# Are declines a must?



## chambers9k (May 2, 2011)

On my chest day I have always done flat and incline. Never really bothered with declines. Do flys too.

Was wondering if you guys thought they were a must for a fuller chest, or whether to leave them out and not bother?


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## zak007 (Nov 12, 2011)

Im interested in this too never do decline bench or dumbbells....


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## monkeybiker (Jul 21, 2010)

I don't think there is much evidence to support doing presses at different angles target different parts of the chest. The whole muscle flexes not parts of it. You could do them for variety but don't expect it to target parts of the chest.


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## mark44 (Jun 22, 2011)

I know Dorian Yates raves about the decline. Check out his blood and guts chest vid.

I do it occasionally to break the routine. I can shift more weight that way. But I still think incline is the hardest to master.


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## 1010AD (May 30, 2009)

give it a try see if you start growing. since I started doing them with DB i always include them as I feel it works my chest more than when just doing flat bench with bar


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## chambers9k (May 2, 2011)

Yeah might do, Probably struggle with DB's on my own so maybe use the smiths machine and DB's for the rest


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## monkeybiker (Jul 21, 2010)

chambers9k said:


> Yeah might do, Probably struggle with DB's on my own so maybe use the smiths machine and DB's for the rest


Could be quite dangerous with dumbells unless you have a spotter.


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## Ash1981 (Jun 16, 2009)

monkeybiker said:


> I don't think there is much evidence to support doing presses at different angles target different parts of the chest. The whole muscle flexes not parts of it. You could do them for variety but don't expect it to target parts of the chest.


Dorian Yates would disagree with you there.

He is a massive believer in doing declines rather than flat as it takes the front delts out of the equation somewhat(doing decline)


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## eezy1 (Dec 14, 2010)

decline BB followed by incline DB FTW


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## HVYDUTY100 (Sep 4, 2010)

ash1981 said:


> Dorian Yates would disagree with you there.
> 
> He is a massive believer in doing declines rather than flat as it takes the front delts out of the equation somewhat(doing decline)


 i dont think he would disagree with that ive heard him say on videos that the whole muscle flexes and not just parts of it which is true. if MonkeyBiker said decline doesnt help take front delts out of the equation then he may disagree.


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## Big_bear (Apr 1, 2011)

The problem with flats is people bring the bar down way too much and then all the pressure of the weight goes on your front delts. You need to not bring it down all the way so the weight stays on your pecs and not your delts.

I did decline and incline only for one month to see if my strength would increase on my flats. Today I finally did 100kg for 4 and a month ago I was doing 95kg for 3.

Try it yourself and see what happens.


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## darksider (Apr 5, 2011)

The decline bench always used to be the dusty old thing in the corner basically untouched now it seems to be the only way to build a chest. Imo low incline with hammer press or weighted dips followed by an isolation move like a flye and your sorted decline just strokes your ego due to limited rom and the extra weight that can be moved.


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## ausbuilt (Nov 22, 2010)

darksider said:


> The decline bench always used to be the dusty old thing in the corner basically untouched now it seems to be the only way to build a chest. Imo low incline with hammer press or weighted dips followed by an isolation move like a flye and your sorted decline just strokes your ego due to limited rom and the extra weight that can be moved.


x2

i only ever do incline, never flat or decline (in fact have only ever done 3 sets of decline in my life..)


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

I used to play a bit of tennis, and as a result had a stronger right shoulder to my left and this gave me problems for ages with benching in that my right delt would always take a little more of the load than the other side so my right pec was slightly smaller. Had tried doing flat db work but that didn't really help much... but then tried decline presses, and the lesser involvement of the delts in the movement helped me even out my lagging pec.

For a while I felt the decline was better than flat press for pecs, but not that long ago I changed my technique for flat pressing, lowering the bar to a much higher position over my pecs (closer to my neck than the nipples) and with much wider elbows. The position means less weight can be shifted, but it's much better for hitting the pecs and now I'd say this style of flat benching is better than decline for emphasising the pecs.


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## Sub-Zero (May 2, 2011)

I do declines every now and again, obviously takes alot of stress of the shoulders. But Inclines is where it's at! You can never have a big enough upper chest IMO


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## Guest (Nov 29, 2011)

> I don't think there is much evidence to support doing presses at different angles target different parts of the chest


what a load of complete crap !!!!

Declines work primarily the lower part of the chest- and as distance is reduced you generally can shift more weight - i does put more pressure on joints as it is an unusual angle- if your lower chest is lagging then declines will bring it up- I don't do them all the time but do add them in bi weekly.


