8 Best adjustable weight bench workouts (to hit all muscles)

Here’s the best 8 weight bench workouts and how to perform them and pro tips!

If you have a bench and some weights, I guarantee that you can get good exercises that target all the muscles of your body. The gym has been marketed as the perfect solution to get fit and build muscles, and this is certainly true, but if you apply the same thing at home, you will get the same Results.

Whether you are training at home or in the gym, there are some exercises that can be done, especially if you have an adjustable bench because it allows you to fully target the muscles of the body, and bench positions can be replaced according to the exercise requirements, and this is what we will discover together shortly.

In this post, we will learn about two exercises for the lower body muscles, two exercises that target the upper muscles, two back exercises, and two compound exercises, that is, they target a group of muscles and occupy more than one joint.

Let’s continue together!

Are adjustable weight bench workouts worth it ?

The adjustable bench gives you space to do several exercises. It is not as limited as a flat bench, so you can go beyond chest exercises and do more with an adjustable bench. 

It is effective and meets the requirements of some specific exercises such as shoulder exercises or lower chest muscles and can be relied upon.

The positions of the back cushion can be changed to more than 8 different positions, and this makes you target some specific muscles depending on the angle you are in, and it is also possible to get a shoulder press exercise by adjusting the bench at an angle of 90 degrees. 

And the bench cushion can also be adjusted to become in a decline position, and this allows You target the lower pectoral muscles for example.

If you do not have an adjustable bench, you should make it a priority. You can get one for the home gym at a price not exceeding $ 150 and with good specifications. It is one of things that you will not regret after purchasing it.

Best adjustable weight benches under 200$ for home gym

What are the best workouts that you can do using an adjustable weight bench?

• Curl And Press

• Decline Bench Press

• Dumbbell Reverse Grip

• Dumbbell Rear Fly

• Hamstring Curl

• Leg Extensions

• Bulgarian Split Squat

• Bench Press 

8 Best adjustable weight bench workouts hit all your body muscles

There are many exercises that you can do depending on the adjustable bench, and we cannot mention them all in this post, but we will suffice with the 8 best exercises that can be done. 

They are proven exercises and will definitely help you achieve your goals, whether you want to build muscle or want to do isolation exercises more, you can do this, but in this list, it will include 8 exercises that target the muscles of the body completely.

Equipment needed : Only Dumbbells + Adjustable weight bench

1 – Curl And Press (Upper body workout)

Curl and press is a compound exercise that targets a group of muscles, including the shoulder muscles and the biceps muscles in particular.

What distinguishes this exercise is that it combines two exercises in one exercise, so that you do a dumbbell curl, followed by a shoulder press, as if you were hitting two birds with one stone.

Curl and press help stimulate the muscles to grow and become more active, as well as help improve the movement of the shoulder blades.

How to do curl and press correctly:

• Adjust the bench pad to an angle of approximately 80 degrees.

• Sit on the bench and keep your back straight and your chest pushed forward.

• Hold two pairs of dumbbells and keep your grip neutral (hammer grip). 

• Keep your arms straight out to the sides at first.

• Then do a dumbbell curl with your right arm and press the biceps well.

• Immediately after that, press the shoulder, i.e. raise your arm and press the dumbbell up until your hand becomes almost straight above the shoulder.

• Return your arm to its first position and do the same with the other hand.

Pro tip:

Try to squeeze your muscles well and keep your back straight throughout the exercise. During the shoulder press, do not keep your grip neutral. Roll your palm forward and focus on keeping your movement at a constant speed.

Target muscles:

• Shoulder delts (middle and front)

• Biceps muscles.

• Upper pecs major

• Serratus

2 – Decline Bench Press (Upper body workout)

Decline bench press is an exercise that we have already talked about, it is effective and cannot be skipped while performing upper body exercises, as the Decline position helps you target a group of muscles, the most important of which is the lower chest muscles.

The Decline Press is one of the few exercises that target the lower chest muscles in addition to a group of muscles at the same time. It helps you increase muscle size and build muscle endurance as well.

How to do the Decline bench press correctly:

• First, adjust the bench cushion to a downward position of about 40 degrees from a flat position.

• Carry two pairs of dumbbells and sit on the bench.

• Place your feet on the leg bar, then lie back and place the dumbbells above your chest.

• Tighten your muscles well and prepare, raise your arms straight up with your shoulders, spread your fists slightly, (palms forward).

• Then start lowering your arms straight down, bend your elbows and stop when the dumbbells are at the level of the chest muscles.

• Focus on your lower pecs and press the dumbbells up again until your arms are straight over your chest muscles.

Pro tip:

Try to engage the chest muscles well with each repetition and maintain the pace of breathing. Inhale before pulling and exhale while pressing. 

