Having a set of gym equipment at home can bring a significant change to your lifestyle. There won’t be any excuses for you to skip working out. And you can exercise any time you want!
Among all those pieces of gym gears, a weight bench is a must-have item after you buy the dumbbells and barbells.
Therefore, before you proceed to buy your first home gym weight bench, learn these four important factors to consider first.
Maximum User Load
The weight bench you see at the commercial gym is different from the one designed specifically for home use. It can hold up to 260 kg load! But as you can see for yourself, the bench’s frames are usually made of thick steel, and it takes too much space. If you can afford to allocate an entire room for your home gym, then space may not be an issue. But if you have limited space, you need to be smart in choosing the weight bench. Pay attention to the maximum load it can hold. And at the same time, check if the materials are as sturdy as described.
Space Efficiency
The thing about having a home gym is that you are not going to use the equipment the whole time. When your gears are unused, you’d better store them up so that the room can be utilized for something else. To achieve that, you need a weight bench that can be folded. You can find this kind of weight bench online in many stores, for sure. But it is best if you visit a physical store and check for yourself how the folding mechanism of the bench works. Sometimes, it’s all just good marketing. In practice, the weight bench may give you trouble when folded.
The Quality of the Upholstery
Good quality weight bench upholstery is made of cushioning materials that are comfortable and provide sufficient stability when you lay on top of the bench. The cushion cover must not get slippery with sweat. It is supposed not to absorb any liquid spilled on it. Otherwise, your bench can be a breeding ground for nasty bacteria.
Adjustability
You may think that the more adjustability options you have on a weight bench, the better. But it is not quite the case. If a bench has too many moving parts, its durability decreases. Therefore, try to think about the intended functions of the weight bench first before you buy it. Is it solely for weightlifting? Or are you going to use it to train your core muscles also? Or maybe you want to have a leg curl option on the bench. If you want a weight bench with multiple functions, you’d better buy the one that is priced at $250 or more.