How to Make a Flat Bench Inclined

Men and women use weight benches to perform chest press exercises to tone and strengthen their chest muscles. A weight bench allows you to work pectoral, tricep and lateral chest muscles, providing you with a total chest-strengthening workout. You can perform chest press exercises on a flat or an inclined weight bench. The movement is the same but the position of the bench works slightly different muscles. Fortunately, you don't need to outfit your home gym with both types of benches. Instead, convert a flat bench into an inclined bench with basic wood blocks. This modification will allow you to convert back and forth from a flat bench to an inclined bench any time you want.

Measure the width of your flat work bench. Write down the width, in inches, of the pad you lay down on and the feet that form the base of the bench.

Purchase a 12-inch-thick square wood block that is 8 inches longer and wider than the width of your flat bench.

Use a hand saw to cut a 1-inch thick, 24-inch-long board so that it is equal in width to the width of your flat bench base.

Place the 12-inch-thick wood block on the floor. Set the feet at one end of your flat bench on top of the block.

Hold the 24-inch-long wood board against the other end of the base of the flat bench at a 90-degree angle to the bench. Attach the board to the base of the flat bench by placing two metal clamps around the board and the flat bench's base legs. Position the board so that it starts two inches above the ground and extends about 12 inches up past the bench surface. Place two clamps on each leg so that you use a total of four metal clamps. Attach one clamp two inches above the floor on each base leg and a second two inches from the bench padding on each base leg so that the seat board is held tightly and securely to the bench legs.

Place a towel on top of the 24-inch board for padding. Rest your bottom on the towel when performing exercises that require an incline bench. Remove the clamps and seat, and kick out the wood block and allow the bench to rest flat on the floor, when performing exercises that require a flat weight bench.