Bench Press

Here you can find a variety of bench press benches, including standard and olympic weight benches for sale. A bench press bench has an attached rack with bar catches. The bar catches are almost always adjustable. Some benches can be adjusted to an incline or decline position, or some commercial models are built solely as an incline or decline bench. Incline bench pressing targets the upper pec muscles, and decline targets the lower pecs.

The bench press is an upper body exercise. It strengthens the pectoral, posterior deltoid and tricep muscles. The person lies back on the bench, unracks the bar (sometimes with the help of a spotter), lowers the weight to his chest, and pushes it back up again until the arms are straight. Various supporting muscles are also involved, including the anterior deltoids, rotator cuff and trapezius muscles. The bench press is one of the "big three" lifts and is a main lift in the sport of powerlifting. It's a popular exercise used in weight training, bodybuilding, sports training, and other types of fitness training to develop the chest and surrounding muscles.

To select a bench for bench press training, consider the width of the rack. Olympic width benches have racks about 46 inches wide and require a 7ft bar because of this. Mid-width or narrow benches may be anywhere less than that and will require a 6ft or 5ft bar. Too short of a bar and the inside collars won't clear the bar catches, while too long of a bar and the bar might tip over when you load weight plates. Many people prefer an olympic bench because it doesn't interfere with optimal hand placement.

Another thing to consider is the weight limit. Most given weight capacities include user weight, so a cheap entry-level bench may not be enough for you if you are a 170-lb male who has some experience lifting weights.