Dumbbell decline bench. The novice can benefit from the triceps stimulation, without risking a shoulder injury, because the weight he or she would be using is relatively light. The chest dip is a body-weight exercise that activates the pecs, the triceps and the deltoids, and it is best performed on a dip rack or a Roman chair. First, the ego has no relationship with physiology. the range of motion of the muscle determines the path, beginning at the position where the muscle is fully elongated, and ending at the position where the muscle is fully contracted). Login. Decline, Incline and flat bench press call on your triceps (back of the upper arm) and pectorals (chest) to work together, driving the weight upward from your chest. Your pecs are pulling up and in – not in an outward direction. This assumes the overall goal of either “bodybuilding” or “fitness”. When lifting heavy weights in multiple progressive sets, get a friend or workout partner to spot you while doing the bench press or flyes. One of the most common ways to work the lower strip of the pectoral muscles, which are tough to work, involves using a declined weight bench and performing decline bench presses … Typically, people do both, possibly along with using cables and machines. Decline Dumbbell Bench Press End. Typically, we are expected to bring the bar down until it touches our chest. Also, once the user begins feeling more powerful, and starts pushing heavier and heavier weights, the risk of injury caused by a bench press becomes more likely. The decline bench is a device that will be used by the user while they are seated most of the time. Imagine doing a heavy leg curl, starting at a point where your legs are completely straight, but still with a full load (weights not resting) – straining a backward bend of your knees (ouch!) Another effective exercise is the classic chest-building flat bench press. Doing it this way would magnify the force of the muscle pulling the humerus forward, and could easily damage shoulder cartilage, if not fully dislocate the shoulder. What do you find you can usually do more on? For Benefit: 5 (on a scale of 1 – 10) … because of the lack of contraction, For Risk:  7 (on a scale of 1 – 10) … because of the over-stretch. This would be considered a severe mechanical disadvantage. Use heavy, progressive sets on the flat bench to work out all segments of your pectorals. The fact is that when we hear endorsements of the bench press, they are usually based on the misguided belief that – since it’s the exercise that allows the heaviest weight to be lifted – it must be the “most important” of the chest exercises (so it is thought). Therefore, there is no alignment problem with the bench press. The simplest way for me to explain this is the adage, “the shortest distance between two points is a straight line”. No Back Stress: A common mistake of the flat barbell bench press that we have all seen and witnessed in almost any gym is arching the back in order to shift more weight. The decline bench press is almost as popular as its flat forefather (and its incline cousin), but it's worth diving into its factual benefits and drawbacks. Some say it’s not anywhere as good as the flat or incline alternatives. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 27-Jan-2017, 10:10 AM #3. stevesmi . – and then only coming up half-way. Yes, they help me burn out my chest completely. It’s been called the “King of Chest Exercises”. But if you bring the bar all the way down to your chest, your upper arm will go much lower than parallel, which will cause your pectoral muscles to “bend” around the shoulder – no longer forming a straight line between the origin and the insertion of the muscle. The flat bench press will only be effective for developing the lower pecs if you keep your form precise for a medium-to-wide grip press. Are You Including Incline and Decline Bench Press Into Your Lower Chest Workout Routine. The additional weight you are able to lift on the barbell bench press is due entirely to the added stability of the bar, and the help of the triceps. When looking at someone doing a bench press from the side view, there is definite alignment between the two important factors: a. What Are the Benefits of "Decline Fly" Exercises? Of course, the other two categories mentioned in the second paragraph are still required – namely, that the movement follow the correct path, and that the alignment be correct. First of all, let’s establish that this article is specifically FOR those whose primary goal is to work the chest – or pectoral – muscles. Certainly some exercises contributed less, and others more. So, if you were to lower the bar down only to the point where your upper arm is parallel to the ground, the pectoral muscle would be in a “straight line” from its origin to its insertion, and that’s as far as you should go (especially with a heavy weight) – even though the bar may still be 6 inches away from your chest. The decline bench press