Megastar Plate Loaded Chest Press Machine Review

The Megastar plate loaded chest press machine is a budget bench and lever arms unit for home gyms.

With its adjustable bench, I can use it for flat and incline lever arm bench press and…

I can get the arms out of the way and use it like a regular weight bench with dumbbells.

And it folds up so it doesn’t take up a lot of space when I’m not using it.

Let’s check it out!

Unboxing

Everything comes in one box and very well protected.

All pieces are wrapped in plastic and surrounding with styrofoam blocks to prevent parts from shifting around.

Here’s everything out of the box.

Lots of pieces for this one so it’s gonna take me some time to put together.

Right off the bat I can tell this is gonna take longer than I anticipated because the hardware is not labeled.

It’s always easier when manufacturers label the hardware to match letters or numbers on the assembly instructions.

So I’m gonna have to go off the instructions manual.

And the manual is not very helpful either because there’s no instructions.

They just show a diagram with hardware numbers but not really step-by-step instructions.

It’s a good thing I’ve assembled many machines over the years and I have an idea of what I need to do but I can see this being difficult for beginners.

I was able to figure it out and I was done in a couple of hours.

And here it is once I finally assembled it.

It’s smaller than I imaged it would be which is good for home gyms which are always limited in space.

Specs

• Material: Steel

• Dimensions: 65″ L x 61″ W x 27.9″ H

• Weight: 85.8 lbs

• Weight capacity: 800 lbs (300 lbs each arm, 200 lbs each rear weight horn)

• Back pad adjustments: 5

• Arm adjustments: 4

What Is The Megastar Plate Loaded Chest Press Machine?

The Megastar chest press is a plate loaded machine with lever arms and a built-in adjustable bench.

It has adjustable weight horns that work with both standard and Olympic sized weight plates.

Each lever arm has a weight horn that’s 8″ long and has a weight capacity of 300 lbs.

Right below this plastic sleeve there’s a metal rod for standard sized plates.

If I’m using bumper plates, I can fit three 45’s on each weight horn.

Of course with bumpers being thicker than iron plates, they’re gonna take up more space.

I’m sure there’s a lot of heavy benchers out there but for me personally two 45’s are enough since I’m starting from the bottom of a bench press.

This makes it harder to get that first rep in than when starting off J-cups.

If you can really go heavy on the chest press then I suggest using thin weight plates so you can get more out of each weight horn.

Remember, each weight horn and lever arm can support up to 300 lbs so as long as your plates fit, you’ll have plenty of weight capacity.

ALSO CHECKOUT: GMWD Lever Gym

Top Benefits Of The Megastar Plate Loaded Chest Press Machine

Folds Up To Save Space

The beauty about this machine is that I can accomplish a lot without it eating up a ton of my garage gym floor space.

I shoved it in between my PRx rack just to give you an idea of how much space it takes up.

So it’s not too wide and sticks out just shy of 3 feet when folded.

I can fold up the leg so there’s nothing sticking out at the top.

It has a 3 hole sundial where I stick a pull ring detent pin to secure the leg in place.

To keep the bench upright, I insert another detent pin between then bench frame post and a crossmember.

In the picture above you can see the bench frame has a side lip with a hole and that’s where the pin goes through.

I think that’s a really smart design that saves quite a bit of space.

And I like to get the arms out of the way too so I push them past the bench seat and it keeps them vertical.

That way the only floor space taken up comes from the base.

Spotter Arms Keep It Safe

One thing I really like about working with a machine like this one (and other lever arm machines) is that they have a set end point.

In this case it’s adjustable spotter arms that limit how far down the arms can go.

This has its pros and cons…

The spotter arm has 3 height settings and it works with a metal pin.

I mainly use the 2nd setting for all my lifts except for shoulder presses where I set it at the highest.

The good thing about having spotter arms is that I can go heavy without needing a spotter.

So I can push myself and if I fail, I can just let go and the spotter arms are there to catch the weight.

On the flip side, the spotter arms’ height doesn’t always line up with my body so it can be difficult to start if I go real heavy.

Depending on the spotter arm height I select, the handles may be too low and put me in a position where my chest is really stretched out at the start.

So I have to play around with bench angles, spotter arm height, and weight to make sure I can get the lift off (especially when I go heavier).

Best Features Of The Megastar Plate Loaded Chest Press Machine

Adjustable Bench

I mainly use the bench for incline and flat presses but the bench has several angles of incline.

And what I really like about this bench is that I can get the arms out of the way and use it like a regular weight bench (I’ll show you this later).

Adjusting the back pad is really basic but that’s what you get with a budget machine.

It’s very basic and uses a detent pin. I pull the pin out, slide the support arm to the angle I want, and stick the pin back in.

Simple, nothing like the expensive benches, but it gets the job done.

I really only use the flat position when using the lever arms even when doing incline bench.

It’ll make sense in a second when I show you how I do incline bench by adjusting the bench leg.

This feels real good when I get to the top since the arms converge so I get a good squeeze at the top.

