How to Use a Workout Bench—and 5 Exercises to Try

Whether you prefer at-home strength training workouts or going to the gym, the weight bench is one of the most important pieces of strength training equipment. For a bench workout, you use an adjustable weight bench, which allows you to perform a variety of exercises to target upper body and lower body muscles. 

We spoke with Peloton Instructor Erik Jager to learn more about how to best use a weight bench in your resistance training routine, and for his favorite weight bench workout moves to try.

How a Bench Workout Can Benefit You 

“Simply put, the bench is a great workout tool because it increases the ROM (range of motion) of various exercises that would not be as effective without a bench,” said Erik, who provided the example of doing a dumbbell chest press using a weight bench versus performing the exercise on the floor.

“[A weight bench] also makes training more varied and more enjoyable so that you can train better,” said Erik. “You can easily vary the training and muscle control by adjusting the angle of inclination of the bench.”

As Erik noted, a weight bench serves as a base of support for your body during an exercise. 

“For example, in a chest-supported row, the bench acts as a stable support surface, allowing you to concentrate better on the movement and the target muscles,” he said. “You can also create a new start and end point with your arm or foot and thus create a new exercise.”

Case in point? Rear-foot-elevated split squats, aka Bulgarian split squats. Unlike a regular split squat in which both of your feet are on the same level (the floor), the rear foot elevated split squat involves using the weight bench as a platform for your back foot. This position change helps isolate the workload to the front leg, allowing you to work the quads, glutes, and hamstrings on the front leg even more so than with a regular split squat.

Using a weight bench can offer variety to your workout routine, help you modify exercises to target different muscles, and support your body in a position that allows you to move through a wider range of motion than performing the exercise on the floor or in another position without a bench.

How to Use a Workout Bench

Workout benches can be easily incorporated into resistance training routines, but knowing how to best use one will maximize the safety and benefits of strength exercises with a bench.

Workout Bench Safety

Erik provided a few key safety tips to keep in mind when using a bench in your workouts:

Adjusting the Workout Bench

To improve the safety and efficacy of using a weight bench in your strength training workouts, you want to make sure that you are adjusting the bench correctly for the exercise you are doing as well as your body size. 

For example, if you are performing a chest press with the bench flat, you should ideally have your knees bent at a 90-degree angle and feet flat on the floor.

“First and foremost, the bench should be set so that the best possible ROM of the exercise is possible. There is also a rule of thumb when working in the supine position,” explained Erik. “The muscles that are directly under the dumbbells are used the most.”

This means for the neutral chest press where the bench is flat, you’re primarily targeting the pectoral muscles in the chest. In contrast, when you perform an incline chest press with a 45-degree angle to the bench, you’re working the chest muscles and anterior portion of the deltoids (shoulder muscles) fairly equally. When the bench is fully upright in a 90-degree angle, you’re performing an overhead press, which works the deltoids rather than the chest muscles since the shoulders are directly under the weights, explains Erik.

How Often Should You Do a Bench Workout? 

Erik said he loves the weight bench as a training tool and incorporates it into every one of his training days. However, he is an experienced athlete who has been training for a long time. Beginners will need to work up to this frequency.

“If you are new to strength training with the bench, you may experience more muscle soreness due to the new load. Therefore, slowly build up to the new load with 1-2 workouts per week,” advised Erik. “Otherwise, you can reload each muscle group every 48-72 hours and also use the bench for this.”

Keep in mind that a weight bench is just one of the many training tools found in a gym. Ideally, varying your workouts by performing different exercises is the best way to prevent fitness plateaus and ensure that you are providing your muscles with a well-rounded training stimulus throughout your week of workouts. 

For example, in addition to doing the bench press or dumbbell chest press exercises with a weight bench one workout per week, you can do push-ups or standing chest presses with resistance bands in a second workout to work the same muscle groups differently.

What Are the Common Mistakes to Avoid During a Bench Workout?

Skipping the Warm-Up

Erik says that it is particularly important to perform a thorough warm-up before a strength training workout with a weight bench, particularly because exercises with the weight bench generally utilize a full range of motion.

“The increased ROM in particular can cause you to put more strain on your joints and muscles. Move as far as you feel safe and resilient,” he advised. 

Poor Foot Position

Proper foot positioning is also key since foot positioning keeps your body stable. “You also tend to fall into an overstretched hollow back because the adjusted leg position puts more pressure on the hip flexors and therefore the lower back. A hollow back in general is not bad, but make sure that it is 'secured' with sufficient core tension.”

When you are lying in the supine position with your back on the bench and your feet flat on the floor, it can be hard to keep your lower back pressed down into the bench. As you press dumbbells up for a chest press, the lower back tends to naturally arch off of the bench. Make sure that you are bracing your core to support your spine.

Only Using the Bench In a Flat Position

Another common weight bench mistake is to only use the bench in the flat position. As long as you have an adjustable weight bench, make sure to take advantage of the adjustability of the incline. Doing so will help you target different portions of the same muscle groups.

5 Bench Workout Exercises to Try

Rear-Foot-Elevated (Bulgarian) Split Squats

“Due to the elevated rear leg position, you activate more quadriceps, hamstrings, and glute max,” says Erik. “In addition, the leg and core muscles are more involved because we are working on one leg.”

1. Start in a split stance with feet hip-width apart. Place one foot slightly in front of you and the other behind you, elevated on a bench. 

2. Keep your torso upright and slowly lower your hips toward the floor into a squat, without letting your front knee extend in front of your foot. Lower until your back knee is several inches above the floor. 

3. Push into the floor with your front foot and return to start.

Muscles worked: quadriceps, hamstrings, glute max, and core

Chest Supported Rows

One of Erik’s favorite back exercises with a weight bench is the chest-supported row, in which you press your chest and torso against the back of the bench in the inclined position as you sit on the flat portion. 

“This exercise is great for strengthening the latissimus [dorsi], rhomboids, and trapezius muscles,” noted Erik. “The good thing about this exercise is that the stable position on the bench allows you to pull the target muscles in a controlled manner.”

1. Set your bench incline to 45 percent. Lean your chest against the bench and place your feet on the floor.

2. Pick up a dumbbell in each hand and keep your arms extended towards the floor and palms facing each other.

3. Squeeze your shoulder blades together as you drive your elbows back and up toward the ceiling. 

4. Lower the dumbbells back down with control to the starting position.

Muscles worked: rhomboids, biceps, lats, deltoids, upper back, trapezius

Copenhagen Plank

“This side plank is a great challenge. Your lateral abdominal muscles have to work very hard, but more importantly, your adductors are strengthened,” says Erik. “These are usually neglected and so you are doing something to prevent injury.”

Muscles worked: inner thighs (adductors), and core

Barbell Bench Press

Be sure to use a spotter to stay safe while doing exercises with barbells.

1. Start lying down on a flat bench under a racked barbell. 

2. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and place your hands on the barbell slightly wider than shoulder width apart with an overhand grip. Your knees should be bent and your feet flat on the floor. 

3. Unrack the barbell and extend your arms straight above your chest. 

4. Lower the bar, keeping your elbows tight to your ribcage. When the barbell touches your chest, press it back up to start.

Muscles worked: chest, biceps, triceps, shoulders, core

3-Point Row

Muscles Worked: lats, shoulders, traps

Takeaway

Overall, the workout bench is one of the foundational tools for any strength training workout. Beginners and advanced athletes alike can benefit from workout bench exercises and scale them according to fitness goals and fitness levels. 

Follow a guided Peloton Strength class or use Peloton Gym on the Peloton App to learn proper form and technique for your bench workouts.