Identify your goals and constraints

These are the question you should ask yourself before making a decision:

Folding or Non Folding

For people with space constraint, folding bench will be a better choice as they can be folded to be kept away. However folding bench offer less stability and functions as compared a non folding bench. At homegym.sg, we have taken these points into consideration and offered folding bench which are as stable as non folding bench as well as non folding bench which can be kept in a compact manner.

Here we will compare some of our most popular benches:

Deluxe folding bench

Pros: Light and compact. Stable enough for most usage. Able to use as decline, flat and incline. 

Cons: Seat not adjustable. Backrest can only go up to about 70 degrees max.

F-VB Force USA - VersaBench XL - Folding FID Bench

Pros: Foldable and very stable. Heavy duty. Able to use as decline, flat and incline up to 85 degrees. Seat adjustable to 3 position.

Cons: Does not support attachment options.

Premium weight bench

Pros: Heavy duty. Able to use as decline, flat and incline up to 85 degrees. Seat adjustable to 3 position. Able to store in horizontal position. Supprt various attachments.

Cons: Non foldable.

Using Barbell or just dumbbell

The advantages and disvantages of these 2 will be discussed in another post "Barbell VS Dumbbell".

If you are going to use a barbell, a normal bench will not be enough. You need to either add on a squat rack or use a barbell bench. The difference between the 2 will be discussed in the following table:

 

Squat Rack with bench 


Barbell bench 


Stability  Depend on the size of the rack  Very stable as it is joined with the bench 
Workout options Many variations of squats, bench press, overhead press, deadlift and much more. Mostly limited to only bench press. Our Olympic Weight Bench provide more options like squats and more position for bench press due to the movable seat position.
Space requirement Can be kept in a more compact manner. Large space needed as many are non foldable. We do not recommend getting foldable models as they tend to be filmsy.
Safety Comes with safety catch so the user can push harder without worrying about failure. Most models do not come with safety catch.