Incline Bench

i feel like im awful at this.

i can flat bench 185 x 5 but can't even get 145 x 5 on incline.  Why is it that just a slight incline makes it so much harder.

because it emphasizes the upper chest which many dont train

start with the incline first in your chest workout for a couple of weeks, you will see an improvement

besides, working the upper chest more gives you a fuller looking chest

update! 8/3/09

maxes and goals
bench - need to remax
goal bench - 405

squat - need to remax
goal squat - 500

deadlift - need to remax
goal deadlift - 500
weight -174.8 8%bf 

Have you done Declines? Usually you can Decline more than your Bench.

Team Keine Ausreden = No Excuses
mein scheinehund ist daheim
48 yrs young
6'5" 270 Lbs

decline = flat bench with a much shorter range of motion, so yeah everyone should be able to do more.

The more you get vertical pressing above your body, the more your recruiting your shoulders. Likewise the more you get pressing horizontal from the body, the more chest your going to be recruiting.

so your Incline is going to be less then your bench, but more then your OH press.

6'3"  @213

Squat 1x20x275

press:200, Deadlift:475, Bench:300, P.clean:235, Squat:385

"The only failure that is final is to stop trying to improve"

There's more shoulder recruitment (anterior delt in particular) during an incline press and since the anterior delts and clavical head of the pec are smaller and weaker in comparison to the sternal head of the pec with less anterior delt involvement, the incline press is harder.

There's also a bit more leverage in a flat bench, you're pushing up in a vertical line towards the ceiling while with the incline press you're pushing up in an ackward 45-70 degree line, making it harder on the shoulders at a near upright rotated positioning.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

You use your shoulders more in the movement. Your shoulders are far smaller than your chests, so it makes perfect sense.

One suggestion to increase your incline would be to try to progress on your overhead press movements.

5'8.1"
Age = 20 
started in February 16th 2007: 58kg (127.6lbs)
current : around 79-80kg (173.8lb-176lb)

A full motion OH press, and flat bench are all you really need for upper chest development.

Adding incline is just extra, but if you have lifted enough to know how to make these decisions. I would say at least over 1 year, then thats fine. Everyone is going to have weaker and stronger area's, and we can tailor or workouts to address those issues if we understand that and have a solid foundation of training first.

not meaning someone who has been training for 3 months and says his bench is weak. He doesnt have enough training to know what his weak points are to begin with. *just an example, not aimed at the OP

trubeginner


You use your shoulders more in the movement. Your shoulders are far smaller than your chests, so it makes perfect sense.

One suggestion to increase your incline would be to try to progress on your overhead press movements.

6'3"  @213

Squat 1x20x275

press:200, Deadlift:475, Bench:300, P.clean:235, Squat:385

"The only failure that is final is to stop trying to improve"

jonb112303


start with the incline first in your chest workout for a couple of weeks, you will see an improvement

Couldn't have said it any better, I start with incline now...most folks just do flat and their upper chest is lacking.   I can now throw up 245x6 on my incline....not to shabby if I say so myself.

Height 5' 8" Weight  200 lbs Body Fat 16%
Bench 315-Squat 365-Dead 405
Chest-46"/Bicep-16.5"/Waist-37"...UGGH
Thigh-24.5"/Calves 16"

    

I don't think a complete beginner needs incline presses, personally. But as you progress and move forward it's sometimes beneficial to hit the clavical head of the pectoralis major.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

Doing only flat bench left me with that titty look.  Felt I looked much more masculine once I added the inclines.  Imo, I would do some of both from the outset.

I'm the type of person that needs inclines too. I even throw declines in occasionally.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

Flyes for the separation too.

I like cable crossovers better than fly's. If I do fly's, I prefer them on a machine.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

I never do DB flyes.  I would think there's little resistance when your hands come together, which is where you really want it, right, for that squeeze?

Yeah, plus when you're using isolation movements you're trying to isolate the pectoralis major, dumbbell fly's, IMO, are extremely hard on the anterior deltoids. I like squeezing the chest when I do them on machine fly's.

