Decline Bench

[jsn23]

Does anyone do decline bench? its the one exercise, dumbbell or barbell that i never see anyone doing it. Is it a hidden gem? or is it just a useless exercise?

[jasc]

I love me some decline.

"Decline dumbbell bench press is the most effective bench press"

Google "emg testing most effective excercises"

Many sites will come up showing how effective the common types of excercises are. Dr's used an EMG machine to record muscle usage during diff lifts.

I'd link it here but it's on many other boards n we can't link em.

[jasc]

I love me some decline.

"Decline dumbbell bench press is the most effective bench press"

Google "emg testing most effective excercises"

Many sites will come up showing how effective the common types of excercises are. Dr's used an EMG machine to record muscle usage during diff lifts.

I'd link it here but it's on many other boards n we can't link em.

It also depends on your goals though. Decline tends to target your lower pecs more than other regions and many people's lower pecs are more dominant than upper/inner/outer so it depends on the proportion you're going for.

Personally I always incorporate it because I believe it's part of a balanced chest, but to each his own.

[< <Samson> >]

I love the decline bench, since I can lift more weight than I can on straight bench or incline. I switch up my routine regularly, to where I wind up doing declines about once per 2 weeks. Can't say that is the best way to go, but I like it. The only other guy at the gym who also does decline seems to do the same thing.

[Rwy]

The decline press is a rarher useless exercise because the angle of the body in the decline position shortens the distance the bar can travel, decreasing the amount of work done with respect to the distance the load moves. This has an effect of increasing the weight that can be used in the exercise by decreasing its difficulty. This leads to inflated perceptions of one's ability, and is essentially masturbation, much like that which is possible with a 30-degree leg press or half-squat. It gets recommended for its effects on the "lower pecs." Dips perform this function more effectively, while at the same time involving more muscle mass, more balance coordination, and more nervous system activity. Declines are also dangerous because if their point of contact on the lower sternum gets missed, the next stop is the throat. Couple this with heavy weight and a lousy spotter, and you might have a really, really bad "chest" workout.

-Mark Ripptoe (Starting Strength - Basic Barbell Training, 2nd Edition)

[Rwy]

I personally never do decline. I do 4 exercises each between flat and incline. I usually finish off with push ups or dips after my chest flies, cables, etc

[ghettoboyd]

I personally never do decline. I do 4 exercises each between flat and incline. I usually finish off with push ups or dips after my chest flies, cables, etc

i personaly love decline presses both with barbell and dumbbell....i find it takes my tricepts and shoulders somewhat out of the lift and allows me to really feel it in my chest...my shoulders and arms tend to do much more work in the flat and incline press(which i still do as well) as they are my dominant bodyparts size and strength wise...sence i started to do decline again i have noticed my chest has started to catch up so they are effective for me...my 2 cents...

[JHeisman1]

I love decline as well, it is a shorter distance but I feel more triceps and lower chest in one movement with decline than with any other single chest exercise. Dips can be similar with slightly leaning forward [activates pecs more with increased flexion at the waist] but dips typically force u to use much less weight and more reps. To each his own...

[Rwy]

after my chest workouts if I finish with dips I need an assist because I am so burnt out

[jsn23]

see thats my routine, and its given me the best results. But you look on bodybuilding.com or something, and dorian yates trainer, ronnie coleman routine all swear by decline.. but i guess its more to each his own

[jsn23]

my thing is that i can generally do more weight with flat bench.. so if i can push my body to do more volume id much rather do an extra set of flat then decline

[gearbox]

I adjust my grip on decline from normal/wide (same position as flat bench) to inner grip and it hits my lower and middle pecks hard.
personally I feel so much shoulders doing flat bench that I do not do this exercise anymore. I sometimes do flat dumbbells. but decline is a great chest exercise

[ghettoboyd]

I adjust my grip on decline from normal/wide (same position as flat bench) to inner grip and it hits my lower and middle pecks hard.
personally I feel so much shoulders doing flat bench that I do not do this exercise anymore. I sometimes do flat dumbbells. but decline is a great chest exercise

im with you bro, i never do flat beanch anymore because of my shoulders beeing to involved with the lift...

[dooie]

im with you bro, i never do flat beanch anymore because of my shoulders beeing to involved with the lift...

Yep me too

I rotate my workouts, so for chest I'll do
Four weeks focussing on upper chest (start with BB or DB incline)
Switch for four weeks starting with weighted dips or decline BB/DB works for me

[< <Samson> >]

Yup, I do flat bench about the same amount of times as decline. There are plenty of other exercises that work your chest better than the bench without a good spotter. I been into dumbbell presses quite a bit(incline & flat).

[Woollster00]

I always do decline and incline (decline always barbell) and incline dumbells 1 week and barbell another week bench press is more of a powerlifting and strength exercise or where people tend to just show off i have a friend who flat benches like 180kg but he struggles to do 80kg on incline and decline so in my opinion decline is more effective at targetting your mid pec and lower pec than flat bench but flat bench will hit your triceps more Dorian yates is a big fan of decline bench press if you watch his Personal training videos on youtube.

[Schwarzenegger]

Dorian Yates swore by decline and claimed its a common myth that it targets the lower chest when in fact it works the entire pec muscle.

I just started doing it again after years lol

[jsn23]

Dorian Yates swore by decline and claimed its a common myth that it targets the lower chest when in fact it works the entire pec muscle.

I just started doing it again after years lol

dorian is a beast

[ghettoboyd]

The decline press is a rarher useless exercise because the angle of the body in the decline position shortens the distance the bar can travel, decreasing the amount of work done with respect to the distance the load moves. This has an effect of increasing the weight that can be used in the exercise by decreasing its difficulty. This leads to inflated perceptions of one's ability, and is essentially masturbation, much like that which is possible with a 30-degree leg press or half-squat. It gets recommended for its effects on the "lower pecs." Dips perform this function more effectively, while at the same time involving more muscle mass, more balance coordination, and more nervous system activity. Declines are also dangerous because if their point of contact on the lower sternum gets missed, the next stop is the throat. Couple this with heavy weight and a lousy spotter, and you might have a really, really bad "chest" workout.

-Mark Ripptoe (Starting Strength - Basic Barbell Training, 2nd Edition)

i like decline because its the one chest exerscise that takes my delts and tricepts out of the lift so i can work my chest better...geneticly my delts and arms trump my chest, decline has been the one thing that has allowed my chest to catch up so im going with it...to each there own ...

[gearbox]

Decline does shorter distance of movement but targets more peck muscle and less shoulder tri delt. (Flat bench puts a lot of pressure on your rotator cuffs) However, some people have better results with different exercises.