- The machine chest press exercise is good for people who are not comfortable lifting free weights. It allows the user to do chest presses without fear of dropping the weight on themselves and getting hurt. Serious weightlifters and athletes also use machine chest press machines when they want to lift a very large amount weight. It allows them to push their limits without the need for a spotter.
- To use the machine chest press, sit or lie down on the machine and position the height of the apparatus. This involves adjusting the level of the seat or sliding your body beneath the handles. When you place your hands on the handles they should be directly above your chest and slightly lower than your shoulders. Slide the weight pin in the slot beneath the weight you want to lift. Press your hands straight forward and away from your body then lower the weight slowly. This is one repetition of the machine chest press. Do at least three sets of ten repetitions. If you are not struggling to complete the last repetition of each set, gradually increase the weight.
- The machine chest press works the entire upper body at the same time. It is especially effective at building the pectoralis major muscles that are prominent in the chest. They also work the pectoralis minor under the chest, the triceps in the arms and the deltoids in the shoulders.
- The machine chest press offers variations to work the upper body from different angles. Sometimes a single machine can be adjusted for this. Other times different machines offer different variations. When performing machine chest presses at a 90 degree angle to your body you are working the middle of the pectoralis major muscles. When the pressing motion is slightly upward you work the top part of the chest that bulges outward. When the pressing motion is slightly downward you work the underside of the chest that give the pectoralis major muscles that chiseled or "cut" look. All three motions should be performed for a complete upper body workout.
- Even though machine chest presses are safer than chest presses with free weights, you can still injure yourself if you try to lift too much weight or use bad form. Keep your back straight and firmly pressed against the pad throughout the entire motion. Use common sense and only lift what you can reasonably handle. In many ways, machine chest presses are inferior to the free weight bench press. Free weights force you to use stabilizer muscles to control the weight. Machine chest presses do not. The best approach to developing upper body strength is to do a combination of free weight and machine chest presses.