Seeing I never go to the gym, when I do get around to it. I always use exercises I don't have access too. I won't squat, I'll instead do leg presses and hamstring curls. I don't barbell row, I'll use the compound row machine instead (feel good contraction), I won't do more than one or two sets of bench presses (a different bar throws me off anyway), instead I'll do fly's and maybe crossovers.

I don't go to the gym but maybe once or twice every two or three months, so when I do go and get in those exercises I can't do around the house I certainly feel like it's more productive.

If I were to go to a gym to lift weights, which is probably what I'll do as a PT, I'll probably start an antagonistic strip-set style routine and include a few more isolations than usual.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

I'm adding DB flys to my workout when I change up in September. I need to add depth in that area. Starting out way light and rolling them like I'm hugging a tree. I'm slowly getting away from compounds and working each muscle as needed.

Team Keine Ausreden = No Excuses
mein scheinehund ist daheim
48 yrs young
6'5" 270 Lbs

Wetdawg that is what you do with a cable crossover (and due to a constant resistance) you might find them a bit more useful.

I like fly's and crossovers personally, but crossovers you somewhat "hyper-extend" the chest by going out of it's natural region. I think they are good.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

Being that I have a Hyrniated lower disc I would rather do flys flat on a bench. Standing and pulling acrossed myself could be the death of me. I may try it light and see what it pulls on me.

Team Keine Ausreden = No Excuses
mein scheinehund ist daheim
48 yrs young
6'5" 270 Lbs

Dawg,
    Can you do machine flyes?  Think they would be better than flat DBs because tension is constant, which is key to the "squeeze" when hands come together to develop the cleavage, for lack of a better word (separation is the proper term I guess).

I think there is a machine in my gym for that. i don't really pay attention to them, I'll need to look.

Team Keine Ausreden = No Excuses
mein scheinehund ist daheim
48 yrs young
6'5" 270 Lbs

this is interesting because i myself feel like i have a "titty" look and i never really associated that with neglecting upper chest but it makes sense

edit: this is referring to JMBS earlier post

I want to see pics of these "titty" chests, sounds like just too much fat storage on the chest especially lower chest.

6'3"  @213

Squat 1x20x275

press:200, Deadlift:475, Bench:300, P.clean:235, Squat:385

"The only failure that is final is to stop trying to improve"

Sounds to me like gynecomastia?

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

N$ and MVP,
   No no no!  Not that.  Look at my avi and CMP thread.  For years I focused on flat bench which seemed to work the pecs at the nipple line and not up near the clavicles.  They didn't look like man boobs or anything.  They were just developed more near the ribs.  And I have heard on DB and read of others with the same issue and advice is always to hit the clavicular head with inclines.  Does it look in my pics like I'm carrying fat on my pecs?  Some perhaps but not significant, imo.

Nmoney, the fat is contributing.  im on 5x5 and trying to add mass so right now by bf% is higher.

mvp, i know i dont have that

like JMBS said i think its just thats more developed because i hardly do incline, and its not really like manboobs, its just thicker there

Well, for all those years of doing flat bench did you do OH press? Oh press while mostly recruiting shoulders, if you perform the full ROM you will include the upper chest.

That would be a problem. But I understand what your talking about now, my upper chest is just genetically slacking...steadily making progress, but always slacking

6'3"  @213

Squat 1x20x275

press:200, Deadlift:475, Bench:300, P.clean:235, Squat:385

"The only failure that is final is to stop trying to improve"

Nm0ney34


Well, for all those years of doing flat bench did you do OH press? Oh press while mostly recruiting shoulders, if you perform the full ROM you will include the upper chest.

That would be a problem. But I understand what your talking about now, my upper chest is just genetically slacking...steadily making progress, but always slacking

N$,
   Another new avi, I see!  Nice!  I must not have hit the OH press too much in the past, because my OH press BLOWS!!!  PR is probably 95 or something.  :(

If your PR bench press is 165 it's pretty proportional.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

MVP


If your PR bench press is 165 it's pretty proportional.

MVP,
   Thanks!  The old ladies and I will rest easy knowing we're "proportional"!  ;)

i wanted to develop my upper chest faster, so i did pushups with my feet on the couch every day i didn't do chest. my upper pecs filled out, my incline bench went from workin out with 135 to 185 in 5 weeks.