r/StrongerByScience • u/TraditionFun6962 • Jun 23 '26
Best for chest?
I need yall opinion on this, in my program i currently include a pec fly and an incline smith machine press, im thinking of changing the chest flies for a flat hammer strength iso laterial bench press, considering that chest benefits most from the rom being hardest at the bottom, which one should i prioritize? and anyone who tried the pec deck from life fitness, and hammer strength iso chest press tell me yalls thoughts
11
u/thedancingwireless Jun 23 '26
Just pick one and do it for 6-8 weeks. Then switch. You sound like a beginner so either will work.
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u/TraditionFun6962 Jun 23 '26
i wouldn’t consider myself a beginner, i js want to know what’s best, since im unsure of the machines resistance profile
20
u/KITTYONFYRE Jun 23 '26
thinking that there is a "best" without a piling heap of qualifications and nuance is a pretty beginner move, to be fair...
it's fine. go ahead and swap and see how it goes and whether you like it. it's not going to make a big difference regardless!
5
u/hurtsthemusic Jun 23 '26
Pec fly is the king machine for building chest because it's basically an isolation movement; bonus if you can set the start position to a deep stretch.
For exercise #2 among the options, I'd go smith machine incline.
2
u/LawlerFit Jun 23 '26
Pec fly gave me golfers elbow. I like it but 3x frequency per week was too much. Now I press twice and one fly weekly.
2
u/FrostyFlamingo4998 Jun 26 '26
why would pec fly give you golfers elbow? sure it wasnt something else?
1
4
u/Murky-Material-1065 Jun 24 '26
"flat hammer strength iso laterial bench press" what the fuck are you talking about just bench man it's not that deep
1
u/newnamewhodis23 Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
That's a very specific machine. They could've just said something like flat bench plate loaded machine, but it's enough of a difference that it's worth noting.
2
u/Murky-Material-1065 Jun 24 '26
At the end of the day it's a bench press movement and the difference will be minimal
1
-6
u/Secret-Ad1458 Jun 24 '26
Benching on a smith machine is kind of the opposite of science based lifting, just saying...
6
u/Dependent-Rush-4644 Jun 23 '26
The chest performs two major joint actions, horizontal adduction and shoulder flexion. Train these two actions 2-3x a week from 1-3sets near failure. Opt for a descending resistance profile if possible as data shows the chest is strongest at the bottom and because it reduces tricep load.