Chest and Shoulder Machines
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Chest and Shoulder Machines
Build Powerful Pecs & Delts
Chest and shoulder machines are designed for working your specific upper body muscle groups without having to adjust your gym equipment between exercises, like when you are training on a power rack.
On a specialty machine, you only need to make minor adjustments for your height, put on the weight and you can start training.
Although they are designed primarily for one or two exercises, our chest and shoulder machines often have dual functionality, meaning they can perform multiple exercises. They also offer improved safety as they are built for specific movements.
Benefits
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Multi-functional machines
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Excellent safety features
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Certified for commercial use
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Heavy duty construction
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Massive load rating
The ATX® Lever Arm Multi-Press is ideal if your goal is to build bigger muscles by training to failure, especially if you are training alone.
While the freestanding bench press stations caters for serious strength trainers. They are stand-alone machines built for a hardcore gym environment.
The Leverage Advantage
The ATX® Lever Arm Multi-Press has been one of the most popular machines in the bodybuilding community. This leverage machine has lever arms onto which you can load your Olympic weight plates. They have a start/stop bar, from which you lift off. This has the advantage of preventing the arms from pinning you if you can’t lift the weight.
Their other advantage is that the arc of the lever arm closely mimics the arc you make when you lift a barbell or free weight. It is a more natural movement compared to that of a smith machine. Combined with no need to stabilise the bar, your chest and shoulder muscles are better isolated.
If your goal is to build bigger chest muscles by training to failure, then the ATX® Leverage Bench Press is ideal for you, especially if you train alone.
Multi-functional Chest and Shoulder Machines
As the name suggests, the ATX® Leverage Bench Press has multiple press positions. You can do your flat bench press, shoulder press, incline bench press and decline bench press. You are essentially getting four machines in one.
The lever arms can also be used for other shoulder exercises like shrugs and upright rows. If you set the arms on the lowest position, you can also do back exercises like barbell rows, one arm rows and prone rows.
It also features the docking station for their attachments. There are attachments for leg extensions/leg curls, tricep dips, pec fly and preacher curl. Your chest and shoulder machine can transform into a multi gym where multiple body parts can be trained.
These attachments also work on the ATX® Barbell Bench Presses. The other similarity they share with the leverage bench press machines is that they can also do the four different bench press positions – flat, incline, decline and shoulder press.
We usually wouldn’t recommend a dedicated bench press in a home gym or training studio situation. It is a lot of floor space to dedicate to a single exercise. But whether it be leverage or barbell, the ATX® Leverage machines and bench presses offer a lot more functionality and would be a valuable addition in these environments.
For the Hardcore Trainers
ATX® offers chest and shoulder equipment for the gym owner who is catering to serious strength trainers. They are stand-alone machines built for a single exercise in a hardcore gym environment.
The ATX® Olympic Bench Press has been designed for competitive bench pressing. It meets the specifications for bench presses used in powerlifting competitions. Its bench pad and width are the required heights.
It has built-in spotter arms to prevent you from being trapped under the barbell. This is an excellent safety feature for your members, especially if you own a 24-hour gym.
Gym owners will also like the protective sleeves on the bar supports. Not only do they dramatically reduce the wear and tear on your barbells, but they also minimize noise.
The ATX® Dip Station offers a stand-alone chest and shoulder machine option for this incredible and valuable exercise. It is designed for big units with additional weight strapped to them – up to 300kgs! Most wall-mounted dip stations can’t handle this much weight.
What muscles do Shoulder Press work?
Shoulder Press falls into the category of compound movements (Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift) or any multi-joint movement.
One of the core muscle groups worked during the shoulder press is your front and lateral deltoids. This movement also recruits your triceps, middle and lower trapezius, and even upper chest! It is also worth noting that to keep the barbell above your head, your core muscle will be working overtime to stabilize the barbell. Especially when doing this movement in the standing position.
Is Leverage Bench Press the same as Bench Press?
