# Flat bench vs. Decline bench



## nWo

*Which do you prefer?*​
Flat bench 4759.49%Decline bench3240.51%


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## nWo

We've had flat vs. incline, but they both have different purposes so really we should be using inclines either way to get upper pec development. Flat and decline, however, both target the mid-lower pec - so which do you prefer?

I've never really got anything from flat benching. I get a good chest workout with dumbbells, but with bars my delts just get involved far too much, even after pre fatiguing with a chest iso first. If I bench on a decline though my shoulders hardly come into the movement at all and I get a good pec workout.


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## Noodles1976

Trained with a well known pro recently and he said declines create less muscle stimulation than inclines!


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## Carbon-12

did decline for a first time in months today and was surprised that i can bench 20kg each side for 10 reps when i cant for that many reps on flat and shoulders didnt feel like getting involved at all! but yeah, have generally noticed that when i do decline instead of flat, my chest is sore for an extra day or two


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## nWo

Noodles1976 said:


> Trained with a well known pro recently and he said declines create less muscle stimulation than inclines!


Then there are other pros, like 6 time Mr Olympia Dorian Yates, who say decline bench is the best pec builder there is. Everyone is built differently so will therefore respond differently to one exercise than another person. I don't believe in not doing an exercise because someone says it's crap no matter how much respect I have for them and what they've accomplished - I'll only throw an exercise in the bin if I've tried it for at least a month and am certain that it's proving ineffective, unless it causes me joint pain when I know my form was good in which case I'll chuck it immediately.


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## nWo

Carbon-12 said:


> did decline for a first time in months today and was surprised that i can bench 20kg each side for 10 reps when i cant for that many reps on flat and shoulders didnt feel like getting involved at all! but yeah, have generally noticed that when i do decline instead of flat, my chest is sore for an extra day or two


I think most people are slightly stronger on decline and less strong on incline, both compared to flat. Seems as though the secret to a strong bench press is to hang upside down


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## Hendrix

Doing Decline at the moment with Inclines as using Dorian Yates HIT Blood and Guts training, its going well.


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## nWo

Hendrix said:


> Doing Decline at the moment with Inclines as using Dorian Yates HIT Blood and Guts training, its going well.


Yates style HIT has been the most effective training method for me, by far. Doubt I'll be using a different training style for the foreseeable future.


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## Hendrix

I said:


> Yates style HIT has been the most effective training method for me' date=' by far. Doubt I'll be using a different training style for the foreseeable future.[/quote']
> 
> Me too mate, did the legs routine tonight. Brutal and felt queasy at the end, but lovin it.


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## Carbon-12

Hendrix said:


> Doing Decline at the moment with Inclines as using Dorian Yates HIT Blood and Guts training, its going well.


any specific websites for famous routines? remember looking at one ages ago but can't find it anymore, really want to try out something different than what i usually do.

cheers.


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## Hendrix

Carbon-12 said:


> any specific websites for famous routines? remember looking at one ages ago but can't find it anymore, really want to try out something different than what i usually do.
> 
> cheers.


Yeah mate, all the Dorian workouts in 6 parts on YouTube


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## iiadrenaliine

Never flat bench anymore, just dont fine it builds my chest like inclide and flat dumbells do.

Vowed to start throwing in decline bench in every chest work out now. Usually dont get time as they is only 1 decline bench at my gym and can never be ****d to wait but chest is laggin behind so going to start doing more dips and decline


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## nWo

Carbon-12 said:


> any specific websites for famous routines? remember looking at one ages ago but can't find it anymore, really want to try out something different than what i usually do.
> 
> cheers.


Just type dorian yates blood and guts into youtube and you'll find the instructional videos mate, good watch as well. Here's the program in writing: http://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/workout-routines/age-intensity-workout

You don't know the true meaning of "training to failure" until you've seen Dorian training in the original Blood & Guts training videos.


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## gearchange

I find decline very good for chest, but I find you need to go heavy for the pump..I can lift with ease on decline a weight that I would find an effort on flat.


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## SILV3RBACK

That Blood and Guts video is 20 years old now!!

Yes, I know I said video. That's how I got my copy in the post in 1994. Still got it lol


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## Boshlop

decline is always the main compound for me, less on the shoulder so less chance fo injury returning, feel alot more in the chest before tri or shoulder gives out. supp with incline db/flies and chest is done


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## nWo

SILV3RBACK said:


> That Blood and Guts video is 20 years old now!!
> 
> Yes, I know I said video. That's how I got my copy in the post in 1994. Still got it lol


Yup, VHS was still all the rage when those tapes were filmed, DVD wasn't even invented :lol:


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## brunzz

For some reason I never bother to decline bench, always stuck to flat.


