Weight lifting benches are one of the most interesting items you will find in any sporting goods store. They look like torture racks ready to lock you down and make you tell the truth. When you pick the wrong bench it becomes a torture rack instead of your favorite weight lifting accessory.

When you are looking at weight lifting benches you are going to find two extremes. The first extreme is the ultimate in simplicity. It serves primarily one purpose. It is intended for your bench press and other lying bench exercises. There are no pulley attachments, added racks, leg curl apparatus, or other items in the way. They are simply functional for their intended purpose.

The other variety includes everything. You see pulleys, cables, leg curl attachments, lat pull down bars, preacher curl stations, and a variety of other gear all mounted to the bench.

How do you possibly choose the proper bench for your home? The question comes back to a simple question, what is your goal? If you are training to be a bodybuilder and create a body which is symmetrical, has mass in all body parts, and looks like a Greek God, then you are going to want a more complex bench. You need a wide variety of movements to target smaller groups of muscles and get them to grow.

If your goal is to train for powerlifting contests your choice is equally easy. You need a powerful bench for your bench presses. You do not need all that extra gear. Your exercises are going to be focused on the bench press, squats, and dead lift. All those other pulleys and attachments are just going to be in your way.

What if you are training for a sport like football which requires strength and speed. You may want to shoot for a bench somewhere in between. You want a bench built powerfully for your bench press. Your power lifts are going to be the bench press, dead lift, and squats just like a powerlifters, but you will want to add some added exercises. You are going to want to work on your hamstrings to give you more powerful running ability. You will want to work on your shoulders and arms beyond the bench press for added arm power.

There is one common theme you should highly consider on any of these benches. Getting a bench designed to use Olympic weight lifting bars and Olympic plates is the ideal. It gives you more flexibility on adding weight and additional safety. Stay away from benches which are technically home gyms preloaded with plates. They are limited in weight and less flexible for your training needs.

On any style of weight lifting benches always buy a bench rated at a much higher capacity than you believe you need today. Buying a bench rated for 300 or 400 pounds is very limiting. You may already weigh 200 pounds yourself and this would only allow you to workout with 100 to 200 pounds. You are likely to exceed these weights rapidly if you have not already done so. Buy a heavy duty bench which grows with you and provides you with plenty of safety and you are prepared for the future.