Biangular Plate Loaded Machines

[DoubleWide]

I'm not sure of the brand name but my gym has several plate loaded biangular pieces of equipment like bench press, shoulder press, etc. I work out alone and use mostly DB's in case of failure. I've been thinking of trying them out, but hesitant to do so. What are people's opinions of this type of equipment?

[Tyrbolift]

They are excellent for secondary exercises after you do the main lifts with BB's or DB's. They can further work your chest, delts, or back when you core gets weaker and makes freeweights more dangerous.

I don't recommend going to them first thing in the gym.

I think they are better than cable machines--the angles they work into them are pretty good.

[Canadian Iron]

It just seems that the more "real world" a movement is, the better it works.

Compounds trump Isolation
Free weights trump machines
Fast trumps slow

Makes sense from an evolutionary physical resource conservation perspective.

There are a couple of theories.

One is how an exercise excites the nervous system or NMA (neuromuscular activation). This creates a hierarchy of exercises from best to worst that goes:

(from best to worst)

Moving the body through space
DB compounds
BB compounds
Free weight isolation
Non variable resistance machine compounds
" " " " isolation
Variable resistance compounds
Variable resistance isolation exercises.

Basically, the more real world, the better.

...

[papi93]

I'm not sure of the brand name but my gym has several plate loaded biangular pieces of equipment like bench press, shoulder press, etc. I work out alone and use mostly DB's in case of failure. I've been thinking of trying them out, but hesitant to do so. What are people's opinions of this type of equipment?

Does your gym have a power rack?

[DoubleWide]

It does have a power rack, which I use for certain exercises. I don't use it for things like benching ............. and curls
I haven't maxed on DB's yet though, so I'm not worried.