Then there is something that you should pay attention to is the path of the elbows. Try not to pull them straight with your shoulders, but rather keep them inward a little and not excessively. 

Target muscles:

• Lower & Upper pecs major 

• Front delts 

• Triceps

• Serratus anterior

3 – Dumbbell Reverse Grip Row (Back workout)

This is one of the strongest back exercises that can be highly relied upon, especially when it is performed using an adjustable bench, as it is a comprehensive exercise for all back muscles.

The reverse grip dumbbell row is an exercise that keeps the back muscles under intense tension because it is designed to play this role. 

The reverse grip also plays a key role in targeting the lateral muscles and pinching the muscles in the middle of the back.

How to do a dumbbell reverse grip row:

• First, adjust the bench cushion to an inclined position of about 40 degrees above the flat position.

• Sit on the seat so that your chest muscles are directed to the pillow.

• Hold two pairs of dumbbells, place your chest on the bench and try to push the shoulder blades back a bit.

• Keep your arms straight down straight with your shoulders, and keep your palms facing forward so that the pull is as if you are pulling something up.

• Then start pulling both fists up towards your lats.

• Squeeze your back muscles well and let your elbows fall back well.

• Return your hands to the previous position, extend your arms well down, and repeat again.

Pro tip:

Try to make good use of the path of movement available to you and keep your elbows close to your body, try to squeeze the back muscles and pinch them with each repetition, also try to pull with the elbows instead of the fists in order to have good contact with the back shoulder muscles.

Target Muscles:

• Infraspinatus

• Teres ( major – minor)

• Posterior delt

• Lats

• Traps (middle – lower)

4 – Dumbbell Rear Fly (Back workout)

Dumbbell rear fly is another exercise for the back muscles, but it tends to target the posterior deltoids of the shoulder. It is one of the well-known exercises in fitness halls due to its effectiveness and good targeting of the muscles.

According to the Mayo Clinic, a dumbbell rear fly can help you strengthen your upper back muscles and help balance shoulder strength as well as protect against shoulder injury.

How to do dumbbell rear fly correctly:

• First, keep the bench in a flat position.

• Sit in the center of the bench and hold two pairs of dumbbells, keeping your arms straight down.

• Bend your back forward until your chest muscles are near your knees.

• Then start pulling your arms out to the sides in a semi-straight way (keep some bending in your elbows) and squeeze your back muscles with each repetition.

Pro tip:

The purpose of this exercise is to target the upper back muscles and the posterior deltoids as much as possible, so the first thing you should pay attention to is to pull with your elbows and squeeze your muscles back so you should feel your muscles tense with each repetition.

Target muscles:

• Rear delts

• Upper back muscles

• Rhomboids

5 – Hamstrings Curl (Lower body workout)

The hamstring curl is a good exercise for the hamstring muscles. It is a powerful isolation exercise for these muscles. It is like the biceps curl. somehow works with the same idea. The hamstring muscles are important and it is necessary to target them with some isolation exercises in order to improve their function.

Hamstring curls can help stretch muscles well and make them more flexible. It can also help you reduce injuries and improve muscle strength.

How to do  hamstring curls correctly:

• Keep the bench flat again.

• Before lying down on the bench, hold a dumbbell firmly between your feet.

• Lie on your stomach on the bench and tighten your fists on the edges of the bench.

• Keep the upper body neutral, then start bending your knees in the direction of the butt muscles and extend them well again and repeat and so on.

Pro tip:

Try to keep the thigh muscles tight throughout the exercise and focus on some slowness while extending your knee, because the slower your movement, the more the hamstring muscles will be tense and you will benefit more from the exercise.

Target muscles:

• Hamstrings

• Glutes

• Quads

• Calves

6 – Dumbbell Leg Extension (Lower body workout)

This is one of the best exercises that primarily targets the quadriceps muscles. When we want to do lower body exercises, the thigh muscles are the most prominent muscles, so they cannot be skipped or ignored.

The leg extensions exercise helps you to strengthen the thigh muscles, and this makes you improve your performance with some compound exercises such as squats or deadlifts.

How to do dumbbell leg extensions correctly:

• This exercise also works with the same idea as hamstring curls. Sit on a flat bench.

• Hold a dumbbell between your feet tightly and place your palms on the bench in order to stay balanced.

• Raise your feet forward until they are straight, then start bending your knees again, and so on.

Pro tip:

Try to slow your movement a bit and stretch the thigh muscles well. The higher you raise your legs, the better because you will benefit from a greater scope for stretching the thigh muscles on a larger scale.

Target muscles:

• Rectus femoris

• Vastus (medialis, intermedius, medialis)

7 – Bulgarian Split Squat (Compound workout for lower body)

The Bulgarian split squat is an exercise that we have already talked about in detail in one of the previous posts. I will leave you the link below.

