Want to start 2025 right? Want to finally make the change? Find out the ultimate workout bench guide to get in the best shape of your life, with little equipment and from home!
Christmas is just around the corner, and New Year’s Resolutions make yet another comeback. And, with New Year's Resolutions comes the desire to feel great and look even better. Still, that same promise is repeated year after year as, for one thing or the other, people end up quitting, giving up without practically trying, paying the monthly gym payment, and saying, “I’ll go tomorrow” and never going back.
The main reason this happens?
Not having accessible and good-quality materials to do a workout, especially on those days when you don’t feel like going out. In comes your life savior: the workout bench.
Although a very simple material, a workout bench can elevate your training from mediocre to top-tier, as it can transform your boring 5-minute HIIT/ABS/Full Body workouts into exciting training that you’ll look forward to each day.
But why is a weight bench so important?
It’s all due to all the different exercises that can be done with just a simple piece of equipment (workout bench). With the workout bench, you can target different areas of your body without having to buy various machines/pieces of equipment (although a pair of dumbbells would be helpful).
The workout bench is, in essence, like the foundation of a house: it’s the pivotal piece that needs to be in place first so that everything else can be built, in this case, your home gym. Once with a workout bench, you can now start building your new identity, and, most importantly, your new body, all thanks to a simple piece of equipment and the different exercises that can be done.
After carefully understanding what a workout benchis, its importance for a home gym, and the different possibilities it can open, you may be wondering: what types of benches exist and what exercises can I do?
FLAT, ADJUSTABLE, MULTIPURPOSE… YOU CHOOSE!
Workout benches, apart from being excellent pieces of equipment for your home gym, have a great advantage: there are different models that adapt to your desired needs, making them a MUST at your home gym.
But what types of weight benches exist?
There are many different types of workout benches to choose from, but there are three that stand out from the rest and will truly help you build the body you’ve always dreamt of all from the comfort of your home gym.
FLAT BENCH
Starting with the simplest of options, the flat bench is an excellent workout bench option for beginners or individuals who just want to simplify their training whilst improving performance.
A flat bench is an excellent option, it allows for various types of workouts and very simple exercises that target most of the body. From being just a support for balance during split squats or being the most essential piece of comfort for chest presses, the versatility a flat workout bench can give your home gym is unimaginable.
One of the best options for both beginners and gym enthusiasts is the FLYBIRD Foldable Flat Weight Bench. This flat-weight bench provides not only comfort, thanks to its long cushion which can adapt to a wide variety of body types, but also durability, as its steel structure can hold up to 1000lbs of weight.
The FLYBIRD Foldable Weight Bench is a fantastic option for those who want to start their own home gym, as it allows users, and especially beginners who have just started their journey, to have a workout bench that is easy to store and can be used without any assembly.
ADJUSTABLE BENCH
The best option is the workout bench that fits beginners, intermediates, and even the biggest gym experts to exist: the adjustable bench. If the flat bench was already an excellent option, the adjustable bench can guarantee the best workout experience thanks to its ability to adapt to different angles, thus targeting different parts of the body.
The adjustable bench can range from being completely flat to creating a 90º angle that will help with strength and posture during your workouts, not to mention the comfort it provides. Chest, shoulders, biceps, triceps, back… any part of your body you think of can be trained with an adjustable weight bench.
The best thing? There’s a wide variety of adjustable benches to choose from. You can always choose FLYBIRD’s FB299 adjustable workout bench that allows for a much simpler, yet comfortable experience, going through to options like the FLYBIRD WP129 with Lumbar Support that will provide the best workout experience without compromising your lower back, all the way to the best of the best with the FLYBIRD Heavy Duty Pro weight bench that can hold up to 1200lbs of resistance thanks to its steel structure.
Whether you’re a pro with an insane home gym build or an office worker who needs to make the best of any space available in your home and isn’t able to keep things lying around the house, FLYBIRD has an adjustable bench for you and you can always check the FLYBIRD website to compare which workout bench fits you the most.
MULTIPURPOSE
A great recommendation for beginners is none other than multipurpose workout benches. With multipurpose weight benches, you can have various pieces of equipment in just one. Multi-functional benches are one of the best ways to start working out, as they make every exercise much simpler: you have everything in the same place, you’d just need to change position within the workout bench.
