Hi there,i have been using a barbell bench press for my decline press and nearly every gym session i seem to stack the weights up and up. however when i use the smith machine for flat bench press it seems that it takes me a very long time to gain more weight.Which machine will get me better results and weight gains?ThanksP.S Is there any difference between the way the two machines work the chest?(The smith machine is a machine and barbell bench press is free hand)
Always, ALWAYS go regular free weight bench press. Free weights are the most effective because the movements are not controlled...they are not as safe as machines per se, but what's a spotter for eh? I bench 185lbs (barbell) right now. If I were to use a Smith machine, I could probably do 225lbs due to the extra support. Decline bench pressing seems to be easier than incline for some reason. My favorite has and always will be the regular flat bench press, but I do understand what you mean by decline feeling easy. The standard, flat bench press is the #1 upper body exercise though.
