Weight Bench & Squat Cage Plans

Fancy resistance machines, cable pulley stations, kettlebells and cardio machines are all well and good, but all you really need to get the most from your training is a weight bench and squat cage. With these, plus an Olympic barbell and a set of weights, you have all you need for a highly effective muscle-building, fat-burning workout.

  1. Choosing Your Equipment

    • When looking for a weight bench, pick one that can be set to flat as well as to incline and decline. Safety pins are crucial on your squat cage -- they enable you to squat and bench press safely when training alone because, if you fail a weight, the pins will catch the bar. Look for a cage with adjustable pins to suit your squat depth and bench press set up. Adjustable pins also mean you can perform lifts such as partial bench presses and rack pulls by setting them at different heights, which is crucial in any free weights plan, writes coach Eric Cressey in "Maximum Strength." A chinup bar is another necessity for your squat rack -- on most racks you'll be able to perform chinups on the frame, though you might want to consider getting a cage with different types of chinning handles, such as fat or neutral grip handles. Add an Olympic barbell with weight plates and you're good to go.

    Training Routine

    • When you have a limited range of equipment, a full-body plan, where you train each major muscle group in every session is the best option, strength coach Mark Rippetoe writes in "Starting Strength." Trainer Chad Waterbury agrees, adding that they're the most effective way to build muscle and lose fat. Perform six exercises each session -- two for your legs and four for your upper body.

    Exercises

    • Each workout should include one exercise in each movement plane. These six planes are a pushing exercise and a pulling exercise for your legs, plus a horizontal push, horizontal pull, vertical push and vertical pull for your upper body. Using just your bench, cage and weights, lower-body pushes include squats, lunges, stepups and squats onto the bench and lower-body pulls are any deadlift variation. Incline, decline and flat bench presses cover your horizontal push, while barbell rows suffice for a horizontal pull. Perform chinups or pullups as a vertical pull and overhead presses as a vertical push.

    Tips and Considerations

    • Train three times per week to begin with, leaving a day or two between each session. Start with three sets of eight repetitions on each exercise, with 90 seconds between each. As you get stronger and fitter, increase the weight or reps or reduce your rest time. If you plateau on an exercise, switch it for another in the same plane, so instead of doing bench presses on a flat, change to a 30-degree incline press, or change from regular deadlifts to stiff-legged ones. To take your cage and bench set up further, look at investing in a set of dumbbells, resistance bands or a medicine ball.