The weight bench is one of the most iconic pieces of workout equipment, and it’s a staple to any personal trainer’s studio and gym, regardless of their size. Benches play an essential part in any weight lifting program as they enable you to train at any angle and focus on any muscle you want to, while reducing the risk of injury.
However, if you aren’t all that familiar with work out benches, then you probably should learn the basic differences between the different types and their purpose in studios and gyms. You can find four main types of work out bench for sale: adjustable, flat, olympic and specialist benches.
Adjustable Weight Bench
Adjustable workout benches feature a simple frame design with a pop-pin or steps adjustment mechanism. The range of adjustment allows you to perform a wide range of exercises as part of a basic dumbbell routine. Even though they’re usually not built for compounding heavy lifting on their own, they typically come with wheels and handles for easy movement in and out of the racks. Some models enable flat, incline and decline workouts, allowing you to target specific muscle groups.
Flat Weight Bench
Flat weight benches are more straightforward, and they’re the most popular type for bench pressing, and other exercises that don’t depend on elevation. The fixed position of this bench guarantees stability and reduces the need for having to perform maintenance of the moving components and hinges. You’ll find a work out bench for sale with pre-determined heights from the ground, which is typically lower than the height of the adjustable decline or incline bench. Moreover, flat weight benches come with a solid deck, which means there’s no gap where the hinge on adjustable benches is located.
Olympic Weight Bench
These benches are an extremely popular option for both commercial and home buyers, as they have a built-in racking system, which is far safer than just using a squat and bench stand together. Plus, they don’t require people to place the benches in half or power racks and designated spaces for the different bench press variations. However, these benches usually feature a fixed angle (either incline, decline or flat), which is considered a downside by people that want a little versatility. Olympic benches are the most reliable type of benches, and they have a few moving parts, thus low maintenance requirements.
Specialist Weight Bench
These benches are meant for facilities which are looking to add an extra bench to their free weight area. There are many different types of specialist benches that are geared towards versatility and are focused on facilitating specific movements, muscle groups and exercises. Such a bench is the preacher curl bench, which is great for isolating the biceps when doing curls for the girls. It prevents movement of the back, shoulders or hips, all of which are common mistakes when doing barbell curls. Another example would be the abdominal bench, which is great for decline and incline exercises.
