Is the Hammer Strength Chest Press Really Helpful? How and Why?

When you are dealing with weights, it’s a never-ending argument whether it is better to use machines or free weights. Some people prefer weights because these result in more growth and strength level. It targets the primary muscle group, secondary muscles as well as stabilizer muscles.

However, some people argue that hammer strength machines are better. As they minimize the risk of injury and in fact, they are used for the rehabilitation of injuries. It makes it easier to isolate a specific muscle at a certain angle.  Machines are also more beginner-friendly.

In this article, you are going to know if the hammer strength chest press really helpful how, and why.

What Is A Hammer Strength Chest Press?

A Hammer Strength Chest Press is essentially a hybrid of both machine and free weights.

People use this gym equipment like an exercise machine. It is a piece of equipment that functions like a machine by giving you a platform and handles to position your body correctly. It also uses free weight plates instead of stacked weights that you can add or remove depending on your preferred resistance. It is equipment for maintaining life fitness. 

Here are other things you need to know about a Hammer Strength chest press:

The Aim Of Pectus Excavatum Exercises

• When using one, you perform a similar motion as when using a chest press machine or a dumbbell for a chest press or chest workout.
• You can use it with exercise routines and switch up your position, the angle, or the weights for variety.
• It gives you a machine’s level of control. So that you can hit a target muscle consistently from a specific angle. That is hard to achieve using free weights.
• Unlike machines, you can go as heavy as needed since you just need to place more plates for resistance.
• You do not need a spotter to ensure you are doing the proper form as you work out.

Because you will perform the same movement like incline bench press, barbell bench press hammer strength benches. It allows you to target your pecs while also working your biceps, anterior deltoids, and triceps for a great addition to your upper body exercise.

We know hammer strength machines use resistance and leverage like free weights.  So you actually end up lifting the weights directly whereas, in machines, the resistance goes through cables or pulleys. This also helps in isolating muscles and targeting both sides of the body equally.

How Can You Perform Hammer Strength Chest Press Properly?

Here are the specific steps in performing hammer strength chest press:

Step 1: Sit on the chest press and adjust the seat height so that the handles are situated just below your shoulders. The position of the handles should be similar to the position of dumbbells or a barbell if you are benching.

You can also adjust the seat higher if you want to target your lower chest muscles or lower it to target the upper chest muscles. However, make sure your feet stay flat on the ground.

Step ​2: ​Place your hands on the handles with your palms facing downward. Start with a wide enough grip so that your elbow in each arm is aligned with your wrist and your forearms are straight.

If you are aiming to target your outer chest, opt for a wider grip. A closer grip, on the other hand, allows you to focus on your inner chest more. Also, keep your wrists unbent as if you are throwing a punch and not backward or forward like riding a motorcycle.

Step ​​3: ​​Take a deep breath and push your shoulder blades together and downward. This should make your chest puff out and also keeps your shoulders in a safe position. Do not flare out your elbows but keep them tucked. Keep your abs engaged and do not let your lower back to arch.

Step ​​​4: ​​​Press the handles together as you release your breath.  All the while keeping your shoulder blades pinched together. And do that until your back is as flat against the backrest as possible.

Step ​​​​5: ​​​​Slowly return to the starting position, keeping the motion under your control and not doing it explosively.

Step ​​​​​6: ​Repeat the cycle as many times as you need to.

How To Include Hammer Strength Chest Press Into Your Routine

Of course, you are free to use the hammer chest press as you please depending on your goals and training needs. However, I have a few recommendations regarding the best way to use it based on my experience.

First, if you are suffering or have suffered from a shoulder injury in the past that limits your ability to use free weights. So a hammer strength machine is the best way to continue building your chest muscle without getting hurt. In this case, I suggest you use the chest press on the hammer strength machine as one of your main exercises at the beginning of your workout.

However, I personally prefer leaving the hammer strength for the latter part of my routine. I would instead start with a dumbbell or a barbell because these allow you to go heavier.

I found that starting strength training is more intense and with heavier weights.  While you are not yet tired is a great way to stimulate the muscle fibers to exert their maximum effort. Remember that as you progress in working out, your muscles accumulate fatigue and this limits their capacity.

When exercising with free weights, much of this fatigue is felt in your stabilizing and supporting muscles aside from the primary muscles. For example, the rotator cuff and shoulder muscles become tired first on a chest day.

Fatigued stabilizing muscles tend to hinder your performance on the next chest exercises. This is where the hammer strength chest press machine comes to the rescue. The machine removes the workload from the stabilizer muscles. It also allows you to work on your primary target muscles longer and better. 

If you are doing other chest day workouts in combination with the hammer strength chest press, 6 sets of 10 repetitions each is an excellent place to start.

For a bit more of a challenge, increase the number of repetitions to about 10 to 15. This will encourage more blood flow into the muscles and push your chest training to a higher level.

​For a more detailed way how to perform this exercise, please watch this video:

​Conclusion

The hammer strength chest press is a safe, easy, and effective way to target not just your chest muscles but the other upper body muscles as well. The hammer strength machine gives you optimum control over your movement. It also allows you to lift the weights directly.

This isolates important muscle groups. It also prevents muscle fatigue from affecting the quality of your workout.

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Frequently Asked Questions:

• Is hammer strength chest press effective for building muscle?

A Hammer strength chest press adds more muscles to stabilize the weights. Personal trainers suggest this chest exercise for making pectoral muscles, and the shoulder muscle also. 

• Is hammer press good for chest?

You are having tension about the strain on your shoulder. But you also want to work on your chest and shoulder. So this thing is perfect for you.