45 degrees for single arm preacher curls.

People have asked me why this wasn’t integrated into the back pad and that’s because of the belt squat feature.

If the back pad had a flip down portion, it would create an extra joint, weakening the long lever used in the belt squat so it would decrease the weight capacity.

Apex Hybrid Board

I mostly like everything they did with the Hybrid Board…

It’s a slant board with a center cutout (so the belt squat attachment doesn’t touch) and the backside can be used as a calf block.

But I’m not a big fan of the attached single leg anterior tib attachments… I personally wouldn’t use those much.

Here’s a side view of the Hybrid Board so you can see the 20 angle better.

It also has a rounded back which I like better than corners for calf raises.

And you can see the arms for anterior tibialis raises.

This is what the back side looks like.

You can see the pads for tib raises and a handle on the back of the slant board.

The roller pads here are not thick but you really can’t load much weight for tib raises so they work for this exercise.

I’d use the slant board mainly for heel elevated squats and calf raises.

For squats, the slant eliminates ankle dorsiflexion restrictions so I can go deeper on a squat and targets more of my quads.

I do like the round backside for calf raises.

This feels more natural than doing them on an edge and the grip tape keeps me from sliding.

And as far as the anterior tib raises go, this is an exercise I wouldn’t do.

I’d like if the slant board with the cutout was sold by itself without the anterior tib arms.

Apex Power Tower

The Apex Power Tower attachment is a 2-in-1 attachment: dip station and pull up bar.

Calisthenics have always been a part of my training programs so this is one I’m definitely interested in.

With the pull up attachment being tall, stability is something I’m gonna be paying attention to.

Dip Station

First I’ll show you the dip attachment.

It has thick handles which I like and it can also be used facing away for leg raises.

They include a pad in between the handles but I don’t find it necessary.

Stability for weighted dips feels really good.

The dip bars do sit kinda high so I had to start from the ladder.

They did mention they were going to include a step to make it easier to hop on the dip bars.

I can also use resistance bands for the dips and attach them to the band pegs.

Next I’ll show you the attachment to turn the dip bar into a pullup bar…

Pullup Bar

Here’s what it looks like…

It’s angled out similar to the Stryker pad to give me room so I don’t hit the back of the bench.

This is what it looks like when both pieces are connected.

All it takes is a pop pin and tension knob combo to keep them in place.

This is what it looks like once I got them on the bench.

At it’s highest position, the top is about 7 feet tall.

It is also height adjustable and it has laser cut numbers that can be seen through a small window.

Here’s what weighted pullups look like…there is a little bit of movement but for the most part it feels stable and doesn’t throw me off.

One thing I noticed while doing weighted pullups with a pronated grip, is that the weight plate hit the back of the bench when I had it in between my legs.

So I had to turn it so that it sit on my thighs to solve that problem. Banded pullups also feel really good on here.

ALSO CHECKOUT: Powerblock Powerbench 2.0 review

Apex Nordic Max

The Apex Nordic Max is an attachment with 4 uses: (1) Nordic bench, (2) footplate for seated rows, (3) lap bar for lat pulldowns, and (4) splits squats.

Seated row footplate and lap bar are two that I’d definitely use for back days.

For Nordic curls, this uses a combination of partial and full range of motion Nordics.

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Check out the video above where I show these exercises.

I have a feeling a lot of people are gonna love the seated cable row footplate conversion because currently there’s not many options available.

Dual Knee Pads

The Nordic Max includes two separate knee pads that can be split in half or used together like the regular seat pad.

I tried using it like a regular seat pad and didn’t even feel the crack in the middle.

The whole purpose of the split pads is so that I can move them apart and I can keep my knees.

With the regular seat pad, I’d have to bring my knees closer together so that I don’t slip off the pad while doing Nordics.

After I attach the split pads, setting them apart and putting them back together is simple.

All I do is pull on a pop pin under each pad and the pad slides to the sides. I repeat the same thing on the other side.

If I wanna use it like a regular seat pad, then I do the opposite.

Nordic Curls

Here’s the setup for Nordic curls.

I have the knee pads separated from each other and the Nordic Max connected to the port.

The bench can be used for partial Nordic curls (where I don’t go through full range of motion) and for full range of motion Nordics.

Any back pad angle starting at 25 degrees and above becomes a partial Nordic curl.

I personally don’t like partials but they’re a good start for beginners.

From 20 degrees and under, I can do full range of motion Nordic curls like you above.

This is set at 20 degrees so I’m doing a full range of motion Nordic but it’s at an incline so it’s regressed.

Split Squats

For split squats, I decline the seat pad so that the leg rollers are too high.

Lat Pulldowns

And this also works as a lap bar for lat pulldowns.

The rollers are height adjustable so I just get them high enough so I can squeeze my thighs under them.

Only thing about this one is that any weight selected above my bodyweight can lift the bench up slightly.

So if I go real heavy I have to throw some weight plates on the bench to keep it down.

Seated Cable Rows

Now it’s time to switch the Nordic Max upside down and turn it into a seated cable row footplate.

This is one I can definitely use because I don’t have a footplate in my garage gym setup.

It takes about 5 seconds to flip it upside down and lock it in place.

By flipping it I get the leg rollers out of the way of the cable.

And this is what the seated cable rows look like with the footplate.

This is one attachment I’d pick up just for this exercise.

Apex Ab Trainer

Ab attachments are common with most adjustable benches but the Apex Ab Trainer has handles for leg raises.

Smart design where I can incline the bench, flip the attachment around, and use the handles to hang and hit my core from a different angle.

Here’s the setup for decline sit ups.

I can go real steep or do them at a lower angle.

For the steep angles I use the support arm handles as a step.

Watch the video above so you can see how I get up, do some reps, then get back down using the handles as a step.

Feels stable just like when I was doing dips.

Now it’s time to switch it around so the handles are facing the bench.

This way I can hang on the handles for hanging leg raises.

This is what it looks like now…

I hang on to both handles with my head on the pads so I can hang as high as possible.

And here’s what the hanging leg raises look like.

Stability is good but I do have to split my legs open at the bottom to avoid the seat pad.

No big deal though, doesn’t take anything away from the exercise.

Again, nothing crazy about the ab attachment but I do like that they attached handles to it to get one more exercise out of it.

READ NEXT: SledTred Reviews

Apex Landmine

The Apex Landmine uses the bench’s lower port to anchor down at the bottom.

Once attached, I can do any landmine exercise and the bench’s weight stabilizes it so it’s not moving around.

The landmine attachment connects to the bottom port with a pop pin.

Super easy to set up and it provides protection for the barbell from the inside.

For the final version, the tension knob will be removed, the inside lined with plastic, and it will be cushioned at the bottom so the end of the barbell does not come in direct contact with the metal sleeve.

Here I’m showing you how it swivels in all directions just like other landmine attachments.

Full 180 degrees of motion in all directions.

I wanted to see how the bench held up when doing explosive exercises and it did well.

Didn’t notice any movement at all.

For those who like doing landmine exercises, this is provides a secure way to anchor down.

My Thoughts On The Tib Bar Guy Apex Ecosystem

There’s lots that I’m excited about this new Apex bench and I had tons of fun testing it and reviewing it.

I spent 13 hours going through each attachment and gathering as much information as possible while providing feedback for the final version.

The one I’m most excited about is the belt squat attachment but the ecosystem has plenty of attachments for anyone regardless of training style.