Schwinn SCHWIN COMP - Lying Cable Crossover; Incline Bench Press

Muscles worked: This exercise emphasizes the
chest muscles (pectoralis major), especially the
upper portion. It also involves the front shoul-
der muscles (anterior deltoid, a portion of the
middle deltoid) and the triceps, which are
located on the back of the upper arm.
Bench Position: 45 degree incline
Accessory Used: Hand Grips
Starting position:
• Sit on the bench and reach straight behind
your body to grasp the hand grips. Bend
your elbows until your hands are near your
chest. Rotate your upper arms away from
your torso so that the elbows are pointing
outward to each side and your palms are fac-
ing forward.
• Keep your knees bent and feet flat on the
floor. Lay your head back against the bench
and straighten your arms to the front.
• From this position, raise your arms 10-15
degrees (cables touching the tops of your
arms/shoulders) above the regular bench
press position (cables lying along the backs
of your arms and center of the shoulders).
• Be sure that your arms are directly "in line"
with the cables, palms facing forward and
wrists straight. If the cables are "above" the
arms, too much elevation was introduced.
• Raise your chest and slightly "pinch" your
shoulder blades together. Maintain a very
slight, comfortable arch in your lower back.
• Alternate position: place your feet on the leg
extension of the Schwinn Comp and use
your legs to slide your torso upward on the
bench so that your head is near the lat tower.
This will allow a greater incline of the arms
without losing alignment of the cables.
Motion:
• Slowly move your elbows outward, simulta-
neously bending your arms so that your fore-
arms remain parallel to each other and the
hands remain over the elbows throughout
the movement. From the side view it should
appear as if the forearms are in line with the
cables at all times.
• Stop when your upper arms are approxi-
mately straight out to the sides (your elbows
will be level with your shoulders or very
slightly below).
• Then, slowly press forward/upward, moving
hands toward the center. Then return to
starting position with arms straight to the
front at shoulder width and in-line with the
cables. Keep your chest muscles tightened
during the entire motion.
Key points:
• The upper arms will be 60-90 degrees from
the sides of your torso at the bottom of the
movement and slightly more than 90 degrees
from the front of your torso at the top.
• Limit and control the range of motion so
that your elbows travel only slightly behind
your shoulders — if at all.
• For normal pressing/pushing patterns of
movement you may choose to allow the
shoulder blades to "float" forward and back-
ward naturally with the arm movement, or
for increased pec involvement you may keep
the shoulder blades "pinched" together
throughout both the upward and downward
movements.
Chest Exercises
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16
INCLINE BENCH PRESS — Shoulder Horizontal Adduction (with elbow extension)
Muscles worked: This exercise emphasizes
the chest (the pectoralis major muscles). The
triceps muscles, located on the back of the
upper arms, are also involved in maintaining
the elbow position and also help with shoulder
motion.
Bench Position: Flat Bench
Accessory Used: Hand Grips
Starting position:
• Lie on your back with your head toward the
Power Rods. Position yourself on the bench
to allow your arms to extend overhead with-
out hitting the Power Rods. Keep your knees
bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Extend arms overhead and grasp the hand
grips with your palms facing the ceiling.
• Tighten your abdominal to stabilize your
spine while maintaining a very slight arch in
the lower back.
Motion:
• Move your hands in an arc upward angling
toward midline and then downward toward
the opposite leg.
• Control the return to the starting position by
slowly moving the arms back up, uncrossing,
and moving overhead.
Key points:
• Keep your chest lifted, even as your arms
near your legs.
LYING CABLE CROSSOVER — Shoulder extension/adduction (elbow stabilized near extension)
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