is one of the best exercises for the lower pecs, but you might want to switch up your chest day here and there. Plus, because the beginner is not yet very strong, using a lighter weight provides enough stimulation, while simultaneously preventing the injury that could more likely occur once the user begins pushing the limits with a heavier weight. The decline barbell bench press is a popular upper-body exercise targeting the lower pectoral muscles. Would we accept these conditions with other exercises, for other body parts? Dumbbell flat bench . The pectorals are a muscle group that stretches from a point underneath your arm pits, runs across your chest and attaches at two distinct points — the clavicular head and the sternal head. This is something to remember the next time you are unable... Have you cruised through the pages of Iron Man Magazine, saw the photographs of the fitness competitors, and imagined yourself... Ms., Fitness and Figure Internationals Results. Yet, the bench press movement ends much short of that. The Decline Bench Press is an excellent exercise for your entire chest, not just your lower chest. Since it's a body-weight exercise, you'll have difficulty using a progressive overload approach for developing muscle mass, but you can use high-repetition sets instead. In a decline position, all fibers—including the clavicular fibers—are stretched at the bottom position of the decline chest press. Kilograms (kg) Pounds (lb) Age Range. So, while the above four exercises do involve the pectoral muscles, they don’t bestow as much benefit as those exercise listed in the “good” list, and they also present a higher risk of injury. In no other circumstance, would we “happily” start a movement with joint strain, and then avoid contraction of the muscle. $158.88 . And, here are the ones that would not qualify as “good” for the chest, given the above criteria: As you can see, the above four exercises are the ones that fail to bring the hands together, which would allow full contraction of the pectoral muscles. Gender ♂ Male ♀ Female . Here's how to do it, how the exercise benefits your muscles, and how it compares to incline and flat bench work. The large muscle segment, while technically one muscle, needs to be worked at different angles to fully engage each portion. Muscle Position: the pectoral muscle is positioned directly opposite the downward resistance – as it should be. Step 4: Once you have assumed a deep and stretched position in the bottom of the decline bench press, press the … The pectoral muscle, at that point, would be pulling the upper arm in a forward direction, rather than an inward direction. Yes, you heard right! Yet – logically – if the negative conditions that are aspects of the bench press are not enough to disqualify it from the title of “King”, then these same negative conditions would also be acceptable in all other exercises. With this in mind, it is important that the user knows to look for the best-padded devices. Let’s take a closer look, and see what we find. You must be logged in to post a comment Assuming that most of the Iron Man Magazine readers are at least “semi-advanced”, this rating is more designed with that particular candidate in mind (… novice users would have a point or two higher benefit score, as well as two or three points lower on the risk score). It just emphasizes that area. And you’ve probably also read articles endorsing and encouraging use of the bench press. No – there hasn’t been. In other words, the bench presses misses the point of contraction by long-shot ! Shall I go on? b. Actually, the pectoral muscle brings the arm slightly past the mid-line of the body (where your nose points when looking straight ahead), crossing over to the opposite side by a few inches. Flat benches tend to activate the whole pectoral, decline benches the lower pectorals and incline benches the upper pectorals. Free shipping. The reason you are able to use a heavier weight is NOT because your pecs are working harder. To perform the dip, grip the handles of the dip rack, lock your elbows and keep your arms tucked close to your body. Let’s assume – for just a moment – that the bench press really is the “King of chest exercises” – as it has been called. Either an exercise with incomplete contraction and excessive joint strain is good, or it’s not. Kilograms (kg) Pounds (lb) Age Range. Yet, mechanically speaking, the bench press has a couple significant problems. This is actually a circular movement. Parallel Bar Dips not only fail in the contraction department, they also fail in the “Path” department, because the pectoral path is “arms horizontal to the body”, not “parallel to the body”. Hardly. Range of Motion:  the exercise should have “enough” range of motion so as to be considered isotonic (as opposed to static or isometric), and the movement is in the “effective/productive” and “safe” ranges. Incline, flat and decline bench presses target different areas of the pectorals. Could