Difference Between Flat Weight Bench vs Adjustable Weight Bench

When exercising, men have two types of benches that they can use for exercising their chest muscles—the flat bench and the adjustable bench. In this article, we shall differentiate the two types of workout benches.

Flat and adjustable weight benches are great options for staying physically fit, and working out your muscles. Fitnessrocks.com offers a wide selection of flat or adjustable weight benches for your home or commercial gym. Let’s look at the differences between the two weight benches, and see which is the right weight bench for you to buy

Flat Weight Bench

The flat bench is used for working out while lying down, seated, or standing. It is one of the most popular athletic facility instruments. When lying down, the flat bench can be used for a chest press. In a seated position, the flat bench can provide support for your lower half while you do shoulder exercises. In a standing position, the bench is excellent body support while doing back exercises. The flat bench is also great for doing some abdominal exercises.

The flat bench allows a more natural and fluid movement, which makes it easy to use. With a flat bench, you can do various exercises such as tricep extensions, bicep curls, military press, chest flies—to name just a few. However, it requires extreme care as you can be at risk of getting injured. You need to be safety conscious when exercising on the flat bench.

In most cases, you will need a spotter when doing flat bench presses. Make sure that the spotter is more experienced than you.

Adjustable Weight Bench

An adjustable weight bench is a great option for improving strength. Exercises on an adjustable bench require the use of lighter weights, because of the instability and angle of the position. Adjustable weight benches are designed for targeting specific muscles. It also extends the range of motion for exercises. Adjustable benches can help improve the strength and conditioning of the clavicular head. Since it targets the muscles that are missed by traditional movements, you can get better results in physical appearance and strength.

Adjustable benches also involve the shoulders more, so you get greater quality from your workout. Another advantage of an adjustable weight bench is the ability to add resistance by using the decline. Instead of sitting up, you can adjust the bench to lay back at a lower angle than parallel to the floor. They allow you to work smaller muscles that are often under activated.

An adjustable weight bench offers a range of motion. If you have an injured chest or shoulder, you can give your injured body part a little break and strengthen the surrounding support muscles to keep it from getting re-injured.

One drawback of adjustable weight benches is that they tend to be bulkier and more expensive. Although they are designed to be in home gyms, they still tend to be big. Likewise, they require more maintenance since they have adjustable components that need to be taken care of.

Safety Precautions

Whether you're using an adjustable or flat weight bench, you need to learn the correct form before trying to lift heavier weights. If you are serious with lifting weights, you will need a spotter to ensure your safety. On an adjustable bench, you should make sure that you don’t arch your back. You may be seriously injured by doing so. It means that your weights are too heavy. Also, you need to avoid the following mistakes:

• Not having anyone to spot properly
• Not having help to re-rack the bar
• Uneven grip
• Having a more dominant side lifting most of the weight, this means you were probably on a tilt

With both benches, you will need to warm up your chest and shoulders properly by using resistance bands, and by stretching. On flat weight benches, you will need to make sure that you can fully move your shoulders. Your scapula should also be stable to reduce the risk of injury.

Your choice between a flat weight bench or adjustable weight bench will depend on your preference and goals. If you are uncomfortable with the flat weight bench, your best bet is the adjustable bench or the use of dumbbells instead.

Most trainers agree that the adjustable weight bench is safer on pecs, shoulders, and rotator cuffs. There are so many exercises for strengthening the chest, but both types of benches will be effective.

Which Is the Most Effective Weight Bench?

Both flat and adjustable benches have their own pros and cons. They have different functions that play a huge role in your routine. You could also become prone to injury if you don’t use them properly. In the end, the choice is yours. Whichever you choose, a bench will probably be one of the most important pieces of equipment you can buy for working out.