Written by Steve Theunissen, PT
Last Updated on May 7th, 2022
Abs need to be aggressively worked to achieve and maintain that coveted six-pack profile. With abs, it’s all about resistance which is why adjustable sit up benches are the preferred instrument for achieving rock-solid abdominal muscles. Though a sit up bench is only as effective as you are dedicated, the right ab bench can make a big difference in the quality of your workout.
In this article, we reveal the 10 best sit up benches on the current market.
There is quite a range in the price you can pay for a sit up table. Here’s a quick rundown of our 10 best sit up benches for an easy cost comparison —
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The best overall sit up bench represents the best mix of angle adjustability, solid frame design, ease of getting into position, comfort, functionality, and support.
The XMark 4416.1 12 Position Sit Up Bench is our top choice due to its unbeatable combination of functionality, user comfort, solid design, versatility, and price. With 12 levels of decline adjustment, it offers an unbeatable choice in terms of angle positioning, which allows you to incrementally increase the intensity of your core workout.
The bullhorn handle allows you to get on and off the bench easily, which can be tricky on some of the ab tables. The heavy-duty 11-gauge steel frame is among the strongest on the market. (Note: The lower the gauge, the stronger the steel.)
The 2×3-inch back support gets the right balance between back support and comfort and stability while doing weighted exercises on the bench. The extra stitched vinyl covering is water and sweat-resistant.
XMark 4416.1 Sit Up Bench's 12 position angle adjustment and solid design make it a must-have for your garage gym. The high decline of the bench will leave you sore after your ab workouts.
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The best value bench represents the best combination of price, quality, and features, and is the best band for your buck.
The JuFit Sit Up table is a curved abdominal training bench that comes with a pair of resistance bands attached to its base. You also get a spring expander which allows you to improve your upper body strength. The weight capacity of this bench is 350 pounds, and the heavy-duty steel frame makes for a very rigid ab table. The ultra-thick 1.6-inch bench padding provides your spine with a good level of support.
The JUFIT Sit Up Bench combines comfort with utility. The ab table comes with attached resistance bands which can help train your abs, shoulder, arms, and chest.
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Solid leg support when you’re using the bench in a decline position will keep your body secure. However, it needs to do so without being a pain in the shins. The Valor fitness DF1 bench does that better than most other sit up benches on the market.
With good reason, many people consider Valor Fitness DF1 Decline Flat Bench the best adjustable ab bench. The bench is stable and comfortable, with the contoured shin supports being a welcome touch. 11-gauge steel construction ensures this bench won’t flinch under pressure, and the 12 decline positions mean there’s not a muscle in your core that’s going to escape serious work.
The Valor Fitness DF-1 Adjustable Decline/Flat Bench is a great bench if you're into weight training. Besides ab training, you can use the bench for a plethora of dumbbell exercises.
Benches must be designed just right to provide optimum ab stimulation. The ergonomic angling of our best bench for abs does a better job than anything else we’ve come across.
The Body-Solid Ab Board displays a no-nonsense design underpinned by ingenious engineering that directs the focus of your workout where it should be — on your abs. A few minutes of working your way through the various angles and enjoying the wide and comfortable upholstery should win over any doubters. If you spend some time with this adjustable decline bench at its most extreme angle, you’ll understand why so many believe this to be the best ab bench on the market.
You get a 12 decline adjustment option on this bench. It also comes with easy roll nylon wheels for ease of transport. At 40 x 12 inches, the bench pad is wider than many competing benches, which gives plenty of support but may be restrictive if you want to use the bench for dumbbell presses and similar exercises.
Spinal support is extremely important in delivering a safe workout. The curved design of the Finer Form Sit Up tables makes sure that your natural ergonomics are matched.
The Finer Form sit up table has a curved design which puts your spine in a more ergonomically ideal position. The frame uses heavy-duty 14-gauge steel. The bench has three adjustable decline positions that are easy to transition between.
The max weight capacity of the bench is 300 pounds. The back pad is longer, thicker, and wider than many other decline benches, which is good for larger people but may be restrictive if you want to do pressing work with dumbbells on the bench.
Four-inch leather rollers provide a comfortable, secure hold. There is a reverse crunch handle on this bench for grip support for exercises such as reverse crunches. The Finer form bench is easy to assemble and is portable for ease of storing away after the workout.
The Finer Form Sit Up Bench with Reverse Crunch Handle for Ab Bench Exercises h as a solid 14-gauge tube steel framing. and has a reverse crunch handle for lower ab exercises that doubles down as a bullhorn for getting on and off the sit up bench.
