The chest press machine is one of the most common pieces of equipment found in a commercial gym. It’s also one of the best ways to build muscle and strength in your chest, shoulders, arms and back. If you don’t have access to a gym but want to build muscle at home using resistance training, there are plenty of alternatives available: The Dumbbell Bench Press The dumbbell bench press is an effective exercise for building muscle mass in your chest and shoulders. To perform it correctly, lie on a flat bench with your feet firmly planted on the floor or ground underneath you. Hold two dumbbells directly above your shoulders with straight arms, palms facing down. The dumbbells should be at arms’ length apart—about shoulder height. Lower the dumbbells by pushing your arms straight up, bringing your elbows to approximately 90 degrees. Press the dumbbells directly overhead until your arms are fully extended and then lower them to return to the starting position.[1] The Reverse-Grip Bench Press Your chest may grow best when you employ a reverse-grip bench press, which allows you to push even more weight. 
This variation of the bench press places your hands on top of one another across your chest and not directly on top of one another in front of your torso like the regular grip bench press. The more advanced variation of this exercise is to place the palms of your hands on top of each other and then rotate them slightly outward so that the bottom pad of your hand is facing away from you. To do a reverse-grip bench press, lie on a flat bench with your feet planted firmly on the ground or floor in front of you. Grab two dumbbells roughly the same weight as the rest of your body and hold them with separate hands so that each arm has an equal amount of weight. Keep both elbows directly under your torso and bend at a 90-degree angle at the elbow so that you end up in a fully tucked position. Slowly press the dumbbells straight down to the starting position, keeping your elbows tucked in and your forearms parallel to the ground. Be sure to keep your elbows tucked in throughout the exercise so that you don’t get any pain when you return the dumbbells to their original position. The One-Arm Dumbbell Reverse-Grip Bench Press Many people view dumbbell bench presses as a single or bilateral movement, which means they’re performed by either holding one pair of dumbbells or two pairs of dumbbells. If you’re not interested in that level of muscle growth, consider making this a unilateral movement to maximize muscle mass in your arms. Just like the previous variation, you’ll still need to keep your hands on top of one another with the palms facing away from you. Unlike before, however, you’ll also be using just one dumbbell instead of two. To get into the proper position, lie on a flat bench with your feet planted firmly on the ground or floor in front of you. Grab a single dumbbell with both hands and place it across your chest so that it’s lying underneath both arms and across your torso. Keep your hands flat and place them slightly underneath your chin to ensure that there’s no undue pressure placed on your shoulder and neck joints. 
Best chest press machine
The chest press machine is one of the best pieces of equipment you can use to strengthen your chest. It allows you to focus on the target muscles, which is much better than using free weights (dumbbells). The benefits of the chest press machine vary depending on which muscles you're targeting. The main chest muscle groups are the pectorals, upper and lower, and serratus anterior. The good news is that there are just a few muscles you need to target: the pectorals and serratus anterior. The chest press machine is great at targeting the pectoral muscle, as it allows you to focus your attention on them. It also allows you to use a fairly heavy weight, which is key for building muscle strength. The chest press machine can also be a good workout for the serratus anterior, depending on how you do it. To stress this muscle group, lean forward when bringing the weight down and slightly lift your shoulders toward your ears – this will increase the depth of your chest and help target the serratus anterior. The Keys to Getting Results: 1) Make sure that you have a secure grip on the hand grips of the machine. The only way you'll get results from exercising the chest is if you contract the target muscles. Take a look at the picture below to see how you should make sure that your grip is secure. 2) Make sure that the machine is adjusted so that it is in line with the angle of your torso. When you're using a chest press machine, your torso should be at a 45-degree angle to the floor. 
That's because this angle will most effectively target the pectoral muscles – it will force them to contract maximally and therefore stimulate growth. You can adjust this angle by moving the leg pads of the machine forward/backward or by moving your feet forward/backwards on the platform or by adjusting whatever mechanism is controlling this in your particular machine. The keys to getting a good workout are to make sure that you come up in a straight line and not in an arc, and to make sure that you really contract the chest when lifting the weight. The more you can squeeze your pectorals, the more strength and size they will have. There are a number of different variations for doing this exercise; do as many as possible for maximum effect. If you don't have access to the equipment at your gym and want to work out at home, this workout will be perfect for you. You'll be working those two muscles with this machine, but the results are different from those from using free weights (dumbbells). First off, you can adjust how much weight you use, which is great if it's too easy or too difficult to work with your current strength level. Second, you can focus on one arm at a time or both at the same time. You can even do the bench press in conjunction with the pectorals -- you'll have to adjust weight and keep track of which muscle group is doing more work. This is an excellent piece of equipment for chest workouts in general, but it's even better for those who want to increase their upper chest strength. 