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## eezy1

decline all-day. dunno if its bio-mechanic specific to me but decline always hit my chest better than flat


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## Ultrasonic

brunzz said:


> For some reason I never bother to decline bench, always stuck to flat.


Have you tried decline? If not, do!


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## Fortunatus

flat for me, only because only way I can do decline is on smith machine no matter how many times I just cant balance the bar otherwise


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## gaz90

never done decline! i bench press with a good arch, so very close to the same mechanics as decline pressing.

my best bench is 140kg vs 120kg incline press...120kg close grip vs 110kg close grip incline

for hypertrophy i think dumbbell pressing is better than barbells, be it flat, incline or decline


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## G-man99

Much prefer decline BB, feels like it hits more of your chest and takes away some tricep and front delt assistance

I never use BB for flat or incline though, only DB's


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## King of incline

yeah I'm late but this is one of my weekly arguments at the gym with the people smaller, thinner and weaker than me with crap chests.

DECLINE IS THE BEST NOT FLAT! ever since dorian yates posted that vid ive never looked back and my chest has gained ever since.

my chest day is

decline bench 4 sets 140kg 6-12 reps (granted hitting 12 reps on 140 is very rare, usually about 8 depends if im using  )

flat db press 4 sets 50kgx2 6-12 reps

incline bench 4 sets 100kg 6-12 reps

cable fly's 4 sets 30kgx2 10-15reps


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## Snake

King of incline said:


> yeah I'm late but this is one of my weekly arguments at the gym with the people smaller, thinner and weaker than me with crap chests.
> 
> DECLINE IS THE BEST NOT FLAT! ever since dorian yates posted that vid ive never looked back and my chest has gained ever since.
> 
> my chest day is
> 
> decline bench 4 sets 140kg 6-12 reps (granted hitting 12 reps on 140 is very rare, usually about 8 depends if im using  )
> 
> flat db press 4 sets 50kgx2 6-12 reps
> 
> incline bench 4 sets 100kg 6-12 reps
> 
> cable fly's 4 sets 30kgx2 10-15reps


Do you have a link to the Yates video? Thanks.


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## Heavyassweights

decline all day

flat is a cunnt


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## FuqOutDaWhey

Liking decline at the minute


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## Prince Adam

Decline with a barbell.

Flat with dumbbells.


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## Waffle

Decline helped me alot, prefer it over flat. Used Dorians Pre workout Nox-Pump a few years back. Stuff was like MDMA!


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## King of incline

Snake said:


> Do you have a link to the Yates video? Thanks.


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## dannythinx

F'ing love decline can feel the pec activate throughout the whole rom. Always start push days with this exercise


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## dannythinx

Also the decline bench always seems to be free unless some numpty is using it for flat bench work


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## dannythinx

Decline 6x7 100kg hammer press incline 4x8 90kg pec dec 3x10 77kg.


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## Snake

King of incline said:


>


Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeers.


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## Ultrasonic

Another old thread bump, but, decline as Mr Yates says.


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## zyphy

Flat- it builds more than just a chest


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## FuqOutDaWhey

dannythinx said:


> Also the decline bench always seems to be free unless some numpty is using it for flat bench work


Yeah this is the biggest advantage!


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## #93

For the chest, I find that decline is the best however flat bench seems to stimulate a lot more (but not so much in the pecs!)


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## King of incline

Snake said:


> Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeers.


no problem mate.


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## zyphy

#93 said:


> For the chest, I find that decline is the best however flat bench seems to stimulate a lot more (but not so much in the pecs!)


try doing very slow negatives. i feel a lot more chest activation in the negative portion as opposed to the positive


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## The-Real-Deal

Noodles1976 said:


> Trained with a well known pro recently and he said declines create less muscle stimulation than inclines!


6X Mr O says decline involves the pecs more!


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## nitricdave

Ultrasonic said:


> Another old thread bump, but, decline as Mr Yates says.


This. I didnt play much attention to decline untill i saw Yates talk about it , chest has taken off since i focus on decline.


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## Jalex

I do decline 75% of the time and flat the other 25%.

Feel like my chest (which was lagging, due to no chest for 6 months due to RC injury) has come on.

Also decline allows me to lift heavy with my shoulder injury. Broke the 100kg mark the other week :thumb:


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## Noodles1976

I have a strong chest for a natty, 180kg bench etc, but my pecs aren't that big, I will give it a go see what happens



Jalex said:


> I do decline 75% of the time and flat the other 25%.
> 
> Feel like my chest (which was lagging, due to no chest for 6 months due to RC injury) has come on.
> 
> Also decline allows me to lift heavy with my shoulder injury. Broke the 100kg mark the other week :thumb:


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## Heavyassweights

Jalex said:


> I do decline 75% of the time and flat the other 25%.
> 
> Feel like my chest (which was lagging, due to no chest for 6 months due to RC injury) has come on.
> 
> Also decline allows me to lift heavy with my shoulder injury. Broke the 100kg mark the other week :thumb:


that's good going mate, just imagine what you will lift when you use both arms


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## Chelsea

Ive probably done decline about 4 times in my life, hate it and feel i get nothing from it. Always done flat and incline and it hasnt given me a bad chest i suppose


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## Alanricksnape

Guillotine press ftw! Although I don't do it because I train alone.


