A folding weight bench can be adjusted to an incline to practise a variety of different movements, from your traditional bench press, to back and bicep exercises. This versatile piece of kit is essential for any home gym. 

Unsure of what you can do with an incline bench? We’ve put together ten of our favourite incline bench exercises for you to try out in your workouts.

1 - Incline Dumbbell Reverse Flye

This exercise requires minimal equipment and focuses on the posterior chain muscles such as the rhomboids, trapezii and rear delts. It is another single-joint exercise that can be used as an accessory movement to other big lifts such as bent over rows and lat pulldowns.

2 - Incline Dumbbell Chest Flye

Chest flyes are known as a single-joint movement, working mainly the pectoralis major and minor. If you solely want to focus on your chest then this exercise is perfect. Because it’s only focusing on one muscle group, you should use a lighter weight than for a compound movement such as a bench press.

3 - Incline Barbell Bench Press

The incline barbell bench press works the pectoralis major and minor muscles, as well as using the triceps and deltoids as stabilisers throughout the movement. The bench press is the ultimate exercise for increasing chest strength and size and you should have at least one variation (such as this inclined bench press) in your training if you are looking for muscle development in this area. Using a Gym Half Rack makes it easier to set up this exercise.

4 - Bench Assisted Dumbbell Row

The bench assisted dumbbell row is a compound posterior chain exercise, it primarily targets the rear deltoids, trapezius, rhomboids and latissimus dorsi. Having the weight bench to support the movement helps keep your body rigid and prevents overloading the lower back.

5 - Dumbbell Bench Press

If you don’t have a rack and barbell available, you can use an adjustable bench for an incline dumbbell bench press. Both exercises work the same muscles and using dumbbells requires even more stability because you’re relying on the strength on each individual side, without letting your stronger side take more of the work. You can also try one-arm incline bench press if you really want to home in on your core strength.

6 - Bench Assisted Barbell Row

The barbell bench assisted row, also known as a chest supported row, is another barbell exercise that works the posterior chain muscles of the upper body. Using a barbell will usually allow you to load more weight and therefore, lead to greater muscle growth.

7 - Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Propping a Weight Lifting Bench up to an upright position allows you to focus on movements that target the shoulders, such as the dumbbell shoulder press. This exercise works the deltoids, with support from the trapezius, chest and triceps. The bench supports your back and shoulder blades, allowing you to really focus on working through your deltoid muscles and increasing shoulder strength.

8 - Dumbbell Bicep Curl

Bicep curls hit your biceps as well as use the anterior deltoid muscles as stabilisers. There are different versions of curls you can do, from traditional curls to alternating, to single arm. All variations will improve strength in both the biceps and forearms. Using an incline bench helps to isolate the bicep muscles.

9 - Dumbbell Tricep Extensions

There are several variations of a tricep extension, with an incline bench you can perform an overhead tricep extension with a dumbbell which targets all three heads of the triceps, with a particular focus on the long head.

10 - Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Using a Folding Weight Bench for a dumbbell lateral raise helps to support your back during the movement. You can lift the dumbbells directly to your sides for a focus on the medial deltoids, or angle the weight slightly forward for a focus on the anterior deltoids too.

Whether you’ve got a large home gym, or you’ve got a small workout space, an adjustable bench is a vital piece of strength training equipment. It’s accessible and allows you to complete hundreds of different exercises. So, what are you waiting for?

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Tags: Equipment > Bars and Weight Plates ; Equipment > Benches ; Equipment > Dumbbells ; Exercise Type > Strength