Comparing the Different Bench Press Angles- Flat vs Decline vs Incline

[johntt44]

When i was fresh faced in the gym early on i couldnt get an effective chest contraction on flat. Even tho i was very strong and even when i started competing later in my teen years. I learned to press for maximal weight all the while not working my chest properly. When i started to get a taste for bodybuilding i learned at least for me the incline barbell or dumbbell was vastly superior for my body type. Just the basic form of the exercise forced me to contract my pecs first then finish with the triceps. Some thing flat never did for me despite my best efforts.

I dont really have that problem any more. As they say the more muscle you build the easier it is to contract them properly. The connections become much deeper and far more painful now than they ever were. I can guillotine press at near 90° angles and the polar opposite, pressing for power. Each has their place in a training cycle. Dont press maximal weight with elbows flared and dont press like a PL if you aim for the largest chest possible. Simple rules i have found to be undeniable.

Then you have the body type issue. As for me im tall and very broad shouldered with a "high" chest. Alot of surface area but its still "high". The opposite would be some one who is most always shorter with a "full" chest. Not to say you have to be short to possess this trait but more often than not, shorter guys have it. Arnold would be a perfect example of a tall guy with a "full" chest. I find guys with "full" chests seem to find any pressing movement acceptable especially flat pressing because of the cross dimensions of their pectorals. Guys like me require an inclined position for maximal contraction of the pectorals. If you have a hard time understanding this look at one of my favorite BB/wrestlers ever, The Ultimate Warrior. A tall guy with a "high" chest. We are very similar in basic construction. There are a ton of other mechanics at play including but not limited to length of clavicle, shape and width of shoulders, length of upper and lower arms, tendon attachments etc etc. That will dictate HOW MUCH and WHAT you press for maximum benefit.

^ Exactly! I get mass from flat bench. On incline it's all shoulders for me. When I do reverse grip bench my upper pecs pump up though. It's all bio mechanics, everyone's different.

 

[johntt44]

Lol. That's your opinion.... meow!

And that BS is Dante's opinion... Seriously, is everybody who is benching heavy eventually tearing their pec, umm no. Therefore he is DEAD WRONG.

 

[rated_rko]

I honestly never liked decline so only did it with my buddy when we would train together solo not my thing

 

[Xlgx]

And that BS is Dante's opinion... Seriously, is everybody who is benching heavy eventually tearing their pec, umm no. Therefore he is DEAD WRONG.

Yeah!!! Fuck that guy.

 

[LordSamuilo]

Then you have the body type issue. As for me im tall and very broad shouldered with a "high" chest. Alot of surface area but its still "high". The opposite would be some one who is most always shorter with a "full" chest. Not to say you have to be short to possess this trait but more often than not, shorter guys have it. Arnold would be a perfect example of a tall guy with a "full" chest. I find guys with "full" chests seem to find any pressing movement acceptable especially flat pressing because of the cross dimensions of their pectorals. Guys like me require an inclined position for maximal contraction of the pectorals. If you have a hard time understanding this look at one of my favorite BB/wrestlers ever, The Ultimate Warrior. A tall guy with a "high" chest. We are very similar in basic construction. There are a ton of other mechanics at play including but not limited to length of clavicle, shape and width of shoulders, length of upper and lower arms, tendon attachments etc etc. That will dictate HOW MUCH and WHAT you press for maximum benefit.

Great explanation ...That pretty much sums me up to the T .. im tall (not crazy tall 6' ) , my shoulders are wide , and I have long ass monkey arms . I think guys built like this just can't get the same stretch/contraction on flat press as on incline . The incline opens up the angle of my arms in relation to my body , so my chest starts off in a somewhat pre-streched position . That paired with a slightly wider grip , and i could never get the same kind of stretch on flat press . Just a much better movement for hypertrophy for guys with this type of frame imo

 

[johntt44]

Yeah!!! Fuck that guy.

No, his DC training is awesome! I do like it. He's definitely a smart guy. Haha! Not dismissing him at all.

 

[Xlgx]

No, his DC training is awesome! I do like it. He's definitely a smart guy. Haha! Not dismissing him at all.

I am not a fan boy either way. I agree with the individuals bio mechanics etc. my point is unless one is a powerlifter especially a competitive powerlifter. We can reduce our chance of injury by merely doing a slight incline / decline barbell chest press.

