Incline vs flat bench

**gjoe** · 10-15-2003, 06:29 AM

in recent years, have seen a few experienced gym trainers telling their trainees to do incline bench before flat bench. why? for years i have done flat first then incline. what are your thoughts?

**batteryrequired** · 10-15-2003, 06:34 AM

Switch back and forth...doing flat first for 4-6 weeks then switch to inclines first for 4-6 weeks and so on. This helps you build up your upper pecs for size and strength as by the time you get to them after flats...they are pretty much exhausted from that. Switching it out to do inclines first will give you the full energy you need to get the most out of your upper pecs. It works!

**Tamacracker** · 10-15-2003, 07:45 AM

So what are you sayin... that it'd be better if doin incline 4-6 weeks... then after that do flat bench for 4-6 weeks? They shouldn't be done together?... I always do flat first then declined... and leave incline for last... but I'm weakest in incline cuz my shoulders would be pretty tired!

-Dan

**ROCK CRUSHER** · 10-15-2003, 07:49 AM

i gues it depends on what's more important.

how your chest looks?
or how your bench looks?

**LiL USMC BBer** · 10-15-2003, 07:56 AM

incline then flat then dips. Its all you need.

Then food food food and more food. Sit back and watch yo chest grow.

**batteryrequired** · 10-15-2003, 08:06 AM

Originally posted by Tamacracker
I always do flat first then declined... and leave incline for last... but I'm weakest in incline cuz my shoulders would be pretty tired!

-Dan

That is exactly why you want to switch to do incline before flat for 4-6 weeks. Your shoulders should not be tired...if they are you need to lessen the degree of angle on the bench. You shouldn't go over 30 degrees. Anything over 45 works the shoulders more. Also your right...incline is your weakest point for the simple fact that your to burnt out to do them after doing flat. By switching you will eventually even it out. Right now if I do inclines first, I can hit it with 90lb. dumbbells then when I go to flats I can still use 100lb. dumbbells. It will take time to get used to it, but it will work.

**A-rod** · 10-15-2003, 08:19 AM

QWhy would you want to tire your shoulder with inclines before the real good chest builders ( flat , decline and dips )begin ???

**Tamacracker** · 10-15-2003, 08:21 AM

Thanx alot batteryrequired, startin next week I'll start incline first. What do you recommend though BB or DB? Or should I do DB 6 weeks then BB 6 weeks? Just keep switchin?

-Dan

**Wheelies** · 10-15-2003, 08:24 AM

Originally posted by A-rod
QWhy would you want to tire your shoulder with inclines before the real good chest builders ( flat , decline and dips )begin ???

Q: WHy do think that declines are better than inclines?

**A-rod** · 10-15-2003, 08:28 AM

Originally posted by Wheelies
Q: WHy do think that declines are better than inclines?

Because declines allow most of the load to be handled by the chest while the inclines limit the amount of weight you can lift due to increased front delt recruitment ( weaker) and decreased pec recruitment ( stronger).

**batteryrequired** · 10-15-2003, 08:30 AM

Originally posted by Tamacracker
Thanx alot batteryrequired, startin next week I'll start incline first. What do you recommend though BB or DB? Or should I do DB 6 weeks then BB 6 weeks? Just keep switchin?

-Dan

I normally go 2 weeks dumbbells then the third barbell. Dumbbells will be difficult at first if your not used to it as it works your stabilizer muscles that you don't use on barbell. I think it makes you stronger in the long run. But that is just my opinion from experience after years of this.

**Wheelies** · 10-15-2003, 08:33 AM

I dont know about that one because you limit the range of motion that your chest recieves when doing decline.I know people that have not declined in years and have awesome chest, including lower. I havent touched a decline movement in months and my chest is still developing well. I replaced decline with leaning forward dips. I am tossing up the idea of replacing the dips with decline dumbell just to see which one is better even though I like dips alot.

My chest routine for the last 8 weeks has been:

3 sets Incline Barbell
2 sets Leaning forward dips
1-2 sets Flat DB bench

**A-rod** · 10-15-2003, 08:36 AM

Originally posted by Wheelies
I dont know about that one because you limit the range of motion that your chest recieves when doing decline.I know people that have not declined in years and have awesome chest, including lower. I havent touched a decline movement in months and my chest is still developing well. I replaced decline with leaning forward dips. I am tossing up the idea of replacing the dips with decline dumbell just to see which one is better even though I like dips alot.

My chest routine for the last 8 weeks has been:

3 sets Incline Barbell
2 sets Leaning forward dips
1-2 sets Flat DB bench

Just because people are getting good results with something deosnt mean the results cant be improved .
I like your exercise selection but i `d do dips last because it`s too hard on the triceps limiting the weight you can flat bench after that .........

**Wheelies** · 10-15-2003, 08:50 AM

I used to do them last, but I could never go up in weight in them and I wanted to see if they were giving good results. To limit tricep involvement I never lock out, (on any chest exercies really), but on dips I go really deep and go upand dont lockout.
Obviously there is room for improvement even if you are progressing, but I just feel that incline is a supperior movement to decline and Im sure alot of people will agree.

**ROCK CRUSHER** · 10-15-2003, 08:51 AM

again.....you must decide what's more important.

inclines first for great pecs.

flat first for a great bench. declines are especially good if you bench like a PL'er with an arch.

**A-rod** · 10-15-2003, 08:55 AM

I just dont understand how the incline can be better for great pecs and please dont give me that " inclines = upper pec isoaltion ' crap , the body simply doesnr work like that .........

THE PEC CONTRACTS AS A WHOLE

**PSUPOWER** · 10-15-2003, 08:58 AM

Originally posted by A-rod
I just dont understand how the incline can be better for great pecs and please dont give me that " inclines = upper pec isoaltion ' crap , the body simply doesnr work like that .........