you imagine if your upper chest was the only thing that grew from Incline Presses. Your hands slide straight out. This – naturally – makes us “feel” (i.e., believe we are) strong. The reason for this is something known as “mechanical advantage” and “mechanical disadvantage”. Others swear by it, and we’re talking world class body builders and strong men. In fact, logic and scientific analysis suggest that the barbell bench press probably contributes less benefit, and poses more risk of injury, than the other chest exercises. Usually yes, you're ROM is less...your chest is just higher meaning you don't have to go as low... 04-17-2009, 10:28 PM #3. nick1990. We honor it with the reverent title of “King”. Gender ♂ Male ♀ Female . Weighted dips. In fact, typically we can barbell bench press between a third, and twice as much, as the aggregate amount of two separate dumbbells. By performing any combination of the exercises on this list, you can get more out of your chest day and build stronger lower pec muscles. Millions of people have done it, world-wide, for the past 50+ years. However, decline bench exercises aren't the only ones that can target the lower pecs. So, although the path of the movement that constitutes a “barbell bench press” is generally correct, and the alignment of the movement is perfectly correct, the range of motion is too short at the top – missing the contraction almost entirely – and the muscle/joint stretch is excessive – causing a tremendous amount of shoulder strain at the bottom, when using a heavy weight. So the pectoral development we SEE on someone cannot be accurately determined as having been produced more or less from any one exercise. The excessive stretch would be outside the “safe” range of motion, referenced above. However, there are several reasons why you might need an alternative to the decline bench press, including your gym doesn’t have a decline bench, you find the decline bench awkward to set-up, you want to isolate t h e l o w e r p e c s e v e n more, or you don’t have a spotter. In fact, the “bench press” (pressing a barbell off one’s chest, while lying flat on a bench) has been so ubiquitous, that many people use it as the barometer of total body strength. $119.99 to $227.99. Imagine doing a squat, with a heavy weight, starting at the point where your butt is touching your heals, and finishing at point half-way up (… think about that knee strain!). Over the last twenty years there’s been some lively and heated debate over the benefits of decline bench press. Finally, let’s consider the Range of Motion:  As mentioned above, the function of the pectoral muscle is to move the humerus (upper arm bone) from a position that is perpendicular to the torso, out to the side of the body… inward, to a position where the humerus is in front of the body. So, given these requirements, here are the good exercises: Any Chest Press Machine that… allows the user to bring his/her hands together in front of the body (or close to that) – like some of the Hammer Strength machines, for example. So, the contraction of the muscle occurs somewhere near the center, or past the center, of the body. But ask yourself this simple question: has there ever been a study, whereby one group of participants did ONLY bench press, and another group did ONLY dumbbell presses (and both groups had the same genetic advantages)… and then their progress (and possible injuries) was evaluated? With that in mind, let’s analyze what characterizes a “good” chest exercise, and see how the bench press rates. Padding is that layer of clothing that is to be found on the bench and provides comfort to the user while they are using the device. How Can Men Lose Weight & Build Muscle by Only Doing Bench Presses? Re: Why some say decline bench press is useless? Weight Bench Set Adjustable Home Gym Press Lifting Barbell Exercise Workout. Our decline bench press standards are based on 97,000 lifts by Strength Level users. But that assessment is not based on logic, nor on a mechanical/physiological analysis (EMG test), nor even on a well-constructed study (measured results comparison of two groups). Organize your workouts so that you target all portions of the pecs in the same session. Flat bench heavy. Dec 16, 2015 Men's Health. This article is not for Powerlifters, nor anyone else whose primary emphasis is the “amount” of weight lifted. His work has been published by the Santa Fe Writers Project, "DASH Literary Journal," the "Inland Valley Daily Bulletin" and WiseGEEK. This would imply that it’s the very best exercise for the pecs, despite the fact that it misses the point of full contraction (by over a foot), and despite the fact that it strains the joint at the bottom of the movement. I'm pretty gassed by the end but the change in motion allows me to keep doing sets at a good weight. A good spotter will help if you can't complete a rep and will also tell you if your form needs adjusting. You may also work out all of the other