While both the Leverage bench Press and Flat Barbell/Dumbbell Bench Press are working the same muscle groups. They serve different functions.
Leverage bench press moves in a fixed plain of motion, meaning that you are not wasting energy trying to stabilize the barbell. The machine is doing it for you. This allows you to focus on both the full range of motion and the peak contraction of your pectoral muscles.
During Flat Barbell Bench Press you must stabilise the barbell. You will notice when someone is pressing a heavy barbell, the bar will start to shake under the load. Even they are not pressing the weight, the process of keeping the bar stable is require energy.
The energy required stabilising is then not available for the pressing movement. Plus, the muscles doing the stabilising are small. You may not be able to completely fatigue your chest muscles as your stabilizers will give out first.
What are the Stabilizing Muscles in Barbell Bench Press?
The main muscle group worked during barbell bench press are your Pectoralis major (Chest Muscles). During this movement there are an additional three muscles/muscle groups which are recruited to help you move the weigh. These muscles are Anterior (Front) Deltoid, Triceps Brachii and Coracobrachialis (which connects your shoulder to your arm).
The other muscle groups used in stabilizing the barbell during bench press:
- Rotator Cuff musculature (Infraspinatus, supraspinatus, subscapularis, teres minor)
- Biceps
- Abdominals
- Lats which will help you to both stabilize the barbell and move the barbell of your chest.
You also shouldn’t forget that you are the soft/weak point between the barbell and the bench. To make the optimal stability during the bench press movement, you will also need to recruit your glutes and legs. Driving your feet into the ground and tensing your glutes and legs will help you to stay as STIFF as possible.
It is important to note that your stabilizer muscles are quite small and don’t recover as quickly as the larger muscle groups. Being small is not the only issue. These little fellas also don’t get as much blood flow which means that they don’t get as many nutrients to speed up their recovery as the larger muscle groups.
This is where accessory exercises and leverage machines come in real handy. Throwing in a leverage exercise will allow you to reduce the load on your stabilizing muscles, while still working the larger muscle groups. Lee Priest will sandwich an isolation movement like pec flys between his heavy pressing on chest day.
Are Leverage Presses effective?
Leverage bench presses can be a useful addition to everyone’s training regimen. I would dare to say that leverage presses are the safest way to train upper body. The first reason being is that there is no barbell in the middle to crush you. This is especially useful for bodybuilders who tend to train until muscle failure.
The second reason is that the arms are moving in a fixed plain of motion. This comes in real handy for those who are going through shoulder rehab or those who are looking for an upper body accessory exercise which does not tax their stabilizer muscles. This allows them to tire the muscle without the increased risk of injury which usually comes with weak/fatigued stabilizer muscles.
The third reason are Muscle Imbalances. ATX leverage machines have arms that operate independently. Any pre-existing muscle imbalances will show up straight away as you will notice your arms moving at a different speed. An inexperienced lifter who trains exclusively with a barbell might not pick this up.
Can Chest Press lift Breasts?
Chest press and chest exercises can help you tone and lift the breasts up to a certain degree. By strengthening the muscle under the fat tissue, you will make your breasts look better than without pressing.
However, you won’t be able to make significant changes without plastic surgery. The sagging chest is caused by the loss of the tissue elasticity. If chest pressing is just part of your weight training program and healthy lifestyle, I highly doubt plastic surgery will be high on your priority list.
This healthy lifestyle will make you look and feel much better than your old self. In the athletic world breasts shapes and sizes are low on the priority. There are countless strong and attractive women with virtually no chest. Plastic surgery is expensive and will keep you out of the gym.
Do not feel pressured to get surgery. But I would strongly recommend chest pressing!
Does Leverage Press work Back?
The leverage press does not target back. The main muscles used will always be the chest, triceps, and shoulders. However, when you are working hard, the back and core will all be activated. The back muscles certainly won’t be overly fatigued, ruining your back workout the following day.
If you want to work your back, you can do some back exercises on your leverage press machine. They are great for doing rows – barbell, bent over, prone and one arm.