Our readers keep the lights on and my morning glass full of iced black tea. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.7 Best Accessories For Bench Press | Add 50 Lbs By Changing Grip

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The AB-3000 FID from REP Fitness is the closest you’ll get to a commercial flat/incline/decline bench without paying Rogue money. The 112-pound all-steel frame with 11-gauge tubing anchors the bench firmly during heavy pressing — no wobble at 315+ lbs. The 12-inch wide pads (26.5 inches across both) give your shoulder blades a stable platform to retract into, which directly translates to more powerful leg drive and a tighter bar path. The 1000-lb weight capacity is overkill for most lifters, but that headroom means the hinge mechanisms and ladder supports won’t fatigue over years of use.

Adjustability is smooth and tool-free: seven back positions (flat to -15° decline to 85° incline) and three seat angles mean you can hit every press variation from a steep incline to a decline skull-crusher. The gas-shock assisted folding mechanism lets you collapse the bench to 17 inches tall for storage, which is a game-changer in a cramped home gym. The pad gap when flat is the one compromise — there’s a visible seam between the seat and back that some lifters find distracting during heavy bench work, though it doesn’t affect stability.

Assembly is the main friction point: the included instructions are diagram-only, and you’ll need a full socket set (14/17/19mm wrenches) plus about 45-60 minutes. A few users report minor alignment issues with the threaded inserts, but REP’s customer service is responsive. For the price, this bench competes with units costing twice as much and is the single highest-ROI upgrade for any home-gym press setup.

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Mark Bell’s Sling Shot is a deceptively simple loop of double-ply fabric that changes how you feel the bottom of a bench press. The band’s key mechanism: as you descend, the material stretches and stores elastic energy, releasing it at the bottom to help you drive through the sticking point. This variable assistance means you can load 10-15% more weight than your raw max and still complete reps, overloading the concentric phase without punishing the shoulder capsule on the eccentric. The Level 1 tension is correct for most lifters in the 140-200 lb bodyweight range — it provides enough pop for overload work without distorting your bar path.

For lifters recovering from AC joint or rotator cuff issues, the Sling Shot acts as a mechanical safety net. Several verified reviews report reduced shoulder pain during pressing after switching to this band, since the elastic recoil offloads the bottom stretch position where most shoulder impingements flare. It also works for dips and push-ups, making it a versatile piece of rehab equipment. The material is boar-hide grade and the chest portion is doubled for durability, though a small number of users reported fraying after months of use.

One sizing trap: the Level 1 band has a 140-pound maximum bodyweight recommendation, but the real constraint is arm circumference. Lifters with arms over 17 inches need the XXL size, but that larger band reduces the chest stretch and changes the assistance curve. Measure your arm circumference before ordering, and if you’re between sizes, size down for a tighter fit and more pronounced bottom-end help. This is not a band for ego lifting — it’s a tool for precise overload and joint-friendly volume.

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Fat Gripz are the simplest, most effective way to turn a bench press into a full-arm challenge. By increasing the bar’s diameter from the standard 28mm to 2.25 inches, these rubber wraps force your forearm flexors and extensors to work dramatically harder just to hold the bar — which means your triceps and shoulders take a backseat to grip stability. Studies on thick-bar training show a 20-30% increase in forearm muscle activation compared to a standard bar, making this a direct path to bigger arms without adding a single plate to the barbell. The military-spec rubber is dense and tacky, so they don’t slip even when your palms sweat midway through a set.

Four Men’s Health awards and years of use by special forces, pro athletes, and strongmen validate the design. The grips wrap around any bar — dumbbells, pull-up bars, cable handles — and require zero setup. You simply slide them into position and press. The catch: you must drop your working weight by 20-30% on the first session. A 225 lb bench feels like 315 lb on the grip, and if you try to match your normal load you’ll fail on rep one from grip fatigue, not chest fatigue. Use them as a finisher or on dedicated arm days rather than on max effort bench sessions.

Long-term durability is strong. Users report no visible wear after two years of regular use, and the material doesn’t degrade in heat or humidity. The only limitation is bar fit — they won’t work on specialty thick bars (since the diameter is already large) and can be tight on some cable machine handles. For any home gym or commercial setup where the barbell is the primary tool, Fat Gripz are a low-cost, high-impact addition that directly addresses a common bench press bottleneck: grip endurance.

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The AimiDream V Bar landmine handle adds a multi-grip dimension to any landmine setup without breaking the bank. The patent-pending double-D design clamps directly onto an Olympic barbell, giving you a neutral-grip V-bar for rotational pressing, rows, and split squats. The 1.2-inch rubber grip diameter is comfortable for most hand sizes and stays warm even in cold garages — a small detail that matters when you’re training through winter. The alloy steel construction weighs only 2.2 pounds, so it won’t add dead mass to the bar, but the clamping mechanism is secure enough that it doesn’t shift during heavy rotation work.

