Liftworthy
ExploreTrainFeed
Liftworthy

Every exercise ranked by research, by lifters and by results. Find what’s S-tier for your goal, then train it.

Rankings
  • All rankings
  • Add an exercise
  • Build a workout
About
  • How scores work
  • The app
  • Your tiers
Legal
  • Privacy
  • Terms & community rules
General training information, not medical advice. If something hurts, stop and see a professional.
  • Explore
  • Train
  • Feed
  • You
Explore/Chest

Plate-Loaded Chest Press

Also called Hammer Strength chest press, Iso-lateral chest press

MachineCompoundEasy to learn
Front
Back
Primary Secondary

Works

Chest

Also delts, triceps

You need

Chest press machine

How to do itPictures · 3 steps
Handles
1Start
Handles
2Arms extended
Main musclesAlso working
  1. 1Seat height puts the handles level with mid-chest
  2. 2Let the handles come back until your chest stretches
  3. 3Press one arm at a time if one side is weaker

Most common mistake

Cutting the range short to move more plates.

Watch a demo

Good for

  • Top 10 for chest
  • Easy to keep adding weight
  • Easy on the joints and recovery

Compare with

vs Machine Chest Pressvs Dumbbell Bench Pressvs Barbell Bench Press
A
For chest
#7 of 32
See the full list →
Research
79
Scored by hand
Results
Soon
From the app
How lifters rate itBe the first
S
A
B
C
D
F
Why research scores it 79
Target tensionStrong
Loaded stretchGood
ProgressionExcellent
Low costExcellent

A machine press you load with plates: stable, simple to progress and safe to take close to failure.

Research behind these criteria

  • Target tension: Zabaleta-Korta et al., 2021 · Kinoshita et al., 2023
  • Loaded stretch: Maeo et al., 2021 · Maeo et al., 2023 · Pedrosa et al., 2022 · Kassiano et al., 2023
  • Progression: Plotkin et al., 2022 · Pelland et al., 2026
  • Low cost: Schoenfeld et al., 2021 · Refalo et al., 2023
How scores work

Machine taken? Swap to

  • SCable FlyCable
  • SHigh-to-Low Cable FlyCable
  • ALow-to-High Cable FlyCable
  • SPec DeckMachine

Takes

None yet
needed to post
280