# Incline Bench vs Flat Bench



## GetBigOrDieTryn

*Which is better, Incline Bench or Flat Bench*​
Incline 9656.14%Flat7543.86%


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## GetBigOrDieTryn

I found the below article somewhere on the net, just wanted some opinions...

Incline vs Flat Bench Press for Best Chest Growth

As you would know, the bench press should form the foundation of your mass training routine as it's one of the best chest exercises for building masculine pecs. However, with all of the bench press variations such as the flat bench press and incline bench press, what should you focus on then?

Some people love the incline bench press, while others hate it. If you try to tell a person who benches on a flat bench press that the incline is better then you better watch your back because they might want to fight you!

What are the main advantages of the flat bench press?

Before I talk about why the incline bench press is good I thought I would get out a few nice things about the regular bench press.

The main advantage of the flat bench is that you can handle more weight. The motion is very natural and it is easy to master the technique. This usually means that you have all the elements of a good weight training workout. It is an excellent strength and power motion as it is so simple and brute forceful.

The position that your body is on when you lay on the flat bench is also very comfortable. Again, it is natural and easy to do and usually doesn't leave you lifting a heavy weight in a strange way. You are able to push off of the bench and it supports you well. However, the incline has certain advantages. Here's why&#8230;

Why is the incline bench press better for chest growth?

Now I move onto the dangerous waters - the incline bench press is better for your pectoral muscles than the flat bench. By far.

You see the main disadvantage of the flat bench is that it works your shoulders a lot. This is why I am not a fan of it. People think that the flat bench is all triceps and chest but they are wrong. The anterior deltoid muscles get worked quite hard and as such your pectorals get a lot of help. This is not good for muscles growth.

If you want to target your pectoral muscles you are much better off using an incline angle for your bench press. You are also better off using a pair of dumbbells instead of your barbell. Now I am really getting into controversial territory! As I mentioned in this post the dumbbell allows you to get a much better stretch and range of motion. These two things are vital for good muscle growth.

In summary, next time you want to target your pectoral muscles and remove as much shoulder work as possible try using an incline bench with some heavy dumbbells instead. Although the flat bench press has a huge role in effective strength training and muscle building, it is not the be all and end all of weight training exercises as many trainees would have you believe.


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## stuboy

Good article, i've always found my chest feels tighter on incline than flat.


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## doubleh

What are your thoughts on decline? I watched a video of Dorian Yates at some American seminar and he said that decline was his main mass builder. If the pec is meant to bring your arm across and down then surely decline would target it more effectively or am i wrong ?


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## GetBigOrDieTryn

Personally, ive always found that my shoulders burn the most from doing incline, this might be because of the angle i use not sure. I've never really been that into decline, ive always thought that it makes the lower pec grow, and i have always wanted to have a bigger defined upper chest with a nice pillow crease seperating the chest. I usually opt to do low dips for my lower chest.

A good mantra is that one should work out the chest entirley, upper, middle, lower (incline, flat, decline).

But I have have the energy to workout all of these areas using barbell and dumbells for each part of the chest.

Not to mention doing flys as well.


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## mushroom69

I've always found decline targets the pectorals the best and involves the least anterior deltoid. If you think about it the pec bring the arm down and across (decline movement) as has already been said and the front delt brings the arm up (incline movement).

I have found doing decline first not only as my main chest exercise but as a kind of pre-exhaust before doing incline has the best results, this means when doing incline that my chest fails first and my sholders aren't doing most of the work. Same logic as people who come into the gym and do flyes first followed by flat bench.


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## d4ead

find the old thread on this prodiver got very into it and went into great detail as to why the decline movement was the best and incline the poorest.

Lots of science and medical stuff in his explanations.


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## flinty90

d4ead said:


> find the old thread on this prodiver got very into it and went into great detail as to why the decline movement was the best and incline the poorest.
> 
> Lots of science and medical stuff in his explanations.


Your right mate , i have also heard that for the most isolated pec movement "the most natural movement of the pec muscle" decline was the best to do....

Incline if you are at the wrong angle brings the front of your shoulders into play too much and can make it awkward or uncomfortable...

i dont think that you can really say one or the other is best or worse, its good to hit your muscles from different angles , so really you should try and incorporate them and some point in your training !!!

Would be interested to read the Prodiver thread though if anyone can find it !!!!


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## GetBigOrDieTryn

Im going to try, starting with medium incline dumbell press (50kg, 55kg, 60kg), then move to incline bench, then flat bench, then incline flys, then standing straight back cable cross overs... sound good gents?


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## flinty90

GetBigOrDieTryn said:


> Im going to try, starting with medium incline dumbell press (50kg, 55kg, 60kg), then move to incline bench, then flat bench, then incline flys, then standing straight back cable cross overs... sound good gents?


