From a simple straight bench press board to a complex home gym with all the trimmings, the weight bench is an iconic staple of fitness furniture. It's almost as if you must have one in order to work out. However, there are alternatives that can grant the same, or possibly better, workout while taking up less room and costing substantially less.
What They Do
A weight bench facilitates exercise, reports resource website Weight-Training Bench. At its most simple, a bench press board facilitates a bench press by raising you off of the ground high enough for you to obtain a full range of motion. As a weight bench becomes more complex, changeable angles and extra parts facilitate more and different exercises by allowing different effective motions.
Components
To be useful, a weight bench must provide support and stability. The bench supports parts of the body so that other parts can complete their range of motion. For example, a weight bench with leg extensions supports the butt and torso in order to let your legs drop to the rest position. Stability is important for safety throughout every exercise; you don't want to lose your balance when you're lifting 80 pounds above your head.
Alternative Equipment
Swiss balls, which are also called Pilates balls, are one alternative to the weight bench, as stated by Oregon-based fitness coach Ben Cohn. By altering the shape of the ball and your position on it, you can find the support you need for most exercises. Cohn notes that Swiss balls offer less stability than traditional weight benches, but also says that this can be a good thing as it forces the weightlifter to use excellent form. Yoga mats and blocks can also be used to position your body for weightlifting.
Body Weight Exercises
An alternative to weight benches, and weights altogether, is performing body weight exercises such as calisthenics or yoga. According to "Yoga for a New Age," the poses in yoga and similar exercises offer as much strength training and toning as weightlifting with no extra equipment at all.
Expert Insight
Cohn says that weight benches are inferior to their alternatives in many ways. They generally cost more, take up more room and are more limited than several other resistance workout alternatives. Where the bench press does shine, admits Cohn, is ease of use. There are more guides, websites and resources for exercises using a weight bench than for other exercise options, just as more people are familiar with the exercises done on a weight bench.
References
- Ben Cohn; Fitness Coach; Hillsboro, OR
- Weight-Training Bench: All About the Weight Bench
- "Yoga for a New Age"; Bob Smith, Linda Boudreau Smith; 1986
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