Incline bench for overall chest development?

[pinfante]

Has there been any studies on the effects of incline bench on the mid/lower portion of the pec? Iv shifted my chest focus away from flat bench to 6 sets of incline first then 3 sets of flat twice a week. (with some accessory movements thrown in afterwards) I feel aesthetically focusing on upper chest will lead to a better looking physique. Another thing that I see becoming more popular is dumbbell presses on the slightest of incline which iv considered swapping out the 3 sets of flat on one of the days all together for this movement. Whats your thoughts on this?

[air2fakie]

Effect of incline on lower portion of pec lessens as you put the incline higher, with more focus going to upper chest and shoulders. I wouldn't suggest 45 or above as your sole chest press movements.

Slightest incline (for ex, 1st notch), whether barbell or db, is a decent substitute for flat and some people prefer it. At a gym you may only be able to do this with dbs if their incline barbell benches are fixed.

[AlexSays]

I second A2F

A slight incline will still activate all parts of the chest and some people find it better/more comfortable as their main chest movement. As you increase the incline you are getting more activation in the clavicular head of the pec (your upper chest) and anterior delts and less in your sternal head (the main portion of the chest). So I would say if you are making it your main chest building exercise do not use a steep incline

[ZioPerez]

Incline is the best thing you can do for chest, whether it be barbell or dumbbell. Trust me flat bench is overrated, it has become a bro exercise, about who can bench more. Of course flat bench is an amazing exercise and works great for chest. However, it is not the best thing for an amazing full chest, that full aesthetic square looking chest. A lot of pro's and fitness models start with incline instead of flat.

When I started doing this myself in the past my chest got way way better as well and haven't been focusing on flat bench ever since, my old friends have always been focusing on flat presses and doing inclines on the side or as a secondary thing, their chest looks way less developed than mine, my upper chest is much fuller, and my clavicle is barely visible compared to them.

[Garage Rat]

Bench press can add overall upper body muscle,pecs,shoulders ,triceps,because you can usually do more weight than other chest movements.
While we can never totally isolate an area to train,other areas will always contribute to on degree or another.
What you can do is direct more stress to a particular area of the muscle your training in this case the upper chest.
You must though have total concentration on where you feel and how you are doing the movement.
If you just jump on an incline and press your not getting the most out of it.
I personally like DB's better because you can move them in an arc contracting the pecs better up to a point.
You need to think of the upper arms,elbow to shoulder,coming together when pressing keeping the chest arched not collapsed or it becomes more shoulder.
I prefer the lower setting also on the incline lower than 45 degrees.
Other movements that can hit that upper clavicular area are DB pullovers and standing bent cable flys.
The cable flys must done toward the upper chest area not to the abs.
The pullover is a feel movement that in a short range activates the upper pecs.
Put your left arm overhead and your hand on your left upper pec,now move your arm forward as your flexing your pec.
If you do it right you'll feel the upper pec contract.
Now think of the same thing when you do a DB pullover with upper back across a bench.
It's a shorter movement than a traditional pull over.

[William2018]

Posture and spinal position is also a contributing factor which determines the level of incline needed to bench. Everyone has their own preference depending on how their spine is shaped which can radically alter the direction their rib cage is pointing and affect their bench workout. From personal experience by correcting the spinal position and strengthening the muscles that interlock down the spine to improve posture is essential as it enables good form to bench well without injury.

[EliKoehn]

I have heard that apparently the *decline* is actually especially advantageous for developing the upper chest, due to the eccentric tension and additional loading that is possible. That's only part of the equation, of course.

[Ironface]

Come on guys; flat bench is great for chest. You could probably get maximum chest development if you do enough volume on flat bench and OHP.

Incline's good too though. For decline, I'd personally rather do weighted dips.