Some Great Exercises To Do On A Weight Bench

If you have never been to the gym or you have not been active for some time, you may not know how to train effectively. Whether you are thinking of training to lose weight or build muscle tone or endurance, a weight training bench can be a great way to add to your exercise equipment at home. This way, no matter what time of day it is, you can just warm up and go.

Of course, before doing any exercise program, make sure you talk with your doctor. Let them know that you want to be more physically active and follow any recommendations they may have to prevent complications with your health. You may even want to consult with a personal trainer, or hire one to help motivate you while you train at home and to teach you how to use your weight training bench correctly. For your safety, avoid exercising alone, especially if you are using a bar and barbells in case you run into difficulty.

There are several exercises that you can do with the help of a weight training bench. These exercises can help you develop the chest, back, bicep and triceps strength and endurance you want and need. You can also use a weight training bench to do exercises for the rest of your body.

With each exercise presented here, it is important to remember several things. First of all, form is important. Make sure that you keep the proper form as best you can. Also, each exercise is meant to be performed up to sixteen times per set. Depending on how fit you are, and the weight that you are trying to lift, you may or may not be able to perform this many repetitions. Do at least eight repetitions per set. Take a break after each set and do a total of one to three sets of each exercise.

While lying on a weight training bench, raise your barbells to just over your chest, at about your sternum with your hands just over shoulder width apart. Now, exhale and contract your chest muscles and push the barbell up above your chest without locking your elbows. As you inhale, bend your elbows and return the bar to starting position, just above your sternum. Complete your repetitions. You can, alternately, use dumbbells for this exercise, if you do not have barbells.

A chest fly is done by lying on the weight training bench. Keep your arms bent at the elbows and turn your hands so that they face each other across your chest. Inhale and lower your arms down and to the side, keeping the elbows bent. Exhale and raise the weights as if to hug a tree. Then return to your starting position for your next repetition.

Your arms can be built up with the use of a bench. Using the weight training bench to sit upon, you can perform concentration curls to improve your biceps. Using a dumbbell, sit on the weight training bench and, engaging your core muscles, place the elbow of your arm against the inner thigh of that same side. Contract the bicep muscle by curling your forearm toward your shoulder, keeping the elbow tightly against the leg. Then release the curl and extend the forearm without locking or extending the elbow at the bottom of the movement. Repeat on the other arm.

For a triceps press on a weight bench, first sit so that you are perpendicular to the bench and facing away from it. Place your feet three feet or so from the bench and place your hands facing down on the bench and tight against your side. Bend at the elbows and lower your body off the bench to your starting position. As you lower your body until it almost touches the floor, remember to keep your weight on your heels and your knees bent to prevent injury. Return to your starting position and repeat.