The 11 Best Weight Benches for Every Home Gym From Bowflex, Flybird, and NordicTrack

After investing in a reliable pair of adjustable dumbbells or a barbell set for your home gym, it’s not hard to see that those alone can only get you so far. Adding one of the best weight benches helps you level up your home workouts by tackling different exercises and, even more importantly, different muscle groups. With the right weight bench, you can do bench presses, seated overhead presses, decline sit-ups, and more; but filtering through different weight benches to find what best suits your needs can be challenging.

There’s no shortage of options available when shopping online. Whatever you buy, you’ll want to be sure to scan the bench specs for how much weight they can support, cushioning, adjustability (to allow for flat, incline, and even decline angles), and how high off the ground they are. You’ll also want to check out the reviews for user feedback—nobody wants to deal with a wobbly workout bench in the middle of the last brutal rep.

Are Adjustable Weight Benches Worth It?

With many high-quality, affordable weight lifting benches available, it’s definitely a worthwhile investment to make in your home gym. Even if you’re the type of gym guy who prefers standing exercises like squats, lunges, and military presses, it’s amazing how many exercises do require a bench.

Common strength training exercises where having a weight bench comes in handy include:

• Chest: flat, incline, and decline dumbbell or barbell presses

• Shoulders: seated overhead dumbbell or barbell presses

• Back: one-arm dumbbell rows

• Triceps: one-arm dumbbell kickbacks and bench dips

• Biceps: incline dumbbell curls

• Upper Trapezius: prone dumbbell shrugs

• Abdominals: decline sit-ups and crunches

• Legs: bench step-ups

All major muscle groups can be worked using an adjustable weight bench. Plus, some benches include accessories for leg extensions, preacher curls, and others. With just one purchase, you can add dozens of new exercises and movement variations to your at-home workout repertoire.

How to Choose a Weight Bench

When selecting the best weight bench for a home gym, first consider how you’re going to use it. If you’re getting it for a specific purpose and know that you’ll only need it to be in a flat position (bench surface parallel to the floor), you don’t necessarily need to get an adjustable bench. For example, if you’re getting it for the sole purpose of doing flat-bench barbell presses in a power rack, you probably won’t need the adjustability.

Otherwise, we recommend opting for the versatility of an adjustable weight bench that allows you to lie back (or even lie facedown in some cases) at various angles—namely, incline, flat, and decline. These angles allow you to do all of the aforementioned exercises and more.

Also, consider your home gym space. If you need to move the bench around the room, look for one that’s lightweight and has wheels so that it can be easily transported from one place to another. If your home gym does double duty with a bedroom or home office, you may prefer a foldable weight bench that stands up against a wall or can be stowed in a closet when not in use.

Average Cost For a Weight Bench

Whatever your budget, you should be able to find a quality weight bench to suit your needs. Expect to find many options in the $100 to $250 range, with some solid models under $100 and higher-end commercial gym-caliber benches fetching $400 to $800 (and up).

If you’re a serious powerlifter who trains heavily and wants something heavy-duty, you may need to shop the higher price points. Those who lift reasonable loads, even up to 500 pounds, should be able to find an affordable weight bench with no problem.

To help you sort through all the different models and price points, we've found the best home workout bench options. Whether you’ve got a spare basement with plenty of space and a power rack already in place or only a sliver of real estate between your bed and the radiator, here are the top picks.

The Best Weight Benches of 2023