Muscle growth: Would you work with machines?

Since the Industrial Revolution, machines have made our lives easier in many ways, including supporting muscle growth.

From the construction of elements we use every day to the computers that have enabled us to surpass our limits, machines are always present in our lives. But is it possible to achieve muscle growth with machines?

They are undoubtedly functional for developing lean muscle mass in all areas of your body, such as the pectorals. However, they should complement dumbbells and barbells in some way, provided you follow rules such as a 4-second tempo for strength and hypertrophy.

An example for the pectorals

Machine presses allow you to overload the pectorals without relying on as many smaller assistance muscles to help balance the load and keep it on the correct movement path, as is the case with free weights.

More overload means greater growth potential. And what about cables? They are generally more useful than dumbbells for fly movements because of the constant tension they provide throughout every centimeter of each repetition.

Obviously, you should not abandon free weights, but you can take a month to begin focusing your efforts on training with machines to achieve muscle growth, in this case, in the pectorals.

• You can develop 4 separate chest workouts using only machines, performed over the course of four weeks: one workout for each week so you can experience something unique.
• Do the workouts on the day you would normally train your pectorals. However, if you normally train another muscle group with your chest, such as your triceps, biceps, or shoulders, feel free to continue doing so as usual.

These workouts were designed by international experts to achieve distinctive muscle growth through machine training when working out twice per week.

Muscle growth: how can you achieve it?

In this training plan for achieving muscle growth, you can add a bench press workout, but with less volume each week.

Just make sure to space the two chest workouts at least 72 hours apart to ensure complete recovery.

Week 1: Straight sets

• Smith machine press: 4 sets x 12 reps
• Hammer Strength incline press: 4 sets x 12 reps
• High cable crossovers: 3 sets x 15 reps
• Pec deck: 3 sets x 20 reps

Week 2: Descending sets

• Smith machine press: 4 sets x 12 reps
• Selectorized machine press: 4 sets x 8 reps (*)
• Low cable crossovers: 3 sets x 10 reps (**)
• Pec deck: 3 sets x 12 reps (**)

Considerations:

• (*) The first option is to do a flat bench press on the Hammer Strength machine.
• (**) On the last set, do 2 or 3 dropsets.

Week 3: Pre-exhaustion + supersets

• Pec deck: 4 sets x 12 reps
• Smith machine press: 4 sets x 8 reps
• Hammer Strength incline press: 3 sets x 10 reps
• High cable crossovers – Superset: 3 sets x 15 reps

Week 4: Pre-exhaustion + supersets + descending sets

• Low cable crossovers: 4 sets x 10 reps
• Hammer Strength incline press – Superset: 4 sets x 10 reps
• Selectorized machine press: 3 sets x 12 reps (*)
• Pec deck: 4 sets x 12 reps (**)

Considerations:

• (*) The first option is to do a flat bench press on the Hammer Strength machine.
• (**) On the last set, do 2 or 3 dropsets.