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## monkeybiker (Jul 21, 2010)

romper stomper said:


> what a load of complete crap !!!!
> 
> Declines work primarily the lower part of the chest- and as distance is reduced you generally can shift more weight - i does put more pressure on joints as it is an unusual angle- if your lower chest is lagging then declines will bring it up- I don't do them all the time but do add them in bi weekly.


Got any evidence to prove it?


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## Irish Beast (Jun 16, 2009)

I very rarely do them and think my chest is pretty decent.

On the very rare occassion that I do attempt them I normally use the smith as I can go a bit light headed!


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## Guest (Nov 29, 2011)

> Got any evidence to prove it?


try doing declines only for a few months and see what you look like- and there will be your evidence


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## monkeybiker (Jul 21, 2010)

romper stomper said:


> try doing declines only for a few months and see what you look like- and there will be your evidence


There have been times when I did parallel bar dips for chest and I don't recall my chest dramatically changing shape. Have you got any real evidence to support your claim that is based on real science and can be repeated. I'm not looking for an argument it was a serious question.

Are there any long term experiments that prove you can target different areas of the chest.


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## Guest (Nov 29, 2011)

> There have been times when I did parallel bar dips for chest and I don't recall my chest dramatically changing shape.


that totally depens on how you train how advanced you are your diet many many factors.

no scientific studies i can think of and i am not going to bother to look either- training at different angles puts different stresses on different parts of a muscle group. See how many bodybuilders just do all flat - all incline or all decline ??? when training chest.


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## MattGriff (Aug 21, 2012)

I prefer weighted dips to be honest


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## El Toro Mr UK98 (Nov 11, 2011)

Ive trained with Dorian mate and he says decline bench is the ONLY exercise that works the full muscle right from the scapula down to the lower chest.


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## Chelsea (Sep 19, 2009)

Personally i dont do declines becuase i do not like the angle at all. I start with flat bench then move to inclines, then swap this around every few weeks.

I would go as far to say that doing incline will focus a bit more on the upper chest but ultimately the whole chest would be worked.


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## Chelsea (Sep 19, 2009)

El Toro Mr UK98 said:


> Ive trained with Dorian mate and he says decline bench is the ONLY exercise that works the full muscle right from the scapula down to the lower chest.


You've trained with Dorian? That must have been quite an experience. PM me if you like would be great to hear any advice/tips he gave you.


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## darksider (Apr 5, 2011)

El Toro Mr UK98 said:


> Ive trained with Dorian mate and he says decline bench is the ONLY exercise that works the full muscle right from the scapula down to the lower chest.


This has only changed recently since he got his contract with Bodybuilding.com I cant say I have ever trained with Dorian if you watch the original Blood and Guts you will see that he only used inclines as a barbell movement in his routine and advocates sticking to a routine that works for you indefinitely.


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## Mr_Morocco (May 28, 2011)

I usually just to flat DB and incline, decline every now and then..what would be the best weight exercise to help flatten the chest abit..get rid of fatty tissue etc. I know diet, cardio is key to losing fat but would a high rep'd chest session help also?


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## Breda (May 2, 2011)

I've only just started doing declines and i dont think my chest is too bad.

Find what angle works for you and stick to it or simply rotate and get the best of all 3


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## jay101 (Aug 9, 2011)

chambers9k said:


> Yeah might do, Probably struggle with DB's on my own so maybe use the smiths machine and DB's for the rest


why not use a db weight you can manage on your own rather then relying on the smith machine? If you have trouble just let them drop to the side rather then getting stuck on the bottom safety clip on the smith and trying to wriggle out banging your head doing so!


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## 6083 (Jun 21, 2007)

Personally besides the fact i agree with Dorian-- declines taking the front delts out of the exercise.

A muscle is a muscle, it either contracts or it doesnt, so hitting it from different angles i dont think makes the slightest difference

just my opinion


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## Breda (May 2, 2011)

GTT said:


> Personally besides the fact i agree with Dorian-- declines taking the front delts out of the exercise.
> 
> A muscle is a muscle, it either contracts or it doesnt, so hitting it from different angles i dont think makes the slightest difference
> 
> just my opinion


It will make a difference mate because changing the angle is changing the movement and rom even if only slightly


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## MattGriff (Aug 21, 2012)

El Toro Mr UK98 said:


> Ive trained with Dorian mate and he says decline bench is the ONLY exercise that works the full muscle right from the scapula down to the lower chest.