Multifunctional workout benches are great pieces of equipment for your home gym, and FLYBIRD makes it even easier for you. Whether is the Multi-Functional Roman Chair or any of the two Olympic Weight Bench variations with incorporated barbell support, thanks to its durability and structure you can get a complete piece of equipment that will last for years.
Multi-functional benches also help create more complete workouts, as you can also add exercises that require partial or complete incline/decline to target even more complex muscles.
The choice is yours, whether it’s a Flat bench, an Adjustable bench, or, if you feel as if the two other options weren’t complete enough, a Multi-Functional bench, your workouts will improve incredibly, and all from the comfort of your home.
WHAT MUSCLES CAN I WORK OUT?
We have covered all the essential bits of what workout bench is better for each situation, but there’s something missing. You can have a plate, but if there isn’t food in it it’s practically useless, same goes with a workout bench without knowing what and how to work with it.
Luckily, weight benches, as said before, are excellent and versatile pieces of equipment that guarantee complete workouts, that’s why, by using a workout bench, we can target various muscles and get incredible results, all with just one piece of equipment you can have in your home.
But how can I train the main muscle groups with a workout bench? How much can a workout bench improve my training and progress?
CHEST (Pectoralis Major)
The Chest Press is one of the most notable exercises that come to mind when thinking of training with a workout bench. It’s simple, yet effective, but to what extent are the effects of training chest with a weight bench as equipment?
The good thing about having a weight bench, especially if we use an adjustable bench, is the different parts of the chest we train with just a slight variation. Although in each of the exercises, all the muscle is involved, just a bit of incline or decline can vastly change what muscle fibers within the chest are trained the most.
With the chest, the explanation is easy, as it’s divided into upper, middle, and lower chest. Imagining we are using one of FLYBIRD’s adjustable benches, putting the bench on a 45º angle will target the upper chest, having the bench completely flattened out will target the middle chest and a decline position will target the lower chest.
Also, the width to which we do the exercise will also influence what areas are targeted (sometimes the triceps and the shoulder muscles are also involved).
TRICEPS
Another important muscle is the triceps, as they’re involved, in some way or another, in practically every upper body exercise. Although it can be trained, the triceps are the biggest support when it comes to bench presses, as they allow the elbow to extend, thus allowing the correct realization of the bench press movement.
Think of the triceps as the master of the orchestra, as the point guard of a basketball team, its role is key to allowing the rest of the upper body to perform at its highest level.
Therefore, it’s important to take good care of the triceps and train them correctly to improve your lifting performance, thus gaining much more strength and mobility on every weight bench exercise.
DELTOIDS
We mustn’t forget about the deltoids, especially the anterior shoulder, and their direct influence on the bench press.
Same as the triceps, the deltoids also play a pivotal role in every lift imaginable, acting as support for the whole movement, helping to stabilize the descent, and pushing alongside the chest when the weight is moved forward.
A good posture is essential for the correct realization of the movement whilst also helping prevent any injury to the deltoids, thus why it’s so important to control the movements both upward and downward, as the muscle, as said before, is essential for the bench press movement.
BENCH PRESS VARIATIONS THAT’LL TURN YOU INTO POPEYE
Sadly, only eating spinach won’t be enough to get into Popeye’s shape, but implementing variations of the bench press exercise will surely help to turn you into a weight machine.
Whether it’s chest, triceps, or deltoids, changing the grip or the elevation of your workout bench can help create a more complete workout that’ll have a huge effect on muscle growth.
Here are the four best bench press variations to get in shape:
-Flat Bench Press: simple yet effective. An exercise that fits perfectly into any workout program and that can be done with ease is a flattened-out workout bench and a pair of dumbbells or barbells. Lie completely flat on your workout bench, choose a comfortable grip, and slowly lower the barbell/dumbbells to your chest (keeping the shoulders at a 45º angle), then push the bar straight up until your arms are fully extended, repeat the process for various reps.
