Megatec Smith Machine and Half Racks with Ironmaster Super Bench

We have decided to offer the Ironmaster Super Bench with the Megatec Half Rack and Megatec Smith Machine packages because it delivers you the best bang for buck. The price we sell these benches for easily makes them the best value gym bench in Australia. We can do this because we buy in massive quantities.

The only drawback with using the Super Bench with the Megatec Rack or Smith is that you won’t be able to rack the barbell from back to front with back support on shoulder press. The half rack and smith both have very compact footprints and you can’t get the Super Bench in deep enough. The Megatec Multi Bench has the functionality where the bench slides rearwards as it enters the upright position.

But this functionality comes at a price. The Megatec bench is expensive, and we wanted to make these packages as affordable as possible given that they are entry level set ups. Plus the Megatec Bench is larger than the Super Bench, so if you are tight on space then this is also a factor.

But don’t despair, you can still do shoulder press. As a matter of fact you actually have a couple of options.

Firstly, you can always face towards the machine and rack backwards. This will allow you to shoulder press with a back rest. This is actually how you would rack if you were pressing behind the neck.

Alternatively, and the way I would do it, is shoulder press on a flat bench. If you are a fan of old school bodybuilding, you will see many pictures of guys doing this – BECAUSE THEY HAD TO! These fellas didn’t have access to all the fancy gear like we do, so would probably think that we were all pansies for complaining about such trifle things.

What I like about shoulder pressing on a flat bench is that you use a lot less weight than what you would do with a back rest. You will be shocked at how little you can lift in comparison, but your shoulders are completely isolated and you get the best pump. Makes you think how much of the rest of the body you are using, instead of focusing purely on your shoulders.  Have a look at how little Arnold is using below.

If you want to do heavy shoulder pressing, then do it military press. This is an excellent exercise as it recruits a lot more muscles than seated shoulder press.

Other than shoulder press, the Super Bench is completely fine for other exercises. Even with shoulder press, part of the fun of training at home with limited gym equipment is finding alternate solutions to exercises. In this example your training is often enhanced. You get to build better all round power and strength by doing heavy military presses. You will stimulate more muscle growth by doing seated presses on the flat bench because you are isolating the delts better.

If money and space are not an issue, then just upgrade to the Megatec bench.