WHY ??? what do you mean in same session ???

If so why would you want to duplicate things in a routine !!!!

If you mean in different sessions i would say yeah definitely try them all mate !!!


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## Mars

Personally i haven't done flat benching for over 2 years (cheers Pscarb) and my shoulders feel a lot better for it.


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## flapjack

d4ead said:


> find the old thread on this prodiver got very into it and went into great detail as to why the decline movement was the best and incline the poorest.
> 
> Lots of science and medical stuff in his explanations.


I remember that.

It turned into a real epic debate.


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## control

I'm a big fan of decline smith! I don't know why but the overall feeling is much greater than flat!

However this is a thread vs incline + flat, i have some of my better growth from Incline dumbells with short range movement (no lockout) being 6'2 and i have long ****ing gorilla arms!


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## Matt 1

A better comparison would have been barbell vs dumbell.

Incline and flat are working more of one area then another.

Flats your basic, incline is going to target upper chest more, decline lower chest. One mistake people make on incline is going above a 30degree angle, which will leave you with over developed shoulders and a weak upper chest.


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## Smitch

I've started doing decline again recently and do a steep incline more to do front delts.


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## Wee G1436114539

Decline FTW.

Flat for the shoulder pain.

Incline for...well...nothing really.


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## defdaz

Pecs are a funny muscle in that they have multiple origins due to the fan shape. It's been shown that there's five (if I remember right) different bundles of fibres that can be contracted independantly of the others. To show this do this:

If you're sat at a desk press down on the edge of the table, simulating a decline press. Hold you hand against your upper pec. Push and then relax and you'll notice not very much tensing (if any).

Now push against the edge of the desk horizontally, as if you're trying to push yourself away from the desk, simulating a flat bench. You'll notice your upper pecs tensing more.

Now put your hand under the desk and act as is to push the desk up and away from you, simulating an incline bench. You'll notice your upper pecs tensing a great deal.

Do the same but with your hand on your lower pecs and you'll notice the reverse.

Interesting hey. For me, I only do inclines. Not just for the above reason but also that flat benching caused me to injure my pecs so much I eventually tore my left one. Bad flats!


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## a.notherguy

when i did push pull i dicked around a little and found that i could shoulder press less if i did incline bench first than if i did flat bench first so i think i use shoulders more on incline than i do on flat.

never been a fan of decline - just doesnt feel right for me - i prefer dips


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## Rekless

I never go fully flat. Feel this works my shoulders less. Will do incline at 30 degrees and flat at 10 degrees.


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## Mark W H

I've just swapped from flat benching to a very, very slight incline, just enough to shift the emphasis of the lift a little higher in the pecs without too much front delts (hopefully) and without too much of a decrease in weight i can handle, although that will have to wait a while as i have deloaded and started again.


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## jstarcarr

I always do decline first in my routine, I love it my whole chest burns from it .


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## GetBigOrDieTryn

Ive changed my mind, after an extensive day of reading article upon article, im going to try just training incline & decline for a month, and see what the developments are. I dont want to completely shy away from flat bench as it is an excellent core exercise and strength builder so i will have a month where i train flat bench hard.


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## Matt 1

Rekless said:


> I never go fully flat. *Feel this works my shoulders less*. Will do incline at 30 degrees and flat at 10 degrees.


Bench press, regardless of the angle, is not primarily meant for shoulders.

There are many more subtitle exercises for shoulders, military press for example.

I might of miss read what you're trying to say, in which case, ignore me!


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## control

Matt 1 said:


> Bench press, regardless of the angle, is not primarily meant for shoulders.
> 
> There are many more subtitle exercises for shoulders, military press for example.
> 
> I might of miss read what you're trying to say, in which case, ignore me!


you did, he's saying flat bench works his delts more than his chest


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## Rosko

I just changed my push day, decline bench, slight incline db's, db shoulder press, dips.

Decided to give decline a go for a bit after watching that Dorian Yates thing where he said it was his main mass builder so if its good enough for him...........


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## lolik

doing flat and incline at the moment will try decline for a change


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## liam0810

This is my first post so be gentle!

I've been reading up quite alot on the best chest exercise. Even though people feel certain exercises more than the next person, the general consensus seems to be that you should leave flat bench well alone due to the amount of injuries it causes. Since I switched to incline bench and decline bench I am feeling it alot more in my chest and my shoulders don't feel as fatigued afterwards


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## BillC

If you put the arch in your back as is recommended when doing flat, you're near as damn it declining anyway, so you may as well decline. Been told that best mass builder for pecs is dumbell decline - it's what Dorian quite often used - told so by a former training partner of his)but training on my own, can't be mythering people to pass db's every set, so stick with bar.


