A chest expander is a traditional exercise device comprising of two handles attached to an elastic strand or steel spring. Most chest expanders are adjustable and allow you to add or remove strands/springs to adjust the amount of resistance you must overcome. While free weights and resistance machines are the most effective methods for improving muscular size, strength and power, chest expanders are not without their merits and can be used as a temporary replacement for more common strength training modalities or they may complement them.
Versatility
You can use a chest expander to mimic a wide range of traditional resistance training exercises such as biceps curls, lat pull downs, shoulder presses and triceps extensions. There is also a host of chest expander-specific exercises including the archer's pull, front pull and behind the back press. For such a small and simple piece of exercise equipment, the chest expander is very versatile -- a veritable gym in a bag.
Portability
Chest expanders are very light weight and easily transported. This makes them ideal if you travel a lot or simply want a piece of workout equipment that does not take up a lot of space. With additional door anchors, you can replicate a whole gym's worth of exercises just about anywhere so if you have your chest expander with you, you need never miss a workout -- even if you are away from your usual training facility.
Safety
Unlike free weights, a failed lift with a chest expander does not result in a falling weight. This means you can train to muscular failure much more safely then you can with traditional barbells and dumbbells. Training to failure with free weights means you need to have a safety spotter on hand to ensure you don't get pinned by a heavy weight. There is no such concern with a chest expander.
Reduced Injury Risk
Getting a weight moving from a dead stop -- known as overcoming the moment of inertia -- means you have to work very hard to accelerate the object you are lifting from stand-still to moving fast. Overcoming the moment of inertia is the most dangerous part of any exercise. There is no moment of inertia to overcome when using a chest expander. Resistance increases gradually as you extend your limbs. Your muscles are at less of a risk of injury when exercised in this way.
Cost and Availibility
Chest expanders are very cheap, costing as of June 2011 as little as $20.00. Because you can perform so many exercises and chest expanders are generally adjustable to suit a wide variety of abilities, this makes them a very good value. Dumbbells, barbells and especially resistance training machines can be very expensive. A chest expander, available form most sporting goods stores, offers a cheap, accessible but effective workout that can be performed almost anywhere.
References
- "Forgotten Secrets Of The Old Time Strongmen"; Dave Yarnell; 2008
- "Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and Development; Brooks D Kubik; 2006
- "A New System of Calisthenic Exercises"; Henry Cost; 1847
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