If you have a dedicated space for your home gym and want to buy a bench, your best bet is an adjustable incline bench — one that adjusts from a flat position all the way up to vertical. Make sure that the incline mechanism is secure and easy to manipulate. With some cheap brands, the pin that holds the backrest upright tends to slip out or, even worse, break off. The decline feature shouldn’t be a high priority because you won’t use it very often, if at all. Before you buy a bench, sit on it, lie on it, drag it around, adjust it, and inspect it. Look for a high-quality Naugahyde, leatherlike material used to cover all seat and back pads.
Figuring the cost
Good flat benches start at around $100 and run upward of $500 for extra-thick padding and high-quality hardware. Adjustable incline and decline benches range from $200 to $600. Good bench brands include Hoist, York, Icarian, Paramount, and Tuff Stuff — the brands you’re likely to encounter at the gym —along with Galileo, Cybex, and Body Masters.
Storing your equipment
Storing your bench is nearly impossible. Benches that fold up and go under your bed or fit neatly in a closet don’t exist. For this reason, you should have a dedicated space for your home gym that’s roomy enough for a bench (and all of your equipment). If you can only fit in the weights, skip the bench.
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