How to do it
- Set the seat so the handles line up with the middle of your chest.
- Press out until the elbows are almost locked, keeping the shoulders down and back.
- Return slowly until you feel a stretch, stopping just before the weight stack touches down.
Cues that matter
- Because the machine handles the balance, chase a slower lowering phase.
- Drive through the palm, not the fingers.
Common mistakes
- Setting the seat too high, which shifts the load onto the front delts.
- Letting the stack slam at the bottom of every rep.
Muscles worked
Primary
- Chest
- Mid chest
Also works
- Triceps
- Front delts
Sets and reps
What to do with it depends on what you are training for. These are the ranges MuscleMap uses when it puts Machine Chest Press in a session, with 150 seconds between sets.
- Strength
- 4–6 reps
- Build muscle
- 6–10 reps
- Endurance
- 12–20 reps
Same muscle, different kit
Movements that train the same part of the chest with different equipment — for a day the machine is taken, or a gym that does not have one.