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## TryingToGetBig

mars1960 said:


> Personally i haven't done flat benching for over 2 years (cheers Pscarb) and my shoulders feel a lot better for it.


What did Pscarb say to make you want to stop flat bench?


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## Ninja

I have done flat bench for many years and just a little of incline. I can press 160kg on flat and only 140kg on incline. I'm natty. My upper chest is quite shallow so i decided to go for incline and decline bench until i can bench 160kg on incline. Also i didn't feel any difference regarding shoulder injuries-if you bench heavy anyhow the shoulder pain may come... Regarding decline bench-it feels nice! I can feel my pecs really burning!!! (the whole pecs not just bottom...)

Ninja


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## Smitch

WHat about dumbell flys?

Anyone do them? I did them for a bit but the never felt right.


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## Rekless

Smitch said:


> WHat about dumbell flys?
> 
> Anyone do them? I did them for a bit but the never felt right.


Again, At incline, great exercise


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## Prodiver

Although your four pectoral muscles have several different rib-cage insertion points, each pair has only a double common attachment to the humerus (arm).

Therefore you cannot contract different parts of the muscle independently. Any apparent difference is solely due to your arm position.

Your pecs are designed to bring your hands/arms from outstretched overhead (like Leonardo's Renaissance Man) to your dick, and the best pec exercises are ones that mimic this movement.

It's easy to show that decline presses, or at least flat bench presses with an arched back, and strict cable crosses mimic this movement closest. Dorian Yates and many pro's of years ago all advocate decline presses.

Cable crosses are good because, unlike presses, they apply nearly constant force throughout the movement.

Incline presses are primarily shoulder exercises: the greater the incline the more work the shoulders do, and the less the pecs do.

You cannot accentuate your upper pecs more by doing inclines. The reason you may feel the pecs more is because of the different and unusual angle of stretch, but the force on them is not greater, but less. Your whole pecs will grow most from declines and crosses.


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## GetBigOrDieTryn

Lastnight I trained chest, main focus on upper chest. I lowered the angle of the bench slightly to about 30 degrees..

Start with incline bench press on smith machine, purely to warm up and wait for a free weight bench.

Incline dumbell press, loved this as doing this as the second exercise allowed me to have greater weight as my muscle werent tired from previous exercises.

3x10 45kg

3x10 50kg

3x10 55kg

Im feeling it today.

I feel like i want to go again today and do some light flat bench, what y'all reckon? too much?


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## David Lloyd

flat hurts my rotator cuffs too much

so i stick to incline

i occasionally throw in flat at the end of my session and use light weight

but i still notice my rotators are sore the next few days

i will probably never go heavy on flat again 

thought that was a bad article though

very badly worded, sounds like it was written by a retard


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## Squeeeze

There's a link floating about somewhere to a vid of dorian yates explaining why if you want to build chest mass and avoid injury go with the decline.


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## dtlv

Prodiver said:


> Although your four pectoral muscles have several different rib-cage insertion points, each pair has only a double common attachment to the humerus (arm).
> 
> Therefore you cannot contract different parts of the muscle independently. Any apparent difference is solely due to your arm position.
> 
> Your pecs are designed to bring your hands/arms from outstretched overhead (like Leonardo's Renaissance Man) to your dick, and the best pec exercises are ones that mimic this movement.
> 
> It's easy to show that decline presses, or at least flat bench presses with an arched back, and strict cable crosses mimic this movement closest. Dorian Yates and many pro's of years ago all advocate decline presses.
> 
> Cable crosses are good because, unlike presses, they apply nearly constant force throughout the movement.
> 
> Incline presses are primarily shoulder exercises: the greater the incline the more work the shoulders do, and the less the pecs do.
> 
> You cannot accentuate your upper pecs more by doing inclines. The reason you may feel the pecs more is because of the different and unusual angle of stretch, but the force on them is not greater, but less. Your whole pecs will grow most from declines and crosses.


Agree with all that. The only credible info I've ever seen to recommend the incline press is an EMG study that's out there somewhere showing that you can work the clavicular head of the pec (upper bit of chest) hard through incline presses but grip has to be slightly narrower than shoulders, the bar lowered high on chest, and the incline very slight only... and it has to be this exact way of doing inclines, as with wider grip and/or a higher incline the load gets thrown right back onto the delts or triceps and away from the pecs.


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## cheef

alot of people who got big chest have a big bench its doesnt suit everyone but for me inclines are the most important imo

my routine

flat bb/db

incline press

incline flye

dips


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## Musashi

I wasted years on inclines as people said I should do them, I never felt it where I should, always in the front delt. Now I do flat bench and declines.

I still look shyte though


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## Falcone

Anyone have a link to Prodiver's thread?


