For those of you who use the Hammer Strength bench press, how do your weights compare to what you can do with a barbell?
The one you sit upright in does not compare at all. The one you lay down on is only 3-5lbs off.
i can use about roughly double the weight on a hammmerzzz strength machine as i can on free weights. that’s if i can get enough plates on the damn thing.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
The one you sit upright in does not compare at all. The one you lay down on is only 3-5lbs off.[/quote]
You mean, you can use way more weight for the upright machine than you can with the barbell?
[quote]belligerent wrote:
[quote]Professor X wrote:
The one you sit upright in does not compare at all. The one you lay down on is only 3-5lbs off.[/quote]
You mean, you can use way more weight for the upright machine than you can with the barbell?[/quote]
It depends on your own body mechanics, but I know they do not compare exactly in weight used and some people may be able to do a little more weight…but not the “I can do double what I do on barbell” bullshit. Hammer Strength’s website usually has this listed if you want to know. I looked before and most of their machines are very close to the actual weight, especially the one that lays down.
They website states the laying one starts with 18lbs of resistance.
I bench around two plates on the barbell, and can press maybe three plates per side for one or two reps on the seated wide HS press.
Hammerstrength lying incline I could rep 4 plates and a 25 per side for 5 reps.
Barbell incline at the same angle is about 315 for similar reps.
The seated ones were way too easy though and 5 plates a side was too little.
[quote]austin_bicep wrote:
Hammerstrength lying incline I could rep 4 plates and a 25 per side for 5 reps.
Barbell incline at the same angle is about 315 for similar reps.
The seated ones were way too easy though and 5 plates a side was too little.[/quote]
Too little for what? Dorian Yates used that much for reps on that machine but it was too light for you?
Just asking.
You sound about right with the incline seeing as you don’t have to worry about weight stabilization.
[quote]Blaze_108 wrote:
I bench around two plates on the barbell, and can press maybe three plates per side for one or two reps on the seated wide HS press. [/quote]
That machine is great. I will say though that if you can only get one or two reps on it (or anything for that matter) then you need to drop the weight and work on your form and increasing the reps before moving up.
On the one where the range of motion goes from wide to close (the best one) I can do 3 plates and a 25 for about 8 reps, and the regular one i can do 3 plates for about 4. My flat barbell bench press is about 285 with a pause.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]austin_bicep wrote:
Hammerstrength lying incline I could rep 4 plates and a 25 per side for 5 reps.
Barbell incline at the same angle is about 315 for similar reps.
The seated ones were way too easy though and 5 plates a side was too little.[/quote]
Too little for what? Dorian Yates used that much for reps on that machine but it was too light for you?
Just asking.
You sound about right with the incline seeing as you don’t have to worry about weight stabilization.[/quote]
Too little for a main exercise for me, I’d prefer a barbell movement and use that as a finisher. Just to see some progression as I can’t get more than 5 plates on there. Not a bad move though.
[quote]austin_bicep wrote:
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]austin_bicep wrote:
Hammerstrength lying incline I could rep 4 plates and a 25 per side for 5 reps.
Barbell incline at the same angle is about 315 for similar reps.
The seated ones were way too easy though and 5 plates a side was too little.[/quote]
Too little for what? Dorian Yates used that much for reps on that machine but it was too light for you?
Just asking.
You sound about right with the incline seeing as you don’t have to worry about weight stabilization.[/quote]
Too little for a main exercise for me, I’d prefer a barbell movement and use that as a finisher. Just to see some progression as I can’t get more than 5 plates on there. Not a bad move though.[/quote]
No offense, but I would have to see that on video. Anyone I’ve seen who can push 5 plates a side for good reps on those machines is carrying more size.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]austin_bicep wrote:
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]austin_bicep wrote:
Hammerstrength lying incline I could rep 4 plates and a 25 per side for 5 reps.
Barbell incline at the same angle is about 315 for similar reps.
The seated ones were way too easy though and 5 plates a side was too little.[/quote]
Too little for what? Dorian Yates used that much for reps on that machine but it was too light for you?
Just asking.
You sound about right with the incline seeing as you don’t have to worry about weight stabilization.[/quote]
Too little for a main exercise for me, I’d prefer a barbell movement and use that as a finisher. Just to see some progression as I can’t get more than 5 plates on there. Not a bad move though.[/quote]
No offense, but I would have to see that on video. Anyone I’ve seen who can push 5 plates a side for good reps on those machines is carrying more size.
