Before performing weight bench exercises for beginners, here are some facts about the decline bench you should know about:

1. Performing the decline bench press can help you avoid the particular stresses and risks of injury that we often associate with regular flat bench presses.
2. Doing your bench press on a decline bench reduce the rotation of the shoulders,and that lessens the stress on the shoulder too.
3. Another one of the decline weight bench benefits is that the decline angle also helps keep you from arching your back. This action often leads to lumbar region pain.
4. You can do 3 to 5 sets of 8 to 15 reps.
5. When you’re doing your presses, make sure you always have a spotter.

Decline Weight bench exercises for legs

There are not all that many weight bench leg exercises that can actually target leg muscles. When you do leg raises and leg lifts, usually you’re targeting your abdominals.

But there’s a terrific exercise called the decline glute-ham raise, and it really strengthens the hamstrings. Boosting your hamstrings can improve your speed tremendously, and it can also help reduce the risks of injury.

The standard glute-ham raise has you lying flat, but there’s a decline variation that maintains constant stress on the hamstrings. And you can use a decline bench press for this exercise.

1. You’re going to need a rolled pad as a brace so get that ready.
2. Kneel on the seat at the upper end of the bench, and then secure your feet with the knee pads near the seat.
3. Jam the pad in the gap between the seat and the decline section of the bench.This should right under your thighs right above your knee.
4. With your hands behind your back, lower yourself face down the decline until your legs straighten.
5. Then raise yourself up back into the original position.
6. Even just 4 reps of this can be challenging.

Here’s a video.

Decline Weight Bench Exercises for Glutes

You can also do a lunge, which is also great for your quads. With the decline bench barbell lunge, you can also help target your hamstrings and your glutes.

For this exercise, you’ll need a barbell and the decline bench.

1. Stand in front of a decline bench.
2. Place the weighted barbell on your shoulders.
3. Put your right foot on the decline bench.
4. Lunge forward and squat down. You should feel a stretch in your quads.
5. Hold for a few seconds and then get back to your original position.
6. Do a few reps, and then repeat with the other leg forward.

Decline Weight Bench Exercises for Abs

There are quite a few exercises that target the abs when you use a decline bench.

Here’s a variation of the sit-up you may not have heard before: the barbell press sit-up.

As you can probably guess from the name, this exercise combines a barbell press and a sit-up. It’s a bit on the difficult side, and but it does effectively target your lower abs.

1. Start by lying down on the incline bench, with your head on the lower end.
2. Make sure you have your feet braced at the foot post.
3. Hold the barbell across your chest.
4. Do a sit-up, and as you rise up you also push the barbell up to an overhead position.
5. Return to your original position and do it again.

Here’s a nice video and additional info on this exercise.

As you can imagine, this can be a challenging proposition. A normal sit-up can be a problem for some folks, and the addition of the weighted barbell doesn’t exactly make things easier.

Decline Weight Bench Exercises for Chest

You can use the same setup of decline bench and barbell when you perform the barbell decline pullover. This is an intermediate level strength exercise that mainly develops your chest, plus your shoulders and triceps.

1. Again, lie back with your head on the lower end of the bench. Brace your feet properly.
2. Hold your arms fully extended in front of you, so the weighted barbell is over your chest.
3. Gradually move the barbell back and down, so your arms are fully extended and the barbell is behind your head and about to hit the floor. It’s like you’re in a flying caped superhero position, except you’re facing the sky instead of the ground.
4. While you’re moving the barbell down, squeeze your shoulders and chest muscles. Once you’re in the down position, hold it for a count.
5. Keep your arms fully extended while you return to your original position.

Here’s a nice demo video to show you how it’s done.

Decline Weight Bench Exercises for Arms

Here’s one ominous name for a decline bench exercise: the EZ Bar Decline Close Grip Skull Crusher. It’s like a monster Superman will have trouble with, and then Batman has to come in and save his butt.

In any case, this exercise helps you to get bigger arms by focusing on the triceps, and it also develops the chest and the shoulders. It combines the tricep extension with the close grip bench press.

1. Start by lying back down on the decline bench, with your head at the lower end. Don’t forget to secure your legs.
2. Have your spotter help lift the bar from the rack.
3. Grip the EZ bar with a close grip, about 8 to 12 inches apart. At the start, your arms should straight and extended with the elbows in, and the EZ bar should be over your chest.
4. Inhale, and then lower the bar to your lower chest. Keep your elbows in while you do this.
5. Exhale, and push the bar back up to the stating position.
6. Inhale, and while keeping your upper arms steady, lower the bar in a somewhat circular motion.
7. Do this slowly until the bar almost touches your forehead. Don’t let go of the bar, because you probably don’t want the “Skull Crusher” name to be literally true.
8. Exhale, and then raise the bar back to the starting position.

Let’s be certain you do this right, so here’s a video you should watch first to show you how it’s done properly.

You can also use a dumbbell or a barbell for this.

Decline Weight Bench Exercises for Back

Now let’s focus on your back muscles (your lats in particular). Although a lot of people like to do dumbbell pullovers, there may be a more effective alternative: the decline pullover with a cable attachment.

The problem some see with the regular dumbbell pullover is that the lats are only engaged during a small part of the exercise. The use of the cable attachment, on the other hand, can provide tension for the lats during the whole thing.

Here’s a video of what you need to do.

1. Lie down on the decline bench, with the cable attachment over and behind your head.
2. Keep your arms fully extended as you hold the cable.
3. Keep your arms straight as you pull down the cable to your body.
4. Return to your original position.