The advice when buying a weight bench is the same as when you are buying any piece of equipment for your home gym BUY THE VERY BEST YOU CAN AFFORD. This becomes even more important when buying equipment such as a weight bench, a power rack, or a squat rack as you will be using this equipment when you have just hoisted a very heavyweight above your chest and skull. The last thing you want when you are in this position is for the bench to break!!, not to put to finer point on it a poor quality weight bench can lead to serious injury or even death!.
There is a huge variety of options on offer when buying a weight bench, lets look at some of the most common:
A bench that has an incline option simply allows you to incline the backrest which can add to the effectiveness of certain exercises and also allow you to target a muscle group from a slightly different angle. The stability of the inclined backrest is the key thing to look for.
Pretty much everything that is listed above but with a decline!!!!!
The Leg Developer is an attachment of foam-covered bars that is often at the end of a bench. The leg developer allows you to perform leg extension exercises and also perform the specific exercise for the hamstrings called hamstring curls. Stability is again a key when looking at a leg developer; in addition, you should check the maximum weight that can be lifted from this attachment as cheaper Leg Developers have pitifully low capacity.
These are handles, often near the leg developer attachment that allows you to perform leg raises ensuring good form.
A squat rack is often located at the back of the bench and allows you to perform squats with more control and safety than simply hoisting the weight onto your shoulders prior to beginning the exercise.
The preacher attachment looks like a square board that attaches to the end of the bench; it allows you to perform a specific bicep isolation exercise called a preacher curl.
Bar Catch The bar catch is simply the V-shaped end pieces at the top of the uprights. They are in place to hold the bar prior to your bench press. Again stability and weight capacity are the key areas to investigate.
The Lat attachment is a horizontal bar attached via cable to a large upright; this allows you to perform exercises such as tricep pushdowns or Lat pulldowns. Weight capacity and a smooth pulley system are the key elements to be concerned with.
How good is the welding on the bench? All joints on the bench should be welded strongly and consistently as your bench will quickly break with poorly welded joints once you start to stress the bench.
The tubing should be thick and strong with a good finish; thin tubing should be avoided at all costs.
Always check the maximum weight capacity of the bench as you should always look to spend your hard-earned cash on a bench that will last as your strength grows and you start to lift heavier weights. Do remember that the maximum weight capacity needs to include your weight
