20 Weight Bench Exercises for a Full-Body Workout (Home or Gym)

"Gym bench" searches rose 20% last year, part of the wider home gym boom. A bench is probably the most useful piece of gym equipment after a pair of dumbbells. It gives you support for pressing, rowing, split squats and core work, and turns a small set of weights into a full training setup.

Here are 20 weight bench exercises organised by muscle, a complete full-body bench workout, and what to look for in a bench.

The short answer

• Chest: flat/incline dumbbell press, dumbbell fly, decline push-up
• Back: single-arm dumbbell row, chest-supported row, pullover
• Shoulders: seated dumbbell press, seated lateral raise, incline Y-raise
• Arms: incline curl, lying triceps extension, bench dip
• Legs/glutes: Bulgarian split squat, step-up, hip thrust, single-leg glute bridge
• Core: decline sit-up, lying leg raise, seated knee tuck

Chest exercises

#	Exercise	Bench setting	Notes
1	Dumbbell bench press	Flat	The foundation. 3 × 6–12
2	Incline dumbbell press	30–45°	Upper chest focus
3	Dumbbell fly	Flat or incline	Stretch-focused; moderate weight
4	Decline push-up	Feet on bench	Bodyweight, upper chest and shoulders

Back exercises

#	Exercise	Bench setting	Notes
5	Single-arm dumbbell row	Flat (knee and hand on bench)	Heavy and stable. 3 × 8–12 per side
6	Chest-supported row	Incline 30–45°, lying face down	No lower-back strain
7	Dumbbell pullover	Flat (across or along)	Lats and chest
8	Incline rear-delt row	Incline, face down	Upper back and rear delts

Shoulder exercises

#	Exercise	Bench setting	Notes
9	Seated dumbbell shoulder press	Upright (80–90°)	Back support = more stable press
10	Seated lateral raise	Upright	Strict form, no swinging
11	Incline Y-raise	Incline, face down	Lower traps and shoulder health

Arm exercises

#	Exercise	Bench setting	Notes
12	Incline dumbbell curl	45–60°	Big stretch on the biceps
13	Lying triceps extension	Flat	"Skull crushers" with dumbbells
14	Bench dip	Flat, hands on edge	Bodyweight triceps
15	Concentration curl	Seated on end	Strict biceps isolation

Leg and glute exercises

#	Exercise	Bench setting	Notes
16	Bulgarian split squat	Rear foot on flat bench	Probably the best bench leg exercise
17	Step-up	Flat (check it's stable)	Quads and glutes; hold dumbbells
18	Hip thrust	Upper back against bench	Glute builder; dumbbell or barbell
19	Single-leg glute bridge (foot elevated)	Foot on bench	Hamstrings and glutes

Core exercises

#	Exercise	Bench setting	Notes
20	Decline sit-up / lying leg raise / seated knee tuck	Decline or flat	Pick one per session. See our core exercises

Full-body bench workout (45 minutes)

Do this 2–3 times a week. Rest 60–120 s between sets.

Exercise	Sets × reps
Bulgarian split squat	3 × 8–12 per leg
Dumbbell bench press	3 × 8–12
Single-arm dumbbell row	3 × 8–12 per side
Hip thrust	3 × 10–15
Seated dumbbell shoulder press	3 × 8–12
Incline curl + lying triceps extension (superset)	2 × 10–15 each
Lying leg raise	2 × 10–15

Progress with double progression: when you hit the top of the rep range on every set, go up in weight.

What to look for in a weight bench

Feature	Why
Adjustable (flat, incline, ideally decline)	Unlocks most of the exercises above
Stability	Wide base, solid feet, no wobble under load
Weight capacity	Rated well above bodyweight + the heaviest weights you'll use
Seat adjustment	Prevents sliding on inclines
Pad width and firmness	Firm pads support pressing better than soft ones
Small gap between seat and back	More comfortable on flat pressing

See the full home gym equipment guide for what to pair it with.

Track your bench workouts

With 20 exercises to choose from, a log helps you stay consistent: same exercises, beating last session's weights and reps. GymMonster lets you save your bench workout as a routine, log each set in seconds and track your personal records per exercise.

The bottom line

A weight bench plus a pair of dumbbells covers almost every muscle: presses and flys for chest, rows for back, seated presses and raises for shoulders, split squats and hip thrusts for legs and glutes, and core work. Pick an adjustable, stable bench, follow the full-body workout 2–3 times a week and log your progress.