Weight Benches
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I'm looking to get a simple weight bench that will allow incline/decline/flat positions. I only use dumbbells, so I don't need the stand to hold weights, and I'm not interested in additional leg exercises or preacher curl add-ons. Just an adjustable bench. I've been looking at Weider's weight bench[^], but am getting mixed reviews and am afraid I won't even get my $50 worth. Reviews say it's either great or unstable, and the fact that Wal-Mart sells it is making me believe the latter. I don't have a feel for any brands or what I might need to look for. I would have assumed benches would be rated for the amount of weight they can support, but don't see any info on that. Anyway, if any of you weight lifters can point me in the direction of brands to look at or have suggestions for benches, I certainly would appreciate it.
BW
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
-- Steven WrightFirst buy a quality bench. I have one of those cheap York benches and when I started pressing over 150, the bench wobbled so much I thought I was gonna kill myself. A wide bench is important trust me...makes a huge difference. Never say never. You may very well one day discover you need barbell bench, in which case, wide is the key...mine is so narrow I can't rest the bar in it's hooks without crushing my fingers... Last, but not least...your not working out only your upper body are you? 1) You will look rediculous and girls will laugh at your skinny legs 2) Muscle proportionality is important for a solid overall balance of strength 3) Your legs are powerful muscles. When you blast them and they burn, you release crazy amounts of endorphines, which pumps your entire body up. Thats a good thing.
It's frustrating being a genius and living the life of a moron!!!
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First buy a quality bench. I have one of those cheap York benches and when I started pressing over 150, the bench wobbled so much I thought I was gonna kill myself. A wide bench is important trust me...makes a huge difference. Never say never. You may very well one day discover you need barbell bench, in which case, wide is the key...mine is so narrow I can't rest the bar in it's hooks without crushing my fingers... Last, but not least...your not working out only your upper body are you? 1) You will look rediculous and girls will laugh at your skinny legs 2) Muscle proportionality is important for a solid overall balance of strength 3) Your legs are powerful muscles. When you blast them and they burn, you release crazy amounts of endorphines, which pumps your entire body up. Thats a good thing.
It's frustrating being a genius and living the life of a moron!!!
Hockey wrote:
Never say never. You may very well one day discover you need barbell bench
I was gonna say that.
Hockey wrote:
mine is so narrow I can't rest the bar in it's hooks without crushing my fingers...
Unless you're pee-wee herman, don't bother with unless it's olympic sized man. I hate those narrow benches, talk about some messed up form just to lift the bar up.
Jeremy Falcon A multithreaded, OpenGL-enabled application.[^]
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I'm looking to get a simple weight bench that will allow incline/decline/flat positions. I only use dumbbells, so I don't need the stand to hold weights, and I'm not interested in additional leg exercises or preacher curl add-ons. Just an adjustable bench. I've been looking at Weider's weight bench[^], but am getting mixed reviews and am afraid I won't even get my $50 worth. Reviews say it's either great or unstable, and the fact that Wal-Mart sells it is making me believe the latter. I don't have a feel for any brands or what I might need to look for. I would have assumed benches would be rated for the amount of weight they can support, but don't see any info on that. Anyway, if any of you weight lifters can point me in the direction of brands to look at or have suggestions for benches, I certainly would appreciate it.
BW
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
-- Steven WrightOk, here's my three cents. If you want to take this seriously, then don't go cheap and get one that handles a barbell too. If all you're doing is looking for a little muscle tone, then just about anything that's Olympic sized will do. However, if you go cheap and you one day decide you want more, you then just wasted your money on crap. If you have a decent sized frame, don't get anything but Olympic sized equipment. Remember, form is paramount and the key to not getting injured. You can't have proper form if you can't fit on the stupid thing. The downside is that it's not as cheap, but the upside is it's better, wider, and sturdy. If you're looking to build serious muscle gain and want something that'll last, you have no choice but to get one that also supports barbells. Switching up between barbells and dumbbells is a great way to overcome plateaus that you will eventually reach sooner or later. They key is to diversify your workouts every month or so at least. Suffice it to say, barbells and dumbbells will work your muscles differently, even for the same exercise. Dumbbells are great for isolation and peaks, but barbells are the way to go for more of a full upper body involvement. If you want a strong, stable chest you need to develop both, there's no getting around that. Out of curiosity, why do you not care about legs? Do you already have a machine or squat rack for that?
Jeremy Falcon A multithreaded, OpenGL-enabled application.[^]
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I'm looking to get a simple weight bench that will allow incline/decline/flat positions. I only use dumbbells, so I don't need the stand to hold weights, and I'm not interested in additional leg exercises or preacher curl add-ons. Just an adjustable bench. I've been looking at Weider's weight bench[^], but am getting mixed reviews and am afraid I won't even get my $50 worth. Reviews say it's either great or unstable, and the fact that Wal-Mart sells it is making me believe the latter. I don't have a feel for any brands or what I might need to look for. I would have assumed benches would be rated for the amount of weight they can support, but don't see any info on that. Anyway, if any of you weight lifters can point me in the direction of brands to look at or have suggestions for benches, I certainly would appreciate it.