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## Jimbo 1

IMO Flat bench is king I can over load the muscle & more fibers seem to be used,

I then do incline on a 35 deg angle in the smith & get a great pump

I then do flat dumbbell flyes,& then decline press in the smith,

But today i just done flat bench only & hit 3 PB for reps was so pumped & there was nothing left for the rest of the work out lol,

But every one is different ,


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## GetBigOrDieTryn

I found that doing incline with arms only shoulder width apart, and the bar being lowered down to to the top part of my chest (2 inches under chin), is optimum for me, and hit my upper chest very well. Incline dumbell press feels like its working my upper chest more though, and certainly for the next day or two after. Perhaps this is becuase your able to get a deeper stretch and close.


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## GetBigOrDieTryn

Jimbo - Excellent avatar


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## Guest

I normally do flat with a BB and incline with DBs. I think flat is more concentrated, could be wrong but flat always worked for me better. Feel it more on my chest.


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## Peter VI

For me mate incline. It works better for my upper chest.


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## Paulieb




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## H22civic

I bench on a flat bench but arch my back so its pretty much a decline press. I find it hits my chest very well. Alot better that flat or incline as i just feel those in my delts straight away. Also, if i bench flat or incline, tendonitis in my left shoulder flares up very quickly.


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## GetBigOrDieTryn

H22civic said:


> I bench on a flat bench but arch my back so its pretty much a decline press. I find it hits my chest very well. Alot better that flat or incline as i just feel those in my delts straight away. Also, if i bench flat or incline, tendonitis in my left shoulder flares up very quickly.


Is this not bad form, to arch your back when on flat? If your aiming to do a decline press, then surely use a decline setting on the bench?


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## Sharp161

I agree with *doubleh* Iv been doing declines just because dorian yates told me too :-D

has been working great so far and like others have said my shoulders feel alot better for it.


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## Hendrix

My gym has a Hammer strength decline press machine that feels great. I dont really like that rush to the head, upside down feeling on regular decline bench.


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## Hendrix

I remember reading a Dorian Yates article, where he taked about length of arms being the issue. He said because he had quite long arms, he didnt get much from the flat bench, and gave them up in favour of the incline.


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## Sk1nny

I do all three ie flat with bar 3 sets incline dbs 3 sets then dips or usually cable crossovers. I found it works best for me at any rate


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## pumphead

flat grows man boobs, incline grows pecs.


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## Lostgeordie

pumphead said:


> flat grows man boobs, incline grows pecs.


What total drivel is this?


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## pumphead

it's true bro, i got a 49 inch expanded chest built on 75% incline exercises man. it builds the top half of the pec & brings the front delts into play thus giving you a more top heavy look instead of a busty chest if you get my drift.


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## luke80

I haven't voted as after years of training I have used 2 flat bench combined with one incline, throwing a decline in every now and then. However, I recently took some advice and switched to 2 incline chest excerises followed by a flat bench and had great results. I think its best just to regulary change the routine and suprise the muscles on whats comming.


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## Sk1nny

I agree, my chest was nothing when I started I could see my ribs. It became apparent quite early on that I could control my chest shape as it expanded by doing incline decline flat appropriately


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## Lostgeordie

pumphead said:


> it's true bro, i got a 49 inch expanded chest built on 75% incline exercises man. it builds the top half of the pec & brings the front delts into play thus giving you a more top heavy look instead of a busty chest if you get my drift.


Imagine what you could have achieved with a proper chest workout including a better proportion declines and cable crosses. IME Cable crosses, done right with good form, develop the pecs best of all.


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## FatScrub

Damn...a lot to think about.

Need to evaluate my chest workout now. I've been convinced for years that flat bench (with your back glued to the bench) was THE recipe for fully developing pecs.

In retrospect it didn't produce the results I was hoping for, over the years. Will incorporate decline dumbell presses as of tomorrow.

Thanks for the thread guys.


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## Wardy211436114751

I just went to my garage and tried Dorians style of benching slow down and explode out(no bounce) and felt it good though couldnt lift as much as usual!


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## FatScrub

What's the best angle to do decline presses? 20-30 seems to be the norm, is that about right?

I'm also thinking of doing decline flyes, never tried it.

Edit: OK, so I had my chest workout today and started with decline dumbbell presses. It took effort to get used to the motion, I'm not used to the short range of motion. After my warm up sets I switched to barbell as I felt it would be more controlled that way.

Was able to lift heavier then regular bench and can feel tension across entire pectorals but pump was limited.


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## Barker

Not going to read all the replies but personally i think thats a load of bullsh1t.

Incline is basically moving the angle of your body more towards doing a sholder press, so the more you incline the bench the more shoulders is involved, its as simple as that, and anyone that has done incline benching will realise this as you can feel it a little in your shoulders.