[/quote]
There will be no video because I haven’t trained at the gym in forever, but on HS decline and flat press, 5 plates a side wasn’t all that hard. Maybe the leverages are different idk.
[quote]austin_bicep wrote:
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]austin_bicep wrote:
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]austin_bicep wrote:
Hammerstrength lying incline I could rep 4 plates and a 25 per side for 5 reps.
Barbell incline at the same angle is about 315 for similar reps.
The seated ones were way too easy though and 5 plates a side was too little.[/quote]
Too little for what? Dorian Yates used that much for reps on that machine but it was too light for you?
Just asking.
You sound about right with the incline seeing as you don’t have to worry about weight stabilization.[/quote]
Too little for a main exercise for me, I’d prefer a barbell movement and use that as a finisher. Just to see some progression as I can’t get more than 5 plates on there. Not a bad move though.[/quote]
No offense, but I would have to see that on video. Anyone I’ve seen who can push 5 plates a side for good reps on those machines is carrying more size.
[/quote]
There will be no video because I haven’t trained at the gym in forever, but on HS decline and flat press, 5 plates a side wasn’t all that hard. Maybe the leverages are different idk.[/quote]
The decline is not like the flat bench. Even on a barbell decline, the movement works your lats as well as your chest, meaning most people may be able to move more weight in certain positions once they learn the movement.
Doing the same on a laying flat press is something I would expect to see from someone who can move around 405 on a barbell, give or take.
I have simply never seen someone who wasn’t pretty damn big moving more than 4 plates a side on those machines…and I don’t mean for one or two poor reps.
My frat brother is over 300lbs (bouncer) and moves 5 plates for 10 reps (could possibly do more but he stops there)…and I really want to see the kid who can do the same without the muscle to back it up.
I said seated not the lying version lol.
i barely squeak out 8 with spot on the HS incline with 5. One of the big problems with the machine is simply fitting in it. I have to leverage out of the starting position if i dont have a spot because how squeezed in i am. I still dont see how you fit in em prof lol.
[quote]Akuma01 wrote:
i barely squeak out 8 with spot on the HS incline with 5. One of the big problems with the machine is simply fitting in it. I have to leverage out of the starting position if i dont have a spot because how squeezed in i am. I still dont see how you fit in em prof lol.[/quote]
I stand up, grab the handles and sit down. If you can get 5 plates on that machine for 8, I am impressed. I don’t know what you weigh now, but I think I was about 240+ the first time I could move 5 plates for any reps at all.
That machine is all I do for upper chest now…and I tend to think it does a pretty damn good job. I used to have a weak upper chest.
I can do more now but those machines only hold 5 plates so I stick with that for more sets.
[quote]Akuma01 wrote:
i barely squeak out 8 with spot on the HS incline with 5. One of the big problems with the machine is simply fitting in it. I have to leverage out of the starting position if i dont have a spot because how squeezed in i am. I still dont see how you fit in em prof lol.[/quote]
I help a guy that’s around 270 lbs at my gym get in the HS incline machine, I lift up and hold one arm so he can wedge in the machine and start, it’s quite the production.
[quote]waldo21212 wrote:
[quote]Akuma01 wrote:
i barely squeak out 8 with spot on the HS incline with 5. One of the big problems with the machine is simply fitting in it. I have to leverage out of the starting position if i dont have a spot because how squeezed in i am. I still dont see how you fit in em prof lol.[/quote]
I help a guy that’s around 270 lbs at my gym get in the HS incline machine, I lift up and hold one arm so he can wedge in the machine and start, it’s quite the production.[/quote]
Lol seriously. I never thought about lifting it up before i get in, but before id have to sit down, and then angle myself in, then like i said, if i didnt have a spot, i know i would not be able to get 5 up, i barely got 4 up, just because the angle of the bars and the starting position feels so…weird i guess lol. I think my gym has a shittier model too.
Cant really say i can comment on the OP question tho, since i dont really work with barbells anymore. I will say that i am an ever growing fan of HS machines though. The isolateral row is becoming one of my favorite back movements.
Ya, I would have to agree that the HS iso row machine is pretty much the best machine I have ever used. I try to essentially use that as a staple in my back routine when I’m at the gym that has it.