The Bulgarian split squat is a compound exercise that targets all the muscles of the lower body. It is one of the exercises that contribute to building strong muscles and strength in general.

The Bulgarian squat is designed to be one of the most important exercises that has great effectiveness and does not differ with other compound exercises such as the leg press or the front squat, and the good thing is that you target the butt muscles, the adductor and the quadriceps muscles strongly, so with the availability of a bench or just a regular bench And some weights will be ready.

How to do bulgarian split squat:

• First you will need something to put your foot on, a bench, a chair, a box or anything that is much closer to the height of your knees.

• Second, you must determine the position of the foot that makes you comfortable, especially if you have problems with bending the hips and so on. 

• So bring a band or something that you can use when determining the point of the foot position so that you know which position you will go with each time.

• Stand a step away from the bench, carry dumbbells at a weight in line with your fitness level, keep your arms straight at your sides, raise your back foot, place the surface of your toes on the bench, stay balanced and focus well with your movement and posture.

• Begin to squat slowly, it would be good to go as deep as you can reach, try to get your knee down well, try to make your knee at a 90 degree angle, and your knees in a split position perpendicular to the ground.

• Squeeze your muscles well and return to the previous position slowly.

Pro tip:

Balance is one of the important things that you must adjust with this exercise, that is, you must improve your posture well, and find a point to put your foot on the ground in a way that allows you to maintain your balance and do the exercise well.

Some people also tend to put their fingers on the bench rather than the surface of the fingers. This may generate more tension for the muscles of the hips and thighs, but it may not help you stay balanced and does not allow you to get more range to extend your knee down.

Keep the upper body neutral throughout the exercise but this does not mean leaving your muscles loose, although it is an exercise for the muscles of the lower body you should keep the abdominal muscles and the core attentive.

Focus on stretching the muscles well with each repetition. 

The slower the movement, the more tense the muscles. Isn’t that what we want? So try to keep your speed at least moderate.

Muscle worked:

• glutes. 

• adductors.

• Quads

• Hamstrings

• Calves

Bulgarian split squat full guide

8 – Bench Press (Compound workout for upper body)

The bench press is one of the most powerful compound exercises that target the upper body. It is also one of the exercises that contribute greatly to building muscles, especially the chest muscles.

You must rely on this type of exercise because it is necessary in order to build strength and improve your fitness and muscle endurance, and the adjustable bench helps to give you many options to train a specific area in the chest such as the lower, upper or middle chest muscles, by changing the positions of the back cushion only.

How to do dumbbell bench press correctly:

• Choose dumbbells with a weight that matches your fitness level.

• Sit on the edge of the bench, pick up the dumbbells and put them on your knees, then lie down on the bench.

• Raise your arms straight with your shoulders up.

• Press the muscles of the buttocks, keep some space between your lower back and the bench, try to also press the upper back muscles because they will help you deal with heavy weight.

• Slowly pull your elbows out until your arms are straight at your sides and your elbow is at a 90-degree angle.

• Push back up until your arms are straight again, and so on.

Pro tip:

Try not to waste a lot of energy while trying to adjust your position because there are some people who carry dumbbells before they discover their position and how they will do the movement, and therefore they have drained a lot of energy before starting the exercise.

So focus on going with weights that suit your fitness level in the beginning, then pay attention to working your muscles well and squeezing them with each repetition.

Muscle worked:

• Pecs major

• Biceps brachii

• Triceps brachii

• Serratus anterior

• Front delts

Training program for weight bench workouts

Last Word

Well, the good thing is that you are here looking for some exercises that you can do at home or the gym, and this is a good thing, I congratulate you, and secondly, you must adhere to the exercises well and try to motivate yourself to do more and achieve new goals.

The bench will help you do a lot of exercises and can build muscles and get the fitness you are looking for. 

Also, try to increase the intensity of the exercises after you feel that you are able to do so, because this will make you move to the next level.

As for the exercise schedule, if you do not know how to follow a specific schedule, you can first train 2 or 3 times a week. 

Try to do a class of exercises for the muscles of the upper part of the body, and the next class for lower body training, and the third class you can do some cardio exercises, for example running or push ups, burpees, Planks… .

Also, try to rely on compound exercises strongly. Try to start each class with a compound exercise that targets a group of muscles, and then start doing some isolation exercises.

Useful Links

These links contain more exercises that you can do at home using a bench or even without a bench. The important thing is that you can get exercises for the muscles of the entire body only at home.

Don’t have a bench? Here’s the best alternatives to work lower chest

Best shoulder workout with or without a bench

You have a weak inner chest ? here’s the best option