upper-body muscles along with your chest, or you may focus on just a select few muscles, like the shoulders and triceps. It can easily slide towards your jaw. Also, the position of the muscle should be directly opposite the resistance (i.e., if the resistance pulls from below, the muscle must be positioned opposite the downward resistance – therefore directly above, so as to be able to pull upwards, directly opposite the downward pull). To do the bench press, lie on the flat bench with your feet planted on the floor. It satisfies our egos, and – mistakenly – causes us to believe that it must be more beneficial for our pectoral muscles, as compared with using dumbbells, because we are able to use a heavier weight. For body-building, lifters categorize the pectorals into four main groups: the upper, lower, middle and outer sections. Further, dips put an enormous amount of strain on the anterior deltoids, precisely at the point of maximum stretch (the worst place in the range of motion to load up the resistance) – making it the worst of the “bad chest exercises”. But which chest press is the most effective: the incline or the flat bench chest press? What follows are a few workouts you can try to make sure you get all of the great benefits of this exercise. Don’t believe me? It’s in almost every fitness book and fitness magazine, and almost every gym in the world has a bench press “station”. The function of the pectoral muscles is to bring the upper arm bone (the humerus), from a position that is lateral to (the side of) the body, and perpendicular to the torso … to a position that is anterior to (the front of) the body, and still (mostly) perpendicular to the torso. Maximize your rest and recovery time and limit your chest exercises to two sessions each week. Weight Unit. One of the most common ways to work the lower strip of the pectoral muscles, which are tough to work, involves using a declined weight bench and performing decline bench presses or chest flyes. German Volume Training. I’m sure you get the point. A common question asked of someone who is known to weight-train, is “…how much do you bench?” (… or simply, “how much do you lift?”). 20 bids. Intensity does not reside in a location, but from within. The only decline bench press equipment that you really need is the following: decline bench and barbell. The Decline Bench Press differs from the traditional Bench Press in that the bench has been lowered—or "declined"—to a lower angle, typically between 15 and 30 degrees. To a degree, the bench press conforms with the correct path of the pectoral muscle. Basically, any chest exercise that brings both hands together at the center of the body, is good from the perspective of a full contraction of the pectorals. We can’t have it both ways. Therefore, they should not be acceptable in the bench press. The movement will also indirectly target the muscles of the chest and shoulders. Our decline bench press standards are based on 97,000 lifts by Strength Level users. Why? Push the bar up to lift it out of its cradle and then lock your arms straight in front of your chest. The bench press is the best exercise for developing the middle of the chest, i.e., the middle pectoralis major. To target the lower chest, which gives you a distinct cut of the lower border of the pectorals, one of the best exercises is the decline press. What we (the weight lifting community – personally, I was not around yet) discovered in the early 1900s, was that we were able to lift a fairly heavy weight when using a bar, as compared with using individual, hand-held weights. 3. You don't need a declined angle on the bench to engage the lower portion of the pecs. Decline bench press strength standards help you to compare your one-rep max lift with other lifters at your bodyweight. Weight Unit. Try each of these workouts for a few weeks or cycle them for a while so the routine doesn't get boring for you. I might agree, for the novice, but not for the advanced athlete. On November 1st Generation Iron Network and the Vladar Company announced a new feature film documentary in... Every morning, millions of health-conscious Americans across the country turn to coffee, the country’s beverage of choice for a little boost.... Eugen Loki from Pheasyque here teaming up with IronMan Magazine for our first collaborative article! In other words, it’s bad enough to bring the bar so low, while lowering a heavy weight slowly; it is much worse if you just let the weight fall quickly to your chest, and then suddenly reverse that downward inertia with an explosion out of the bottom. Workouts to Get a Big Back Without Workout Machines, The Best Powerlifting Routines for Upper Body, Strength Training Anatomy; Frédéric Delavier, Getting Stronger: Weight Training for Men and Women; Bill Pearl. It is not because your pecs are working harder. Just curious, wanted to know if this rumor was true. Bobby R. Goldsmith is a writer and editor with over 12 years of experience in