Why you may not need Incline Bench

[Tb0282]

Nothing in this thread is an original thought, the quotes in this thread are from Dante Trudel, the creator of DogCrapp Training and Spiderman997, the one and only. I'm simply organizing their thoughts into one thread.




If you have a chest like the green highlights, you can emphasize the upper head by pressing on a slight incline. The joint angle does not have to change much at all to distribute the load onto the upper pec, because it's already such a larger percentage of your total chest mass.

If you don't have this kind of chest, you have the red highlighted insertion: a high clavicular insertion. By the time you get the joint angle high enough to actually distribute the weight onto the upper chest, your delts will take over the movement and it becomes a shoulder exercise. If this is you, you would be better off doing the reverse of what most people do, make military press your primary pressing exercise over bench, and do chest work as assistance.

When you have a high clavicular insertion (red highlight) This generally means you will be better 'suited' to being a standing presser because you tend to recruit shoulders and upper chest best when doing military press.

You would probably do better if you just dropped the idea of bench being your main mass builder. You would do better from an aesthetic perspective if you focused on an overhead pressing movement instead as your shoulder girdle is designed to grow better in that plane of motion. You'll see a lot more growth in upper chest + traps + shoulders that way.

Focus on standing overhead press + assistance work as your main mass movements for upper body, then add in a press on a decline or a pec iso for chest mass. If you're doing a Push Pull Legs routine, your Push day will end up looking something like this:

Standing press with db or bb
Lateral raises
Face pulls from a low pulley
Decline db bench
Tricep iso

If you're not sure whether or not you have a high clavicular insertion or a low clavicular insertion, feel free to post pics in this thread, and myself and possibly others will be glad to help.

[tekno17]

What about me?

[Tb0282]

Incline will work for you

[tekno17]

Incline will work for you

I have also read from some body builders. That if you have good shoulder insertions. You dont need to shoulder press and can just Facepull + Side lat raise for shoulders. because your front delts get nailed on bench day anyways.. Is that true?

[Tb0282]

I have also read from some body builders. That if you have good shoulder insertions. You dont need to shoulder press and can just Facepull + Side lat raise for shoulders. because your front delts get nailed on bench day anyways.. Is that true?

Yeah that's true.

Insertions change everything

[crazdave]

Can you give a better explanation on how to spot the different insertions?

[Tb0282]

Can you give a better explanation on how to spot the different insertions?

I can post images of each when I'm off mobile.

[Nitsua24]

So say you do incline and your upper chest (only) is sore, that means with my insertions upper chest is worked through incline rather than overhead press, correct?

[mattqchou]

Great thread. Do insertions affect how you should do other lifts as well? (Other than chest targeting ones). How do you work the muscle right below (.5 cm) the collarbone? I have like nothing there, and below that are the pecs. Unless those are the insertions you're talking about.

In to find out if I have an high or low insertion.

[mmafighter1294]

Confirmed my upper chest grew considerably when I dropped incline press and added in OHP

[the5thhorseman]

What about me? I know I'm not lean but can you tell. Btw which is better, normal chest or chest that likes to incline?

[parth95]

Excellent read man!! I don't know which category I fall under sadly.. Can you tell from looking at my avi??
And also let me know which pressing I'll mostly benefit from?!
If you cannot tell from avi, then from my Photo on my bodyspace? It's gonna be the "before" picture(I only have those two photos uploaded)
I'm on my mobile and I won't have access to a computer for a while..
Much appreciated

[Tb0282]

So say you do incline and your upper chest (only) is sore, that means with my insertions upper chest is worked through incline rather than overhead press, correct?

No not really. I can tell you that you have a high clavicular insertion. My chest gets sore from doing a ton of pushups, but is it optimal for growth? No. Your shoulder girdle is designed to grow best from standing presses

Great thread. Do insertions affect how you should do other lifts as well? (Other than chest targeting ones). How do you work the muscle right below (.5 cm) the collarbone? I have like nothing there, and below that are the pecs. Unless those are the insertions you're talking about.

