In today’s fast-paced world of technology, staying physically fit allows you to tap into your full potential in other fields of life. The easiest way to pursue your journey towards physical fitness is by hitting a gym. Not only do you perform targeted muscle exercises, but also find an escape from the busy work life – enabling you to spend quality time with yourself and regain your focus and energy.
Whether you are a newbie at the gym or you have been doing it for years, there are always chances that you are missing out on key knowledge regarding various machines and gym equipment. Hence, this article delves into various upper body machines and which work best to grow your chest, shoulders, arms, etc. Let’s dive in!
What Makes Your Upper Body?
Knowing more about various upper body muscles before hitting the gym and learning about the machines that target your upper body is essential. This will allow you to perform tailored exercises for all your muscles, ensuring that you don’t miss out on training particular muscle groups.
Following are the major upper body muscles you should be training at the gym:
- Chest (Pectoral muscles)
- Shoulders (Deltoid muscles)
- Back (Latissimus Dorsi, Rhomboids, Trapezius)
- Arms (Biceps and Triceps)
- Forearms (Brachioradialis, Flexor and Extensor Muscles)
- Core (Abdominals and Obliques)
In this article, we will be pointing out the best machines to target all these muscles; whether you are using a rowing machine foldable or bench presses at home or you have a gym membership, using the right machines to target particular muscles is crucial for an impactful workout.
Chest Press Machine
A chest press machine is an easy-to-use resistance machine that majorly targets your chest muscles. Besides, it also hits your arms, involving multiple muscles at once.
Compared to other machines, a chest press allows you to lift heavier weights without compromising your body posture. This ensures that you precisely target your chest muscles at the correct angles.
Tips for usage:
- Adjust the machine such that the handles line up to your chest height.
- It’s best to start with weights up to 25% of your body weight.
- Keep your back against the chair's padding; you can sometimes place your hip bone slightly away from the back.
- Don’t lock your elbows.
- Exhale when you release the handles, inhale when you push them back together.
Seated Dip Machine
A seated dip machine is a high-intensity resistance machine that allows you to target multiple upper body muscles, including shoulders and triceps. It targets all the muscles you burn using normal bench dips but in a composed fashion without losing posture. For this machine, sit upright and use your triceps to push the weights down and back up again.
Tips for usage:
- Begin with light weight to work your triceps up.
- Adjust the handles according to your height and physique.
- Sit with your back straight up against the cushion.
- Stand up and push the weights down slowly with your back against the seat. Ensure your back is always in contact with the back cushion.
Conventional Bench Press
Natural weight exercises are still the most effective physical activity for growing muscle mass and hitting the right areas. Conventional bench press, one of the most common chest exercises, is still relevant despite all the modern machines. Although it can be difficult to master the correct posture and placement of the rod, it can do wonders once you learn the correct posture.
A conventional bench press targets multiple upper body muscles, including your pectorals, back, shoulders, and triceps.
Tips for usage:
- Have a flat back when lifting the barbell.
- Hold the barbell according to the muscles you want to target. A close grip focuses more on your biceps and shoulders, while a wide grip targets your chest muscles.
- Bring the barbell down on your chest slowly and lift it back up fast; this gives your muscles explosive quality and helps build muscle strength.
- Try to keep the barbell movement as steady as possible.
Bicep Curl Bench
Do you want to pump those biceps up specifically? The bicep curl bench is your go-to machine. It provides a supported biceps exercise that allows you to carry more weight than conventional dumbbell curls.
In this setup, you sit down straight on a bench, and your arms rest on a slanted surface in front of you. Then, you can use a dumbbell or a barbell to perform bicep curls. The slanted surface supports your arms from beneath, allowing you to carry out the curls with locked elbows.
Tips for usage
- Use the bicep curl bench with a straight back.
- Don't push yourself too hard; this machine is known for causing bicep tear injury if used with excessive weights.
- When performing curls, curl up fast and curl down slowly. This will build your muscle strength much faster and make the exercise harder.
Lat Pull Down Machine
The Lat pull-down machine is one of the most effective training machines for your upper back muscles (Lats). It’s analogous to conventional pull-ups or push-ups, but you perform them sitting down. You pull the weights down and then release them back up, completing one rep.
Tips for usage:
- Never pull the bar towards your stomach. This restricts muscle movement and prevents full stretch of your lats.
- Keep an even grip on both sides of the bar, and make sure it’s not too wide.
- Keep your lower back stiff and straight.
- Pull down using the force of your lats.
- Perform this exercise at a slower pace for optimum results.
Shoulder Press Machine
The shoulder press machine provides a tough shoulder workout posture that involves sitting back against a seat cushion and lifting the weights above your shoulders. It is one of the tougher exercises and will really push you to your limits. Compared to free-weight dumbbell exercises for your shoulders, this machine allows you to perform better-controlled maneuvers, minimizing the risks of injury.
Tips for usage:
- Keep your core tight and your back straight.
- Hold the handles tightly and look straight ahead.
- Press the handles above your head and perform the motion in a steady and controlled manner, especially when bringing the weight down.
- Keep your elbows bent even when you move the weight up; don't lock them while performing this exercise.
Abdominal Bench
Your abdomen is a crucial part of your upper body. Without a strong abdomen, you become prone to injuries as the core doesn't have enough strength to carry out other upper-body exercises.
The abdominal bench allows one to undergo core exercises in a safe and controlled fashion. This is specifically targeted towards your abs.
Tips for usage:
- Maintain a proper form to prevent injuries.
- Properly lock your feet with the rolling pads.
- Put your hands at the back of your head to streamline your body.
- In the more advanced training, you can put some weight on your core and then perform this exercise.
Machines Aren’t All You Need
When it comes to exercise, training your body is essential. The muscles you work out at the gym grow in mass and strength. However, the machines at your gym simply work your muscles up to make them protein-hungry.
Hence, a proper diet routine at home is essential to reap the fruits of your workout and hard work at the gym. Evaluate a proper diet plan for yourself with higher protein intake. Protein is the nutrient that builds your muscle mass and strength. Besides, if you are looking to take supplements, carry out proper research about the best supplements for your body.
Moreover, tracking your calorie intake with a digital app or some kind of tracking system is beneficial. The more organized you are with your diet, the greater the impact of your workout at the gym will be.
Therefore, we suggest hiring a professional trainer if you are passionate about your fitness.
Final Words
In the realm of fitness, gyms, and modern workout machines play a crucial role. To tap the full potential of your gym machines, it’s essential to learn their working mechanisms and the muscles they target. Most importantly, the posture.
With gym machines, it’s less about how heavy the weight is and more about the angle at which you lift it. Therefore, focus on your angles, the speed of reps, and the posture in which you carry your exercises for the best results.