A hyperextension attachment allows you to work your lower back as well as your entire core, making the bench far more functional.
The Fitness Reality X-Class Ab/Hyper Board is a solid, well-constructed unit that will support a massive 650-pound user weight. That says a lot about the frame solidity and overall durability of the table.
This bench will accommodate people from 5’ to 6’3” in height. It comes with four decline adjustments and can be used as a hyperextension bench to work your lower back. Supportive padding is covered by double stitched sweat and water-resistant vinyl.
The Fitness Reality X-Class Ab/Hyper Board also has handles to do push-ups and dips, making this an extremely versatile exercise bench. The bench has a tapered design, going from 12 inches in width at the top to eight inches at the base. It is 36 inches long. The bench also features stabilizers at the front and back for better stability.
Fitness Reality X-Class Abdominal/Hyper ab sit up bench is a piece of multi-purpose training equipment that is great for your garage gym. The sit up table comes with push-up, dips, and hyperextension bars for a great upper-body training routine.
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While working out, neck support is critical to safety. The Marcy sit up bench keeps the vulnerable body part protected.
The Marcy Sit Up Bench strikes the perfect balance between low price and solid, reliable functionality. It has a heavy-duty steel tube frame that keeps you balanced and stable as you support yourself upside down.
This bench provides you with four incline/decline positions that are easily adjustable. The backrest on this bench is wider than you will find on many competing sit-up benches in its price range, which adds comfort and is great for large-framed people.
The Marcy Sit Up Bench comes with comfortable leg supports and features contoured neck support for added user comfort. The bench is lightweight and can be folded for easy storage.
Marcy Sit Up Bench is one of the few sit up benches on the market that comes with three foot anchor positions. Its comfortable padding and lightweight and portable design make it a must-have for most home gym equipment arsenal.
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It’s amazing how much innovation you can put into a workout bench. The Yoleo sit up bench packs in some great functional features to allow you to do more with less.
The Yoleo Sit Up Bench is the most innovatively designed bench we have come across in a long time. It comes with seven levels of incline adjustment, and you also get a hyperextension pad, which is two-way adjustable. The ab bench also includes a pair of handles for push-ups and other upper body calisthenics exercises.
The Yoleo bench has a hardy tubular steel frame capable of supporting an impressive 500 pounds of user weight. The bench can also handle people who are as tall as 6’2” in height. Plus, there is even a dumbbell rack on the underside of this bench.
The covering on the bench is made of non-slip, toxic-free, water and sweat-resistant breathable PU leather. High-density foam padding ensures a comfortable experience.
The double triangle structure of the base of the Yoleo Sit Up Bench ensures that the bench doesn’t wobble during your workout.
Here are a few of the exercises that you can do on this sit-up bench —
The Yoleo Adjustable Weight Bench is a portable flat, incline, and decline bench that is great for any weight lifter. It comes with seven adjustable positions for ab training and a hyperextension pad for lower back workouts.
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If you are planning on pressing heavy weights, you need a bench you can rely on. A heavy-duty frame is essential and the Vanswe weight bench multifunctional sit up bench delivers it with 2x 2-inch high-grade steel and a secure base.
The Vanswe Multifunctional Sit Up Bench is a higher-priced bench that provides three decline and one incline position. It is made from heavy-duty 2 x 2-inch high-grade steel and is finished in a rust-free powder coating. It is a very solid bench and can handle up to 650 pounds of user weight.
High-density foam on the bench provides enough padding for comfort without being overly soft that it compromises your stability when exercising. Four-inch thick foam rollers provide comfy, secure support for your quads and shins.
The leg supports on this bench are height adjustable so that they can be used for hyperextensions and other lower back exercises.
Vanswe Weight Bench is arguably the most heavy-duty sit up bench on the list. The seat pad on the bench is 14 inches wide and the back pad is 11.25 inches wide, which provides better back support and comfort.
A bench that comes with attached resistance bands gives you the option to perform a wide range of exercises, especially for the upper body.
The Hanstorm Sit Up Bench is an impressive unit that comes with some cool accessories. For one, it has attached resistance bands, which are ideal for seated side lateral raises, curls, and overhead presses. The triangle support design ensures stability in every position.
You get three adjustable back positions on this bench. The back support features thick, plush foam padding. At 33.9 x 16 inches thick, the bench provides plenty of back support. The five-layer leather covering is anti-skid and water-resistant. Full foam knee pads keep you securely locked in without hurting your legs.