In to find out if I have an high or low insertion.

Not all insertions affect exercise selection, but all insertions will affect you in some way. For instance, short vs long bicep insertions. Long bicep insertions are optimal for growth, you'll be able to get 18 inch arms, people with short bicep insertions will have the nice full looking bicep with a peak, but they'll have a hard time getting over 16.5 inches.

The clavicular head attaches to the collarbone (aka clavicle, which is how it got its name). Chances are, if you "have nothing there" you're either really small, or you have a high clavicular insertion suited for OHP

Confirmed my upper chest grew considerably when I dropped incline press and added in OHP

Figured you'd be in this thread <3

What about me? I know I'm not lean but can you tell. Btw which is better, normal chest or chest that likes to incline?

You've got a high clavicular insertion.

Excellent read man!! I don't know which category I fall under sadly.. Can you tell from looking at my avi??
And also let me know which pressing I'll mostly benefit from?!
If you cannot tell from avi, then from my Photo on my bodyspace? It's gonna be the "before" picture(I only have those two photos uploaded)
I'm on my mobile and I won't have access to a computer for a while..
Much appreciated

You've got great chest insertions. Be glad. Incline will work great for you.

[TheJediBrah]

Always love Spiderman's work but I still don't think Incline is necessarily that important for anyone

[Tb0282]

Can you give a better explanation on how to spot the different insertions?

High clavicular insertion



Low clavicular inseriton

[Tb0282]

Always love Spiderman's work but I still don't think Incline is necessarily that important for anyone

Its not for the most part. The people who have the right insertions for incline bench would still be able to develop an impressive upper chest without it.

[mmafighter1294]

Always love Spiderman's work but I still don't think Incline is necessarily that important for anyone

depends on what your goal is. I doubt you'll meet an IFBB pro that doesn't incline press though.

[TheJediBrah]

depends on what your goal is. I doubt you'll meet an IFBB pro that doesn't incline press though.

Not really

Most of how IFFB pros train is guesswork and based on assumptions. brb need to do Incline to hit upper chest, brb closer grip to work inner chest, brb "pre exhausting" muscles

[CLB33]

Can you tell from my avi?

[Tb0282]

Can you tell from my avi?

No, I cannot.

[CLB33]

No, I cannot.

http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/im...qhVBHdwLKE.jpg

Does that help any? lol

[Tb0282]

Not really. Not the best angle to judge by. If I had to guess I'd say you have a high clavicular insertion, although its hard to be sure with that picture.

[koloxid]

high insertion checking in

thanks op for relaying the info

[letsdothisbro]

Great thread. RIP Spiderman

Aight, so from what I can see, you remember WK's avi? Those were low clavicular insertions, am I correct?

[flame66]

Great thread. Repped!

Can you tell about me: http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/ph...photo/29575081

[Tb0282]

Great thread. RIP Spiderman

Aight, so from what I can see, you remember WK's avi? Those were low clavicular insertions, am I correct?

Those were high. They just inserted lower on the Intertubercular Groove (Outer Lip)

Great thread. Repped!

Can you tell about me: http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/ph...photo/29575081

Do you have any front chest pics? Looks like a high clavicular insertion, although its generally hard to tell from that angle

[letsdothisbro]

Those were high. They just inserted lower on the Intertubercular Groove (Outer Lip)



Do you have any front chest pics? Looks like a high clavicular insertion, although its generally hard to tell from that angle

It's funny how one can immediately tell you're GSF, lol

[Tb0282]

high insertion checking in

thanks op for relaying the info

Any time man. I was mind blown when I first saw Spider posting about this lol

It's funny how one can immediately tell you're GSF, lol

cause of my user title? lol

[letsdothisbro]

Any time man. I was mind blown when I first saw Spider posting about this lol



cause of my user title? lol

no, because you actually know your chit, and you're koala tea, I'm on GSF, too, don't post but I lurk for some koala tea help some time

[s58]

So what if a person who has high insertion did incline flies? Would that help at all?