Muscles worked
The machine chest press trains the same muscles as the bench press. Your chest does most of the work, with the front of your shoulders and your triceps helping. The difference is that the machine guides the path. You do not have to balance the weight, so you can put all your effort into the press. Many machines have both horizontal and vertical handles. The vertical ones keep your elbows closer to your body, which many people find kinder on their shoulders.
Common mistakes
- The start position is too deep. If a start position lever is set too far back, your shoulders start every rep stretched out under full load. Set it so the handles start just in front of your chest, with a clear but comfortable stretch.
- The weights clank between reps. Letting the plates touch down gives your chest a rest on every rep, and you lose tension. Lower until they almost touch, then turn straight back.
- Your wrists bend back. If the handle sits towards your fingers, your wrist folds and you lose force. Grip so the handle sits low in your palm, in line with your forearm.
Variations and alternatives
- The bench press with a free bar is the next step for strength and balance.
- The dumbbell bench press lets each arm work on its own, handy when the machine is busy.
- The incline machine chest press moves more of the work to your upper chest.
- Push-ups train the same muscles at home.
Sets and reps
The machine is best suited to building muscle, with 8 to 12 reps over 3 to 4 sets a common set-up. With a fixed path and no bar to drop, it is fine to take sets close to the limit, but leave one or two reps in reserve on most of them so the quality holds. For pure strength the bench press is the usual choice, though heavier sets of 6 to 8 reps work here too. For endurance, 12 to 20 reps suits. The guide to sets and reps explains how to choose.
Weight stack steps can be large. Add reps first, then go up one step once you reach the top of your range on every set. That is progressive overload on a machine. Note the seat setting too.