Ryan Terry brought the Olympia Men’s Physique gold back to England for the third time when he topped the division once again in Las Vegas last October. Now back in his purpose built RT Fit Gym, the popular bodybuilder is sharing his tried and tested tips for success via his Victerry app, and in a recent social media post, shared the reasons for why a unilateral approach can be a great choice for building big chests without causing injury.
Traditionally, the barbell bench press is often seen as the old school king of pumping up those pecs, but there are times when a machine based unilateral approach can be a smart swap. As Ryan Terry demonstrated on Instagram, the lying plate loaded chest press machine allows the user to lift the handles from both sides. “This is something you can go off plan with, because you are still hitting the chest,” he explained. “But if you feel like you want to mix it up, or you want to add a bit more intensity to it, or a bit more advanced movements, we can go unilateral.”
When to swap the barbell bench press for the unilateral chest press
To demonstrate, Terry lies on the machine and works each arm in alternating fashion, using a slow and controlled motion that is guided by the machine itself. Both the bench press, and the unilateral chest press tax the pectoralis major for fuller chests, but since the bench press is a free weight exercise, it has a larger demand for stabilization, thus recruiting the shoulders and triceps. On the flip side, the unilateral chest press follows a fixed path and requires less balance, so it is more effective at isolating the chest if that’s your focus. It’s also a great choice when dealing with a problem on one side.
“So, I typically do this movement when I’ve got an injury or I’m lacking on one side.” commented Terry on the reduced risks associated with machines. “So, I typically have quite a few problems with my left side,” shared the champ, noting that he sometimes suffers with inflammation in his infraspinatus (that’s the thick, triangular shapes muscle connected to the shoulder’s rotator cuff). This issue restricts the mobility of his Terry’s shoulder, leading him to lean away form the regular bench press from time to time.
“So, when I know I’m due a massage basically and an ‘ironing out,’ I go on to singular movements,” explained the master of Men’s Physique. “Just so I know, I’m not neglecting the left side.” Terry explained that his years of lifting experience has taught him that when one side doesn’t keep up with the other, he leans into a unilateral approach in order to keep his muscles activated while also removing the risks associated with free weights. Of course, a unilateral approach can be adopted when exercising arms or legs, but that doesn’t mean we should banish the bench press, or it’s added shoulder building prowess. Still, knowing when to rely on the guided path of a machine and tend to each limb separately is the type of skill that separates the challengers from champions like Ryan Terry.
For more Victerry app tips from Ryan Terry on Instagram, click here.