The pecs bring your arms not stright infront of you, but slightly down from you. This was mentioned in the Dorian Yates seminar thing mentioned earlier in this thread. Therefore decline bench and cable cross overs hit the pectorals most directly.

Its common sense, when you tense your pecs (i.e the most muscular pose) you dont put your arms directly infront of you do you? You bring them down and squeeze.

Incline still hits pecs, but also shoulders the most, whereas decline isolates the pecs more. This can also be seen when doing dips, its a very downward motion, thats why i always get a brilliant pump from doing dips.


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## kernowgee

I hope nobody else has made this comment

I am sure I once heard Dorian Yates explain incline is more natural movement than having the weights @ 90% to the body


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## Barker

kernowgee said:


> I hope nobody else has made this comment
> 
> I am sure I once heard Dorian Yates explain incline is more natural movement than having the weights @ 90% to the body


Nope, Dorian prefers decline


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## GetBigOrDieTryn

Ah yes, a slight arch.. i assumed you meant a full arch. I had pictures in my mind of guys having a fully arched back and alsmost pushing with only their tip toes on the floor lol


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## Davidmc1961

I never liked inclines, always got niggly shoulder pains from them. I guess if your a competiting bodybuilder you need to hit the chest from various angles. Me, well i never intended to compete on stage, so i was never worried about upper pec development or the balance of this and that muscle. I'm more into powerlifting/ power bodybuilding and only ever use: Squat, Bench, Row, Press, Deadlifts, Curls, Chins and Dips. No machines, cables or dumbells. My training frequency twice a week and an hour each session. Job done.


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## infernal0988

i do my chest in a 2 way split meaning only flat exersizes one week, and the week after only incline to separate upper and lower chest traning, and this i find is essential to my chest development . Isolation only training the muscles i aim to train on that day.


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## Redbeard85

Yes, slight incline is great, even with the DBs...Flat is always worth doing


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## darksider

Flat is an unnatural movement dangerous for the pec tendons a slight incline takes the stress off of those tendons and works the muscle completely if u stop short of doing full rom at the top it keeps the focus on the pec and off the tri's and front delts imo


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## Fatstuff

darksider said:


> Flat is an unnatural movement dangerous for the pec tendons a slight incline takes the stress off of those tendons and works the muscle completely if u stop short of doing full rom at the top it keeps the focus on the pec and off the tri's and front delts imo


I disagree completely regardless of how you do incline bench it will definitely put stress on the front delts. Said it before and I'll say it again decline bench is best for chest development, pretty much takes the front delts out of situation. Decline db press even better as you can come down lower than touching your chest!


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## Ash78

Used to do inclines when I first started training as I was advised they were "better" than flat/decline. Ended up with over-developed shoulders which would take a lot of the load when I *did* do other chest pressing exercises, further hindering my chest development. Took me a while to correct the imbalance. I avoid inclines now... unsurprisingly...


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## darksider

fatstuff said:


> I disagree completely regardless of how you do incline bench it will definitely put stress on the front delts. Said it before and I'll say it again decline bench is best for chest development, pretty much takes the front delts out of situation. Decline db press even better as you can come down lower than touching your chest!


Dont like decline press it just strokes your ego with regards to the amount of weight you can push because the range of motion is restricted moving more doesn't always mean better stimulation, I'd rather do weighted dips if only decline was available. Its funny a couple years ago no-one touched the decline now its touted as THE best chest builder.


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## Fatstuff

darksider said:


> Dont like decline press it just strokes your ego with regards to the amount of weight you can push because the range of motion is restricted moving more doesn't always mean better stimulation, I'd rather do weighted dips if only decline was available. Its funny a couple years ago no-one touched the decline now its touted as THE best chest builder.


I don't do it just to push more weight, its safer altogether, incline puts too much emphasis on the front delts, both flat and incline put too much strain on the rotator cuff, flat puts too much strain on the pec tendon. Decline eliminates all this and focuses on the chest itself! Dips actually put the rotator cuff in a compromising situation, I intend to be in this game for a long time and if this let's me then this is how it will be. I can't post studies, I'm not going to post links to Wikipedia, this is all from my own research and trial and error and this is what I see best, as for the ROM, it's not a major decline that's going to minimise rom to the extent that your talking about.


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## Vinney

both have there purpose ...


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## Mingster

fatstuff said:


> I don't do it just to push more weight, its safer altogether, incline puts too much emphasis on the front delts, both flat and incline put too much strain on the rotator cuff, flat puts too much strain on the pec tendon. Decline eliminates all this and focuses on the chest itself! Dips actually put the rotator cuff in a compromising situation, I intend to be in this game for a long time and if this let's me then this is how it will be. I can't post studies, I'm not going to post links to Wikipedia, this is all from my own research and trial and error and this is what I see best, as for the ROM, it's not a major decline that's going to minimise rom to the extent that your talking about.