Here’s how I set up the bench for incline press without changing the back pad angle.

I flip the leg back and there’s a small foot right under the seat pad that supports my weight.

Since it’s small and narrow, the bench does wobble some but it’s not bad once I have my weight on it.

Here’s what incline bench looks like.

I don’t think it’s quite a 30 degree incline like where I like to do incline press but still feels good.

READ NEXT: Rep Nighthawk Bench Review

Dual Grip Handles

The dual grip handles are covered in a comfortable rubber material and have a bit of cushion to them.

I don’t like how the prone grip feels because that arm position hurts my right shoulder so I mainly use the neutral grip.

Converging Arms

If you look at the arms, they’re angled inward and that’s done on purpose.

When I start the press they’re out wide and as I get to the top of the press they converge.

So it feels like when I’m pressing with dumbbells and gives me a better squeeze at the top.

While I’m talking about the lever arms, I’ll have you know that they move smoothly without any jerkiness.

And that’s possible because of the wheel bearings at the end of each arm.

One thing I like about the arms, is that they have complete free rotation and this is good because it gets them out of the way.

In the picture above I have the arms supported by my rack’s uprights but I could do the same if I had a wall right behind the bench.

This way I can use the bench as a regular flat or incline weight bench.

I see this as a huge plus for people who are short on space and don’t have room for a separate weight bench.

Plus I’m not having to buy a separate bench to do dumbbell exercises.

This is not something I was expecting out of this machine but I’m glad I stumbled upon it because having just one bench will save people money.

RELATED: Megastar T Bar Row Platform

Megastar Plate Loaded Chest Press Machine Pros & Cons

Pros

• Adjustable bench: Multiple adjustment settings give me the option to use the bench with and without lever arms

• Converging arms: I get a good squeeze at the top because of the converging arms

• No spotter needed: With built-in spotter arms, I can go heavy without worrying about getting pinned by weights

• Handles: Although I only use a neutral grip, I like that it has multiple grip options

• Smooth: Bearings on the lever arms move smoothly without any restriction

• Inexpensive: For the amount of exercises I can use with the bench, it’s well worth it for those who are on a budget

Cons

• Stability: The bench wobbles some especially when using it with the small foot on the incline position

• Instructions: Manual needs to be redone in a way that makes assembly easier with step-by-step instructions

Megastar Plate Loaded Chest Press Machine Price

The Megastar plate loaded chest press machine sells for $200 which is not bad at all considering I can use the bench with the lever arms and with dumbbells.

Plus that price includes 3-5 business day shipping.

Read below and I’ll show you how to get it for 5% less…

Megastar Fitness Discount Code

And even though 5% is not a ton of money, any discount is better than paying full price.

Just click the red button below to reveal my exclusive 5% discount code.

Megastar Plate Loaded Chest Press Alternatives

GMWD Chest Press Machine V1

GWMD’s chest press machine is nearly identical to Megastar’s.

The only difference I noticed is that GWMD’s handles are straight and don’t have a neutral grip option.

They have come out with other versions that are better than the V1 but they’re also much more expensive than their original budget option.

My Experience Using The Megastar Plate Loaded Chest Press Machine

I like the way flat and incline chest presses feel with the lever arms especially because the arms converge at the top.

Personally, I feel more comfortable using a neutral grip because I have a bum shoulder but the option is there to use it in a prone grip.

Megastar’s website says that it can also be used for shoulder presses but I don’t like how it feels for this exercise because the lever arms are too short for it.

With the arms being short, they arch forward too much so I lose tension in my shoulders.

So here’s what I do to maintain more tension on my shoulders and get a more vertical line of drive…

I fold the bench vertically and get on my knees.

This eliminates the height of sitting on the bench so the lever arms don’t end up too far in front of me at the top of the movement.

An exercise I really like on this machine is shrugs.

I like shrugs here for a couple of reasons: (1) I can load the arms with a lot of weight and (2)  I can get in between the arms and use a neutral grip so the weight feels balanced.

Who Is The Megastar Plate Loaded Chest Press Machine For?

This machine is for people who are on a budget , don’t have a lot of space, want a machine that focuses on lever arm bench presses, and that can also add the versatility of a regular weight bench.

Final Verdict: Should You Buy The Megastar Plate Loaded Chest Press Machine?

If you’re looking for a budget weight bench and lever arm combo, the price for this one can’t be beat.

I can use it like a plate loaded bench press machine and also move the arms out of the way if I wanna use dumbbells.

It has enough weight capacity per arm for most people to get a good workout and the addition of the band pegs, gives you an option to add accommodating resistance.

And with the ability to fold it up, it saves a lot of space when not in use.

Megastar Plate Loaded Chest Press Machine FAQ’s

How many exercises can I do with this machine?

Even though this is advertised as a lever arm bench press machine, the bench can be used independently.

So it works with and without lever arms making it more versatile.

Can it be folded for storage?

Yes, the bench and lever arms can be folded upright to take up very little space.

Are resistance bands included?

No, resistance bands are not included so you’ll need to buy your own for the band pegs.