Bench for Bench Press

Lol

Super Moderator
Staff member
I have a few issues with the bench I'm using for bench pressing. It's an adjustable bench and as such, it is less than rigid. No matter how many wedges I put in place, there's always some side-to-side rocking. It also has a pretty thick slab of padding on it (a full 2").

I dislike squatting in trainers compared to hard-soled, Oly shoes because of stability and drive issues. So, should I be using a bench which is very stable and with very little padding for the same reasons?

I'd like to know roughly how thick the padding is on the bench that you generally use for bench pressing and whether you like it or not?

Should I get a new fixed flat bench? If so, any recommendations?
 
Stability I couldn't imagine lifting without; my usual concern is having a 17" height so my feet can be positioned properly, and I hate slippery cheap naugahyde that keeps me from loading my traps. I can press a lot more if I can get rocked back, as I don't have a lot of arch, even after training for it.
I've lifted off a solid wood bench with no padding at all, and didn't have problems, but back then I wasn't pushing over 3 bucks.
 
solid is better, thin padding, good sticky covering.

If you compete get a bench that is between 42 and 45cm high to the top of the pad

16.5 - 17.7"
 
Thanks folks.

This is the IronMind bench:

1228-08-fl.jpg


The spec is as follows:

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">48&quot; long, 12&quot; wide and 17&quot; tall, weighing in at 55 pounds, and supporting 4,000 pounds in one of our tests, this wonder is topped off with a high-density piece of molecular wizardry (that has probably won someone a Nobel Prize) in the form of a removable pad.

Its beauty is that it provides firm support, outstanding traction, and an easy-to-clean exterior, and it is removable and replaceable in an instant: you just lay it on the bench or take it off as desired. Switch from benching with the top on to step-ups with the top off faster than you can say, &quot;Great idea!&quot;</div>

Trouble is I can't get it in the UK, so I'm going to have to get one made. It's a pretty simple steel frame. Shouldn't cost much to knock up. I'll fix some heavy duty ply to the top and add a bit of tough foam to that.
 
Back
Top