Weight benches are an absolute necessity for home gyms and any fitness gym, commercial, non-profit, or private gym studios. Without weight benches, you’re limiting the number of weight lifting exercises that can be done. Anyone looking to build muscle and get stronger will need a bench to perform the basic fundamental compound exercises.
There’s no other way around this. A cheap alternative would be to just use the floor but that limits the range of motion for bench presses. Not something you want to do if the goal is long term maximum muscle gain and continuous strength gains. A strong and sturdy bench is also much safer than using the floor at times.
Regardless, use weight benches for strength training and bodybuilding. You can’t go wrong with that. Now there are several main types of weight benches. There are those that come with a full home gym fitness center and additional attachments for lateral raises, cables, lateral pulldowns, squat or power cage, and adjustable racks. These all-around home gyms are expensive and cost around $1000 to upwards of $5000.
Only buy them if you’ve tested the center. Check out some popular models online and look at all the features first, then head to the local dealer that offers these fitness centers with weight benches and try them out. Do a brief 5 minute workout to get a feel for them.
The other cheaper alternative is to just go with a regular bench with adjustable racks. A good brand is Body Solid and Weider equipment. They may or may not come with adjustable racks, which depends on your choice. I suggest you pick one with adjustable racks for bench presses so you don’t need to buy a power cage, or a separate power rack for squats. They even come in folding and non-folding versions.
If you’re low on space at home, consider a folding weight bench. After a workout, just fold it up and slide it in the corner or underneath the bed, if you have a large queen sized bed that happen to be high. Folding weight benches may also break easily so check the warranty and sturdiness of the equipment before buying.
Additional exercise equipment you can buy includes chinup/pullup/dip station (which can also be purchased separately), standing calf raise machines, cable machines, and accessories like resistance bands, additional weight plates and barbell sets, and various grip machines (pinch grip, captains of crush grippers, finger dumbbells).
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