Are you looking for a piece of versatile gym equipment that can improve your strength and get your heart pumping? It may not be the most obvious solution, but a workout bench can do your body wonders.
You can do everything from classic strength training to cardio and bodyweight work on a bench. To start you off, here are ten exercises you can do using a workout bench — perfect if you’re a total beginner, but genuinely useful for anyone who wants to make the most of this underrated piece of equipment.
The 10 Best Beginner Bench Exercises
1. Bench Press
The bench press is the most classic exercise you can do on a workout bench — and for good reason. It builds the chest, front shoulders, and triceps better than almost any other movement. The challenge for beginners isn’t doing the movement itself; it’s doing it safely.
Lie on your back on the bench with your feet flat on the floor. Grip the barbell slightly wider than shoulder width. Unrack the bar and hold it directly above your chest with straight arms. Lower the bar slowly to your mid-chest, keeping your elbows at roughly 45 degrees from your body — not flared straight out. Press back up until your arms are straight. If you’re new to this, always use a spotter or keep the weight conservative until you’re confident with the form.
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8-12 reps. Start light — getting the technique right matters far more than the weight on the bar.
2. Dumbbell Chest Fly
The chest fly is the perfect complement to the bench press. While the press builds overall chest mass, the fly stretches and isolates the chest fibers in a way pressing movements can’t — making it one of the best exercises for building a defined, full-looking chest.
Lie on your back on the flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand. Start with your arms directly above your chest, palms facing each other. With a slight bend in your elbows — keep that bend consistent throughout — lower the dumbbells out to your sides in a wide arc until you feel a good stretch across your chest. Bring them back together above your chest in the same arc. Think of it as hugging a large tree rather than pressing — the motion is circular, not straight up and down.
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10-15 reps. Use a weight you can control through the full arc — the stretch at the bottom is where the work happens, so don’t cut it short.
3. Incline Dumbbell Press
Set your bench to a 30-45 degree incline. This shifts the emphasis from the mid-chest to the upper chest and front shoulders — the part of the chest that gives a rounded, full appearance from the front. Most beginners skip incline work and then wonder why their chest looks flat at the top.
Sit on the incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand resting on your thighs. Use your thighs to help kick the dumbbells up to shoulder height as you lie back. With the dumbbells at chest level and your elbows at about 45 degrees, press them up until your arms are straight, then lower slowly back to the start.
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8-12 reps.
Related: Dumbbell Bench Press: The Complete Guide to Form, Variations, and Common Mistakes
4. Tricep Dips
I’m sure you’ve seen people doing dips between parallel bars. The bench version is the beginner-friendly alternative — and it’s no less effective for the triceps.
Sit on the edge of the bench with your hands gripping the edge on either side of your hips, fingers pointing forward. Slide your bottom off the bench so your weight is supported by your arms.
Your feet can be flat on the floor with knees bent (easier) or extended out in front of you with straight legs (harder). Lower your body by bending your elbows until your upper arms are roughly parallel to the floor, then press back up. Keep your back close to the bench throughout — the further you drift away, the more the front of your shoulders take over.
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10-15 reps. When this gets easy, place a weight plate on your lap to increase the resistance.
5. Dumbbell Shoulder Press
The shoulder press is one of the most important exercises you can do for building strong, rounded shoulders. Doing it seated on a bench — rather than standing — removes the temptation to use your legs to help push the weight up, which means your shoulders have to do all the work.
Sit upright on the bench with your back supported. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height, palms facing forward. Press both dumbbells straight up until your arms are fully extended above your head, then lower them back to shoulder height. Don’t lock your elbows at the top — keep a slight bend so the tension stays in the shoulders.
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8-12 reps. Related: The Best Lateral Deltoid Exercises for Wider Shoulders
6. Dumbbell Row
Every beginner program needs a pulling movement to balance all the pressing work — and the single-arm dumbbell row is about as straightforward as pulling movements get. It builds the lats, rhomboids, rear delts, and biceps, and using the bench for support means you can focus entirely on the pulling motion without worrying about your lower back.
