Weight Bench Buyer’s Guide
In the current modern world, a lot goes around and keeping fit may often appear at the bottom of your to-do list. I mean unfinished workloads, household chores, weekend outings with the kids among others. For the corporate guys, in particular, the pressure of meeting workplace declines and managing personal tasks can be incredibly overwhelming and demanding such that you’re once active life turns sedentary. In addition to stuffing yourself with tons of takeaway junk foods, leading a healthy life has become a challenging endeavor for most of us.
As a result, home-based workouts have become the order of the day since visiting the gym is not as easy as it was a few decades ago. However, training at home isn’t that straightforward as it requires serious investment in dozens of fitness tools. While this can prove to be quite expensive for the majority, there is one specific accessory that you cannot afford to lack for your daily routines. A weight bench!
Fortunately for you, there are several models of weight benches to choose from. But getting the right one is not that straight forward. Actually, there is a twist! I mean, there are a number of aspects to take into consideration. These take account of build quality, convenience, portability, design, upholstery quality and space it occupies.
For a debutant getting a hook around all these convoluted aspects is not a walk in the park and finding the best weight bench in the market can be a serious problem. Bearing this in mind, we have created a comprehensive Weight Bench Buyer’s Guide to help you make an informed verdict. Have a look!
Benefits of Weight Benches
Probably you’re wondering why exactly this equipment is so vital for successful workouts. Well, here is the truth buddy!
Weight benches are vital fitness tools and play a crucial role in any training program. Built with incredible precision, modern benches focus on enhancing a natural flow which guarantees a quick balanced muscle development. Inclusive of comprehensive padding for maximum cushion, and fine-tuning mechanism, a good weight bench allows full body movement thus enabling you to train at any angle. Its ingenious flexibility enables trainers to achieve any maneuver and target specific muscles while also reducing the risk of injury. Offering dozens of benefits, a weight bench is an iconic fitness tool that will boost your morale and help you attain your dream physique.
Looks as if we are asking you to blindly invest in this exercise equipment? Actually, we are not; here are some of the benefits to put into consideration.
- Versatility
A weight bench is an amazing workout tool with massive popularity among thousands of gym enthusiasts. Commonly employed as an effective training method, a weight bench is an incredibly versatile tool and a perfect option for a wide array of exercises. While these multi-purpose fitness machines are very flexible and feature intricate adjustment mechanisms, they present zero hindrances which allow trainers to center on various muscles. Ultimately, this makes a weight bench picture perfect equipment perfect for use in a myriad of purposes. For instance, an adjustable bench can be employed as a weight lifting platform for quick chest gains as well as offer support for free body exercises like press-ups. Upon increasing the angle of the incline the bench presents a whole new avenue ideal for completely different exercise maneuvers like calisthenics, and decline and inclines flexions.
In simple, a weight bench is a comprehensive package that will enable to achieve almost any move you can dream of.
- Convenience
Tired of the long commutes to the local gym? Well, with a weight bench you can do it all at the comfort of your home. While some exercise tricks necessitate exclusive tools and environments, a weight bench is a versatile fitness accessory that will surely save your time by providing most of the amenities available in a typical gym.
Besides providing a restful and safe platform for weight lifting exercises, this tool lets you accomplish most of your exercise plan at home thus reducing your time at the gym. While this offers the much-needed convenience for the working class, the idea of an easily accessible tool for your morning warm-ups is a deal breaker.
- Greatly enhances chest growth
Building a bulging chest and strong biceps may seem like a California dream especially if you have just started doing workouts. An epitome of modern weight lifters, chest gains is a slow and painful process more so if you are using classical equipment. But it doesn’t have to be always that way. With a weight bench, you can focus on your specific body muscles and significantly strengthen your chest muscles in no time.
Other Paybacks Include
- Ensures proper body posture especially for beginners
- Provides additional support and balance which enables trainers to seamlessly handle heavyweights
- A perfect fitness tool for working out specific muscles including the hard to reach ones
- Allows trainers to assume various angles which guarantee uniform muscle development and full body engagement
What to Look in a Good Weight Bench
Ultimately the choice of your weight bench boils down to your needs and penchants. Even so, by responding to a few critical queries, you place yourself in a better position to zero in on the best weight bench in the market. For example what size are you looking for? What level of portability are you anticipating? What fitness moves do you intend to achieve? How much weight will you be lifting? How much space are you willing to spare for the installation purposes? What are the specific styling and quality for your workouts? And finally how much flexibility would you prefer in your weight bench?
Luckily, this buyer’s guide is elaborate and comprehensive enough to assist you to respond to all of these queries.
- Portability
Space is at a premium in most modern households and if you are contemplating purchasing a weight bench, portability is a key aspect to put into consideration. I mean, with limited space you will have to put the equipment away when not in use and retrieve it as soon as you need it. Similarly even for those lucky to have spacious exercise rooms, choosing an easily movable bench is critical as it helps create additional training space as well as reduce chances of injury.
However, averaging at around 60 pounds, it is apparent that most of these fitness tools are significantly heavy and you will soon realize that weight benches are no easy pushover. Fortunately, some designs include tiny detachable in-built wheels that enable users to effortlessly roll them away. In addition to that, a foldable weight bench would be a great catch. After rolling them into position, these unique models let you fold them into smaller sizes perfect for storage in the closet. Others come with custom made storage cages and detachable parts that can be easily dismantled and assemble thus giving you a wide range of options when it comes to storage.
- Build quality
Build quality is an extremely imperative aspect you should think through before settling on a particular weight bench. I mean, your entire weight plus that of the training tools will be resting on the bench. Considering that, a good option should not only feature maximum stability but also offer improved structural strength.
