[Bey]

Why don't you just ask someone to give you a spot?

[RURALGAMER]

(06-17-2014 04:09 PM)Dusty Wrote:  

I used the hammer machines a couple years ago and my chest got too big! My chest was disproportionally large , which is better than a concave chest, but it looked too out of whack with the rest of my body.

I like a balanced and proportional athletic look.

I do push ups for my chest now.

Ya I'm with ya here actually. I rarely do any bench press work.
At this point I'm more interested in overall body strength and developing that strength in others.

I'm developing a program for offensive lineman using some "equipment" that's about to explode in popularity here in the near future.

[BallsDeep]

Are there any recommended "Starting Strength" type guides for using machines? I'm currently forced to use a gym with mainly machines at the moment, plus I don't have a spotter.

[From Vegas to Tokyo]

Going off what some people have said about HIT, i find it has paid huge dividends for me. I'm looking bigger than ever and I feel great. At the same time, with HIT, you really have to push your limits and try to work to just about failure in the 3 stages of the lift. The positive is pretty straightforward, but to get to static and negative you need a spotter so its not the best plan for working alone. Keep that in mind when you're working on an HIT workout, you really need to reach static and negative failure for it to work as it's supposed to rather than just getting to positive failure and leaving.

That being said, especially for newbies if you're lifting heavy ass weights you will get bigger, irrespective of what program you choose. Action is always better than no action. Do something, and try and learn from it.

[rudebwoy]

Bench press is good for people starting out, they should not use Hammer strength.

Once you have developed a decent chest or a chest you are happy about, then you can do more Hammer strength.

I did both last night at the gym, also a set of dumbbell presses.