THE PEC CONTRACTS AS A WHOLE

wow, is that enathate kicking in now, haha

**ROCK CRUSHER** · 10-15-2003, 09:02 AM

it does for me.

if i stop doing inclines i can see the difference it's obvious i can even tell from myUnder Amour shirts, they dont fit the same and my girl says the same.

i've read all the literature about how you can separate the upper pecs from the lower etc......

i know my body, been lift for 10yrs+ i know what works for me and what doesn't.

**batteryrequired** · 10-15-2003, 09:11 AM

Originally posted by A-rod
I just dont understand how the incline can be better for great pecs and please dont give me that " inclines = upper pec isoaltion ' crap , the body simply doesnr work like that .........

THE PEC CONTRACTS AS A WHOLE

Tell that to Arnold S. that it doesn't work! You will have a deeper and more of a crevice all the way up the sternum by doing inclines. You read any bodybuilder magazine and see what the pros do (and I mean every one of them) and they all will have inclines in their chest routines.

**Wheelies** · 10-15-2003, 09:13 AM

Originally posted by ROCK CRUSHER
again.....you must decide what's more important.

inclines first for great pecs.

flat first for a great bench. declines are especially good if you bench like a PL'er with an arch.

Thats why I kind of dont like decline, because its basically a powerlifters dream arch, most powerlifters try to get the biggest arch they can without letting their ass leave the bench so that they can limit the range of motion just to move bigger weight. This is why most people can decline a whole lot more than they can flat bench. And A-ROd, trust me, Im not an "isolation person" as you can see from my routine, there are just certain exercises that are just better as a whole, this is why I think pressing movements are better than flyes, they are just better overall, just like I feel incline are better overall. But like I said, Im debating on whether to include DB(for better ROM) decline in my next training cycle .
Lately though, I will have to admit, I dont know if I buy the whole" your chest contracts as one thing anymore". TO a certain extent this is ture, but If you look at a well developed chest, you will see seperation between the upper and lower chest areas, its like a big cut in the middle of the chest. I know when I flex in the mirror, I see my muscles moving around under the skin and I see the upper do one thing, and the lower do another, I dont know, just a thought. SO I might be on the same thought process as ROCK CRUSHER.

**amusclehead** · 10-15-2003, 09:18 AM

personal preference; sometimes i'll flat first, other times incline first

**Wheelies** · 10-15-2003, 09:28 AM

amucslehead, what are your thougts on decline? D o you think I should do 2 sets DB decline or stick with 2 sets leaning forward dips for my next training cycle? I notice that you use leaning forward dips also instead of decline, do you ever use decline though?

And a question for you A-ROD, if you feel that the chest totally contracts as one unit no matter what angle it is hit from ,and there is absolutely no benefit to different regions of the chest by hitting them from different angles, then why do you even bother with doing flat bench, why not just stick with your favorite "chest builder" declines, or vice versa, why doesnt everyone just stick with flat bench and be done with it?

**amusclehead** · 10-15-2003, 10:09 AM

i don't like declines. i stick w/ flat and incline and throw in leaning-forward dips

**EAE** · 10-15-2003, 10:34 AM

Originally posted by batteryrequired
Tell that to Arnold S. that it doesn't work! You will have a deeper and more of a crevice all the way up the sternum by doing inclines. You read any bodybuilder magazine and see what the pros do (and I mean every one of them) and they all will have inclines in their chest routines.

He's got you there A-rod, if the pro's say it it MUST be true!

**midian** · 10-15-2003, 11:15 AM

Originally posted by A-rod
Because declines allow most of the load to be handled by the chest while the inclines limit the amount of weight you can lift due to increased front delt recruitment ( weaker) and decreased pec recruitment ( stronger).

i might be just guessing but i think it's beceaus of the lat involment in the movemnt, you simulate an back arch

you kinda see it when you see someone decline benching with a sleevless shirt

**Tamacracker** · 10-15-2003, 11:15 AM

Originally posted by Wheelies

Lately though, I will have to admit, I dont know if I buy the whole" your chest contracts as one thing anymore". TO a certain extent this is ture, but If you look at a well developed chest, you will see seperation between the upper and lower chest areas, its like a big cut in the middle of the chest. I know when I flex in the mirror, I see my muscles moving around under the skin and I see the upper do one thing, and the lower do another.

BUMP! Of course the chest has two seperate muscles, if you flex your chest.... try flexin it a lil harder, you can see your upper and lower chest change movements. And I know you can isolate the lower and upper half of your chest. My lower chest makes me look like I have women titties, no not fat.. just it's more built in the lower half of my chest cuz decline feels easier to do... and I push more weight than the rest of my benches. I will concetrate a lot more on my upper chest over all. Though through the 4 different work outs I do (Incline, Decline, Flat, Flies), flat bench has not till this day improved as much as I wanted it to. I've only gained 20 lbs. on my flat bench since the 8 months that I have been workin out.

-Dan

**zedtech** · 10-15-2003, 11:31 AM

I usually do inclines first because my upper chest is a little lacking imo. Plus I do inclines w/ dumbells so I want to make sure I have near 100% strength to work the DBs nice and heavy.

**EAE** · 10-15-2003, 11:37 AM

Originally posted by Tamacracker
BUMP! Of course the chest has two seperate muscles, if you flex your chest.... try flexin it a lil harder, you can see your upper and lower chest change movements.
-Dan

Right, so every human anatomy and physiology book is wrong ...

**Tamacracker** · 10-15-2003, 11:41 AM

guess so homie

**amusclehead** · 10-15-2003, 11:43 AM

Originally posted by Tamacracker
BUMP! Of course the chest has two seperate muscles

okay....i would stop talking right there.

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