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## Jalex

Heavyassweights said:


> that's good going mate, just imagine what you will lift when you use both arms


Or all 3 if @Skye666 is doing good mornings in front of me


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## Skye666

Jalex said:


> Or all 3 if @Skye666 is doing good mornings in front of me


Nope nothing tht involves bending over for me...discs jalex...discsssss. Come on u stalk me u should know this


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## Jalex

Skye666 said:


> Nope nothing tht involves bending over for me...discs jalex...discsssss. Come on u stalk me u should know this


True, poor performance by me (first time for everything).

If bending over isn't your thing, I guess squatting will suffice, on this occasion... :tongue:


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## Heavyassweights

Skye666 said:


> Nope nothing tht involves bending over for me...discs jalex...discsssss. Come on u stalk me u should know this


 @banzi has just went off u


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## banzi

Skye666 said:


> Nope nothing tht involves bending over for me...discs jalex...discsssss. Come on u stalk me u should know this


I have bulging discs I do stiff leg ham stretches with a 10k plate every workout

Works wonders.


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## Skye666

Heavyassweights said:


> @banzi has just went off u


GOOD!


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## Skye666

banzi said:


> I have bulging discs I do stiff leg ham stretches with a 10k plate every workout
> 
> Works wonders.


For what?


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## banzi

Skye666 said:


> For what?


Keeps my hamstrings flexible and my low back muscles toned and strong

tight hamstrings can cause havoc with damaged discs, it causes glute tension and can pull the pelvis out of line resulting in muscle spasm which affect the discs.


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## Skye666

banzi said:


> Keeps my hamstrings flexible and my low back muscles toned and strong
> 
> tight hamstrings can cause havoc with damaged discs, it causes glute tension and can pull the pelvis out of line resulting in muscle spasm which affect the discs.


Exactly that! Lol..I just can't get any flexion without popping them and then I'm out of action for weeks so I can't risk it..even with no weight it can go..last time I was putting the lead on the dog! Damn agony.


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## banzi

Skye666 said:


> Exactly that! Lol..I just can't get any flexion without popping them and then I'm out of action for weeks so I can't risk it..even with no weight it can go..last time I was putting the lead on the dog! Damn agony.


when my back goes and it goes occasionally its normally doing something simple, I once did it sneezing and another time putting a tin in the shopping trolly.

Very rarely have I done it at the gym.

If i miss doing my stretches for a few days I can feel it building up.


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## Skye666

banzi said:


> when my back goes and it goes occasionally its normally doing something simple, I once did it sneezing and another time putting a tin in the shopping trolly.
> 
> Very rarely have I done it at the gym.
> 
> If i miss doing my stretches for a few days I can feel it building up.


Damn if I knew how to highlight in bold that bottom line would have got it!!!

I feel it a lot on leg day just have to be careful.


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## banzi

I also do these both sides a few times a day, when I get to work, before I train and ALWAYS before bed.


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## Heavyassweights

@banzi your in the friend zone now mate


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## latsius

I tell u girls something, i think dumbell flys with good form will do alot more for ur chest than bench pressing, just what works for me


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## Jordan08

Incline>Decline>Flat


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## karchun

I don't know, never got the hang on declines vs flat/incline - probably just didn't enjoy the feeling of not connecting to the ground through the feet and also it always feels like the bar is going to decapitate your head if you fail a rep!


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## Ultrasonic

karchun said:


> I don't know, never got the hang on declines vs flat/incline - probably just didn't enjoy the feeling of not connecting to the ground through the feet and also it always feels like the bar is going to decapitate your head if you fail a rep!


Using dumbbells will remove the second problem.


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## armor king

I believe decline would work your lats and triceps more than flat bench. It would be kinda the same as doing dips


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## Ultrasonic

armor king said:


> I believe decline would work your lats and triceps more than flat bench. It would be kinda the same as doing dips


Declines are indeed similar to chest dips but this is a GOOD thing. The big thing is increased pec involvement and decreased anterior delt involvement.


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## simonthepieman

for pure chest stimulation, decline all the way.

If i only had time for one push exercise, flat bench.


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## 72670

Ultrasonic said:


> Declines are indeed similar to chest dips but this is a GOOD thing. The big thing is increased pec involvement and decreased anterior delt involvement.





Ultrasonic said:


> Using dumbbells will remove the second problem.