To ensure that it is advisable to choose a high-capacity weight bench specifically one designed from steel. For a more definitive picture on the weight capacity of the product, shoppers are advised to evaluate producer specifications.
- Angle and adjustments
A good weight bench should be profound enough in terms of exercise diversity and effectiveness. With that, a tool loaded with numerous adjustment angles would be a great option. By doing so, you will not only be able to achieve a variety of workout techniques but also be get an opportunity to target specific muscles thus ensuring full body engagement.
- Used space
Of course, you are looking forward to a properly dimensioned weight bench that will comfortably accommodate your specific size and weight. Nevertheless, an oversized option would be a great turnoff especially for individuals interested in optimizing their workout spaces. In such a scenario, it is recommended to consider foldable designs complete with support bars.
- The fabric quality and cushioning
Strengthening your muscles and building a great physique isn’t an easy process. It requires total discipline and commitment to a workout plan. However, remaining faithful to a particular routine requires some sort of motivation. While attaining your dream figure is most likely the primary incentive, comfy exercise tools guarantee minimum body injury which enables trainers to keep committed to a specific fitness program.
As mentioned above weight benches are at the center of any exercise plan and choosing a quality option inclusive of quality fabric and sufficient cushioning is particularly important. Generally, a bench with good upholstery quality offers improved resistance to wear and tear. While products reinforced with leather covers complete with comprehensive stitching are typically considered the ultimate options, for exciting exercising experiences, proper padding is yet another important element to keep in mind.
Other Critical Aspects to Look for Include
- Weight Rating
- Bench Height
- Pad Firmness
- Bench Width
Top 4 Weight Bench Designs in 2019
The above factors should give you a profound glimpse of what exactly you are looking for. However considering the budget on the table and specific styles involved, here are 4 weight bench designs you can choose from.
A flat weight bench is arguably the oldest and the most basic design of its kind. An ideal choice for strength training, flat benches are very popular among novices as well as experts looking forward to boosting posture. Predominantly built with a basic approach, this machine provides a fully padded platform complete with a low center of gravity design and strong stable base support intended to offers maximum balance.
Additionally, its fixed position and lightweight structure provide enhanced stability and portability. If you are looking forward to simple but comprehensive workout sessions at a relatively cheaper budget, a flat bench would be a great choice.
Pros
- Offers improved stability
- Comes with comparatively lower price tags
- Enhanced portability
- Ideal for beginners
Cons
- No adjustments capabilities
- Very basic
Undeniably, adjustable weight benches are the epitome of modern fitness programs. Boasting of a comprehensive frame inclusive of 2 unique modification mechanisms, this highly evolved equipment offers a wide assortment of training maneuvers. A picture perfect machine that can be easily integrated with other fitness tools including bars and dumbells, to form an ample workout station; an adjustable bench will help build your desired physique in no time.
Unlike most of its counterparts, this outstanding equipment offers greater flexibility. I mean, by playing around with its advanced adjustment mechanism, you can quickly vary your incline angle-critical for targeting specific muscles including the unreachable ones. With its conformable design, this bench is a great tool for home-based fitness programs and recommended for both the experienced folks as well as beginners.
Pros
- Offers a wide assortment of exercises
- Integrates with other tools to perform intricate maneuvers
- The best option for home-based fitness programs
- Ensures various angles and adjustments
Cons
- Requires regular maintenance
- Not recommended to work with heavy loads
If you are looking for a weight bench that will give you a perfect blend of versatility and reliability, an Olympic bench is your prize. This particular fitness tool captures the flexibility of an adjustable bench and the intuition of a flat bench which culminates in a comprehensive workstation perfect for numerous drills.
Essentially, the Olympic weight bench comes with a strategically placed seat complete with flexible back support that lets you achieve various inclines when lifting weights critical for a quick uniform chest gain. In addition to that, the equipment also includes a second set of accessories which help trainers to strengthen both arms and leg muscles. Although targeting completely different body parts, incredibly the machine operates in utter unison, thanks to its precise design geometry.
An Olympic weight bench is a multipurpose tool and a popular option for commercial purposes as well as advanced home-based fitness programs.
Pros
- Very convenient and reliable
- Necessitates minimal maintenance
- Offers improved versatility
Cons
- Heavy and difficult to move around
A folding weight bench is a holistic and excellent investment for any household exercise program. Just like a typical bench, this agile fitness equipment enables you to lead a healthy lifestyle by allowing you to exercise at the comfort of your home. However, every folding bench has a number of cards hidden up its sleeve. Agility and flexibility and convenience!
If you are after a convenient fitness bench ideal for small space workouts and limited storage locations, a foldable weight bench would be a great choice. An advanced version of its predecessors, this exercise equipment is particularly popular for its ability to support a wide assortment of weight lifting techniques and support various body angles without sacrificing the element of compactness and portability.
Just as its name suggests, a folding weight bench can be easily collapsed into compact packages for stress-free storage. In addition to that, most of these unique tools usually come with a fairly lightweight structure ultimately making them more manageable when moving them around.
Pros
- Easy to store
- Very convenient in terms of portability
Cons
- Not very comprehensive
- In some models, the ultra-light structure may feature weak points under pressure
Conclusion
Just like a giant jigsaw puzzle, a weight bench stands at the heart of any fitness program. With this tool, you can build a substantial workout station with very few tools that will cover your entire exercise plan. While the above guide has provided all the insights you need to choose the right weight bench, by now you must have already figured out the exact equipment that suits your needs. Even so, it doesn’t hurt to revisit the pros and cons of each of these weight benches just to make sure you have got it right.