I trained with Dorian some time back and he did mention enjoying decline benching.

I have looked at this before and there are electro studies which shows muscle activity, interestingly it shows a bench press performed with the bar touching above the nipple has an increased stimulus in the upper attachments of the pectoralis major vs incline bench pess.

It also shows that the most stimulating exercise for the pec as a whole is narrow grip (not close grip close but an inch or two in from bench grip) decline bench press.

I tore my pec and have recently had it re-attached surgically ( a few weeks ago) - I can happily bench 100kg x 10 again, I can do a similar amount on an incline bench however the decline bench causes me more discomfort in my upper pec at the attachment than the other two lifts with only 60kgs.

I am one for proof myself, but with the electro studies backing the claim up along with my own anecdotal experience suggests Dorian is indeed correct.


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## Smitch (Dec 29, 2008)

Decline and shallow incline bench for me.

I use a grip as described above as it takes the strain off my shoulders.


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## chambers9k (May 2, 2011)

jay101 said:


> why not use a db weight you can manage on your own rather then relying on the smith machine? If you have trouble just let them drop to the side rather then getting stuck on the bottom safety clip on the smith and trying to wriggle out banging your head doing so!


It's getting started I would struggle with on my own. Unless I wanted to pick a weight where I could do about 20 reps. Which defeats the object a little. That's why I would use smiths.


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## Meat-eater (Sep 5, 2009)

Yh defo gonna give it a go, i thinkmy lower chest is craving it, but do i still do flat, and incline as i do normally?


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## cas (Jan 9, 2011)

apart from using the pec deck i always do declines....


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## bartonz20let (Aug 13, 2010)

Personally I have found that I get soreness in different parts of my chest depending on the tecnique I use, I always used to do flats and incline db press and flys now I do decline as well, I feel my chest gets a better workout that way.

Stands to reason that muscles will adapt to suit the stresses they are put under so changing the angle should change the way the muscle develop imo.


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## SneakyCarrot (Nov 20, 2011)

The smiths are great for isolation becuase you lose having to stabalise. Probably the same reason people can mostly press more on a bar then with DB's. However Im a great fan of DB's. I have never done decline bench. I have never even done flat bench.. ever! I have only ever used machines and cables. Only reacently I have used incline bar. I have a condition that means I go dizzy when lieing flat then sitting upright especially when exerting pressure which makes training anything in the gym much harder than It should be. Even from incline bench I have to take 30 seconds to sit up or so. I have a much bigger chest than I should have taking that into consideration lol


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## Fatstuff (Mar 2, 2010)

Decline bench works the whole pec, without a lot less involvement from front delts and less stress on the pec tendons, it's safer and works the pec more directly. IMO it's the best chest building exercise, that or maybe dips (but I don't do dips due to it putting your shoulders in a compromising position).

And those who mention a small ROM, it's not supposed to be a massive decline, just a few inches, your not supposed to be hanging upside down.


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## Breda (May 2, 2011)

Rolla said:


> The smiths are great for isolation becuase you lose having to stabalise. Probably the same reason people can mostly press more on a bar then with DB's. However Im a great fan of DB's


The smiths do not isolate bro no bench press will isolate the pecs its a compound movement


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## xpower (Jul 28, 2009)

Decline & flat flies is what I use.


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## El Toro Mr UK98 (Nov 11, 2011)

@Chelsea yeh mate it was good realy good, I still dont think the one set thing is for everybody, It takes a certain type of animal to do that lol..

As to this thread in a nut shell incline will work a lot of the upper chest, flat will work the whole chest and decline will work the whole chest effectively as its moving in synergy with your body BUT at the end of the day which ever angle you use will ultimatly work the whole chest just some places more than others.

I dont know how to PM mate ive not been on this board long so not quite figgured it out yet lol


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## Breda (May 2, 2011)

no need to pm chelsea is being greedy... Just tell everybody


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## SneakyCarrot (Nov 20, 2011)

Breda said:


> The smiths do not isolate bro no bench press will isolate the pecs its a compound movement


When I said its good for isolation i meant it offers more isolation than a freeweight becuase you have no backward/ forwards/ side to side to worry about


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## J.Smith (Jul 7, 2011)

I love doing 4-5sets decline, probs just a 20-30degree decline, lower just above the nipple slowly then explode up just short of lockout. Grip as mentioned above, about a finger or two closer than a normal grip.

Then ill normal do 3-4sets of flies followed by 2-3sets of the Gironda style neckpress on a lightish weight just to finish my pecs off.


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