 Would you use dumbells over the smith machine, trying to gain chest size?


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## Ultrasonic

B3NCH1 said:


> Would you use dumbells over the smith machine, trying to gain chest size?


 Yes. Although I've never tried a Smith machine I'd say this both because I think dumbbells are generally better than barbells and because the Smith machine will force you to use a completely vertical bar path.


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## 72670

Ultrasonic said:


> Yes. Although I've never tried a Smith machine I'd say this both because I think dumbbells are generally better than barbells and because the Smith machine will force you to use a completely vertical bar path.


 Could I do incline barbell and decline dumbbell and get rid of flat all together and build a good chest?


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## Ultrasonic

B3NCH1 said:


> Could I do incline barbell and decline dumbbell and get rid of flat all together and build a good chest?


 I'm my opinion, yes. Others will probably have a different view. I do almost exclusively decline dumbbell pressing, and I have a feeling there is someone else here who does the same but I can't remember who.

(I'm not saying my chest is amazing but I started with no chest at all really and it's the body part I've grown most successfully. You need to find what works for you.)


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## AestheticManlet

Flat is what I mainly do chest is my best part :thumbup1:


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## shauny13

Decline for me.


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## Ultrasonic

The following two videos explain why flat bench pressing doesn't work equally well for everyone. The first sets the groundwork and the second then shows footage of real people to bring the point home.


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## dtlv

Due to individual differences in width and depth of rib cage, length of the humerous and forearm, and precise insertion positions of the pec, no one single pressing movement is going to be best for everyone.

If you have a deep ribcage and relatively short upper arms, flat bench press will likely put slabs of meat on your pecs fast, including your upper pecs. If however you have a wide, flat ribcage with long arms then you'll probably do far better with a decline press or dips for chest, and also need to do more direct work for the upper pecs in addition.


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## Jakemaguire

Flat bench with a big arch recruits tons of muscle. I rate flys highly for actual pec development


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## 75013

For some reason flat bench just rinses my front delts. Prefer Decline with DBs thesedays


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## Ultrasonic

charlysays said:


> For some reason flat bench just rinses my front delts.


 The videos I posted a little further back in this thread probably explain why.

Edit: although there is going to be more front delt involvement for flat vs decline bench for everyone of course.


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## 75013

Ultrasonic said:


> The videos I posted a little further back in this thread probably explain why.
> 
> Edit: although there is going to be more front delt involvement for flat vs decline bench for everyone of course.


 Great video that, makes total sense. Cheers


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## 5IM0N

I'mNotAPervert! said:


> We've had flat vs. incline, but they both have different purposes so really we should be using inclines either way to get upper pec development. Flat and decline, however, both target the mid-lower pec - so which do you prefer?
> 
> I've never really got anything from flat benching. I get a good chest workout with dumbbells, but with bars my delts just get involved far too much, even after pre fatiguing with a chest iso first. If I bench on a decline though my shoulders hardly come into the movement at all and I get a good pec workout.


 I often superset flat/decline. Find that decline improves shape/definition in pec area.


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## AestheticManlet

Only ever done flat as main lift and incline after. My chest grows with minimal effort no need for flyes and super setting/pre exhausting rubbish


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## Ultrasonic

5IM0N said:


> I often superset flat/decline. Find that decline improves shape/definition in pec area.


 Both are good exercises but I'm struggling to see any reason to superset them.


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## nWo

Ross1991 said:


> Only ever done flat as main lift and incline after. My chest grows with minimal effort no need for flyes and super setting/pre exhausting rubbish


 I made this thread in 2014 and at the time, my chest was my worst area - at that time also, I was doing flyes, incline bench, dumbbell bench, decline bench, dips... fu**ing everything, and my chest was s**t. When I eventually just focused on sticking with 1-2 exercises and progressively overloading on them over time, my chest started growing all of a sudden :lol: Nowadays I do a combination of barbell and dumbbell work, cause dumbbell benching has always been the best mass builder for me but the dumbbells in my gym only go up to 50kg so I've topped them out, unless I do them after flat barbell bench. The "wide chest press" Hammer Strength machine also helped me a lot and I focused on using Hammer Strength machines for about a year with great results, but I moved gyms after that year and they've only got the shitty weight stack ones that only hold just over 100kg, so I went back to freeweights.


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## nWo

5IM0N said:


> I often superset flat/decline. Find that decline improves shape/definition in pec area.


 Shape is genetic and is improved when mass is built - you can't really change the shape of your pecs apart from thickening them, is what I mean. Definition is determined by bodyfat levels and using androgenic steroids and inhibiting estrogen can also help improve your condition. Flat and decline both pretty much work the entire pectoral musculature, so as @Ultrasonic said, supersetting them is a bit pointless. Might as well just dropset on either flat or decline if you like that sort of workout.


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