Odyssey Bench Mat Review: What 208 Verified Buyers Actually Say

Most product reviews are written by someone who used the thing for a week. This one is different: it is built from the 208 reviews lifters left on the Odyssey Bench Mat product page through Judge.me, the review app that marks verified buyers. We read all of them and sorted them into the themes that keep coming up, including the two 4-star reviews, because a 4.98 average only means something if you know what the people who were not fully sold said.

The headline number

4.98 out of 5 across 208 reviews. No 1, 2 or 3-star reviews. Two 4-star reviews, both quoted below. Everything else is 5 stars.

Theme 1: commercial gym benches stop being a problem

The single most common story is a lifter in a commercial gym with a slick, worn pad who had been sliding on every heavy set. Several name the gym.

One of my biggest issues training at bodybuilding/commercial gyms is slipping off the bench, this bench makes that impossible. Love the product and definitely recommend!

My local gym (Goodlife) has the worst benches ever brooooo sucks to bench on these. This mat fixes everything for me absolute game changer

Originally bought this to see if it lives up to the hype, it does. Best purchase I've ever made and it's completely glued me to poor commercial gym benches, as someone who doesn't have access to comp benches etc this helps tremendously and I would recommend it to anyone

When I use this bench mat my bench feels like a comp bench, this is exactly what I was looking for worth every dollar!!

Theme 2: leg drive finally goes into the bar

The mat does one mechanical job: it holds your upper back so your leg drive pushes the bar instead of pushing you up the bench. Lifters describe it in their own words.

This bench mat is crazy sticky and keeps me locked in the whole time. It lets me really maximize my leg drive without worrying about sliding, so my setup feels tighter and more controlled.

This bench mat is so grippy and I feel so much more comfortable using strong leg drive while using it!

From someone who goes to a commercial gym and used bands and yoga mats for years. The odyssey bench mat is a complete and utter game changer. Bands don't even compare, the bench mat is insanely grippy. No amount of leg drive can make it slip.

Love this bench mat, it's so grippy, and I can actually arch on a commercial gym bench now

Theme 3: it replaces chalk on the bench

A lot of buyers used to chalk the pad or their shirt. Most gyms hate that, and it stops working once the chalk rubs off.

I used to put chalk all over the bench because I would slip on my heavier lifts. The second I tried out this bench mat it was a night and day difference! I cannot recommend this enough.

Amazing product. Great if youre tired of chalking up the bench ever set or need extra grip

Love this bench mat makes any bench ultra grippy just like I like it! I highly recommend this if you want to have better leg drive

Theme 4: PRs

We do not promise a stronger bench. A mat removes a leak, it does not add muscle. Still, a lot of reviews mention numbers, so here they are as written.

Hit my first ever 400+ bench with this. Highly recommend, it's got crazy grip and I like this much better compared to using chalk, especially in commercial gyms.

Been using it for over 3 months now, I've secured 9 Pr's with it. Enough said.

Hit a 15lbs PR with this bench mat it's so good

Absolutely love it, shipping was very quick and hit a new Pr with it within a week of it coming

The two 4-star reviews

Both are useful, and both agree with how we describe the product.

I like the product a lot, I can see how it would be useful but sadly my technique is not right so the difference I notice is small but noticeable. If I used more leg drive I can see how this may can serve a greater purpose for all lifters, I recommend it if you're a power lifter!

Good quality mat works for pretty much any bench

Lauren's point is the honest limit of a bench mat: if you are not driving your legs yet, there is not much force leaking into the pad to stop. Learn the setup first, and the mat pays off more. Our bench press setup guide covers that.

Who should buy one, who should not

• Buy it if you bench in a commercial gym, you arch, you sweat through your shirt, or you train on different benches week to week and want the same setup every time.
• Skip it if you bench on a competition bench with a fresh grippy pad and never slide. Film a heavy set from the side first: if your upper back does not move toward the head of the bench, you do not have the problem this fixes.

What the mat is

A thin, lay-flat grip surface made from Advanced Grip Polymer. It sits on the pad under your upper back, is not strapped or glued to anything, packs flat in a gym bag, and works on flat barbell bench, incline and dumbbell press. It has been tested by 700 lb+ benchers and ships from our US warehouse with a 90-day money-back guarantee. Full details, all 208 reviews and current pricing are on the Odyssey Bench Mat page; the bench mats collection has the Icarus edition and multi-mat packs.

Odyssey Products is a Canadian company based in Ottawa, run by lifters. If you want the mechanics rather than the reviews, read does a bench mat help your bench press and how to choose a bench mat.