BW
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
-- Steven WrightOh, and btw, do yourself a favor and go to a sports store like Academy or whatever (for the love of God, not Wal-Mart for this :)). They should have several different models on display you can try out to see which one you're more comfortable with. This one of those things you really need to try before you buy and that ain't gonna happen online.
Jeremy Falcon A multithreaded, OpenGL-enabled application.[^]
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First buy a quality bench. I have one of those cheap York benches and when I started pressing over 150, the bench wobbled so much I thought I was gonna kill myself. A wide bench is important trust me...makes a huge difference. Never say never. You may very well one day discover you need barbell bench, in which case, wide is the key...mine is so narrow I can't rest the bar in it's hooks without crushing my fingers... Last, but not least...your not working out only your upper body are you? 1) You will look rediculous and girls will laugh at your skinny legs 2) Muscle proportionality is important for a solid overall balance of strength 3) Your legs are powerful muscles. When you blast them and they burn, you release crazy amounts of endorphines, which pumps your entire body up. Thats a good thing.
It's frustrating being a genius and living the life of a moron!!!
Hockey wrote:
your not working out only your upper body are you?
With weights, yes. I workout my legs running, bike riding and some occasional kickboxing. I do work my upper body sometimes using a heavy bag and speed bag, but want to have some other workout options, so I'm adding in a weight bench. Thanks for the wide bench tip.
BW
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
-- Steven Wright -
Ok, here's my three cents. If you want to take this seriously, then don't go cheap and get one that handles a barbell too. If all you're doing is looking for a little muscle tone, then just about anything that's Olympic sized will do. However, if you go cheap and you one day decide you want more, you then just wasted your money on crap. If you have a decent sized frame, don't get anything but Olympic sized equipment. Remember, form is paramount and the key to not getting injured. You can't have proper form if you can't fit on the stupid thing. The downside is that it's not as cheap, but the upside is it's better, wider, and sturdy. If you're looking to build serious muscle gain and want something that'll last, you have no choice but to get one that also supports barbells. Switching up between barbells and dumbbells is a great way to overcome plateaus that you will eventually reach sooner or later. They key is to diversify your workouts every month or so at least. Suffice it to say, barbells and dumbbells will work your muscles differently, even for the same exercise. Dumbbells are great for isolation and peaks, but barbells are the way to go for more of a full upper body involvement. If you want a strong, stable chest you need to develop both, there's no getting around that. Out of curiosity, why do you not care about legs? Do you already have a machine or squat rack for that?
Jeremy Falcon A multithreaded, OpenGL-enabled application.[^]
I guess there's no getting around it. Like anything else, you need to spend some cash to get quality. I'm mostly looking to add weights to my workout options, and will not be focusing on weight lifting per se. That's why I'm trying to get off cheaper. Right now I alternate between running, cycling, and kickboxing for lower body workouts. For upper body I use dumbbells, a speed bag and heavy bag. So I wanted to add the bench to help work my chest more and change things up. I'm terrible at working out regularly, especially if I'm doing the same thing all the time. So I've been expanding my options with the idea that anything is better than nothing.
BW
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
-- Steven Wright -
at the gym I go, we have benches from Atlantis ( http://www.atlantis-fit.com[^] ) They have been used and abused, and I think in the last 4 years, the only thing that needed repair was the "leatherette" covers.
Maximilien Lincourt Your Head A Splode - Strong Bad
Thanks, I'll have a look.
BW
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
-- Steven Wright -
Most of the cheap benches are unstable beyond 200lbs and it is dangerous to lift more than that. You can likely get a used gym quality cybex bench for around $400. Also, the bars have a weight restriction on them as well so if you bench more than 1000lbs that might come into play! (Actually the lower weight bars bend more? changing the dynamics of the lift) If you can manage, bolt the bench to the ground to provide for additional stability. Also, do not by a bench from Sports Authority, Walmart, or any other consumer oriented store unless you just want to own a piece of crap. If you are not bench pressing you can purchase a flat bench for relatively cheap as well. (adjustable goes up in price depending on how many degrees)
On two occasions I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question. - Charles Babbage
Ennis Ray Lynch, Jr. wrote:
You can likely get a used gym quality cybex bench
I'm going to have a look around for used equipment. An adjustable flat bench is really what I'm looking for at the moment. Not to mention all I have room for.