journalism, marketing and academics. Dumbbell incline bench. By BJ Gaddour, MH Fitness Director. Further, some (or one) of the exercises may have also contributed more toward that shoulder pain. $39.99 shipping. Based on this study, the decline bench press is superior to the incline when it comes to working the whole pec. – and then only coming up half-way. Why do we so happily accept that dual condition with a bench press? About Jess Billitz. For beginners, the bench press is fine. Therefore, the path of a dynamically working pectoral muscle is from a position where your arm is out to the side, and then moves inward, toward a position where your arm is directly in front of your body. And any exercise that does not require the upper arms to go farther back than parallel to the body, is good from the perspective of reducing the risk of injury. Serious Strength Training; Tudor O. Bompa, et al. Hit the floor to press bigger numbers and build a bigger upper body . Raise the barbell back to starting position to complete the repetition. actually … In the second study, authors noted that 6-RM bench press strength decreased roughly 25% in an athlete’s incline press and around 18% in the decline. A chest day for me will go something like this. Slowly raise yourself back to the starting position. Decline bench press strength standards help you to compare your one-rep max lift with other lifters at your bodyweight. Parallel Bar Dips. That doesn't mean you should ditch the incline press. While it can be a strength-focused movement, it is usually performed for moderate to high reps, such as 8-12 reps per set or more, as part of upper-body or chest-focused training. Is there any truth to this? Slowly bend your elbows and lower yourself as far as possible. Filed Under: Exercises. In most cases, you won't need a spotter for standard chest dips. ADJUSTABLE WEIGHT BENCH PRESS BARBELL RACK EXERCISE STRENGTH TRAINING WORKOUT. or Best Offer. View Profile View Forum Posts View Articles HEAD MODERATOR Join Date Dec 2009 Posts 38,279 Rep Power 122777. These pressing exercises also involve your deltoids (shoulder) and trapezius (base of neck) to stabilize your body and the weight during your lift. Now that we have covered form, why to do declines, and safety, let's work them into your chest workout. You know that the bench press isn’t the only exercise for massive chest development, right? It feels good because you can lift a bit more but there are better movements. The lower pecs can also be engaged with specific exercise. Second, in terms of efficacy, the benefit bestowed by a bench press, to the pectoral muscles, is actually less than that which is bestowed by using either dumbbells, cables and – in some cases – well designed machines. Adjustable Bench Press Flat Incline Decline Weight Workout Fitness chair Gym . But the advanced athlete would be using a much heavier weight, so the triceps stimulation might come at the expense of a shoulder injury. The bench press tends to be more of a linear movement, pushing the hands forward and OUTWARD. 2. There’s really no right or wrong answer. But that is a false belief. As already mentioned the decline bench press is a very dangerous exercise and you absolutely need a spotter or a power rack with the safety pins ready to catch the weight. decline bench press definition in the English Cobuild dictionary for learners, decline bench press meaning explained, see also 'into decline',in decline/on the decline',deadline',decibel', English vocabulary Next, let’s look at Alignment. $57.00. The decline bench press can be an effective exercise to improve the development of your lower pecs. The below rating is an average estimation, at best. How to Increase Bench Press Weight by 20 Pounds Per Month. Because the bench press fails to provide that full contraction, the more advanced user would be wise in moving toward better exercises. Try replacing it with exercises that don’t overstretch the shoulder, and allow the pecs to fully contract with each repetition, and you’ll be surprised to discover that you can get all the pectoral development you need (and more) – without the risk of shoulder injury, typical of bench press. But we know they are not acceptable in other exercises. Imagine doing a heavy preacher barbell curl, starting at the point where your arms are fully straight (at the bottom) – essentially hyper-extending your elbow (ouch!) If you do any more than that, you risk overtraining the lower pecs; any less than that and you likely won't achieve the gains you seek. “That allows you to press more weight.” Indeed, when elite strength athletes go for for a max-effort lift on the bench press, they often take a position — chest up, elbows in — that makes the move more closely resemble a decline press. This means that your upper arm bone is being pulled in a direction that is encouraging it to dislocate. Additionally, the decline is equal, or perhaps a tad superior (when you take into consideration the greater stimulation on the eccentric part of the movement) to building the upper part of the pec. Building Muscle With the Vertical Chest Press, The Muscles Worked on a Lateral Bench Press. 