Many machines are advertised as being better than free weights, but when you perform the same lift using a barbell, much to your dismay you cannot lift as much. While machines may provide overload at certain points during the lift, this does not mean they are remotely close to performing the actual lift. This includes a straightforward exercise like the bench press. Consult your physician before beginning any diet or exercise program.
The Bench Press
The bench press is performed while lying on your back on a bench. Your hips, shoulders and head should remain flat on the bench and your feet flat on the floor throughout the entire exercise. Grip a barbell with your hands approximately shoulder-width apart and take the bar from the rack with your arms at full extension. Lower the bar to your chest by bending your elbows and tucking them into your sides as you lower the weight. Without bouncing the bar, push it smoothly to full extension.
Machines
Each brand of machine is different, and some machines that have bench press exercises have little resemblance to the actual exercise. Because there is so much variation, there is no way to say how one machine will carry over into the actual bench press. As most machines operate on a lever and pulley system, they fit everyone differently. So each individual is going to get a different result from each machine as well.
Function
A machine does not force you to stabilize the bar, so there is little recruitment of some of the smaller muscles of the shoulders, including the internal rotators. A machine can often limit the rate at which you accelerate the bar, making variations in power output difficult. A machine may move through an arc that does not relate to the path that you should be pushing the bar when benching. To maximize power output in the bench press, you need to press in a straight line as much as possible.
Maximizing the Bench Press
To get as much as possible out of your bench press, you need to strengthen all of the muscles that are active when benching. Close grip bench presses provide extra work for your triceps and make you more powerful at lockout, or the top of the bench press. Strong shoulders are required, and your shoulders are not as heavily recruited when using a machine. The latissimus dorsi, or the wide muscles of the back, are used for stability when lowering the bar and are not as heavily recruited when using a machine.
References
- "Journal of Physical Anthropology:" Muscle Power Output Properties Using the Stretch-shortening Cycle of the Upper Limb and Their Relationships with a One-Repetition Maximum Bench Press; 2006
- "Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research:" Effects of Variations of the Bench Press Exercise on the EMG Activity of Five Shoulder Muscles; 1995
- "Journal of Physical Anthropology:" Muscle Power Output Properties Using the Stretch-shortening Cycle of the Upper Limb and Their Relationships with a One-Repetition Maximum Bench Press; 2006
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