BW
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
-- Steven Wright -
I'm looking to get a simple weight bench that will allow incline/decline/flat positions. I only use dumbbells, so I don't need the stand to hold weights, and I'm not interested in additional leg exercises or preacher curl add-ons. Just an adjustable bench. I've been looking at Weider's weight bench[^], but am getting mixed reviews and am afraid I won't even get my $50 worth. Reviews say it's either great or unstable, and the fact that Wal-Mart sells it is making me believe the latter. I don't have a feel for any brands or what I might need to look for. I would have assumed benches would be rated for the amount of weight they can support, but don't see any info on that. Anyway, if any of you weight lifters can point me in the direction of brands to look at or have suggestions for benches, I certainly would appreciate it.
BW
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
-- Steven WrightWhy don't you just go out and buy a clothes horse, I promise you'll be happier in the long run :-)
"a fool will not learn from a wise man, but a wise man will learn from a fool" "It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed." - Theodore Roosevelt "Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill
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Why don't you just go out and buy a clothes horse, I promise you'll be happier in the long run :-)
"a fool will not learn from a wise man, but a wise man will learn from a fool" "It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed." - Theodore Roosevelt "Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill
Meaning either the bench I'm looking at is even less useful, or you don't think I'll use anyway. :~ You lost me.
BW
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
-- Steven Wright -
Meaning either the bench I'm looking at is even less useful, or you don't think I'll use anyway. :~ You lost me.
BW
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
-- Steven Wrightwell all weight benches end up being clothes horses, as they never get used after the initial 3 weeks of activity :-)
"a fool will not learn from a wise man, but a wise man will learn from a fool" "It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed." - Theodore Roosevelt "Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill
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well all weight benches end up being clothes horses, as they never get used after the initial 3 weeks of activity :-)
"a fool will not learn from a wise man, but a wise man will learn from a fool" "It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed." - Theodore Roosevelt "Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill
Quite possible. :)
BW
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
-- Steven Wright -
I guess there's no getting around it. Like anything else, you need to spend some cash to get quality. I'm mostly looking to add weights to my workout options, and will not be focusing on weight lifting per se. That's why I'm trying to get off cheaper. Right now I alternate between running, cycling, and kickboxing for lower body workouts. For upper body I use dumbbells, a speed bag and heavy bag. So I wanted to add the bench to help work my chest more and change things up. I'm terrible at working out regularly, especially if I'm doing the same thing all the time. So I've been expanding my options with the idea that anything is better than nothing.
BW
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
-- Steven Wrightbrianwelsch wrote:
Right now I alternate between running, cycling, and kickboxing for lower body workouts. For upper body I use dumbbells, a speed bag and heavy bag. So I wanted to add the bench to help work my chest more and change things up.
You still may want to get something for your lower legs then to make then stronger. It would definately help with that kick boxing. And I totally agree with you on that front, changing stuff up keeps it more interesting. Although, I never tried kickboxing. Sounds interesting.
Jeremy Falcon A multithreaded, OpenGL-enabled application.[^]
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I am feeling quite sad in this respect as I don't work out anymore so my bench is down at least 100lb from my max. I have tried to come back a few times but I find it difficult as I work over 60 hours a week and then there is hard reality of weight I used to do 15 to 20 reps on 3 years ago I have to fight to get 5 reps. :( Yes I know excuses, excuses, excuses.
John
My excuse is there isn't a decent gym within 100 miles of here. Fortunately the are opening one soon but it seems to be in a state of perpetual "opening soon"
On two occasions I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question. - Charles Babbage
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My excuse is there isn't a decent gym within 100 miles of here. Fortunately the are opening one soon but it seems to be in a state of perpetual "opening soon"
On two occasions I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question. - Charles Babbage
I can't use that one although the reason I stoped working out regularly was that my workout partner and I got into an argument and stopped talking to each other. He was basically the manager of the gym and let me in for free so I could not go there anymore.
John
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brianwelsch wrote:
Right now I alternate between running, cycling, and kickboxing for lower body workouts. For upper body I use dumbbells, a speed bag and heavy bag. So I wanted to add the bench to help work my chest more and change things up.
You still may want to get something for your lower legs then to make then stronger. It would definately help with that kick boxing. And I totally agree with you on that front, changing stuff up keeps it more interesting. Although, I never tried kickboxing. Sounds interesting.
Jeremy Falcon A multithreaded, OpenGL-enabled application.[^]
Jeremy Falcon wrote:
Although, I never tried kickboxing. Sounds interesting.
It's a lot of fun and great for letting out aggressions. I first started it last winter, going 2-3 times per week at a local martial arts school. I later bought a free standing heavy bag and some floor mats so I could do it at home whenever I wanted. It's definitely worth going to classes for a few months to build up a good mix of combos for your own routines. They also covered some basic yoga moves which help mix things up a bit too. You're probably right about doing actual weights for my legs. I have 5 lb. wrist weights that I use sometimes for punching the bag, maybe using them or eventually heavier weights on my ankles when kicking would help out.
BW
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
-- Steven Wright