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Best Bench Press Equipment

Updated on January 21, 2015

Finding The Best Bench Press Equipment

The bench press is, without a doubt, the most popular exercise for weight trainers to do. When you perform intense sets of bench press, you'll build thick and muscular pectoral muscles. Most weight trainers also want to increase bench press strength since it seems to be the true measure of how strong you are to other people.

If you want to build muscle mass and strength on the bench press you can either join a gym or buy your own equipment and work out at home. There are many people who want to exercise in privacy, so their more desirable option would be to purchase the best bench press equipment and weight train at home. It may seem somewhat expensive to do this, but if you add up how much you would spend on a gym membership over time, you'll find that you'll save money in the long run.

If you want the best bench press equipment, you'll certainly need a bench, a barbell, and some weights. You can also get a pair of adjustable dumbbells or a fixed dumbbell set, a pair of Perfect Pushups, and a core ball for more variety in your bench press workouts.

Strong Weight Benches

When you're looking for the best bench press equipment, you'll want a bench strong enough to handle the amount of weight you use as you build more strength. You can opt for a cheap bench press, but as you get stronger you may get nervous about whether it can handle how much weight you can lift or not. A flimsy bench may not cost much, but you may end up not feeling very safe once you start using a decent amount of weight. For more peace of mind, you should get an Olympic bench press.

An Olympic bench is among the best bench press equipment because it's strong and sturdy, so you won't have to worry about using more weight than it can handle. You'll be able to get progressively stronger without fear - though you should have a spotter around when you go heavy.

The only downside to a sturdy Olympic is that you won't be able to adjust it so you can perform incline bench presses. Fortunately, you can find quality benches that will allow you to adjust them so you can do incline, and in some cases, decline benches. If you want a bench like this you'll want to make sure that it's strong enough for you and that it remains just as sturdy when you adjust it.

Barbells, Dumbbells, And Weights

Of course, the weights you use while lifting are among the best bench pressing equipment. Once you get a bench you'll need something to actually lift, and this is where barbells, dumbbells, and weights come in.

A quality barbell is an important thing to have when you bench press. You'll want something solid that you can easily load weights on and off.

You'll also need a set of weights to put on your barbell when you bench press. It's best to get a complete set of Olympic weights that range from 2.5 pounds to 45 pounds. This will allow you to gain strength gradually and have enough weight handy when you can handle it.

Dumbbells make up some of the best bench press equipment because you'll be able to get a bigger stretch in your pecs when you use them to bench press. You'll also activate many small, stabilizing muscles that won't work as hard when you use a barbell.

Smith Machines

If you have an adjustable bench, a Smith machine can be great bench press equipment. With a good adjustable bench you can do flat, incline and decline bench presses using this. All you have to do is set up your bench in the right place. A Smith machine does force you into a fixed plane of motion, but with the added safety, it makes for a great alternative to free weight bench pressing. There are also plenty of exercises for other muscle groups you can do on a Smith machine. Since there are so many exercises you can do on a Smith, it may be a wise investment for your home gym.

Perfect Pushups

More than likely, you've seen advertisements for a product called the Perfect Pushup. It's made up of 2 handles that you can rotate while you're performing a pushup rep. The handles will allow you to stretch deeper at the bottom of a pushup rep and the rotating motion will activate muscle groups that wouldn't be used as much while doing normal pushups. The Perfect Pushup is the best bench press equipment for finishing off a chest workout. If you don't have the money to spend on weights and a bench press machine you can get a great chest workout from the Perfect Pushup by itself.

Core Balls

If you want to try something a bit different, core balls can be counted among the best bench press equipment. While they are best known for doing abdominal exercises on, core balls can also be used to do dumbbell bench presses and flyes on. The great thing about using them for these exercises is that you'll be forced to use many small muscles to stabilize your body while lying on the ball. You'll also get a deep stretch in your pecs at the bottom of a dumbbell bench press rep.

When you do core ball dumbbell bench press you can change the angle of the exercise by moving your body on the ball. By moving your rear end lower you can do incline presses or flys on the core ball from many different angles depending on how far you move.

Another excellent use for a core ball while chest training is to put your feet on one when you do push-ups.

Proper Bench Press Technique

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