A draw: the push-up and the chest press machine load the triceps brachii about equally.
MyoHeat simulates the whole rep with muscle attachments and strengths from published research models, and shares the load between muscles the way the body is thought to: the least total effort that still moves the weight. The bars are each muscle's peak load in the rep, as a % of its maximal force.
Push-up · bodyweight
Triceps brachii68%
External oblique66%
Deltoid51%
Pectoralis major45%
Serratus anterior37%
Erector spinae24%
See it move
Chest Press Machine · 35 kg
Triceps brachii60%
Pectoralis major57%
Deltoid55%
Forearm flexors38%
Trapezius34%
Serratus anterior26%
See it move
How sure is this?
Both exercises pass the model's literature checks: their prime movers in published EMG studies are among the muscles it loads most. The comparison is at each exercise's default load; change the weight in the app and the numbers move. It is an educational estimate, not training or medical advice. Sources, and where the model is wrong.
More triceps brachii comparisons
- Overhead Triceps Extension vs Push-up: about equal (77% vs 68%)
- Overhead Triceps Extension vs Chest Press Machine: Overhead Triceps Extension, 1.3× (77% vs 60%)
- Overhead Triceps Extension vs Shoulder Press Machine: Overhead Triceps Extension, 2.2× (77% vs 35%)
- Push-up vs Shoulder Press Machine: Push-up, 1.9× (68% vs 35%)
- Chest Press Machine vs Shoulder Press Machine: Chest Press Machine, 1.7× (60% vs 35%)
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