A sports bench is a universal design that allows you to efficiently pump your abdominal muscles, work out with a barbell, and support other muscle groups in good shape. Let's find out what points should be paid attention to when choosing such an inventory.
Production material
It is best if the sports bench is made of steel. Such material is able to withstand significant mechanical loads, providing the user with the possibility of safe operation of the simulator.
It is desirable that the parameters of the steel profile used for the manufacture of the bench correspond to the expected loads on the structure. For this reason, experienced, heavyweight athletes should buy a bench assembled from metal elements with a section of at least 50x50 mm. For beginners, a simulator made of a steel profile with parameters of 25x25 mm will be enough. As for the wall thickness of structural elements, the parameter should be at least 2 mm.
Ergonomics
A sports bench can have a flat or curved platform. The latter option is suitable for experienced athletes, however, it is not recommended for beginners or for users who have problems with the lower back. On a straight board, itβs much easier to choose a safe position for your back. In addition, in this case, muscle overload does not occur, since many of them remain in a relaxed state.
Functionality
A sports bench should contain elements for adjusting the parameters. Their presence does not make it necessary to adjust the body under the simulator during training and provides increased comfort for each individual user.
It is recommended to stop the choice on models that allow you to easily change the height of the structure, the angle of inclination of the back. All this opens up the possibility of adjusting the bench to fit your own body.
Upholstery
A sports bench should be lined with sufficiently reliable material, which is resistant to tearing and abrasion. Preference should be given to natural skin. Despite the high cost of such upholstery, the material will last much longer compared to artificial substitutes.
When choosing a sports bench, it is recommended to evaluate the convenience of the lining. During the exercise, the body should not crawl, fidget along the surface of the support. The presence of this drawback will force you to concentrate tension on the muscles, which will ensure the fixation of the body in its original position, instead of focusing on the abdominal area, chest, and other areas that are to be worked out.
As for the filler, it should not be too soft. After all, a sports bench for the house is not a mattress, and classes on it should not have a relaxing effect on the body.
Width
If a sports bench will be used for a bench press, then its width should be about 29-32 cm. The specified parameter is recognized as optimal by athletes who are engaged in powerlifting. As for the layout of the dumbbells to the sides, it will be convenient to carry out the exercise with a bench width of 18-22 cm. Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that an average sports bench of about 24-28 cm will be the optimal parameter for performing various exercises.
Length
It is worth noting that there is no point in acquiring an oversized, large sports bench. The main thing is that when choosing the lying position of the buttocks and the back of the head, a convenient emphasis should be created for the body on its surface. In general, the correspondence of the length of the device to individual parameters needs to be tested in practice. Tall athletes are advised to check the comfort of the back by moving it to a position at an angle of 45 Β°. Training will become comfortable if the back of the head rests against the plane, and does not go beyond its edge.
DIY sports bench
The main for self-assembly of a sports bench can be a profile steel pipe with parameters 40x40 mm, which must be welded in the shape of a rectangle. To prepare the frame that will play the role of racks, it is enough to use a metal strip with a width of at least 30 mm. To give the material the desired shape, it is enough to bend it with a hammer, and then connect it to the profile pipe by welding.
In conclusion, it is enough to lay a board or a piece of plywood cut out in accordance with the parameters of the metal structure on a rectangular base of profile steel pipe. The element can be fixed with bolted connections, under which it is necessary to pre-drill the corresponding holes in the frame of pipes.
As a filler, you can use a sheet of foam. So that such a βcrumbβ does not move along the surface of the bench during training, you must first put it on the glue. The finishing touch is the creation of upholstery made of dermatin, which is wrapped around the wooden part of the bench and fixed with a staple gun.
Finally
As you can see, there is nothing complicated in choosing a sports bench for the home. The main thing is not to rush and test several devices from an affordable price category. If desired, the availability of funds, tools and materials, such a simulator can be assembled with your own hands, using a bench from a store or a gym as an example.