Chest Press Machine

Exercise Details for Chest Press Machine

  • Primary Muscle
    Pec
  • Secondary Muscle
    Triceps, Front Delt
  • Equipment
    Machine
  • Level
    Easy

Why Should You do Machine Chest Press?

Machine chest press is a good isolation exercise for your chest muscles. It is a great exercise for beginners or as the final part of a really tuff chest workout. The fact that it is performed in a machine means that it really insulates the chest because you do not have to stabilize the movement with the rest of the body, but it also becomes easy to quickly remove weight and run drop sets.

Performance

Adjust the seat on the machine so that the handles are at chest height. Be careful when gripping the handles so that you do not stretch and overload your shoulders if you try to take the handles behind your back with heavy weight. Buttocks, shoulder blades, and your head should rest against the backrest. Your feet should be pressed firmly into the floor with less than a 90-degree angle to your knees, i.e., your feet should be behind your knees. Pull back your shoulders and pinch the shoulder blades together. Push the chest forward. You should grab the handles with an overhand grip and make sure your wrists are straight.

Since it is a machine exercise, it is pretty easy to perform. Just push the handles forward by straightening your arms. However, make sure that the upper arm does not flap straight out more than 90 degrees from the body; it should go a little obliquely downwards. Do not swing the upper body forward, but ensure that the buttocks, shoulders, and head are fixed to the backrest. When your arms are fully extended, you are in the top position.

Now go back slowly with your arms, tense the muscles on the way back. However, make sure not to move your hands too far back as it may cause an injury to your shoulders. Stop a few centimeters in front of the shoulders.

Guide for Machine Chest Press

  • Be careful with your shoulders when grasping the handles
  • Your feet should be located behind your knees pressed to the floor
  • Pull back your shoulders, pinch the shoulder blades and push the chest forward
  • Keep your shoulders down
  • Make sure your wrists are straight
  • Do not flake out with your arms 90 degrees away from your body; keep your upper arm obliquely downwards.
  • Do not swing the upper body forward when pulling in. Buttocks, shoulder blades, and head should be touching the backrest.
  • Perform the exercise slowly, lower the weight calmly and slowly, always with tension in the muscle you are exercising. 
  • Do not go too far back with your hands as you may injure your shoulders if doing so 
  • Great drop set exercise to finish a chest workout with

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