Weight benches are awesome pieces of equipment. They're a great way to change up and support your exercises across a huge range of muscle groups. They take you so much further than a lot of other equipment could. There are little changes you can make to your setup to change things up entirely too. No matter where you are in your fitness journey, there's a place for a weight bench in your workout plan. Firstly though, you need to know what to do with them.

Whether you’re working out from home or you have a gym membership, with a solid weight bench and some good weights, you’re ready to make serious progress in your weight and strength training. No matter what your goals are, they can help you get there.

Want to move fast? Jump to the right section below.

The Structure

As with a lot of workout plans, we’ve adopted the push-pull legs workout split to make our weight bench workout plan as efficient as possible. This helps to maximise the effectiveness of your workout plan while minimising the time you have to spend exercising. On top of that, it makes sure that you have adequate rest time too to really make sure that you’re doing what’s best for your body and your progress at the same time.

The general idea is that the plan splits into three separate workouts. They can be spread over the week however you like, as long as you are making sure you have that all-important 48-hour break into between working for the same muscle groups. For more info about the split, take a look here.

The Exercises

All of the exercises we use in the plan are pretty simple but incredibly effective. There are too many exercises available with a weight bench to list, so you can mix things up if you want to. For the best chance, these exercises are up there with the best of the best. It’s worth noting though that some of them are much more effective with an adjustable weight bench for these workouts.

The Plan

For the best results from the weight bench workout plan, the workouts up the ante every two weeks. That keeps you progressing and makes the workouts slightly harder. Variation is one of the best ways to ultimately maximise the results that you're going to see after all. Let's break it down:

Man using the push section of the weight bench workout plan
Push Week 1&2   
Muscle groupExerciseRepsRest
ChestBarbell Chest Press4x1245 Seconds
 Dumbbell Flyes4x1245 Seconds
 Straight Arm Pullover4x1245 Seconds
ShouldersShoulder Press4x1245 Seconds
 Front Raise4x1245 Seconds
 Lateral Raise4x1245 Seconds
TricepsOverhead Extensions4x1245 Seconds
 Tricep Dips4x1245 Seconds
    
    
Week 3&4   
Muscle groupExerciseRepsRest
ChestDecline Push Ups4x1245 Seconds
 Incline Dumbbell Bench Press4x1245 Seconds
 Dumbbell Flyes4x1245 Seconds
 Incline Flyes4x1245 Seconds
ShouldersShoulder Press4x1245 Seconds
 Front Raise4x1245 Seconds
 Lateral Raise4x1245 Seconds
TricepsMule Kicks & Kickbacks4x1245 Seconds
 Close Grip Bench4x1245 Seconds
    
Week 5&6   
ChestDecline Push Ups4x1245 Seconds
 Incline Dumbbell Bench Press4x1245 Seconds
 Dumbbell Flyes4x1245 Seconds
 Pullovers4x1245 Seconds
ShouldersArnold Press4x1245 Seconds
 Front Raise4x1245 Seconds
 Lateral Raise4x1245 Seconds
TricepsSkull Crushers4x1245 Seconds
 Close Grip Bench4x1245 Seconds
    
    
Woman using the pull section of the weight bench workout plan
Pull   
Week 1&2   
Muscle groupExerciseRepsRest
BackChest Supported Dumbbell Rows3x1045 Seconds
 Reverse Flyes3x1045 Seconds
 SuperMan3x1045 Seconds
BicepsHammer Curl3x1045 Seconds
 Standard Curls3x1045 Seconds
    
Week 3&4   
Muscle groupExerciseRepsRest
BackChest Supported Dumbbell Rows3x1045 Seconds
 Decline Bench Pull Over3x1045 Seconds
 Reverse Flyes3x1045 Seconds
 Hyper Extensions3x1045 Seconds
BicepsHammer Curl3x1045 Seconds
 Concentration Curl3x1045 Seconds
    
Week 4&5   
Muscle groupExerciseRepsRest
BackChest Supported Dumbbell Rows3x1045 Seconds
 Single Arm Bent Row3x1045 Seconds
 Reverse Flyes3x1045 Seconds
 Hyper Extensions3x1045 Seconds
BicepsHammer Curl3x1045 Seconds
 Concentration Curls3x1045 Seconds
    
Man doing Bulgarian split squats
Legs   
Week 1&2   
 LegsBench Jumps3x1045 Seconds
 Split Squats3x1045 Seconds
 Box Squats3x1045 Seconds
 Dumbbell Step Ups3x1045 Seconds
 Seated Calf Raises3x1045 Seconds
    
    
Week 3&4   
 LegsBench Jumps4x1045 Seconds
 Split Squats4x1045 Seconds
 Box Squats4x1045 Seconds
 Dumbbell Step Ups4x1045 Seconds
 Seated Calf Raises4x1045 Seconds
    
Week 5&6   
 LegsBench Jumps4x1245 Seconds
 Split Squats4x1245 Seconds
 Box Squats4x1245 Seconds
 Dumbbell Step Ups4x1245 Seconds
 Seated Calf Raises4x1245 Seconds

Download the plan here:

6-Week-Weight-Bench-Workout-PlanDownload

If you feel any pain after the workout or during, check out the NHS website for more info, and read the information below:

Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, consult your physician, doctor or other professional. This is especially important for individuals over the age of 35 or persons with pre-existing health problems. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for personal injury or property damage sustained using our advice.

If you experience dizziness, nausea, chest pain, or any other abnormal symptoms, stop the workout at once and consult a physician or doctor immediately.