Chest Expander

I have an eBay version of this, same thing. Chest Expander is something that sounds gimmicky, but is actually a really useful tool. I have slowly worked my way up to 7 springs for my work sets and my posture is noticeably improved and my rear delts/traps are popping. I have 44 pound springs (from eBay) on order to continue progression.

Jumped on this quickly as an alternative to importing an expensive Robert Baraban expander. Build quality is top notch and it works well for a variety of exercises. But an optional foot plate and supersprings (like Robert Baraban) would really boost the performance and double the utility. With those two accessories ... one could get a true full body workout with one lightweight tool.

I looked at this chest expander for a while before pulling the trigger. I was worried it might be one of those “as seen on TV” gimmick products. Once it arrived, I quickly realized it’s the real deal. The springs are strong and serious, and the full metal construction feels solid and well-made. I’m not sure how much it actually contributes to real muscle growth, but I use it daily for warm-ups and it does a great job loosening up my chest, shoulders, and arms. If you’re looking for a tough, old-school chest expander for mobility and light resistance work, this one delivers.

Harken back to the times of Fred Rollon who claims his physique was the result of training with a chest expander and nothing else. I truly got this thing thinking it was a gimmick, but thought a $93 investment wouldn’t be too big of a loss. After reading some other reviews attesting to the quality of the piece, I decided to go for it. This is something that took me a little by surprise in its effectiveness. Calling it a “chest” expander doesn’t do it justice, since lists, triceps and delts are really engaged. Triceps and biceps as well with certain setups. I use this and crossover symmetry to both warm up and as finishers. The construction is decent and the price is great compared to the OG brand that is 3 times as much.

okay so i bought this, kinda as a meme cause of the aesthetic of an old timey circus strongman being kinda cool. however after regularly incorporating it into my training in a serious capcity, i have to say this is the gold standard for lat, trap and rear delt training (and to a lesser extent triceps and side delts). i think in the context of low set volume assistance work, for a powerbuilding type of athlete you cant really beat this thing. its also great for instability work, and the resistance profile is similar to bands but smoother in a fashion i cant quite articulate without having someone just use it. some people like to point to its contraction bias as a downside, but i disagree wildly for a bunch of reason. The main one being that its bias towards the contraction, actually means you can work way closer to failure then you can on an even force curve, or a lengthened biased force curve. which in turn means you can get away with a lower volume approach. secondly it grants access to a variety of movements that are difficult to replicate with bands and cables, that are also easier to progressively overload, because extension springs can be bought almost anywhere for not much money. in all likelihood your garage door literally uses the same types of springs as this thing. movements like the reverse grip overhead pull apart, the horizontal pull apart and the behind the back press are all game changers. and yes technically bands can replicate these movements, but the jumps in weight with different types of bands is typically a lot more than with the springs, and they just feel better on springs cause youve got nice knurled handles that rotate and dont pinch your skin when they bunch up. overall i cant recommend this thing highly enough, it costs about the same as a commercial set of bands that will eventually snap on you, and ill likely keep this thing in my training in some fashion for the rest of my training career