It might not seem like a home gym must-have like a weight set or treadmill—but once you find the best weight bench for your workout, you’ll wonder how you ever went without it. That’s because weight benches can provide additional support, modify certain exercises, and help you easily perform moves like single-arm rows, hip thrusts, and more.
They’re seriously versatile, but also a bit of an investment. To make sure you choose the right one, we spoke to fitness experts about key features and selected the best models on the market. Shop our faves below.
Our top picks
- Best Overall: BowFlex 5.1S Adjustable Weight Bench, $349
- Sturdiest: Rep Fitness AB-3100 Adjustable Weight Bench, $320
- Best Budget Pick: Reebok Deck, $250
- Best for Small Spaces: Speediance Incline Bench, $299
- Best Splurge: Rogue Adjustable Bench 3.0, $595
In this article
Shop the best weight benches
Folks, we have lift off.
Best Overall: BowFlex 5.1S Adjustable Weight Bench
Christa Sgobba, SELF’s director of fitness and food, gives this BowFlex bench her stamp of approval (and dedicated SELF readers may recognize it from our 6 Weeks to Stronger workout challenge). Its seat is upholstered and comfy, and its incline adjusts with the turn of a knob.
The 5.1S doesn’t just check the essential boxes for a weight bench—it also has some nice-to-have details that give it a slight edge over other options. For one, it can be set on a declining angle (and you don’t see that very often, Sgobba says). For another, it has a removable brace that holds your legs in place. These features give you more position options for moves like Russian twists, skull crushers, and sit-ups.
Dimensions: 28.10 x 61.30 x 18 inches | Incline options: 90, 60, 45, 30, 0, and -20 degrees | Weight capacity: 600 pounds
Sturdiest: Rep Fitness AB-3100 Adjustable Weight Bench
This heavy-duty bench won a SELF Home Fitness Award last year. “I love its durability and stability,” Kellen Scantlebury, DPT, CSCS, a physical therapist, founder of Fit Club NY, and one of our Awards judges, said. “You can perform step-ups on it without worrying that it will flip over. From a safety perspective, it’s a great option!”
Its maximum load capacity is 700 pounds (for the user and weights combined), making it an excellent choice for a wide range of people and fitness goals.
Dimensions: 23 x 50.50 x 16.75 inches | Incline options: 90, 75, 60, 45, 30, and 0 degrees for the back; 20 and 0 degrees for the seat | Weight capacity: 700 pounds
Best Budget Pick: Reebok Deck
Another Home Fitness Award winner, Reebok’s Deck gives you a great bang for your buck. It’s the least expensive option on our list, but one of the most versatile—not only does it function as a traditional weight bench, but it also serves as a stepper, an anchor for resistance tube bands, and a storage container for smaller pieces of equipment.
What it may lack in sturdiness (the maximum weight capacity is much lower than other options on our list) it makes up for in portability: The Deck clocks in under 30 pounds and folds flat.
Dimensions: 13.20 x 47.80 x 7.90 inches or 13.20 x 47.80 x 13.80 inches | Incline options: Incline, decline, and flat | Weight capacity: 350 pounds
Best for Small Spaces: Speediance Incline Bench
Technically an accessory to Speediance’s Home Fitness Award–winning Gym Pal, the brand’s Incline Bench is also sold separately—and it makes an excellent weight bench for smaller or shared workout spaces. It weighs just 33 pounds, has a smooth-locking adjustment system, and folds flat (at less than eight inches high, it can be tucked under your bed, desk, or couch).
Dimensions: 15.60 x 45.48 x 15.60 inches | Incline options: 90, 75, 60, 45, 30, 20, and 0 degrees for the back; 20 and 0 degrees for the seat | Weight capacity: N/A
Best Splurge: Rogue Adjustable Bench 3.0
“This bench is built like a tank—stable, sturdy, and safe for heavy lifting,” Everett Miner, NASM-CPT, an in-person and online fitness coach, tells SELF. He notes its smooth adjustment system and vertical storage option as key features. “If I were designing a gym from the ground up, this would be my go-to bench,” Miner sums up.
It comes at a much higher price point than the other benches we’ve featured, so it’s best suited for dedicated weightlifters who want to enjoy challenging workouts at home on a regular basis.
Dimensions: 24.75 x 56.50 x 17.50 inches | Incline options: 85, 75, 67.50, 60, 52.50, 45, 37.50, 30, 15, and 0 degrees for the back; 30, 15, and 0 degrees for the seat | Weight capacity: 1,000 pounds
What to look for when buying a weight bench
You don’t need a bench with a million incline settings, but the more there are, the more moves you can do, Miner says. Think about the exercises you usually use a weight bench for when you’re at the gym—that can help you get an idea of which angles are must-haves in your home weight bench.
“The bench [should be] heavy and stable enough not to shift around during use,” Miner says. He recommends looking for models with a non-slip base or grippy pads under the legs. A stable bench needs to support the weight of your body and your preferred weights, so make sure to check the maximum load capacity before making your purchase.
The seat and backrest should feel sturdy too—even if they’re padded for comfort. “I look for high-density foam that’s firm, not overly soft or cushy, so you have a solid, consistent surface to lift off of,” Miner says.
As with any larger piece of fitness equipment, your bench’s dimensions are key. It should fit in your workout area, leaving enough room for you to maneuver around it. Don’t forget to take storage options into consideration. Some models store upright, others fold flat and can slide under furniture, and others still don’t fold at all.
How we picked the best weight benches
We asked personal trainers about their favorite models and referenced previous years’ Home Fitness Award winners to curate our list above. When an item wins a Home Fitness Award, that means it’s been used firsthand by at least one of our testers or judges and found to be an exceptional piece of gear.
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