X2 All true. Though I don't do decline either.


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## Matt 1

People complaining about shoulder pain/or shoulders coming into play during INCLINE bench press, you have the angle far too steep.. you should keep it to 30degree's MAX

People feeling shoulders during flat bench, i think you need to look at technique, sounds like you may need to readjust your grip width, the lines on the bar are a guideline, if you have long arms move your hands out further and vice-versa..

You may need to bring the bar lower on the chest too, I can imagine having in not in the sweet spot effecting the shoulders to rotate forwards and up, always keep your back as flat as possible, and move yourself further down the bench

I've already posted on this before (oldish thread) but IMO you should do flat, decline and incline, and switch between using barbell and dumbbell for overall chest development


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## Barker

Matt 1 said:


> always keep your back as flat as possible,


Are you sure about this?

Arched back is the way forwards


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## lolik

Barker said:


> Are you sure about this?
> 
> Arched back is the way forwards


if you are arching your back on flat bench you making it more of a decline


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## Barker

lolik said:


> if you are arching your back on flat bench you making it more of a decline


Thus involving more of the pectorals and taking stress off the shoulders


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## teflondon

Stuck with incline pressing and shallow decline and left out flat altogether for the last 8 months. Chest is in best shape it's ever been in after 2 years of not being able to work it proper due to injury.


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## HJL

GetBigOrDieTryn said:


> INow I move onto the dangerous waters - the incline bench press is better for your pectoral muscles than the flat bench. By far.
> 
> You see the main disadvantage of the flat bench is that it works your shoulders a lot. This is why I am not a fan of it. People think that the flat bench is all triceps and chest but they are wrong. The anterior deltoid muscles get worked quite hard and as such your pectorals get a lot of help. This is not good for muscles growth.
> 
> .


if i do even the smallest incline, my front delts take over. its an individual thing.


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## Moonbeam

I tend to do decline DB press with inwards rotation at the top. Seem to get a much better squeeze. Never do flat and incline seems to hurt my shoulders.


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## Ukbeefcake

Hardly ever done decline always flat and incline and as a result I have big ass shoulders and normal size chest I can almost db press as much on shoulders as bench.

Just started having pt sessions with this bb guy know his sh1t and we did db declines yesterday and it felt gooooood!

So decline for me from now on.


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## teflondon

Ukbeefcake said:


> Hardly ever done decline always flat and incline and as a result I have big ass shoulders and normal size chest I can almost db press as much on shoulders as bench.
> 
> Just started having pt sessions with this bb guy know his sh1t and we did db declines yesterday and it felt gooooood!
> 
> So decline for me from now on.


I never done decline proper till february, I do shallow at a slight angle and feels as if it works the whole of the chest. Noticed good gains with it. Wat kinda angle u do it at?


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## Rav212

I would of thought incline press would use more shoulders as it represent closer to shoulder press.


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## Linc06

If you're doing strongman' neither, best to focus on ohp


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## NOpainNOgain86

first incliine to tired chcest then flat,sometimes swop them...best for me ,i cant image doing chest without this two exercises


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## SkipsnQuips

I've always found dips to be better than presses. I built a 46-47 inch chest by just dipping. It doesn't matter which exercise as long as there is an increase in mechanical work, you will grow.


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## Boshlop

decline press, incline flies. so none of the options really. best thing I have found for my self or anyone I trained


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## johnnya

Incline db press & flat press for me I'm slightly barrel chested so need to work upper section otherwise chest looks sloppy as feck


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## graham58

GetBigOrDieTryn said:


> I found the below article somewhere on the net, just wanted some opinions...
> 
> Incline vs Flat Bench Press for Best Chest Growth
> 
> As you would know, the bench press should form the foundation of your mass training routine as it's one of the best chest exercises for building masculine pecs. However, with all of the bench press variations such as the flat bench press and incline bench press, what should you focus on then?
> 
> Some people love the incline bench press, while others hate it. If you try to tell a person who benches on a flat bench press that the incline is better then you better watch your back because they might want to fight you!
> 
> What are the main advantages of the flat bench press?
> 
> Before I talk about why the incline bench press is good I thought I would get out a few nice things about the regular bench press.
> 
> The main advantage of the flat bench is that you can handle more weight. The motion is very natural and it is easy to master the technique. This usually means that you have all the elements of a good weight training workout. It is an excellent strength and power motion as it is so simple and brute forceful.
> 
> The position that your body is on when you lay on the flat bench is also very comfortable. Again, it is natural and easy to do and usually doesn't leave you lifting a heavy weight in a strange way. You are able to push off of the bench and it supports you well. However, the incline has certain advantages. Here's why&#8230;
> 
> Why is the incline bench press better for chest growth?
> 
> Now I move onto the dangerous waters - the incline bench press is better for your pectoral muscles than the flat bench. By far.
> 
> You see the main disadvantage of the flat bench is that it works your shoulders a lot. This is why I am not a fan of it. People think that the flat bench is all triceps and chest but they are wrong. The anterior deltoid muscles get worked quite hard and as such your pectorals get a lot of help. This is not good for muscles growth.
> 
> If you want to target your pectoral muscles you are much better off using an incline angle for your bench press. You are also better off using a pair of dumbbells instead of your barbell. Now I am really getting into controversial territory! As I mentioned in this post the dumbbell allows you to get a much better stretch and range of motion. These two things are vital for good muscle growth.
> 
> In summary, next time you want to target your pectoral muscles and remove as much shoulder work as possible try using an incline bench with some heavy dumbbells instead. Although the flat bench press has a huge role in effective strength training and muscle building, it is not the be all and end all of weight training exercises as many trainees would have you believe.


incline ,flat hit different muscles.inclined hits the clavical head,the upper peck.while the flat hits the sternal head the peck,really need to do both to get full pec development.declind bench takes out the shoulders


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## adam28

Its strange as i get shoulder pain on flat and decline but not incline... I thought incline would be worse for shoulders.


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## 36-26

adam28 said:


> Its strange as i get shoulder pain on flat and decline but not incline... I thought incline would be worse for shoulders.


Incline involves more shoulder activation but not necessarily more likely to cause pain. That is down to whatever your personal mechanics really


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## Linc06

Flat bar bench for me, with dumbbell inclines


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## 2004mark

graham58 said:


> incline ,flat hit different muscles.inclined hits the clavical head,the upper peck.while the flat hits the sternal head the peck,really need to do both to get full pec development.declind bench takes out the shoulders


Totally depends on what you mean by 'hit'.

No press isolates a single muscle and you can build a perfectly decent overall chest by just concentrating on one angle.


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## graham58

2004mark said:


> Totally depends on what you mean by 'hit'.
> 
> No press isolates a single muscle and you can build a perfectly decent overall chest by just concentrating on one angle.


yes i agree,no press isolates a single muscle,all movments involving the chest bring upper and lower chest into play ,but i think inclined hit the upper chest harder.hold your right arm out as if you are going to do a peck dec movement,with your left hand feel your upper and lower peck as you move the arm through the movement.now raise the arm higher ,and do the same movement ,do you feel the upper peck the clavical head pop up.it works for me anyway ,just my thoughts


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## funkdocta

Decline bitches! Dorian Yates approved!


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## 2004mark

graham58 said:


> yes i agree,no press isolates a single muscle,all movments involving the chest bring upper and lower chest into play ,but i think inclined hit the upper chest harder.hold your right arm out as if you are going to do a peck dec movement,with your left hand feel your upper and lower peck as you move the arm through the movement.now raise the arm higher ,and do the same movement ,do you feel the upper peck the clavical head pop up.it works for me anyway ,just my thoughts


Yes your chest will change shape while doing that, but that's down to the way it's being stretched by the rotation of the shoulder and therefore how tightly you can contract each of the muscles... this doesn't necessarily mean more/less activation while pressing though. The same way your biceps will change shape as you supinate your forearm while showing off your guns. It becomes more contracted the more you twist your hand... but infact it's strongest position is a neutral one.

I do believe using different angles can be good in certain programs, not so much because the emphasis switches between muscle, but because it works the muscles in a slightly different part of their strength curve.


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## graham58

2004mark said:


> Yes your chest will change shape while doing that, but that's down to the way it's being stretched by the rotation of the shoulder and therefore how tightly you can contract each of the muscles... this doesn't necessarily mean more/less activation while pressing though. The same way your biceps will change shape as you supinate your forearm while showing off your guns. It becomes more contracted the more you twist your hand... but infact it's strongest position is a neutral one.
> 
> I do believe using different angles can be good in certain programs, not so much because the emphasis switches between muscle, but because it works the muscles in a slightly different part of their strength curve.


i agree with what you are saying,and fully understand what you are mean with your explanation.i have a very good overall chest shape.my pecks start very high,i have always put this down to doing heavy inclined benching,but perhaps i am just blessed with good genetics,either way i,m happy,thanks for your input


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## 36-26

2004mark said:


> Yes your chest will change shape while doing that, but that's down to the way it's being stretched by the rotation of the shoulder and therefore how tightly you can contract each of the muscles... this doesn't necessarily mean more/less activation while pressing though. The same way your biceps will change shape as you supinate your forearm while showing off your guns. It becomes more contracted the more you twist your hand... but infact it's strongest position is a neutral one.
> 
> I do believe using different angles can be good in certain programs, not so much because the emphasis switches between muscle, but because it works the muscles in a slightly different part of their strength curve.