Where this handle shines is versatility: you can use it as a standard landmine row handle, a rotational press grip for shoulder health, or even as a stabilizer for single-leg landmine split squats. The rubber padding is thick enough to prevent callus buildup but not so thick that it compromises the feel of the steel underneath. Several user reviews note that the V-bar locks onto the bar firmly with no wobble, which is critical for rotational exercises where a loose handle can throw off the entire movement pattern. The flat dimensions (6.4 x 11.5 inches) make it easy to store in a gear bin or hang on a pegboard.

The main limitation is bar compatibility: it’s designed for Olympic 2-inch diameter bars only. Standard 1-inch bars won’t fit, so verify your bar diameter before purchasing. The included warranty is minimal (no specified coverage), but the build quality at this price point is strong — users report no structural issues after months of use. For anyone who already owns a landmine base or post, this V-bar handle unlocks a new range of pressing and rowing angles without requiring a second piece of floor equipment.

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The HXD-ERGO landmine base solves the most common frustration with freestanding landmine setups: sliding. The honeycomb-textured rubber bottom grips aggressively on wood, concrete, tile, and even carpet, so the base stays planted during heavy landmine presses, rows, and rotational work. The 450-pound weight capacity is tested and confirmed by users who stacked multiple plates on the bar without the base shifting or flipping. At just 0.8 pounds, the base is lightweight enough to toss into a duffel bag for outdoor training, yet the dense natural rubber provides enough floor friction to handle serious load.

Setup is genuinely zero-tool: you place the base on the floor, slide the barbell sleeve into the built-in sleeve receiver (fits 2-inch Olympic bars), and start pressing. No bolts, no drilling, no permanent mounting. This makes it ideal for apartment gyms, garage setups where floor space is precious, or lifters who travel and want to maintain landmine work on the road. The sleeve receiver depth (5.5 inches) is sufficient to hold the bar securely during full-range landmine presses without the bar bottoming out on the base wall.

A minor ergonomic note: the base fits tightly on the bar sleeve, which is great for stability but can require some effort to remove after a session. A few users mention that getting the bar out takes a firm pull. Also, on perfectly smooth gym floors, the rubber base can slide slightly if you load the bar asymmetrically during rotational work. For most home-gym floors and standard training loads, the HXD-ERGO is a rock-solid, entry-level landmine solution that doesn’t compromise on stability.

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Tricep strength directly determines lockout power on the bench press, and the HXD-ERGO 36-inch tricep rope is engineered to maximize that carryover. The standout feature is the pair of ergonomic TPE rubber handles molded into the rope, which correct hand posture and reduce wrist strain during pushdowns and overhead extensions. Traditional straight ropes force your wrist into a slightly extended position; these angled handles let you maintain a neutral wrist angle, which improves the mind-muscle connection to the medial and lateral tricep heads. The 36-inch length provides enough rope for overhead extensions without the handles hitting the pulley housing at the top of the movement.

Build quality is premium-level at a mid-range price. The rope itself is thick, tightly braided nylon that resists fraying, and the carabiner-style buckle is 304 stainless steel rated to 950 lbs — overkill for any cable stack, but reassuring for heavy band-resisted extensions. The included storage bag is a nice touch for keeping the rope tangle-free between sessions. The TPE handles are anti-slip and sweat-proof, so grip doesn’t degrade during high-rep sets.

The only functional caveat: the molded handles are fixed in a specific contour, so they don’t work well for exercises that require a pinched-thumb grip at the very bottom of the rope — like face pulls or some bicep curl variations. If you need a rope for pure overhead extensions and pushdowns, this is an upgrade over a standard rope. For multi-purpose cable work including face pulls, a traditional straight rope with no handles may be more flexible. Within its intended use case, the HXD-ERGO delivers a noticeable improvement in tricep isolation comfort and durability.

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The AGGRESS SPORTS barbell pad set is less about bench press directly and more about the accessory work that supports it — specifically hip thrusts, squats, and lunges that build glute and leg drive. The neoprene bar pad is 4 inches thick with a closed-cell foam core that doesn’t compress or shift under load. Unlike cheaper foam pads that slide down the bar during hip thrusts, this one has a textured non-slip bottom layer that grips the bar knurling. The pad’s width (12 inches) covers the entire bar sleeve, so it protects your hips from bruising without interfering with the collar placement.

The set also includes two velcro ankle straps for cable machines, two fabric hip resistance bands, and a microfiber towel — all packed into a carry bag. The 26-inch ankle straps are long enough for most leg attachment exercises, and the carabiner clips are metal rather than plastic, which matters for heavy cable pull-throughs. The resistance bands provide light to medium tension suitable for glute activation work before squatting or benching.

Build quality is good for the all-in-one price point, but the neoprene pad is not suitable for bench press cushioning — don’t use it on a bench. It’s designed exclusively for barbell-to-body contact points like hips and shoulders during squats. The included towel is a thin microfiber (good for wiping sweat, not for drying off). If you’re a lifter who does dedicated glute and leg drive work before your bench day, this kit consolidates several small accessories into one bag. For pure bench press gear, it’s a peripheral addition, not a primary tool.