Chest presses are weightlifting exercises that benefit chest, shoulder, and triceps muscles. They can be done with free weights or machines, and with or without a bench. Variations include incline and vertical presses.
A chest press is any compound weight lifting exercise that requires the athlete to use their arms to push the weight off their chest. These types of exercises benefit the chest, shoulder, and triceps muscles and are the core of most chest-building regimens. Bench presses are the most common type of chest press, but there are many variations depending on the equipment available and the specific needs and abilities of the athlete.
Regardless of the variation, all chest press exercises share the same basic movement. The athlete begins by holding the weight and with the arms bent at the elbow until the hands are level with the chest. Then, in a smooth, controlled motion, he pushes the weight away from his chest until his arms are completely straight. Then he or she slowly returns the arms to their original position.
The first variable that differentiates various forms of chest press exercises is the medium of resistance. Athletes can perform these exercises using various free weights, such as dumbbells or barbells. These tend to allow for a greater range of motion than most machines and therefore provide a better workout for your stabilizer muscles. Free weight chest presses require the athlete to hold the weight directly above their body, so free weights can be dangerous if a spotter is not available.
Another option is for the athlete to use one of the many varieties of weight machines to perform chest presses. Many of these machines do not allow the same range of motion as free weights, but the machine will not allow the weight to fall on the athlete, thus eliminating the need for a spotter. There are some machines, such as cable chest press machines, that allow for a wide range of motion. These machines often allow the athlete to sit down and perform an upright chest press, because resistance is created by a pulley system rather than gravity.
A second important variable in chest pressing exercises is the type and angle of support. Most chest presses include some type of weight bench, and these exercises are a form of bench pressing. The angle of the bench to the ground and the movement of the weight determine the type of chest press and its benefits. An incline bench, for example, raises the angle of the athlete so that when he or she moves the weight off their chest, the arms move at an angle somewhere between that of a standard chest press and a military press. This puts more stress on your upper chest, giving you a more intense workout.
There are many variations of chest presses that don’t use any bench at all. Some vertical chest press exercises that use cables do not require any type of support; the athlete uses the legs and body to prepare and provide the necessary leverage for the exercise. Other variations involve placing your upper back on a balance ball with your feet flat on the floor to provide stability.
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