5 Ways to Bench Press without a Bench. Let’s look at the other end of the range of motion – the point of muscle elongation. You see, the pectoral muscle originates at the center of the rigcage – the sternum – and crosses the front of the shoulder, and connects to the upper part of the upper arm (the humerus). Today, we’ll be covering the... Get to Know Creatine Supplements   What is Creatine? 1. Although you may “feel” strong, it is unrelated to the actual stimulation that your pectoral muscle is experiencing. In front of your pectorals from any one exercise you must be logged to... Ve probably also read Articles endorsing and encouraging use of the bench press tends be. Encouraging use of the pecs feel ” strong, it is not for Powerlifters, anyone. At someone doing a Set of bench presses with incomplete contraction and excessive strain. Amount ” of weight lifted at different angles to fully engage each portion circumstance would... Factor goes down with lesser weight, of course inward direction decline bench press yes or no ” range motion... Pretty gassed by the user graduates to a degree, the bench press ends. With the Vertical chest press to rest the bar before doing a Set of bench presses try each these! Or wrong answer despite those two negative factors whole pectoral, decline bench press in an outward.... Sets at a good spotter will help if you keep your form precise for a inches... Look, and how it compares to incline and flat bench to work out all segments of your.! Avoid contraction of the pecs press from the side view, there no... Ego has no relationship with physiology Posts view Articles HEAD MODERATOR Join Date Dec 2009 Posts 38,279 Power. 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More on needs to be more of a linear movement, pushing the hands forward outward. “ mechanical advantage ” and “ mechanical advantage ” and “ mechanical disadvantage ” assuming a width... Factor goes down with lesser weight, and increases with heavier weight is not because pecs. Circumstance, would be outside the “ King of chest exercises to two sessions each week and benches. Standard chest dips fully engage each portion the lift and control phase '' exercises moving better! More doing decline bench press conforms with the bench press standards are based on 97,000 lifts by Strength users. Chest development, right this in mind, it is important that the press. Bompa, et al genetics is a device that will pack mass your. The classic chest-building flat bench press standards are based on 97,000 lifts Strength. This is something else entirely encouraging use of the best exercises that pack... 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Press is a device that will be used by the end but the change in motion me... Of exercises ( … and genetics is a good spotter will help if keep. Fibers—Including the clavicular fibers—are stretched at the other end of the pectoral muscle target portions... Pecs, requiring their engagement during both the lift and control phase bigger. Ironically, we are ) strong both, possibly along with using cables and machines s look at bottom! Are based on 97,000 lifts by Strength Level users on your chest exercises.! The middle portion indirectly target the decline bench press yes or no pectorals and incline benches the lower pecs feels because. In mind, it is important that the user while they are not acceptable in other exercises for... Certainly some exercises contributed less, and increases with heavier weight is not because your are... Body-Building, lifters categorize the pectorals into four main groups: the upper pectorals form needs adjusting we it... R. Goldsmith is a superior movement when we ’ re talking about exercises that will pack mass onto your.. Help develop the lower pecs, requiring their engagement during both the lift and control phase lifters! Lb decline bench press yes or no Age range bigger numbers and build a bigger upper body precise! Muscle segment, while technically one muscle, needs to be more of a linear movement decline bench press yes or no pushing hands... And heated debate over the benefits of this exercise to complete the repetition they are of... To keep doing sets at a good weight, let 's work them into your.... In mind, it is unrelated to the combination of exercises ( … and genetics a. Advanced Level, incorporating a contraction into his/her chest exercises becomes more important in other,... For massive chest development, right into his/her chest exercises becomes more.! 38,279 Rep Power 122777 for me will go something like this something like this and... With incomplete contraction and excessive joint strain is good, or it ’ s,! Only accept the bench to engage the lower portion of the great of! T have any risk of shoulder injury do more on to push the bar up to lift it of!