Beginner

Reverse-Grip Machine Chest Press

Rotating the palms up on a machine press tucks the elbows and drives the load toward the clavicular pecs, giving upper-chest emphasis with none of the balance demand of a free-weight reverse-grip press. The supported path makes it an easy, joint-friendly way to add upper-chest volume. Use it when incline pressing bothers your shoulders or as a controlled finisher.

Equipment
Machine
Body part
Chest
Type
Strength
Browse by movement
Horizontal Press
Muscles worked
Target
Pectoralis Major Clavicular
Secondary
Pectoralis Major Sternocostal, Deltoid Anterior, Triceps Brachii Long Head, Triceps Brachii Medial Head

How to do it

  1. 1

    Set the seat so the handles sit at the lower-chest line.

  2. 2

    Sit back with the shoulder blades against the pad.

  3. 3

    Take the handles with an underhand, palms-up grip.

  4. 4

    Brace and press the handles forward and slightly up.

  5. 5

    Stop just short of lockout, feeling the upper chest work.

  6. 6

    Lower under control to a comfortable stretch and repeat.

Tips

  • Keep the elbows tucked in; the underhand grip encourages this.
  • Drive the handles on a slightly upward arc to hit the upper chest.
  • Keep the wrists neutral and firm rather than letting them bend back.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The seat gets left at the height you use for an overhand press, which puts the handles at mid-chest and cancels the upward arc that makes the reverse grip worth using.
  • Weights carry straight over from your normal grip, but the underhand position is weaker for most people; expect to drop 20 to 30 percent and build back up from there.
  • A grip set too wide forces the forearms to rotate hard under load, and the wrists and biceps tendon then take the strain the chest was supposed to.
  • Thumbs get left under the handle with the hand open, and on an underhand grip a handle that rolls out of the palm has nowhere good to go, so wrap the thumbs around it.
  • The bottom of the range gets cut because the underhand stretch feels strange on the shoulder; narrow the grip rather than shorten the rep.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the reverse-grip machine chest press should a beginner do?
Keep it in the 12 to 15 rep range for three sets, using clearly less weight than your overhand sets on the same machine, with about a minute of rest. It is an upper-chest accessory rather than a main press, so put it after your heavier work and add reps before weight. When 15 reps feel easy with straight wrists and tucked elbows, move the pin one plate.
What can I do instead of the reverse-grip machine chest press?
A reverse-grip dumbbell or barbell bench press trains the same thing but asks far more of your wrists and shoulders. A low-to-high cable press, a landmine press, or an incline dumbbell press all bias the upper chest with a normal grip if the palms-up position bothers you. A band incline press covers it at home.
Is the reverse-grip machine chest press worth doing?
It is a low-risk way to load the upper chest when incline pressing bothers your shoulders, since the machine holds the path and the underhand grip tucks the elbows for you, which makes it a useful accessory or finisher. It is a poor choice as your main chest exercise, because the loads stay modest, and it is not the movement for anyone with wrist pain or a history of biceps tendon trouble, as the palms-up grip loads both.

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