Workout equipment names usually reflect their function, which include flexion, extension, abduction, adduction and rotation. The words "press," "pull" and "curl" sometimes substitute for flexion and extension. Examples include the lat pull-down machine, the bench press and the biceps curl. Some machines, such as the chest fly, take the name of the main muscle group or prime mover of the exercise. Machine names also refer to the position used for exercise performance. Supine is face-up, prone is face-down, and decline places the feet higher than the head.
Lat Pull-Down
The lat pull-down machine works the latissimus dorsi, the muscles that run down the side of your back. The biceps and rhomboids, which pull the shoulder blades together, assist the movement.
The Seated Row
The seated row works similar muscles to the lat pull-down, but the rhomboids are the prime movers, and the lats, deltoids and biceps assist the action. This machine corrects the posture associated with sitting hunched over a computer.
Bench Press
Bench press or chest press machines work the pectoral muscles. The triceps, in the back of the arms, assist the movement. There are seated, supine, decline and incline bench press machines. The decline press engages some of the lower pectoral muscle fibers, and the incline engages the upper fibers.
The Chest Fly
Chest fly machines are either seated or supine. They adduct, or move the arms toward the body's center. The deltoids or shoulders assist the movement, but since the arms do not bend and straighten, the triceps act only as stabilizers.
Lateral Raise
The lateral raise, usually done in a seated position, is a shoulder exercise and moves the arms away from the body's center.
Biceps Curl
The biceps, at the front of the arms, facilitate elbow flexion. Most biceps curl machines are seated and have a support pad to rest and stabilize the elbows.
Triceps Extension
The triceps extend the elbows. Since the triceps are the opposite muscle group to the biceps, many gyms keep the biceps curl and the triceps extension next to each other. The triceps extension, like the biceps curls, has an elbow pad, but the resistance occurs in the extension phase of the exercise.
The Leg Press
The leg press, done in a seated position, works the hip, gluteal, quadriceps and hamstring muscles.
Leg Extension
The leg extension is a seated exercise machine that isolates the quadriceps, which are the large muscles in the front of the thighs.
Leg Curl
There are prone, seated and standing leg curl machines. They work the hamstrings, which are the muscles in the back of the legs.
Abductor/Adductor
The seated, abductor/adductor machines have adjustable levers, which enable exercise for the inner or outer thighs. Work the abductor or outer thigh muscles by starting with your legs together and pressing your legs away from your body's center. The adductor or inner thigh exercise begins with the legs apart. The legs move toward the body's center.
Rotary Torso
The seated rotary torso machine isolates the oblique muscles, which make an "X" across your abdominal area. An adjustment lever enables you to change the direction of the resistance.
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