Chest press machine alternative
The chest press machine is a great piece of equipment for building upper body strength, but it does have its limitations. One of the drawbacks of performing chest presses on this device is that it doesn’t allow you to fully isolate your pectoral muscles and can place unnecessary stress on other areas such as your shoulders or lower back. The cable row exercise is an excellent alternative, because it allows you to work each side independently and isolate each muscle group with greater intensity. The way the row works is similar to the way a cable press machine works, but instead of moving the weight stack up, you pull a row handle toward your waist. The exercise is also excellent for building strength and definition in your back and arms. STARTING POSITION: Adjust your cable station so that the handles are laterally aligned with your body and facing away from you. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, grasp the handle with both hands (palms facing inward) about an inch outside of shoulder width. Look straight ahead and maintain an upright posture throughout the exercise. To perform the cable row, begin by stepping on the center of a flat bench and grasping an overhead handle with each hand. Your arms should be fully extended, but not locked at the elbow. Your body should remain straight so that you are balanced from head to toe. 
Stand directly behind the bench to start, then pull the handle across your body until it reaches your chest. At this point, your elbows should be bent about 90 degrees and you should look forward during the entire exercise. Pause for a second in this position, then slowly return to your starting position and repeat for one set of eight repetitions. When performing this exercise, you are incorporating the upper and lower ends of the pectoral muscle group simultaneously. This makes it one of the best exercises you can use to build pure chest power and improves overall chest development. Resistance: As you perform the cable row, you should feel a slight pull in your upper chest muscle fibers. This movement should feel difficult at first, but with practice will become easier as your muscles get stronger. It’s important that you utilize tension throughout this exercise to maximize your results; do not put so much weight on the machine that it becomes impossible to move. If that happens, switch to a lighter weight until it feels comfortable again and then add more weight only when necessary. Note that by pulling your elbows down, it effectively places a great deal of tension on the muscles involved in your pectorals, as you are essentially drawing them taunt with every rep. This is why you should focus on maintaining proper position throughout the entire movement. 
Chest press machine for home gym
The chest press machine is a great way to increase the number of muscle groups involved in your chest workout at your home gym. The exercise can be performed with or without free weights, but it’s important to find a machine that allows you to adjust both the weight and range of motion. If possible, try to include three sets of ten repetitions with each exercise. Lie face down on the bench press machine, which should have adjustments on both ends of the bench to allow you to lean back or forward. Grab the handles at shoulder height and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Lower your chest toward the floor until your nose is about three quarters of an inch away from the pad and hold this position for a second pulse. Press up quickly and explosively through your chest so that you arms are straight by your sides. Your elbows will stay pinned under you as you press up with a nice single-arm action. It’s important to keep your elbows pinned so that they do not move during this exercise, as it can be dangerous if they move independently of one another. Repeat this ten times before taking a one-minute break and then repeating the exercise for a total of three sets. Start with lighter weights if you are a beginner, and then increase your weights as you increase your endurance. If you are using machines, be sure to adjust both ends of the machine so that you can press forward or backward comfortably. If you have access to free weight exercises where you can set the weights down after each lift, it’s important to do so because it allows the tension in the muscles to decrease while still keeping them stimulated. You should feel your chest muscles working most during this exercise when done correctly. 
Establish a routine workout schedule and stick to it as much as possible, especially if you’re working out at home without a trainer to hold you accountable. The number one reason people fail at home gyms is because they give up after they’ve lost motivation or can no longer see quick results from their tediously slow progress. The exercise consists of a barbell loaded with weight, and an upper torso-only machine that allows you to "move" the weight up and down. The movements in this routine will targeted muscles in your chest and shoulders, as well as your triceps. The Human Machine Chest Press
- Choose a barbell that’s weighted with the appropriate weight for the desired repetition count. A heavy weight may be necessary to send heavy resistance down through the cable and lock it into place when you go to press. For example, a bench press would require one set of light weights, while a squat machine might require two sets of medium-weight weights.
- Attach the safety bars to your chest machine by placing your feet on footplates and pulling down on the handles until they lock in place.
As always, watch the exercise for proper form and perform at a moderately brisk pace. Don’t kick yourself when you feel the burn! Chest Flyes - 3 sets of 10 reps (warm up sets: 5 reps) From the starting position, explosively push your body upward by contracting your pectorals (chest muscles).