Cable chest press

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Although many perform chest flyes with cables, this is much less common with chest presses. That while the (seated) cable press offers a number of specific advantages.

RANGE OF MOTION

The main advantage of the cable press over free weights lies in the range of motion (ROM) and the resistance, which are slightly different than with the barbell and dumbbell press.

The main function of the pectoral muscles is to bring the upper arms in front of the upper body. The cable press simulates this function by moving the weight in an arc towards the center.

Now you can also make that bow movement with dumbbells, but the resistance decreases as you press further up. With the cable press, the resistance in the peak contraction is optimal and comes from behind as well as from the side.

You can also increase the ROM a bit by doing cable presses unilaterally, moving the weight over the middle of your chest.

The advantage is not so much training with constant tension, which is not necessary for optimal muscle growth. The main thing with the cable press is that you create a stimulus that is slightly different from that of the presses with free weights.

So, see the exercise as a valuable addition to the barbell and/or dumbbell press, especially when you need more training volume.

BETTER FOR SHOULDERS AND ELBOWS

Training with cables is generally kinder to joints and tendons. If you suffer from shoulders and/or elbows, cables may offer a suitable alternative to free weights.

SAFER

You can easily do the cable press alone, while you need a spotter for the barbell bench press .

IN SHORT

The cable chest press is an extremely effective chest exercise, although it may look a bit less impressive than the dumbbell and especially the barbell bench press. However, that shouldn’t stop you from including it in your schedule.

While free-weight presses provide you with a solid foundation, exercises like the cable press give you that little bit extra.

REFERENCE

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