Have you read seen the experiments done by Bret Contreras on tnation Mark? He done tests on all the bodyparts using emg and he found that activation of the upper chest is higher on incline movements and mid pec on flat bench etc. So it does actually activate but not isolate those areas more. It's very interesting


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## Tag

I do both

Flat barbell bench for strength

Incline dumbbell bench for volume

Why limit yourself?

I haven't found a way to do decline bench with a non-decline bench that does not feel lethal


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## Fortunatus

I do Incline Flat & Decline, in this order. Flat is my favorite but when I started doing incline I did see noticeable growth to the top of my pecs


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## gearchange

Flat bench and incline db's for the win


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## Jayster

I really struggle doing incline barbells, always have


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## Hendrix

I can use more weight on decline


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## LeVzi

I use all three tbh.

I alternate flat bench BB and decline DB and vice versa, and I always do incline DB. Same with flies, if I do decline anything, i'll do flat flies. I don't do incline flies, I use cable crossovers.

How many flat benchers flare their elbows and bring the bar down over their neck ?


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## nWo

Incline barbell bench gives my upper chest a good kicking, but on flat my chest gets worked a shyte site more with dumbs than it does with a bar.


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## GGLynch89

"If you try to tell a person who benches on a flat bench press that the incline is better then you better watch your back because they might want to fight you!"

Incline Press Guy: Sup dude.

Flat Press Guy: Sup, you good?

Incline Press Guy: Yeah thanks, you know Incline is better than flat right?

Flat Press Guy: (Que Heavymetal hybrid dubstep streaming from ears): WTF did you just say to me you puny cretin!?! I demand a fight to the death! GHAAAAAAARRRLLLLLELEEEEGGGHHHH!!!!

Turns Super Saiyan.

Destroys world.

All over a press movement that are BOTH used when training chest.

The end.


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## Boshlop

GGLynch89 said:


> "If you try to tell a person who benches on a flat bench press that the incline is better then you better watch your back because they might want to fight you!"
> 
> Incline Press Guy: Sup dude.
> 
> Flat Press Guy: Sup, you good?
> 
> Incline Press Guy: Yeah thanks, you know Incline is better than flat right?
> 
> Flat Press Guy: (Que Heavymetal hybrid dubstep streaming from ears): WTF did you just say to me you puny cretin!?! I demand a fight to the death! GHAAAAAAARRRLLLLLELEEEEGGGHHHH!!!!
> 
> Turns Super Saiyan.
> 
> Destroys world.
> 
> All over a press movement that are BOTH used when training chest.
> 
> The end.


im a decline guy, do i just **** em all and train?


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## GGLynch89

Josh Heslop said:


> im a decline guy, do i just **** em all and train?


You just grab them DB's and push your hate away.


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## eezy1

like both with DB`s. BB is **** for me and just aggravates my shoulder


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## DaveCW

Both....

Elbows and Shoulders can be injured on flat if people have ****ty form but then the same can be said for every other movement.

I mix it up and do both.


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## Blitzer

a slight incline seems to smash my upper chest and not delts


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## biglad90

Dbs for flat

BB for incline as this dosent aggregate my shoulder as much


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## biggestdog2007

I dislike flat BB because it causes shoulder pain for me, a bit of an incline reduces the stretch i feel in my shoulders and they hurt less.

DBs logically should be more effective than BB since its more natural and you can get a deeper rom.

Decline is ok but the feeling on the bench seems really unstable to me.


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## gearchange

I have found that all the (don't lift heavy,but I used to do 4 plates) guys always say they only like incline,and they only do medium weight because you don't need to lift heavy on incline to see results.And they would do flat but It hurts their shoulder ..


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## EpicSquats

Fvck flat, incline and decline dumbbell and barbell press, iso-lever chest press machine is all you need to work the chest. Seated upright, incline or flat, all are good.


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## PowerTri

Its all about the individuals body dynamics. Long levers, barrel chest or not etc. Nothing is universal.


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## TommyBananas

Never done anything but flat.


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## NoGutsNoGloryy

gearchange said:


> I have found that all the (don't lift heavy,but I used to do 4 plates) guys always say they only like incline,and they only do medium weight because you don't need to lift heavy on incline to see results.And they would do flat but It hurts their shoulder ..


How would flat hurt shoulders more than incline. I'm guessing they have rolled shoulders which puts them in an awkward position on start up.

OT I only do flat now all these extra pressing movements are boring


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