Does chest press on a machine do the same thing as a bench press?

Question

i have a machine and a bench but idk what's better free weight bench press or chest pres on a machine and why

Answer 1

In theory they are similar.  Machines are touted as being safer, and for gym who get a lot of people who don't know how to exercise, won't last more than a few weeks and would sue for any injury then I can see the attraction.  And to be honest they look very impressive to someone who doesn't know what they are doing which makes people more likely to join the gym and pay over the membership fees.

Machines suffer from two major drawbacks, both relating to the same cause.  The joints of the machine mean that you can only move the weight in a very specific arc.  This means that only the one muscle gets exercised.  This is the first drawback because it means the stabilising muscles in your body don't get exercised.  The problem with the specific arc of movement is that it may not be the one that is right for your body - a lot of different bodies use the same machine, it can't be right for everyone.  There is potential for joint damage or strain because you have to force your body to use the machines arc of movement.

Answer 2

Free weight always better than machines in any excercise. Free weights force you to maintain correct form using more muscles. Machines take that aspect away.

Answer 3

Hi.

You have touched upon a big issue in the weightlifting community.

Machines are in many respects good although they restrict a little your movement. That may not always be bad, the form some people use when lifting weights is sometimes astonishing (sometimes I am wondering how they manage to create such awkward form). I think that machines are good for beginners because they can concentrate on just getting the weight from A to B.

When you are using free weights you also need to steer the weight, it´s not just enough to push so free weights also force the lifter to think about how (the way from bottom to top and back) to lift the weight.

It has been said that the muscle does not know if it is being worked by a free weight or a machine and there is a big truth to that. Both can be beneficial, it´s up to the lifter in question to use both to his benefit.

I think that in your case you don´t need to worry about this, just use your machine and bench, you can always join a gym later and go for the free weights there.

Free weights versus machines is a little bit like a religion, some adore free weight and think only sissies use machines, it´s also an ego thing. So you might very well get very good answers advocating free weights or machines.

Don´t forget the diet. I hope you are eating a well balanced diet!

Good luck!!