Last updated: Wednesday, July 9, 2008 | 9 Views
For most people, when the idea of building chest muscle comes up, the first exercise comes to mind is the bench press. More specifically, most people think of the flat bench. The flat bench press is definitely a guaranteed way of building upper body mass and also increasing strength. However, once you get to certain point, you may start to plateau. When this happens, you need to change it up a bit. Incline and decline bench press are my recommendations when trying to get past a plateau, and also building more size and strength.
Incline Bench Press: Are you getting bored of the flat bench style? Try bumping the chest routine by adding this exercise in. The incline bench hits and targets the upper pectorial muscle fibers. Going incline is a good example of a compound exercise that helps build upper body strength and size. The muscles that are involved are the shoulders, chest, triceps, posterior deltoids, anterior deltoids, biceps, and stabilizer muscles.
Doing it right: As the movement begins, make sure your back is flat up against the bench with no arch. Have your grip slightly past shoulder-width apart and lower the weight down with a controlled precise movement. As the bar touches the chest, push back up with limited body movement. And when I say limited body movement, I mean don’t wiggle your arms and chest during rep duration. Also, be careful not to arch your back. I see people all the time arch their back during the incline bench press, and all you’re really doing is nearly mimicking the position of a flat bench. By arching your back, you’re targeting less upper chest muscle fibers, increasing your chance of injury, and you’re using too much weight.
Decline Bench Press: With this exercise, the lower chest muscle fibers are more heavily targeted. This is the exercise if you’re looking to develop lower chest muscle. This exercise can also be done using either dumbbells or a standard Olympic barbell. But if you’re just starting out and looking to build some quick mass, I recommend using a barbell to get things going.
Doing it right: Of course, the first thing that you want to do is lie down on the bench, flat on your back. Position your grip at about slightly past shoulder-width apart, and lower the weight slow at a controlled movement. As explained with the other exercise, little body movement is good form. When you lower the bar down, you want to aim to hit it about 2-3 inches below the chest line. When you hit the specified area, push the weight back and repeat for 6-8 reps. In my years of training, decline bench press is a very dangerous exercise as there is a lot of shoulder joint movement during this exercise. So make sure you do this exercise with good form, or else you’ll be highly prone to injury. Trust me, months and months of recuperation just because of self ego just isn’t worth it. It’s not worth the risk, so do this with good form.
Regards,
Ririan
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Nice blog and article Ririan.
I often start my training with incline press because the upper pecs are always lacking with the lower part of your chest. This way I have all my energy to develop my upper pecs.
Nice blog and article Ririan.
I always start with the incline press because my lower pecs are much more developed. This way I have all my energy to train my upper pecs.
The tips are nice though I resent the idea of most people taking Bench press as the benchmark for their gym workouts. I think while bench press is definitely one of the most powerful exercise out there but the ubiquotous question “how much do ya blast” is almost meaningless.
I think the biggest thing to take from your article is the point of maintaining correct form. Most newbiews think that it is all about how much weight you lift, but if you dont maintain the correct form, not only do you give up on a definite percentage of your gains but also increase chances of injury.
I think the main point to take from your article is regarding correct form. Most people dont take care of it and not only lose a definite portion of their gains but also add up to their injuries
thank you wery much
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I agree with everything this article states. It has been four weeks since I have stopped doing flat bench due to a plateau. I have solely been concentrating on incline bench press, decline bench press and dumbbell flyes. After four weeks of intense training (good form) I went back to the flat bench and found it much easier. I was stuck on 70kg on the flat bench but have now moved to 90kg in no time. Be patient, change your routine and you will progress. Also, I have decreased the number of reps per set from 8 to 6 and decreased the amount of sets I do in total. This allows me to work with heavier weight and do more exercises. Finally, rest is the most important thing so don’t go all out everyday of the week. Three to four days a week maximum!!!!
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