Bench (weight training)

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Typical consumer-level weight bench with leg exercise attachment WeightBenchSide.jpg
Typical consumer-level weight bench with leg exercise attachment
Two weight training benches in a fitness center in Nurnberg, Germany Two weight training benches.jpg
Two weight training benches in a fitness center in Nürnberg, Germany
Hyper bench for hyperextension Hyper bench.jpg
Hyper bench for hyperextension
Negative bench or decline bench Negative bench.jpg
Negative bench or decline bench

A weight training bench is a piece of exercise equipment used for weight training. Weight training benches may be of various designs: fixed horizontal, fixed inclined, fixed in a folded position, with one adjustable portion, with two or more adjustable portions, with racks to hold bars, etc. In the limit, the definition of a bench blurs into that of combinations that mix a bench and associated equipment.

Contents

Benches are manufactured by many different vendors, in an array of qualities, features, and prices.

Alternatives

Though the weight bench seems to define weight training for modern audiences, benches are not strictly necessary for many, if not most, exercises that typically use them. For example, seated presses may be done while standing. In recent years, many home fitness enthusiasts have begun incorporating a swiss ball into their workouts in place of a traditional bench, since it is both more space-efficient and requires engagement of the core abdominal muscles. This substitution is not without criticism, since it can be difficult to maintain form and balance when lifting more than one's own body weight.

Before the invention of the weight bench the common way to work the chest was to lie on the floor and do what was known as the floor or supine press.[ citation needed ]

Types of weight benches

There are 6 different types of weight benches available.

Flat bench

These are the most common and most popular types of benches. These are the flat benches that don’t have any attachments. The main muscle being worked is the chest, and the secondary muscles being used are the triceps and the shoulders.

Adjustable weight bench

An adjustable bench is flexible and allows you to do a whole lot of exercises by adjusting the bench as per need. It can lie flat, can be inclined or declined

Olympic weight bench

Olympic benches are professional advance level benches that are wider and longer.

Olympic benches are not simple benches rather they have several additional equipment added to them such as squat rack, weight plates, rod, dumbbells and more. It is a complete workout machine that allows you to do some advance exercises such as squats, quad exercises, bench press and more.

Folding weight bench

Not all the benches can be folded. If you are in need of a weight bench that can be folded and carried easily anywhere, you should go for a folding one. These benches are not feature-rich as they have to fold so these are either flat or adjustable benches.

Abdominal bench

It is a bench that is specifically made for performing ab exercises. The position of these benches can be either flat, incline or decline. These benches have foot rollers that are used to lock the feet thus protecting the exerciser.

Preacher curl bench

It is a bench that’s made for doing preacher curls specifically. Which are mainly used to work the short head of your biceps.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powerlifting</span> Sport

Powerlifting is a strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athlete attempting a maximal weight single-lift effort of a barbell loaded with weight plates. Powerlifting evolved from a sport known as "odd lifts", which followed the same three-attempt format but used a wider variety of events, akin to strongman competition. Eventually, odd lifts became standardized to the current three.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calisthenics</span> Form of strength training exercises

Calisthenics or callisthenics (/ˌkælɪsˈθɛnɪks/) is a form of strength training consisting of a variety of movements that exercise large muscle groups, such as standing, grasping, pushing, etc. These exercises are often performed rhythmically and with minimal equipment, as bodyweight exercises. They are intended to increase strength, fitness, and flexibility, through movements such as pulling, pushing, bending, jumping, or swinging, using one's body weight for resistance in pull-ups, push-ups, squats, etc. Calisthenics can provide the benefits of muscular and aerobic conditioning, in addition to improving psychomotor skills such as balance, agility, and coordination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bench press</span> Exercise of the upper body

The bench press, or chest press, is a weight training exercise where the trainee presses a weight upwards while lying on a weight training bench. Although the bench press is a full-body exercise, the muscles primarily used are the Pectoralis major, the anterior deltoids, and the triceps, among other stabilizing muscles. A barbell is generally used to hold the weight, but a pair of dumbbells can also be used.

