Adjustable bench: how to use it properly

Muscles worked

Setup

1. Place the bench in a clear area where you can move safely with your dumbbells or under the Smith bar.
2. Set the backrest of the bench (flat, incline or almost upright) based on the exercise you plan to do.
3. If your bench has an adjustable seat, tilt it slightly up to help you stay anchored when the weight gets heavier.
4. Pick your dumbbells with an appropriate load; in many gyms the jump is around 2 kg or about 5 lb between pairs.
5. For barbell or Smith exercises, make sure your head and shoulders are fully supported by the bench, not hanging off the edge.

How to do it

1. Sit or lie on the bench with your hips in contact and your feet planted on the floor or on the bench, depending on the exercise.
2. Place your back against the pad without over-arching; keep a comfortable contact across the supported area.
3. Before your first working set, test the movement with little or no weight to see if the bench angle feels right.
4. During the exercise, control the lowering phase for about 2 to 3 seconds and avoid bouncing on the bench or collapsing into it.
5. Keep your breathing steady: usually inhale on the easier part of the rep and exhale on the main effort, without holding your breath for long.
6. At the end of the set, bring the weight down to the floor or onto your thighs in a controlled way before you get up from the bench.

Common mistakes

• Bench placed too far or misaligned under the bar/Smith

  Instead : Before you lie down, make sure the bar or start position lines up properly with your chest or shoulders for that exercise. Adjust the bench position first, then load heavier.

• Bench angle chosen at random

  Instead : Pick the angle based on the movement: flatter for lying work, more incline or upright for shoulder-type movements. Always do a few test reps to check that it feels good on your joints.

• Unstable feet or on your toes

  Instead : Set your feet flat at a comfortable width, or on the bench when the exercise calls for it, like some hip thrusts. The goal is to be solid, not wobbling through the reps.

• Sitting up with the dumbbells far from your body

  Instead : To finish a set, bring the dumbbells toward your chest or onto your thighs, then sit up while keeping them close. Avoid twisting your back with straight arms.

Coach tips

• For lying or incline dumbbell work, take 2 to 3 seconds to lower, add a small controlled pause, then press back up smoothly without using momentum.
• On heavier sets, grip the dumbbells firmly and drive your hips into the bench and your feet into the floor to stay stable.
• You can run several movements on the same bench in one workout, like a dumbbell press, a chest-supported row and an arm exercise.
• If a certain incline angle feels rough on a joint, move the backrest one notch up or down and test again with a light weight.

Variations

• Use the bench flat, on an incline or almost upright to change angles with the same dumbbell exercises.
• Place the bench in front of the Smith machine to do lying, incline or seated bar variations with the guided bar.
• Use the bench as support for single-arm or single-leg work, like one-arm rows or Bulgarian split squats with dumbbells.

Exercises on this machine

• Barbell hip thrustGlutes
• Barbell skull crusherTriceps
• Arnold pressShoulders
• Dumbbell bench pressChest
• Dumbbell Bulgarian split squatQuadriceps · Glutes
• Chest-supported dumbbell rowBack
• Concentration curlBiceps
• Dumbbell flyChest
• Dumbbell hip thrustGlutes
• Incline dumbbell curlBiceps
• Incline dumbbell pressChest
• Lying dumbbell triceps extensionTriceps
• One-arm dumbbell rowBack
• Dumbbell pulloverChest · Back
• Dumbbell reverse flyShoulders
• Seated dumbbell shoulder pressShoulders
• Dumbbell step-upQuadriceps · Glutes
• Dumbbell triceps kickbackTriceps
• Smith machine bench pressChest
• Smith machine hip thrustGlutes
• Smith machine incline pressChest
• Smith machine shoulder pressShoulders

Common questions