Cheap Weight Benches

About Weight Benches

Weight benches are one of the first things you should buy when setting up a home gym. A great starter set-up will include a bench, some dumbbells and maybe a single kettlebell.

Types of Bench

There are several types of bench you will encounter. While some are versatile, others have very specific functions and should only be purchased for those specific reasons.

Adjustable Bench (Folding Bench)

these are the most versatile and popular benches. You can adjust the bench from various angles. Usually, there are at least three settings – decline, flat, and incline. These allow you to perform exercises at different angles to hit specific muscles. While you might get more adjustable positions on one bench, others with fewer positions might be able to take more user weight

Flat Bench

These are exactly what they say – a flat bench. Unlike many other benches for your home gym, you won’t be able to adjust to incline and decline bench press.

Decline Bench

These benches are not adjustable. They are solely for exercising in the decline (lower angle, head towards the floor) position. This angle is aimed at developing the lower chest area during pressing movements.

Olympic Bench

Olympic benches can be flat, decline, or incline (as an example) but are made to Olympic specifications.

Ab Bench

Ab benches are specifically designed with ab training in mind. While some might have the ability to perform other exercises, this is the primary function of the ab bench.

Combo Bench

Combo benches come with accessories such as leg curl or arm curl attachments, or a rack for the barbell to go on.

Incline Bench

As with the decline bench, these are not adjustable. They are solely for exercising in the incline (raised angle, head higher) position. This position is typically adopted to hit the higher part of the chest during pressing movements.

Commercial Weight Bench

You’ll find that all of the bench types listed above will be available for your home gym or commercial set-up. If a commercial weight bench is what you’re after, you can sort by price, high to low. They tend to be more expensive, thanks to their superior, heavy-duty build quality.

Unlike home gym weight benches, commercial weight benches come with commercial warranties.

Home Weight Bench

This all depends on your budget, and space available. If you’ve got a high budget, and lots of space, you might still wish to invest in a commercial weights bench. However, you can pick up a great folding bench for under £200.

Features to Consider

When buying weights benches for your commercial or home gym, you will need to consider the primary use, your budget, and available space, foremost. However, there are other important considerations:

Wheels/rollers – if you need to move the bench around a lot, it is useful to have wheels or rollers to make this easier

Bar type – some benches come with a shelf for the bar to go on. If you are opting for this type of bench, you should check what size bar the product accommodates to ensure it matches your current equipment or the equipment you are looking to buy. If you only have a small space, and you’re buying a compact weight bench, it is likely you won’t be able to accommodate a 7ft bar, so a shorter alternative is probably required.

Maximum Weight Load – this is the maximum amount of weight the bench can take. If you weigh 100kg and you typically bench 150kg, this is a total weight of 250kg. A bench with a maximum weight capacity of 200kg will not be suitable. Please note, that we highly recommend using a squat rack or power rack to lift weights safely. For the heaviest lifts, you need to invest in a heavy-duty weight bench.

Racking Positions – those benches which come with a rack for the bar may have a single position or multiple positions.

Once you’ve sorted through all the weight lifting benches on offer at Fitness Savvy, you should head on over and buy some gym weights.

You can also compare prices on a range of other fitness equipment including rowing machines, treadmills and stepper machines.