A standard weight bench is flat, padded and it has a steel frame with supports going down to the floor. This fitness tool is commonly seen in gyms and there are also models for home use. If you are new to exercise, learn how the standard bench is used before you add it to your personal workouts.
Identification
Standard weight benches come with upright supports that have a Y shape on the top to hold a barbell. These benches are heavy duty and are designed to stay in one place once they are set up. A portable bench is smaller and lighter. It can be transported around in a gym or in the basement of your home. The main difference between this and the heavy-duty bench is that it does not have upright supports.
Bench Press
A bench press is the standard exercise with a weight bench and it is performed with a barbell. To do the exercise, lie face-up on the bench, grab the bar with a wide grip and push it off the supports. After holding the bar straight above your body for a second, slowly lower it down to your chest, push it back up and repeat. Since heavy weights can be lifted with the barbell, the strength of the bench is important.
Dumbbell Bench Press
The dumbbell bench press is similar to the barbell bench press, except you use the portable bench. This exercise is performed from a face-up position while holding the dumbbells directly above your chest with your palms facing your knees. Slowly lower the weights down to your sides by bending your elbows. Once your upper arms parallel the floor, push the weights back up until they are an inch apart and repeat.
Muscles Worked
The main muscles worked with barbell and dumbbell bench presses are the pectorals of the chest. Bench presses are compound exercises--they work the shoulders and triceps as well. Compound exercises work more than one muscle at a time. This makes the weight bench a valuable tool for gaining muscle.
Other Exercises
The bench can be used for a multitude of other exercises, such as decline push-ups, incline push-ups, step-ups, abdominal pull-ins, pullovers and dips. You can sit on the end of the bench and do dumbbell exercises like shoulder presses, lateral raises, biceps curls and overhead triceps extensions. With nothing more than a set of dumbbells and bench, you can get a total body workout.
Adjustable
An adjustable bench can be changed from a flat to inclined position. The padded section of the bench is split into two sections and there is a movable brace underneath that gets locked into different positions. This gives you the ability to do incline bench presses for the upper segment of your chest.
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