Place your right knee and right hand on the bench, left foot on the floor, dumbbell in your left hand hanging toward the floor. Keep your back flat and roughly parallel to the ground. Pull the dumbbell straight up to the side of your hip — not toward your shoulder — and squeeze your shoulder blade back at the top. Lower slowly and repeat.
Related: Pull-Ups and Chin-Ups: The Complete Guide
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10-12 reps each side.
7. Dumbbell Bicep Curl
Believe it or not, sitting on a bench to do your bicep curls makes them harder than standing — there’s no temptation to swing the weight up with your body, which means the biceps have to do all the lifting themselves.
Sit on the bench with your back straight and a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward. Keeping your elbows pinned to your sides, curl both dumbbells up toward your shoulders. Squeeze at the top, then lower slowly back to the start.
The slower you lower the weight, the more work your biceps do. Don’t let the dumbbells swing — if they are, the weight is too heavy.
Related: The Complete Biceps Training Guide – What, Why and How
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10-15 reps.
8. Step Up Step Down
When you saw a park bench as a kid, what did you do? You probably jumped and ran around it. Believe it or not, those were and still are one of the best exercises for strengthening your glutes, quads, and calves.
Stand in front of the bench with your feet hip-width apart. Step up with your right foot, then bring your left foot up to meet it. Step down with your right foot first, then the left. Keep your hands either clasped in front of you or swinging naturally at your sides for balance. The key is a controlled movement — don’t rush. Once you’re comfortable, add dumbbells in each hand to increase the challenge.
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10-12 reps each leg.
9. Bulgarian Split Squat
This is one of the most effective lower body exercises available — and one of the most underused by beginners who stick to bilateral squats. The Bulgarian split squat targets the quads, glutes, and hamstrings of the front leg with a level of intensity that’s hard to match, and the rear foot elevation on the bench increases the range of motion beyond what a regular lunge allows.
Stand about two feet in front of the bench, facing away from it. Place the top of your right foot on the bench behind you. Lower your body by bending your front knee until your rear knee nearly touches the floor.
Your front shin should stay roughly vertical — if your knee is shooting way past your toes, step your front foot out a little further. Drive back up through your front heel to the starting position.
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8-10 reps each leg. Start with bodyweight until you’ve got the balance sorted, then hold dumbbells to add resistance.
10. Bench Plank
The exercises above work your chest, shoulders, arms, back, and legs. Here’s one that ties it all together by challenging your core — which is involved in almost every movement you’ll ever do in the gym.
Start in a push-up position with your hands on the floor and your toes resting on the bench. Your body should form a straight line from your heels to your head — no sagging hips, no raised bottom. From here, lower yourself onto your forearms one arm at a time, then push back up to the straight-arm position. That’s one rep. If this variation is too difficult, simply hold the elevated plank position with straight arms for 30-60 seconds — that alone is a solid core exercise.
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8-10 reps (moving plank), or 3 sets of 30-45 second holds (static plank).
A Simple Beginner Bench Workout
If you want to put these into a structured programme, here’s a simple full-body workout you can do with just a bench and a set of dumbbells — three days a week with a rest day between each session:
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bench Press or Incline Dumbbell Press | 3 | 8-12 | 60-90 sec |
| Dumbbell Row | 3 | 10-12 each side | 60 sec |
| Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 | 8-12 | 60 sec |
| Bulgarian Split Squat | 3 | 8-10 each leg | 60-90 sec |
| Tricep Dips | 3 | 10-15 | 60 sec |
| Dumbbell Bicep Curl | 3 | 10-15 | 60 sec |
| Bench Plank | 3 | 30-45 sec hold | 45 sec |
That’s a complete full-body workout that hits chest, back, shoulders, arms, legs, and core — all from a single bench and a pair of dumbbells. As you get stronger, increase the weight gradually rather than jumping straight to heavier dumbbells. Progression is what drives results.
Related: The 5×5 Workout Routine for Building Strength
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