A unique feature of the Hanstorm sit up bench is a set of rollers and a handle arrangement so that you can perform a rowing-type movement on the bench. Eight guide pulleys ensure that the roller seat runs smoothly up and down the length of the bench.
HANSTORM Adjustable Folding Sit Up Bench is one of the most elaborate sit up benches on the list. It comes with resistance bands, eight guide pulley, rollers, thick padding, and full foam knee pads.
There are six key things that you should check for when shopping for a sit-up bench, including —
The greater the level of adjustability on your sit up bench, the more versatile it will be. A bench that is adjustable to at least 5 decline positions will allow you to progressively work your abs with greater intensity. It will also allow you to use the bench for other upper body work, such as decline bench presses and skull crushers.
Price is an important factor in any purchase, and the sit up benches are no exception. The price you pay can vary substantially based on the brand name and features. You don’t need a bench with all the bells and whistles so long as it is adjustable, secure, and comfortable, which is all you need. We recommend setting your budget between $100 and $200.
You want a bench that allows you to fit your entire torso, including your shoulder blades. The leg support should not feel cramped through the quads. However, you don’t want a bench pad that is too wide or that will restrict your arm movement while performing dumbbell presses.
A sit up bench needs to sit solidly on the floor. The last thing you want is instability when you are suspended with your head lower than your feet. It should have a solid base with secure, wide feet to ensure greater stability.
The padding on the bench needs to achieve that sweet spot between too much and not enough thickness. If there is not enough padding, you will feel discomfort through the back, but if there is too much, you will lose the stability needed to properly work your core muscles.
You might think that there aren’t too many extra features on a sit up bench, but you would be wrong. There are constantly new innovations being introduced to extend the usability of the basic sit-up bench.
A cool extra feature on some benches is roller pad. The pad can be fitted over the bench back support, This allows the user to sit on it and brown up and down the length of the bench.
Extra features may include a roller pad that can be placed over the main bench pad to allow you to row up and down the length of the bench on your knees with your hands holding a pair of handles.
Some sit-up benches also feature resistance bands to allow you to perform resistance exercises, such as seated side lateral raises and alternate curls. You can also get benches that include a hyperextension pad to focus on working your lower back (erector spinae) muscles.
We looked at several products before arriving at the 10 best sit up benches and took the following factors into account —
Sit ups contract and extend your abdominal wall, which is also the basic function of that muscle group. Performing the exercise on the floor will work the abs to a certain degree, but you will soon get used to that resistance level. [1]
When you perform sit ups and crunches on a sit up bench, you are able to control the resistance depending on the angle of the bench. This makes the exercise harder and, therefore, more productive.
The abdominal muscles are not the only part of the core that benefits from the work you do on a sit up bench. Exercises such as sit ups, crunches, Russian twists, and leg lifts also work your erector spinae, intercostals, and obliques. This will strengthen your entire core area, making your body’s power base more powerful.
An adjustable sit up bench can be used for more than abdominal work. You can also use it as a general-purpose decline bench to do your decline chest and triceps exercises. Here are a few upper body exercises you can do on a sit up table —
Sit up benches are effective if your goal is to strengthen your core. The sit up (and its variations) on a sit up bench will allow you to strengthen the abs, rectus abdominis, intercostals, obliques, and erector spinae muscles. Notably, the sit up bench should not be used as a spot reduction tool.
No, a sit up bench cannot help you shed weight in isolation. Exercises on a sit up bench will strengthen your core muscles, but they are not very effective at burning calories, which is the key for weight loss. In order to lose weight, you should combine a calorie-deficit diet with cardio workouts. [2]
No, it is not a good idea to do sit ups every day. The abdominal muscles need to recover just like every other muscle group. Training them every day does not give them enough time to recover and grow stronger. We recommend working your abs not more than three times per week on alternate days.
No, it is far better to add resistance to your sit up workout and do fewer reps. You can add resistance by doing sit ups on a sit up bench or using a cable pulley machine.
A quality sit up bench is a valuable addition to any home gym. While helping you train your abs and core optimally, you can use it to perform a range of exercises, including chest, triceps, and back.
To sum it up, our favorite sit up bench is the XMark Adjustable Decline Ab Workout Bench which delivers versatility, strength, comfort, and design at a budget-friendly price.
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© Copyright 2010 - 2022 Fitness Volt IBC. All Rights Reserved.