 

[Docd187123]

I am not a fan boy either way. I agree with the individuals bio mechanics etc. my point is unless one is a powerlifter especially a competitive powerlifter. We can reduce our chance of injury by merely doing a slight incline / decline barbell chest press.

No it's a trade off. You might reduce the risk for one injury but increase the chance for another.

 

[Rockclimber]

Another tall guy chiming in here. Incline builds my chest far quicker than flat bench. I finally hit 315 on incline this month and am ecstatic. Can't wait to get on some NPP and Test and wail away on incline. Building a tall chest is difficult for us tall motherfuckers, so much mass has to be added to look proportionate.

 

[gr8whitetrukker]

Building a tall chest is difficult for us tall motherfuckers, so much mass has to be added to look proportionate.

I never look at height as a bad thing
The biggest, strongest and most athletic men on the planet are all over 6'

 

[SauceBoss]

Why? You lift for mostly aesthetics?

Has nothing to do with aesthetics I like the movement and stretch

 

[SauceBoss]

Another tall guy chiming in here. Incline builds my chest far quicker than flat bench. I finally hit 315 on incline this month and am ecstatic. Can't wait to get on some NPP and Test and wail away on incline. Building a tall chest is difficult for us tall motherfuckers, so much mass has to be added to look proportionate.

Yes inclined barbell is my go to.. I am 6'4"

 

[ErikR]

another problem is that guys focus too much on the actual poundages rather then working the actual muscle. That's fine if your a powerlifter, but keeping constant tension on the targeted muscle group is very important for hypertrophy. Guys bench all the time and work every other muscle then the targeted muscle because of ineffective contractions because all they focus on is getting the weight up.

 

[LordSamuilo]

. I finally hit 315 on incline this month and am ecstatic.

Thats awesome brother ! Lol the funny thing is I felt the same way . I was way more stoked when I started hitting 315 on incline for nice clean reps recently than I was when finally got 455 on flat (no brag intended , I know theres dudes here killing those #'s) ... but thats when I finally considered myself "strong" lol ...

 

[JC456]

Rotate them all in and out.

Picking one as 'the best' is ridiculous. It's as inane as the Squat VS Deadlift arguments. No-one needs to, or actually does just one variation. Use them all, cycle them in and out and that goes for PL too.

 

[LordSamuilo]

Rotate them all in and out.

Picking one as 'the best' is ridiculous. It's as inane as the Squat VS Deadlift arguments. No-one needs to, or actually does just one variation. Use them all, cycle them in and out and that goes for PL too.

Yeah they're all great movements , there's no reason to limit yourself to one . I generally just use one compound pressing variation until I plateau , and then instead of trying to fight through the plateau I just move on to next movement . Theres a million ways to work them all into your routine though . Incline is just the movement ive got the most out of , but once you plateau your just better served to move on to something else and keep progressing rather than try and keep beating a dead horse imo ..

 

[gr8whitetrukker]

Rotate them all in and out.

Picking one as 'the best' is ridiculous. It's as inane as the Squat VS Deadlift arguments. No-one needs to, or actually does just one variation. Use them all, cycle them in and out and that goes for PL too.

I like lifting stupid heavy after a cycle of squeeze and burn has run its course. Reinvigorating to the senses.
They all have their place

 

[JC456]

I like lifting stupid heavy after a cycle of squeeze and burn has run its course. Reinvigorating to the senses.
They all have their place

Yeah they're all great movements , there's no reason to limit yourself to one . I generally just use one compound pressing variation until I plateau , and then instead of trying to fight through the plateau I just move on to next movement . Theres a million ways to work them all into your routine though . Incline is just the movement ive got the most out of , but once you plateau your just better served to move on to something else and keep progressing rather than try and keep beating a dead horse imo ..

Yep, those are both approaches I use as well.

 

[Big_paul]

Flat dumbbell bench works well for me so I switch up flat barbell and dumbbell bench every other week.

Recently been doing more incline barbell bench and it has helped a lot so will be doing more of it.

This lift is what I built my chest routine around. It's not for everyone though. Picking up dumbbells, leaning back onto a bench, doing your reps and then sitting up again strengthens the entire upper body.

 

[MindlessWork]

This lift is what I built my chest routine around. It's not for everyone though. Picking up dumbbells, leaning back onto a bench, doing your reps and then sitting up again strengthens the entire upper body.

I had worked up to 85lb dumbbells on incline until I get bad tendinitis. It is a bitch kicking those big boys up though lol.