Flat Bench VS FID Bench for your home gym: Which one is the best choice for you?

Deciding on adding a flat bench or Flat-Incline-Decline (FID) adjustable bench in your home gym but not sure whether to buy a flat bench vs fid bench? Let’s help you figure that out!

• What is a flat bench?
• What is an FID bench?
• Flat bench vs FID bench Pros and Cons
• Which one is better?
• Things to consider when buying either
• My Opinion
• Flat / FID Bench Exercises
• Recommended Benches

Along with the squat rack, a solid bench is the centre piece of any home gym. Because of this, it deserves special thought and consideration when choosing the right one for your needs. This versatile piece of equipment can be used for a whole range of exercises which we will get into later but for now let’s take a look at the differences between the flat bench vs fid bench.

What is a flat bench?

A flat bench is a horizontal bench with one large flat cushion that is not adjustable or able to be positioned in an incline or decline position. Typically used for bench pressing but also useful for free weight dumbbell exercises. Flat benches are generally cheaper than FID benches and you can generally get a pretty good quality flat bench that is great value for the money

What is an FID bench? (flat incline decline bench)

A Flat Incline decline bench is a bench that you can adjust so that it can be in either a inline or a decline position. Making it great for specific targeting of upper chest and shoulder muscles. It is also commonly called an adjustable bench.

Adjustable/FID benches can often also come with preacher curl and leg conditioner attachments. When purchasing a FID bench you will want to shop around to make sure you get one that is good quality. Another thing to look out for is making sure that the bench is easy to adjust when changing the bench position as opposed to having a screw adjustment type that takes longer to adjust and is more hassle.

Below is a list of pros and cons for both flat bench VS FID bench

Flat Bench:

Pros

Price
Quality / Value for money
Secure & stable
Easier to move, lighter
Great for powerlifters

Cons

Limited position
Limited use

FID bench:

Pros

Can perform many exercises
Can adjust for flat / incline / decline
Great for average home gym users

Cons

Quality
Price
Gap between seat/back rest (make sure gap is minimal)
Height (can generally be taller than flat benches.)
Can be less secure / stable = quality important
Variety of quality in brands

Flat bench vs FID bench? Which one is going to be better based on your needs?

Is your goal to get better at key specific exercises? Like the standard flat bench press. Is powerlifting your game? Looking into getting a flat bench may be the best option for you.

If you are just wanting to keep fit, get stronger and have access to a larger range of exercises and be able to target upper chest / shoulders through incline and have added support for your shoulder press, triceps overhead press, bicep curl exercises etc, then an FID bench may be the best option for you. Also, to consider is that quite often FID benches have preacher and leg conditioner attachments, they can be quite useful to be able to also offer you extra workout options for your home gym.

If you have the space, both have their place. But like many home gyms. Space is key and you are likely to have to decide. Either way with whatever option you end up choosing. You will want something that is strong, stable and secure. There is nothing worse than using a flimsy unstable bench.

Things to consider when buying a bench

• Height
• Width
• Thickness
• Stability
• Quality

Height – Check the height of the bench. A lot of FID benches are higher than your average flat bench and may not offer comfortable foot placement. This is especially true if you are shorter. However, this can be solved via the use of blocks to put your feet on.

Width – Make sure the bench offers a decent width as wider benches will typically be more comfortable and more stable.

Thickness – Make sure the bench has a decent cushion and the outing is good quality material.

Stability – Make sure the bench is secure and stable, does not wobble or feel like it is not strong. It needs to be able to potentially take a lot of weight so you don’t want to compromise on this.

Quality – Check that the bench is made from good quality materials and well-constructed so it will last the distance and provide you a good experience long term. Be wary of short warranty periods.

My opinion

Flat bench vs FID bench? For the average home gym user an FID bench is going to provide greater functionality by having the benefit of being able to perform multiple exercises. Make sure you pay attention to detail to make sure you are getting one that has good quality vs the price point.

In my home gym, I have an adjustable FID bench with leg conditioner attachments. I enjoy having the options of using the preacher curl, decline sit ups and especially leg extensions and curls.

With the leg and arm conditioner attachments you can perform the follow key exercises:

• Leg extensions and curls
• Flat Incline / decline exercises
• Sit-ups
• bicep curls

What exercises can you do with a flat bench vs FID bench

Flat bench:

Chest exercises:

• Bench Press
• Dumbell chest Press

Shoulder exercises:

• Rear delt flys
• Incline / decline bench press
• Incline / decline push ups
• Dumbbell pullover
• Dumbbell fly’s
• Dumbbell bent over row
• Overhead Triceps extensions.
• Dumbbell Shoulder press
• Dumbbell side lateral raise
• Rear dumbbell lateral raise
• Ab exercises, leg raises
• Dips
• Dumbbell concentration curls
• Triceps kick backs

FID bench:

Of course, you can pretty much do everything a flat bench can do plus more:

• Incline / decline of flat bench exercises (fly’s, chest press etc)
• back support for shoulder presses, bicep curls, triceps extensions etc.
  
  

Recommended Benches