Reasons Why Weight Benches So Popular
If you’ve never used a weight bench before, you might be wondering why they’re so popular. After all, many resistance machines allow you to perform the same types of exercises. However, weight benches are a more versatile option, which is especially important for anyone considering converting their spare room into a workout space.
Weight benches allow you to customise your workout to your body’s needs, acting as a guide without taking away the reins. Supporting your back, weight benches mean your joints can move freely with greater control through a huge range of exercises. This means you’ll be able to target different muscle groups for a full body workout.
Full Body Workouts for 9 Different Muscle Groups
A high-quality workout bench supports exercises that boost muscle size, strength, and endurance. It can help you get a better strength training workout at home. There are many benefits to have a home workout bench. If you're serious about size and strength, you will be amazed that you can do a full-body workout with a bench at home.
This blog presents a comprehensive guide of full body bench workouts, which aims at 9 different muscle groups.
- Shoulder Workouts
- Chest Workouts
- Bicep Workouts
- Tricep Workouts
- Brachialis Workout
- Ab Workouts
- Back Workouts
- Glutes Workout
- Hamstring Workouts
Now let's dive in.
1. Shoulder Workouts
1.1 Incline Pushup
Incline pushup is a great starting point to begin your pushup journey.
Always remember to concentrate on the form when performing incline pushups. Keep your elbows tucked close to your body and your shoulder blades are drawn back and down.
1.2 Hands-Elevated Pushup
An easier version than the standard pushups because you are angling more of your body weight toward the feet. The higher your hands are, the easier the pushup is.
1.3 Feet-Elevated Pushup
Elevating your feet doing pushups are a lot more challenging because you are angling more of your body weight toward your hands. The higher you elevate your feet, the more challenging the pushups are.
Keep your hips as high above the shoulder as possible and try not to bend the knees while doing the feet elevated pike push-ups.
1.4 Feet-Elevated Pike Pushup
You are really reaching for your maximum potential trying out this exercise!
In the piked position, bend your arms and drop your head straight down toward the ground between your hands. Lower down and then press back up, fully extending your arms. Make sure you are performing a vertical push and not turning this into more of a horizontal movement or a Decline Pushp. You are slowly progressing to a full handstand, try to do as much vertical press as you can.
2. Chest Workouts
2.1 Dumbbell Bench Press
Chest press is commonly known to target your pecs. However, a study published in a 2005 issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research showed a narrow grip chest press increases activation of the triceps and lessens the activation of the pecs.
Bench press with dumbbells will work each side of your body independently, allowing for a larger range of motion than a barbell bench which recruits more stabilizer muscles in the process.
2.2 Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
Another practical bench workout one can do at home is the incline dumbbell bench press.
Try starting with a flat bench, then gradually progress to inclines. Hitting a muscle from varying degrees of incline angles builds a chiseled chest more thoroughly.
2.3 Decline Bench Dumbbell Pull-Over
This bench workout works your chest, triceps, and lats with more intensity than the basic version, giving your back and chest muscles a greater amount of stretch while you are moving the dumbbell down behind your head.
Incorporating this bench workout into your chest workout routine will train your muscles effectively.
3. Bicep Workouts
3.1 Incline Bicep Curl
If getting bigger and stronger arms is the goal, you should definitely consider adding Incline Dumbbell Curl into your training routine.
The bench workout activates your biceps more than any other arm exercise. It works the long head of your biceps, stretches, and contracts it with more force during the exercise.
4. Tricep Workouts
4.1 Tricep Kickback
As an isolation exercise, dumbbell kickbacks allow you to train the triceps without involving other muscles and activate about 88% of your triceps. Bodybuilders and aspiring trainees who need to develop the size and appearance to fit a standard would benefit a lot from this exercise.
4.2 Skull Crusher
Another isolation exercise to maximize the tension and range of motion on your triceps with all three heads of the triceps fully engaged during the exercise.
Skull Crusher can be done with all free weights: barbell, dumbbells, kettlebells, you name it. However, by using dumbbells or kettlebells, you are able to attack the triceps unilaterally. This can be beneficial for trainees who may have muscle imbalances or coordination issues.
4.3 Bench Dip
A body-weight exercise to work on all three triceps heads and the exercise requires much focus and concentration. You are able to lift your entire bodyweight with dips, which is pretty challenging! This dip is primarily a triceps exercise, but your chest, fronts of the shoulders and upper back do play a supporting role.
