Weight benches are an essential part of any weight training schedule. You may exercise at any angle, focus on practically any muscle, and reduce your chance of injury by using a weight bench in your strength training workouts.
And an Olympic Weight Bench is a reliable piece of equipment with minimal moving parts and hence requires less maintenance.
If you want to find out more about Olympic weight bench benefits for muscle growth, you are at the right place because in this article, we will go through the following topics:
- Benefits of using Olympic weight bench
- Tips for using this bench.
- Some common mistakes people make while using Olympic weight bench bench.
Keep reading till the end!
Olympic Weight Bench Benefits For Muscle Growth
Olympic Benches are a popular choice for many reasons. They have an integrated racking system, safer than simply combining a bench with a squat stand.
An Olympic weight bench is helpful in training because it allows you to improve strength and target specific muscle groups.
Because most have no moving parts, this simple equipment requires very little maintenance.
Despite this, these benches can hold more weight than regular weight since they are broader and longer, making them more durable and capable of withstanding greater weight pressure.
Quality Costs
Olympic-branded equipment is often higher quality and suitable for heavy use, such as at a fitness center.
You'll have to spend more money on it, but if you're serious about bench pressing and other barbell-based lifts, it's well worth it.
The Bench
Various manufacturers sell "Olympic" benches, although the specs differ. Olympic benches are typically wider to provide more leverage when lifting the heavier, longer Olympic bar. Olympic benches are also generally longer than ordinary versions.
Moreover, Olympic benches are often broader and longer than regular benches with the considerable advantage of accommodating heavy lifters.
The Bar
Olympic bars are 7 feet long and 1 1/4 inch in diameter in the center, with thicker ends measuring 1 31/32 inch (or 50 millimeters) in diameter. They are 45 pounds.
Standard bars are often narrower – only 1 inch in diameter — and uniform across the entire bar rather than having thicker ends. Depending on the manufacturer, the bar maybe 7 feet long or shorter.
Also, standard bars are sometimes built of lower-quality materials, which means they are more likely to bend under weights of 200 pounds or more.
Olympic bars made of steel can withstand significantly more weight - up to 1,100 pounds. They bend slightly when severely laden, although this is by design. When the weights are removed, these high-quality bars spring back into position.
Plates
The Olympic plates are always solid iron. Some standard plates may be, but compare prices. Concrete enclosed with plastic can be used to make less expensive versions.
Olympic plates are also available as bumper plates, which are coated in rubber and bounce slightly when dropped from a lift.
Because the grip in the center of an Olympic bar is 2 inches in diameter, only Olympic plates will fit. The exact weight of these plates is also more precise.
How to Use an Olympic Weight Bench Correctly
It's not that you can't use this bench in the same way you would a standard bench. You should still set it up with a barbell and weights before performing workouts like the barbell or incline chest press.
However, if you have a more durable bench, you can exercise with Olympic bars because the equipment is meant to support such heavy weights.
These benches are used mainly by bodybuilders and others training for fitness competitions to increase their chest press PR.
These barbells are incredibly heavy and can support hundreds of pounds independently. Given the overall weight, an Olympic weight bench can take that force; however, standard benches may not.
Also, these benches are wider and take up more room than regular benches. As a result, if you find them at the gym, they'll most likely be in an area away from other equipment and machines.
Some Tips To Use Olympic Work Bench
Declined chest press, barbell chest press, leg curls, leg extensions, bicep curls, and other exercises can be performed on an Olympic weight bench.
Thus, if you use such a bench, you should arrange a workout involving many moves.
In fact, this is an excellent bench for a full-body workout. Upper body exercises include:
- A chest press (chest).
- A single-arm dumbbell row (lats).
- A seated overhead shoulder press (shoulder).
- A seated bicep curl (biceps).
- A seated overhead extension (triceps).
The bench can also be used for leg curls (hamstrings) and extensions (quads).
This bench can be used at a decline angle while crunching with your legs locked on the leg extension bar. This exercise will engage your core muscles, giving you a full-body workout.
Common Mistakes
While using the Olympic weight bench for the first time, many people need to go lighter.
It's fair to let your body build strength before attempting to lift excessively high weights. You don't have to use Olympic weights just because you're using an Olympic weight bench.
Olympic Weight Bench VS Standard Weight Bench
The standard bench is way older and lighter in weight than the Olympic bench. The Olympic bench makes use of Olympic-sized bars with freely rotating end-points.
Olympic weight benches are manufactured of high-quality steel combinations to withstand the added stress of heavy weights. If you are new to utilizing a weight bench, the smaller and lighter standard bench may be a good starting point. Yet, when your strength levels increase, you'll find that a standard bench no longer suits your lifting demands.
If you intend to continue with a strength training program, an Olympic Weight Bench is an excellent place to start. This way, you won't have to upgrade your bench later.
Wrap Up
The Olympic weight bench is competition-grade weight-training equipment. The bench is made of high-quality composite steel and is built to last.
It may not be available in every gym because it is designed to handle extremely heavy weights.
If you can access an Olympic bench, check it out occasionally to see how it differs from normal benches.
We hope this article helped with Olympic weight bench benefits for muscle growth.
