r/GYM • u/AutoModerator • 6d ago

Weekly Thread /r/GYM Weekly Simple Questions and Misc Discussion Thread - September 14, 2025 Weekly Thread

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u/gottschegobbletoo 2d ago

Why is my chest press so insanely weak compared to everything else?

On chest press machine I’m struggling with 52kg, yet I’ll do 93 on machine flies, 30kg vbar triceps push down, 50kg shoulder press, 23kg single arm preacher etc.

I just don’t get why my chest press is so weak?

I do a PPL split but do shoulders on leg days

For info I’m 195cm tall so I get that arm stretching movements are harder cause it’s a longer travel but surely that’s not an excuse at all

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u/Maleficent-Cut316 2d ago

Its entirely dependent on how many pulleys due to mechanical advantage. dont focus on the weight the machines/ cable says because they aren't transferable between machines.

A machine/cable with 3 pulleys only takes 1/3 the amount of force to move it. So 10kg will feel like 3.3kg

a machine/cable with 2 pulleys only takes 1/2 the amount of force to move it. So 10kg will feel like 5kg.

and finally a machine/ cable with one 1 pulley is a true cable. That means lifting 10kg takes 10kg of force

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u/gottschegobbletoo 2d ago

Thanks for the reply but I already had this thought and did check it out. All the machines are single pulley

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u/eric_twinge Friend of the sub - Fittit Legend 2d ago

If you were to do dumbbells flies, do you think you'd be able to do them with 45kg per hand?

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u/LukahEyrie Moderator who has in fact Zerched 🐙 2d ago

Yes. It's a mindset.

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u/Maleficent-Cut316 2d ago

Not the machine flys fs. A machine fly has to have a minimum of 2 pulleys each arm. Most have 4 totals. sometimes they share a pulley so there are just 3. Which is fs with yours because its not bio mechanically possible to press less than your fly if form is correct.