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Chest Exercises
DECLINE BENCH PRESS - Shoulder Horizontal Adduction (and elbow extension)
Muscles worked: This exercise emphasizes the chest muscles (pectoralis major), especially the lower portion. It also involves the front shoulder muscles (anterior deltoid, a portion of the middle del- toid) and the triceps, which are located on the back of the upper arm.
Starting position:
•Seatedinthe45degreeposition,reachstraightbehindyourbody,graspthehandleswithanoverhand grip, then bend your elbows until your hands are near your chest and your palms are facing towards the floor.
•Make sure cables travel underneath your arms, not over your arms.
•Keepingkneesbentandfeetflatonthefloor,layyourheadbackagainstthebenchandstraightenyour arms to the front.
•Be sure that your arms are directly “in line” with the cables, palms facing down and wrists straight. •Raiseyourchestand“pinch”yourshoulderbladestogether. Maintainaveryslight,comfortable,archin
your lower back.
•Lower arms 10 degrees
Motion:
•Slowly move your elbows outward, simultaneously bending your arms, keeping the forearms in line with the cables at all times.
•Stop when your upper arms are straight out to the sides, 10 degrees below your shoulders. •Then, slowly press forward, moving the hands towards the center, and return to the starting position
with arms straight to the front at shoulder width and in line with the cables. Keep your chest muscles tightened during the entire motion.
Key points:
•Maintain a 90 degree angle between the upper arms and the torso at the bottom of the motion and slightly less than 90 degrees at the top of the motion.
•Limit and control the range of motion so that your elbows do not travel behind your shoulders. •Keep shoulder blades “pinched” together and maintain good spinal alignment.
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ONE ARM SEATED FLY
Muscles worked: This exercise emphasizes the chest muscles (pectoralis major), also involving the front shoulder muscles (anterior deltoid).
Starting position:
•Sit on the bench with one side toward the power rods. Maintain good spinal alignment. •Grasp the handle nearest you.
•Distance yourself on the bench to eliminate slack in the cable while the arm is straight out to the side with a slight bend inthe elbow.
•Pinch your shoulder blades together and hold.
Action:
•Slowly draw your arm toward the front, maintaining the elbow and shoulder blade positions. •Stop when the arm is directly in front of the shoulder.
•Slowlyreturntothestartingpositionwithoutrelaxingandkeepingthearmapproximately90degrees from the trunk.
Key points:
•Control the motion during the entire exercise. DO NOT USE MOMENTUM. •Do not rotate the spine to get additional range of motion.
•Stop when the arm is directly in front or directly out to the side.
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