Bicep curls are a group of weight training exercises in which a person bends their arm towards their body at the elbow in order to make their biceps stronger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leg press</span> Weight training exercise

The leg press is a compound weight training exercise in which the individual pushes a weight or resistance away from them using their legs. The term leg press machine refers to the apparatus used to perform this exercise. The leg press can be used to evaluate an athlete's overall lower body strength. It can help to build squat strength. If performed correctly, the inclined leg press can help develop knees to manage heavier free weights, on the other hand, it has the potential to inflict grave injury: the knees could bend the wrong way if they are locked during the exercise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smith machine</span> Weight training machine

The Smith machine is a weight machine used for weight training. It consists of a barbell that is fixed within steel rails allowing only vertical or near-vertical movement. Some Smith machines have the barbell counterbalanced. The machine can be used for a wide variety of exercises though it is most commonly used to perform "Smith machine squats".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squat (exercise)</span> Workout that targets the legs

A squat is a strength exercise in which the trainee lowers their hips from a standing position and then stands back up. During the descent, the hip and knee joints flex while the ankle joint dorsiflexes; conversely the hip and knee joints extend and the ankle joint plantarflexes when standing up. Squats also help the hip muscles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isometric exercise</span> Static contraction exercises

An isometric exercise is a form of exercise involving the static contraction of a muscle without any visible movement in the angle of the joint. The term "isometric" combines the Greek words isos (equal) and -metria (measuring), meaning that in these exercises the length of the muscle and the angle of the joint do not change, though contraction strength may be varied. This is in contrast to isotonic contractions, in which the contraction strength does not change, though the muscle length and joint angle do.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plyometrics</span> Maximum-intensity explosive exercises

Plyometrics, also known as jump training or plyos, are exercises in which muscles exert maximum force in short intervals of time, with the goal of increasing power (speed-strength). This training focuses on learning to move from a muscle extension to a contraction in a rapid or "explosive" manner, such as in specialized repeated jumping. Plyometrics are primarily used by athletes, especially martial artists, sprinters and high jumpers, to improve performance, and are used in the fitness field to a much lesser degree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kettlebell</span> Cast iron or cast steel ball with a handle attached to the top

In weight training, a kettlebell is a cast-iron or cast-steel ball with a handle attached to the top. It is used to perform many types of exercises, including ballistic exercises that combine cardiovascular, strength and flexibility training. Kettlebells are the primary equipment used in the weight-lifting sport of kettlebell lifting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pull-down (exercise)</span> Strength training exercise

The pull-down exercise is a strength training exercise designed to develop the latissimus dorsi muscle. It performs the functions of downward rotation and depression of the scapulae combined with adduction and extension of the shoulder joint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of exercise</span> Overview of and topical guide to exercise

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to exercise:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bodyweight exercise</span> Strength-training exercise to provide resistance against gravity

Bodyweight exercises are strength training exercises that use an individual's own weight to provide resistance against gravity. Bodyweight exercises can enhance a range of biomotor abilities including strength, power, endurance, speed, flexibility, coordination and balance. Such strength training has become more popular among recreational and professional athletes. Bodyweight training uses simple abilities like pushing, pulling, squatting, bending, twisting and balancing. Movements such as the push-up, the pull-up, and the sit-up are among the most common bodyweight exercises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fly (exercise)</span> Strength training exercise

A fly or flye is a strength training exercise in which the hand and arm move through an arc while the elbow is kept at a constant angle. Flies are used to work the muscles of the upper body. Because these exercises use the arms as levers at their longest possible length, the amount of weight that can be moved is significantly less than equivalent press exercises for the same muscles . Due to this leverage, fly exercises of all types have a large potential to damage the shoulder joint and its associated ligaments and the tendons of the muscles connecting to it. They should be done with caution and their effects first tested while using very light weights; which are gradually incremented after more strength is gained.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dip (exercise)</span> Upper-body strength exercise

A dip is an upper-body strength exercise. Narrow, shoulder-width dips mainly trains the triceps, with major synergists being the anterior deltoid, the pectoralis muscles, and the rhomboid muscles of the back. Wide arm training places additional emphasis on the pectoral muscles, similar in respect to the way a wide grip bench press would focus more on the pectorals and less on the triceps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman chair</span> Exercise equipment

The Roman chair is a piece of exercise equipment. The equipment is mainly used for the lower back, but can also target the gluteal muscles, hamstring, and abdominal. The definition of the equipment, and what 'Roman chair exercise' specifically means, is not clear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyperextension (exercise)</span>

Hyperextension means a movement where extension is performed at any joint beyond its normal range of motion.

Street workouts are a physical activity performed in outdoor parks or public facilities. The movement behind street workouts became popular in Russia, Israel, Myanmar, Morocco, Eastern Europe, and the United States, especially in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami, Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and other urban East Coast neighborhoods. It is a combination of athletics, calisthenics, and sports. "Street workout" is a modern name for calisthenics in outdoor parks. There are also street workout teams and organized competitions for exercises such as pull-ups, chin-ups, push-ups, dips, rows, muscle-ups, sit-ups and squats. A street workout also involves static (isometric) holds such as the human flag, front lever, back lever, L-sit and plank.

Split weight training is a type of exercise workout. It involves dividing training routines by body region, muscle group or movement.

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