I've been wanting a bench press for a while now and 2 days ago my dad bought me one. When my mom saw it, she was being a ***** about it and told my dad to return it. I got really pissed after that because he promised me he'll get me one. I guess it's because it's big. So now I'm stuck with the barbell and 2 25 pound weights. (I'll buy more weights soon) So really can I still do bench press without the bench or do I really need a bench to do it with? What difference does it make if I bench press with or without the bench?
you can do a floor press. probably the big difference is range of movement. with a bench your arms can go a little lower so that the barbell touches your chest. can't get that low with a floor press. i live in an apt. and a bench would take up too much space so i just do floor presses. i used dumbbells and just do one arm at a time but if i had a spotter(someone to hand me the barbell and take it off after i finished) i would use a barbell. i actually prefer doing a standing press. i don't know when in real life i will be laying down to lift something.
You'll need the bench to full extend your arms and to put it up when your arms get tired ..just look at like a used place and try to find a smaller one , or put it in your basement or somewhere
Something like a bow flex would be more ideal for you. I believe they make models that are fairly compact. Doing bench presses without the bench is a bad idea for the same reason you aren't suppose to lift your max unless someone is helping you. There is nowhere to put the weights when you are done with a set. If you don't have a bench don't use the long bar when laying down. Use only single hand weights.
To get the full benefits of a bench press exercise you will need a bench, that is kinda why it is called a bench press. However, of you want to work on your chest and arms I would just start cranking out the push ups. Do different variations or get a swiss ball to add in there but push ups will blast your chest.
