If you’ve got a home gym with no bench, you’re missing out on key muscles.
You’re not getting the most important silhouette muscles for the upper body because you just can’t do the exercises. Everybody knows the floor press isn’t a substitute for the bench press!
Today we’re looking at the best flat or adjustable bench for home gym owners, and what to look for.
Why Buy A Weight Bench?
You should buy a weight bench because it lets you perform all kinds of new exercises, the long-term value it offers, and the excellent options on the market.
There are two main types of benches to think about a flat utility bench and an adjustable bench. For home gyms, the question is what will offer the best long-term effects?
Range of exercises
The adjustable weight bench gives you access to more exercises; incline and decline bench press, fly’s, and more. You can add incline bench press, curls, or dumbbell variations. You can also use spider curls, seal rows, and more.
This makes it more valuable for your workouts than a normal flat bench.
The flat bench has a narrower repertoire but lets you bench press, perform skull crushers, and seated good mornings.
It can also be used for step-ups and box jumps if it’s sufficiently stable and you have headroom!
Safety
It’s a lot safer to use an adjustable utility bench than to stack your normal bench on plates or some other unstable surface. The last thing you want is to slip while you’re holding weights.
Adjustable benches have well-built safety systems to let you use them whatever your current setup.
Caveat: limitations of bench exercises
The limitations of bench exercises come from the other equipment you have. An adjustable bench for home gyms relies on your barbells, dumbbells, and other weights.
For example, a bench is more useful if you have dumbbells and a barbell with plates. It doesn’t do much by itself. Get your hands on accompanying home gym equipment, and you’re off to a great start.
Flat bench for an effective workout
The flat bench is strictly worse than the adjustable weight bench: if you can get the same specifications on an adjustable bench, it’s always better.
Of course, that doesn’t always happen – specifically the price. Adjustable benches offer excellent results, but the added mechanisms cost more money. They usually justify this, though: it’s a small price bump for an item you might have forever.
The opposite isn’t true: a lot of flat bench owners end up buying an adjustable bench eventually because of the added training options it unlocks!
Best budget adjustable bench for workout
Buying an adjustable weight bench is an investment. It improves your workouts for years – or decades – ahead. It also does all the things a flat bench does, as well as offering incline and offers decline variations of your main exercises.
How many sessions will that mean? For most people, it’s over 1,000.
It works out at a few cents per workout to stay safe and use the most effective exercise for the muscle group you’re training.
That feels like a pretty good deal – especially compared to a gym membership when you’re missing a key piece of equipment!
Best flat weight bench for home
The best flat weight bench for home is the Rogue flat utility bench 2.0
While it isn’t adjustable, it’s a rock-solid choice for any bench exercise. It’s stable, the pad itself is super resilient, and it’s going to be comfortable and stable for decades to come.
The price point is great for the quality, while the leg angle and footprint make it stable for any purpose. Without any adjustment mechanism, you can get premium-quality on the fundamentals at this lower price.
Adjustable bench for beginners
The best adjustable bench for beginners is the Rogue adjustable bench 2.0.
This is the perfect balance of utility with price for the beginner and makes it easier to access unique training options. Prices stay low because it doesn’t have an adjustable seat angle while offering an amazing adjustable back with a super stable base.
This is a feature you see on more expensive products that don’t add much real value.
Because of this, you get a better overall build quality at a lower price. That means more stability, better pad materials and longevity, and a rock-solid adjustment system that will be fine with regular use wear-and-tear.
Final Thoughts
The adjustable bench is always better than the flat bench if you can afford the higher price that comes with a more complex product. It costs more to make an adjustable bench of the same quality – so keep that in mind when you’re shopping.
This is one of the best pieces of equipment to invest in for your home gym, but a flat weight bench is a great way to get more from your home gym on a tight budget, even if you upgrade later!
