If you have spent some time in the gym you are certainly familiar with the weight bench. Just like normal sit-ups, these have some additional features designed to optimize your workout at home. They come in a variety of designs and qualities that vary from brand to brand. In this guide, we will help you choose the best weight bench to buy for home workouts.
What type of weight bench can I buy?
You did not expect there was more than one, right? Well, there are four main types of weight benches.
– Adjustable bench
– Flat bench
– Olympic bench
– Specialized bench
Adjustable weight bench
Adjustable weight benches typically have a frame designed with one or two different types of mechanisms to adjust them. The setting level range provides you with a wide variety of training. An adjustable bench will serve you both for dumbells and bars. It is great for beginners, but while it is not the most recommended for persons who can lift hundreds of pounds, it can withstand a lot and be combined with multistation machines.
You can recline or tilt it a lot. So you can stay with a chair-type bodybuilding bench for shoulder workouts, or also decline it all together to touch the lower part of the chest. It is the most commonly bought bench to do fitness at home.
Flat bench
This second type is much more direct but is a very popular choice for beginners and those who train only strength. If you just want to focus on exercises like flat bench pressing, it is the ideal choice. Its fixed position ensures more stability.
Apart from this, a flat weight bench also has less distance from the ground. This guarantees a lower center of gravity than that declinable/inclined bench so you have more security. They are also easier to carry from one place to another.
Olympic bench (with support)
An Olympic weight bench is a popular choice for advanced trainers for both home gyms and commercial uses for several reasons. The first thing is it has a small rack. This makes it possible to support the bar and you do not have to buy a stand apart. Apart from this, it also removes the need for people to move it to adapt it. Something negative would be that some are fixed as to their resting.
Like the flat bench, the Olympic bench is very reliable and also require almost no maintenance. Other benefits may be the simple fact of being able to leave supported your Olympic bar and depending on what you spend, it also comes with storage of discs and weights.
Specialist benches
With these, you can train specific muscle groups. A clear example would be to do biceps curls, or quadriceps and legs stretches in general. Bodybuilding benches of this type are perfect for insulation of some muscles, but they cost a little more than conventional ones.
Benefits of the gym bench
Before the invention of this accessory, the most common way to train chest was simply being stretched on the floor. But with the bench, you have more angle to touch your chest, so you work more fully. Here are some more benefits.
Focus on different angles of muscles
The hyperextension in different exercises with weights is sure of the most difficult parts of a training. The weight bench helps you to keep your posture straight. This strengthens your back and improves torso stability while training. Some exercises are difficult to complete in full because of the poor flexibility of the muscles. Sitting instead of standing allows greater access to these muscles, for example for delts workouts with dumbells.
Various purposes
Bodybuilding benches are not just sitting and weight machines. You can also give them other purposes that make you have a much wider range of exercises. For example, step-ups, inclined and declined flexions, calisthenics, etc.
Great for both beginners and advanced trainers
For people who are new to weight training and want to find a way to maintain both the posture, technique, and breathing, the weight bench will be all they need. While you may not want to buy any other bodybuilding machine, the bench is the main one.
Even if it is just for the basics to do fitness at home, if you are intermediate or advanced you will also need some kind of bench. Again, you can do things standing or on the ground, but the range of motion will be quite reduced, and your support and stability will be greatly affected.
What to consider to buy the best weight bench?
Some of these features may be overlooked when you see some design or price that catches your eye. Keep the followings in mind and you will make a good purchase.
Quality of production
You want to invest in a weight bench that has a good build quality. This ensures that it has stability rather than an unstable adjustment mode. Look at those made of steel. Also once you get into the product look at the manufacturer’s specifications, to see what weight capacity you have to see if it falls within your range. Not only your body weight but also add what you want to carry to exercise.
Bench style
The weight benches can be divided into two general categories, apart from the four mentioned above. Those of utility and those that have racks.
A model that fall in the first selection is just a weight bench without weight support. Most of these are adjustable or flat. They are accustomed to being used only for exercises with dumbbells. They are also the ones that cost less since they do not require so much material to make them. Note that they are not for powerlifters. That is, do not put 200kg in the bar with these if you are not a professional since your health would be harmed in this case.
On the other hand, those bodybuilders that have a rack are much better for those weightlifters who lift many pounds. These users will usually use more bars than anything else. This gives more stability since the movements are basic or compound, and the supports for the bench offer this type of support that is lacking in others. These can be fixed on the floor or separated. The seconds are more versatile and can also be used for dumbbells, squats or combine.
Used space
If you compare it to any multistation machine, you will see that the weight bench needs little space for you to place it and start using it. Some models can be folded down to a really small size. You can already imagine that the types that come with support for the bar takes much more space than the utility ones, and are not as easy to store as one would wish.
Adjustments
If you want to have a more effective workout, then consider an adjustable bench. We recommend those that have several adjustment angles. This will allow you to do your exercises flat, incline or decline at will to train your muscles in a wider range.
By adjusting it and adding angles, you also have more variety of exercises to challenge you a little more. They are really effective. In addition, while it is true that this gym bench cannot hold so much, equally it can hold out a lot.
Upholstery and fabric
Seat cushioning also plays an important role. One that is not the right one can have repercussions not only for your comfort but also for your injuries. Make sure that the weight bench you buy is at least one inch thick so you can do the exercises in a more pleasant way. Another thing that seems silly is making sure it is stitched. It is the best against wear.
Safety in training
As previously mentioned, those with racks offer more safety for weight training. This is so for the security they offer. If you want to basically use bars and dumbbells we can tell you that this is a good option and that it pays to pay the difference. You will not want to drop the barbell on your chest.