Patent ID: 7549949

Claim:
A chest press exercise machine, comprising: a main frame having a front end and a rear end; a user support pivotally mounted relative to the main frame to support a user in an exercise position and moving about a user support pivot axis between a start position and an end position during a chest press exercise movement, the user support having a primary portion and a secondary portion which support spaced positions on a user's body throughout an exercise, the primary portion supporting the majority of the user's weight in the start position of the user support and the secondary portion being fixed at a predetermined angular orientation relative to the primary portion, whereby the primary and secondary portions travel together in the same relative orientation to one another throughout the exercise movement; a user engagement device movably mounted relative to the main frame and having at least one handle for gripping by a user positioned on the user support, the handle being movable relative to the user support during a chest press exercise movement between a start position in which the handle is located at a first position in front of a user's chest when positioned on the user support at the start of a chest press exercise, and an end position extended outward from the first position at the end of a chest press exercise; a connecting link which links movement of the user engagement device to movement of the user support; a load which resists movement of at least one of the user support, user engagement device, and connecting link; the user support pivot axis defining a vertical gravitational center line of the pivotal movement of the user support, the user support pivot axis being positioned at a predetermined location such that portions of the combined weight of the user and user support are distributed on each side of the gravitational center line at the start and end of a chest press exercise movement; whereby the combined motion of the user, user support, and user engagement device substantially replicates the natural movement of the upper part of a human body when performing a free weight chest press exercise.