What's your favorite chest press MACHINE?

[bigcanadian]

Hi everyone. I have a weeks holidays coming up and I want to make a chest press machine for my home gym. I think Hammer Strength makes some kick ass machines. I am kinda leaning towards the incline because it's compact in size and I don't have a lot of room. I also like the looks of the cybex dual axis plate loaded chest press. The neat thing about it is the handles/arms move up and down (obviously), but they also move towards and away from your body. You have to balance like if you were using DB's. I have a "copied" Hammer Strength iso row, shrug machine, and front military press. I also made a Flex T-bar row, a Hammer lumbar flat and incline bench. Not too hard when I measure the Hammer Strength piece and just fabricate it in dad's machine shop.

[nsa]

F machines, go with a flat bench for DB or flat bench and a rack for BB.

[TheDfromGC]

im not sure if u have the option or no, but i would definitely go with a just normal olympic bench and bar. get one that will go to decline flat and incline. over time ur progress will be far greater using a bench then buying a machine

[nsa]

Sh!t khull, nice avatar...

[bad_man]

You have to balance like if you were using DB's.

If that's a benefit, then why not just use dumbells?

[doby48]

I like free weights and have an olympic bench that goes level and incline with leg extension / standing leg curl. I ended up purchasing a second bench for level dumbbells and decline also sits straight up for things like Military dumbbell press if you want back support. I have 2 high cables and 2 low cables on my gym loaded with freeweights, no stacks or anything like that, and wouldn't want it any other way, you can do pretty much everything with it.

[bubbathegut]

Hi everyone. I have a weeks holidays coming up and I want to make a chest press machine for my home gym. I think Hammer Strength makes some kick ass machines. I am kinda leaning towards the incline because it's compact in size and I don't have a lot of room. I also like the looks of the cybex dual axis plate loaded chest press. The neat thing about it is the handles/arms move up and down (obviously), but they also move towards and away from your body. You have to balance like if you were using DB's. I have a "copied" Hammer Strength iso row, shrug machine, and front military press. I also made a Flex T-bar row, a Hammer lumbar flat and incline bench. Not too hard when I measure the Hammer Strength piece and just fabricate it in dad's machine shop.

so u make all your own stuff thats cool man, stamp a name on them and start selling

[bigcanadian]

I guess I should have said I like to do a machine press as a last exercise when my chest is fried and all I have to worry about is pressing. I do incline BB press in my power cage, flat DB flyes, (then I pick one) dips, flat or incline DB press. Then I would do a machine press (or a machine fly but I don't have one). Free weights will always be my bread and butter when it comes to working out. Thanks guys for the quick replies.

[goodtobeapimp]

Machines are for factories.

[bermich]

All you machine haters are just afraid everyone will make fun of you. Machines are fine. Especially for difficult movements like miliitary and incline. The iso lat machines help you keep a good motion. Id love to have the incline and military ones. The wide chest one is not needed though. I do suggest you use flat bench or dbs in conjunction with the machine ones.

You dont have to use the machines but if you make fun of the people who do use them then you are just trying to follow the crowd and cant go off and do your own thing.

[Warrior]

Machines are awesome! They provide more iron to melt down into more dumbells...

[LM1332]

machines are better for shaping that mass that you gained from dbs or bbs

[doby48]

All you machine haters are just afraid everyone will make fun of you. Machines are fine. Especially for difficult movements like miliitary and incline. The iso lat machines help you keep a good motion. Id love to have the incline and military ones. The wide chest one is not needed though. I do suggest you use flat bench or dbs in conjunction with the machine ones.

You dont have to use the machines but if you make fun of the people who do use them then you are just trying to follow the crowd and cant go off and do your own thing.

I'm not a machine hater...
Actually the main reason I don't use machines is cause I mainly workout at my home gym and I don't have an entire room to setup for weights so my option is either an all in one gym with nothing but cables or what I have with free weights and a couple high/low cables. My home gym is perfect for me cause it doesn't take up much room and you can do pretty much everything you need to with the setup I have. If I worked out at a gym more then I'm sure I would be using more machines.

[bad_man]

All you machine haters are just afraid everyone will make fun of you. Machines are fine. Especially for difficult movements like miliitary and incline. The iso lat machines help you keep a good motion. Id love to have the incline and military ones. The wide chest one is not needed though. I do suggest you use flat bench or dbs in conjunction with the machine ones.

You dont have to use the machines but if you make fun of the people who do use them then you are just trying to follow the crowd and cant go off and do your own thing.

Military and inclines are difficult? I've never thought so. Free weights all the way!!

That being said, I have a smith machine at home so feel free to flame me all you want.

[doby48]

That being said, I have a smith machine at home so feel free to flame me all you want.

Thats funny... I have a smith at home too. Hey when you workout alone sometimes gotta think safety!

[priest_416]

http://www.muscletime.com/pages/work.../denprev02.asf
this is a great chest workout machine. The gym I workout at has several of these, and machines are the greatest!!

[Warrior]

machines are better for shaping that mass that you gained from dbs or bbs

Could you explain this more... why do people call machines "shaping" movements. Machines were an uproar when people thought that the comcentric range was what built the muscle - but the same people were never serious about putting on muscle. And the ecentric range is of just as much importance - if not more, for hypertrophy. And aside from the assistance machines put on the ecentric range, they also lock you into their range of motion and detract from any kind of stabilization... its not natural.

If your goal is to build some serious muscle - free weights should make up 95 percent of your training. If you just want to work your muscles while sucking down juicy - then machines will be fine. And the only people I suggest machines to are those needing some rehab or just starting a routine so they can better develop a mind-muscle connection... while they are learning to recruit their muscles more effeciently.

The only machines you will see me use are triceps extensions to finish off the muscle group with the palms facing in. Sometimes machine flyes to finish off chest... but thats about it.

BTW - Hammer Strength Machines are a good alternative - they are a great set of equipment... they fix a lot of the problems associated with machine work.

[bermich]

See. That attatchment shows that you will not get big if you use fixed motion machines

Actually, Ive never seen a fly machine like that. That is nice.