-Incline Bench Press: a great variation that focuses on the upper chest. With an adjustable bench set at a 45º angle, choose a comfortable grip (not too wide and not too short) and lower the barbell to your upper chest, then push the barbell up until your arms are fully extended and repeat the process.
-Decline Bench Press: the opposite of the Incline press, you’ll need to lie on a bench that can be adjusted to a downward angle. Once set in such a position, lower the barbell to your lower chest and push the bar upward (always try to focus on the extension of the lower chest muscles). Repeat the process for various reps.
-Close-Grip Bench Press: the close-grip bench press is, essentially, a bench press variation that targets the triceps instead of the chest. This exercise helps increase arm strength, which is much needed to complete other bench press movements. It’s also really easy to do, you just need to start with your workout bench completely flat, putting your hands on the barbell at the same height as your shoulders, once in place, lower the bar to your middle chest, keeping the elbows as close to the torso as possible, then, once the bar is down, press the bar upwards, repeating the motion for a good amount of repetitions.
SAFETY: HOW TO USE A WORKOUT BENCH WITHOUT COMPROMISING YOUR HEALTH IN THE PROCESS
Although the already mentioned exercises are easy to do and are targeted at both beginners and more advanced users, not taking the necessary precautions during the exercise can lead to injury.
Therefore, it’s important to know how to work with a workout bench to reduce any possible risk of injury. Here’s how to do so on the previously mentioned exercises:
-Flat Bench Press: to decrease the risk of getting injured whilst doing a Flat Bench Press, it’s essential to not only have the right posture but also be careful about the way the movement is done. Firstly, to help stabilize the movement, put your shoulder blades back whilst keeping your shoulders on a 45º angle. Once that is done, control both the upward and downward movements to avoid any possible overload on the shoulders or triceps.
-Incline Bench Press: safety for the Incline Bench Press is very similar to the Flat Bench Press, having a correct posture will decrease the risk of injury. However, it’s important to take into consideration that the workout bench must be inclined correctly (45º angle preferably). Then, keep in mind that you must lower the barbell/dumbbells to the upper chest to correctly perform the movement.
-Decline Bench Press: the Decline Bench Press is the most complex of the movements mentioned, thus why is it so important to take the correct precautions. Try to always have a workout bench with leg holders so there’s no risk of losing balance whilst performing the exercise. Try to keep the core muscles tight during the whole movement, helping maintain a stable position during the whole movement, also lowering the barbell/dumbbells to the lower chest will reduce the risk of injury whilst also enhancing overall performance.
-Close-Grip Bench Press: for the Close-Grip Bench Press, it’s essential to have the correct width to target the triceps correctly and prevent any possible injuries. As there’s less width, there’s more weight being put on the wrists, so try to not bend them during the exercise to have a more stable and comfortable movement.
Another very common cause of injury, apart from the already mentioned, is not choosing the correct weight.
To choose the correct weight and not get completely crushed by the barbell on your first repetition, it’s always important to leave the ego on one side and start light. Once you see some progress, start slowly adding more weight till you find it difficult to complete 10/12 reps, that’ll be your starting weight.
Progressive Overload is also a great way to increase weight moderately. Once you notice you’ve gained more strength and feel like the weight you’re doing is too light, push the weight up by 5-10 lbs until you find the weight that you’re comfortable with.
A HOME GYM WITH A WORKOUT BENCH IS A HAPPY GYM
A workout bench, so simple, yet so effective and helpful. A way to make a boring workout an amazing workout.
Having a weight bench, whether it’s flat, adjustable, or multifunctional, opens a new world of exercises that couldn’t be done with normal equipment, it creates a whole new dimension for your workouts you didn’t think were imaginable.
We’ve already talked about what a workout bench is, how it helps the different muscle groups involved in key movements, what exercises can be done and how to do them correctly, and, most importantly, how important it is to have one for your home gym.
Now you know the basics, but it’s time to act, and FLYBIRD guarantees the best workout bench experience with its durable benches made with the most comfortable cushions.
What are you waiting for?
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2020.637066/full
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https://blog.nasm.org/biomechanics-of-the-bench-press
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https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0235555
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https://www.strongerbyscience.com/research-spotlight-bench-grip-muscle/
