Best Cheap Weight Benches – Introduction
The 5 Best Budget Weight Benches for Your Home Gym Today
Strength training is a must if you want to build muscle, get stronger, tone up, lose fat, or just shape up and get fit.
But, did you know that there are lots of different types of strength training?
In fact, you can work out and get great results with any of the following:
- Resistance machines, for example, leg press
- Bodyweight exercises
- Resistance bands
- Kettlebells
- Medicine balls
- Suspension trainers
- Dumbbells & barbells (aka free weights)
However, from this list, free weights are arguably your best option – especially if you train at home.
Bodyweight exercises ARE great, but unless you strap on a weighted vest, you’re stuck with using your own body for resistance.
That means some exercises will be easier (or harder) than others, and the only effective way to develop and progress your workout is by doing more reps.
More reps WILL make your workouts more demanding, but it also means your workouts will take longer and may even become boring.
Plus, what do you do if you cannot do a particular bodyweight exercise?
It’s not like you can magically make yourself lighter so you can do pull-ups more easily, right?
The Advantages of Free Weights
Free weights, on the other hand, are easy to adjust, so, as you get stronger, you can lift gradually heavier weights.
Of course, you can also start as light as necessary to make sure your workout is never too challenging.
You can use free weights to work every part of your body, and there are dozens if not hundreds of exercises to choose from.
You can work out using just a barbell and bumper plates, train exclusively with dumbbells, or use both of these low-tech but high-effect training tools and enjoy all the different benefits they offer.
While you don’t need anything above and beyond your chosen free weights to get a great workout, there are a couple of items you can add to your home gym to make your training more effective.
For example, a squat or power rack will make your leg workouts safer and more effective.
Another thing worth adding is a weight training bench.
Using a bench will save you from lying on the floor and allow you to do an even more comprehensive range of exercises.
Combined with your chosen free weights, a bench will turn your spare bedroom or garage into a bonafide home gym.
This article discusses what to look for in a weight bench and reveals our five favorite budget weight benches.
What to Look for in a Budget Weight Bench
Are you thinking about buying a budget weight bench for your home gym?
These are the things you need to consider before parting with your hard-earned cash!
Strength
Your weight bench needs to be strong enough to support your body weight, and the barbell or dumbbells you are lifting.
If you plan on using your bench for seriously heavy strength training, make sure your bench will support you.
Most are rated in pounds (or kilos) so take a look at the manufacturer’s stats to ensure the bench you’re looking for will be strong enough.
If in doubt, buy the most robust bench you can afford, as it’s always better than to be safe than sorry.
Adjustable or flat
Adjustable benches are more versatile than flat benches and allow you to work your muscles from different angles.
However, flat benches are usually more substantial, more stable, and have fewer moving parts, so they are less likely to break or wear out.
They’re often cheaper, too.
So, ask yourself if you want to do things like incline bench presses and seated overhead presses with added back support, or do you mainly want to do flat bench presses and support your own back?
Padding
Even budget weight benches should be comfortable to use, and comfort is dependent on the thickness and firmness of the seat and backrest padding.
If possible, sit and lie on the bench before buying to make sure it’s comfortable.
Or, if buying online, read the reviews and look for comments about padding and comfort.
The last thing you want to be is uncomfortable during your workouts.
Stability
As well as being strong, your budget weight bench needs to be stable.
You don’t want it to wobble and derail your workout.
The most stable benches have a broad, solid base to increase stability.
The more stable your bench is, the more effort you’ll be able to put into lifting your weights.
Wobbling can be VERY distracting and could even be dangerous.
Extras
Some benches are more than just flat or adjustable; they also have extra things like leg extension units or uprights for bench presses.
However, some of these features may be unnecessary, and you could end up paying for something you just don’t want or need.
So, for example, if you plan on training with only dumbbells, bench press uprights won’t be any use to you.
Don’t feel you have to buy the bench with the most features.
Sometimes, basic is better and usually costs less, too.
Portability
Do you plan on moving your bench or want to put it away between workouts?