5. Brachialis Workout
5.1 Dumbbell Curls Lying Against An Incline Bench
This bench workout emphasizes stress on the brachialis. When your shoulders are in flexion, they will partially inhibit the short head of the bicep, thus focusing on your brachialis.
6. Ab Workouts
6.1 Plyo Bench Plank Hold
One of the craziest tough bench workouts you can do!
The Plyometric Bench Pushup is not only challenging to your entire core, but also speeds up your heart rate and adds some fat burning into your workout.
6.2 Bench Tap Plyo Pushup
The key to this is to pull your belly in extra tight as your hand taps the adjustable bench!
6.3 Feet-Elevated Cross-Body Mountain Climb
You can count on a compound exercise such as Feet-Elevated Pushup alone for a quick and effective workout, as the bench workout works all your ab muscles at the same time.
Your hip abductors will also be put to work as you stabilize while raising and lowering your feet from the bench.
7. Back Workouts
7.1 Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
It is a great exercise to strengthen and develop the musculature of the back and core.
This bench workout engages the entire back and rear shoulders, and to a lesser degree, the arms. By focusing on one arm at a time, you can better isolate the latissimus dorsi.
8. Glutes Workout
8.1 Feet-Elevated Hip Thrust
The Hip Thrust is a glute exercise. This bench workout is designed to improve your strength, speed, and power by teaching optimal hip extension.
If your glutes are underdeveloped, your speed, power, and strength are all compromised. That means you'll have weaker squats, deadlifts, slower sprints, and lower vertical jumps.
8.2 Hip Thrust
Many would agree that the hip thrust is the best glute activation exercise. The size and appearance of your glutes will change dramatically because this bench exercise strengthens your entire thigh musculature. Place a dumbbell or a barbell on top of the thigh to increase the difficulty level if you find the bodyweight version too easy.
8.3 Elevated Hamstring Walk
An excellent home workout bench exercise pushes your body beyond its comfort level and forces it into a unique position. It strengthens your cardiovascular system and improves your stability and balance. Place your arms on the bench and next to your body and lift your pelvis. Start walking while keeping your pelvis up, the faster you walk, the more effective the workout.
8.4 Reverse Hyperextension
Movements like the reverse hyperextension allow trainees to train the hamstrings and glutes in a similar manner to deadlifts without the added spinal loading forces.
To begin the movement, flex the hips, pulling the legs forward. Reverse the motion by extending the hips, kicking the leg back. It is very important not to over-extend the hip on this movement, stopping short of your full range of motion.
The additional load can be added by adding resistance bands when performing the exercise on a bench.
8.5 Donkey Kicks
Donkey kick with a home workout bench can help strengthen your lower back, and it’s possible to lose the fat around the lower back with the help of this exercise.
9. Hamstring Workouts
9.1 Bulgarian Split Squat
Bulgarian Split Squats is an effective bench leg workout to add real muscle size to your quads, hamstrings, and glutes. As a single-leg bench workout, it demands a lot of focus and pain tolerance to training your leg strength and stability. It's an alternative to traditional barbell squats if you have back problems.
Keep your feet hip-width apart, pick up a foot and place it on the bench. Lower hip toward the bench so that your rear knee comes close to the floor. Pause and drive through your front heel to return to the starting position. If you find the exercise too easy, grab a dumbbell in each hand with your arms fully extended at your sides and palms facing inward to increase the difficulty level.
9.2 Step Up
Pick one foot, press through the heel as you step onto the bench. Bringing the other foot up to stand on the bench. Return to the starting position by stepping down with one foot first followed by the other foot. Grab a dumbbell in each hand with your arms fully extended at your sides and palms facing inward to increase the difficulty level.
9.3 Single-leg Squat
Extend your arms for balance. Roll your shoulder blades back and keep your back straight. Raise the non-supporting foot from the floor and lower your hip to lightly touch the bench and stand back up.
9.4 Bench Jump
Hold on to the bench with your hands, keep your back straight. Push yourself off the ground and jump from one side of the bench to the other side. Soft land with bent knees and keep the feet as close as possible.
Summarize
You will be amazed about the bench workout you can do to strengthen all 9 major muscle groups. You don't have to train on a split system four or more days each week to see gains. The full-body bench workout can help you progress and is easy to fit into your schedule.
RitFit is committed to presenting our customers best products and professional fitness knowledge to improve their workout experience. Who needs a boring treadmill or an exercise bike when you have an adjustable bench to do all these bench workout?
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