If you do, make sure your bench is portable.
Some benches fold flat for easier storage, have built-in transport wheels, or are light enough to be moved easily.
However, in some cases, light or folding benches aren’t as strong or as stable as heavier benches.
Benches with uprights, leg extension units, etc., tend to be less portable than flat benches.
The 5 Best Budget Weight Benches
Now you know what to look for in a budget weight bench, here are our top budget bench picks, each one tried and tested just for you!
#1. Amazon Basics Flat Weight Workout Exercise Bench
The Amazon Basics Weight Bench is perfect for budget-conscious home exercisers.
It includes everything you need to set up your home gym without breaking the bank.
While some of the items in the Basics collection may lack features or refinement, they’ll get the job done and allow you to get a good workout at home.
The Amazon Basics flat bench lives up to its name.
It’s flat, strong, stable, and should be hardwearing.
The padding is good, and you can use this bench for a wide range of free weight exercises.
#2. GYMENIST Foldable Adjustable Workout Weight Bench
This foldable workout bench has a lot of useful features and is ideal for discerning home exercisers.
As well as offering fully adjustable incline and decline settings, it also folds flat for easy storage.
Plus, it has leg restraints for sit-ups and crunches, and to stop you from sliding off the bench during decline bench presses.
This bench from GYMENIST also comes with a removable lumbar cushion.
The padding is relatively thin, and it’s not as stable as some of the other benches on review, but it’s very well-priced and strong enough to support some pretty heavy workouts.
#3. Escape Fitness Deck V2.0 Workout Platform
Do you want a weight bench that you can also use for exercises like step-ups and box jumps?
This model from Escape could be just what you’ve been looking for.
It’s basically a workout platform that you can also use as a weight bench.
You can use this bench for incline, flat, or decline exercises, as a plyometric platform or for step-ups, etc., and it even has a compartment for storing things like resistance bands, resistance tubes, etc.
On the downside, this bench is not padded, so it may be too uncomfortable for heavy strength training exercises.
That said, you can also place a folded exercise mat on this Workout Platform from Escape Fitness if you need a more padded backrest.
#4. Pelpo Adjustable Weight Bench Pro
You can do a lot with a basic flat bench, but, ultimately, there are more versatile products on the market.
This lightweight bench from Pelpo offers incline and decline settings and also has a built-in preacher arm curl station and adjustable leg restraint for abs exercises.
With a weight capacity of 440 lbs., the Pelpo Adjustable Weight Bench Pro is NOT the most robust bench on review, but it’s more than strong enough for most dumbbell workouts.
#5. CANPA Olympic Weight Bench with Squat Rack
This Weight Bench from CANPA looks a lot like a commercial bench press station, but it costs a fraction of the price.
The backrest also tilts vertically for easier storage.
The uprights are adjustable, and you can use this exercise bench for squats and barbell overhead presses as well as the more usual supine exercises.
While this IS a flat bench, the uprights mean you can use this product for both barbell and dumbbell exercises.
The CANPA Olympic Weight Bench with Squat Rack is a solid, sturdy bench that’s perfect for heavy home strength training.
Best Budget Weight Bench – Wrapping Up
While you don’t need a bench to enjoy many of the benefits of free weight training, having one will add an extra dimension to your workouts and allow you to do an even more comprehensive range of exercises.
Whether you want to do bench presses, overhead presses, biceps curls, or abs exercises, adding a bench to your home gym could make your workouts even more productive.
However, benches can be expensive, which puts a lot of people off buying them.
That said, there are some GREAT budget weight benches around that are designed specifically for home use.
Most are light and portable, and some are even foldable for easy storage.
Paired with some affordable dumbbells or a barbell, using a bench means you can train virtually every muscle in your body in comfort and safety.
You can also do bodyweight exercises with a bench, such as box squats, Bulgarian (rear foot elevated) split squats, and decline push-ups.
Not sure which budget bench to buy?
Any of these five models would make a great addition to your home gym!
