importance of the decline bench press

[int3l]

Hey, i haven't actually been doing decline bench presses in awhile because i heard that until you lose the fat around your chest it'd actually look bad if you did too many decline related chest workouts. (I've been doing dips instead) Recently though, i've been hearing that decline benches are essential and needed in order to bring about that solid shape to your lower chest area.

What are the facts related to the decline? Does it help define the lower chest to give it a more angular shape?

On a side note how do you guys build up the upper pecs to give your chest that flat look? Or does this happen naturally as your bodyfat level goes down and lower chest fat deposits naturally lessen...it's just huge bodybuilders have wierd pecs where it seems their lower pecs bulge out way more then their upper giving it an unnatural looking shape. (This doesn't happen cause they did too much decline right?)

 

[mrRuckus]

Ok so on one hand you are worried about your lower pecs and on the other you're worried about your upper pecs.

So do yourself a favor and keep doing flat benching and dips. There is plenty of lower fiber stimulation with those and it's a larger range of motion.


Why worry about your lower pecs if all the bodybuilders you see have huge lower pecs compared to upper?

 

[immrtlwun]

Just do stuff to work all portions of your pec. Do incline, flat, and decline bench or at least different lifts to take care of all three. In my current work out, I do incline barbell bench, flat dumbell bench, and decline flys and haven't noticed anything too unusual as far as pec growth being out of proportion.

 

[Being_the_Don]

I read somewhere that it's genetics that determine whether your chest will be flat or rounded regardless of how built you happen to be.

 

[int3l]

so pec shape is genetic to an extent but weight training increases the mass so it'd be logical to state that weight training dramatically influences the shape of your pecs. In regards to the upper pecs i just want to build up my upper body more so i have that symmetric line from shoulder to shoulder. Upper pecs also look nice with a shirt on and off.

in regards to the decline i think i'll just add them and remove the extra 4 sets of incline dumbell i do along with the 4x incline bench. It's just a concern i have about the lower pecs turning into massive bulges of muscle tissue.

Actually this is what i do on chest day, someone help me out:

4x 8-12 incline bench
4x 8-12 dumbell incline press
4x 8-12 flat bench press
4x 8-12 DIPS
4x 8-12 FLIES

thats what 20 sets? is this too little or too much? really, i just want something that'll hit the pecs hard and lasts all week/actually makes them look nice (I'm doing 1 muscle group a day)

 

[shaunuk]

that looks like far too much work for most people, why not just stick to <10 sets for chest? doing more sets ain;t necessarily gonna give you more growth

 

[speed dawg]

Best workout I've EVER done for my chest (and I've been working out a long time) is incline plyometric pushups and dips. For the pushups, elevate your feet and push off the ground and clap in between. Do 3 sets of 10 of each, more if you can. When you can do 3 sets of 20 you need to start adding weight if you want, but I'm satisfied with the way my chest looks at that level of advancement.

 

[falcon814]

Looks good, but I think that you're doing too much...try eliminating one of the incline sets and see what happens...12-16 intense sets are ideal. 20 is too much, IMO.

Also, I would perform dips 1st or 2nd...when you have the most strength. Alternate the order of your incline press and dips every other few weeks.

Thats what i do without the DIPS(i think i cracked my sternum from those)

but yeah. I have to do 8-12 sets before i start feeling anything in my chest. And yes my form is great.

 

[falcon814]

Looks good, but I think that you're doing too much...try eliminating one of the incline sets and see what happens...12-16 intense sets are ideal. 20 is too much, IMO.

Also, I would perform dips 1st or 2nd...when you have the most strength. Alternate the order of your incline press and dips every other few weeks.

Thats what i do without the DIPS(i think i cracked my sternum from those)

but yeah. I have to do 8-12 sets before i start feeling anything in my chest. And yes my form is great.

 

[falcon814]

Looks good, but I think that you're doing too much...try eliminating one of the incline sets and see what happens...12-16 intense sets are ideal. 20 is too much, IMO.

Also, I would perform dips 1st or 2nd...when you have the most strength. Alternate the order of your incline press and dips every other few weeks.

Wow.

 

[Warboss Alex]

Someone remind me why the pump is important again.

 

[Lifeforce]

The largeness of the pump is directly proportional to the amount of gas you get.

 

[Warboss Alex]

You're missing the point dude, just like you did on the other thread.

And for the record I'm as vain as they get.

 

[EFFORT]

I never said a pump is important, nor does it have to be, but if you're vain, like me, then you probably love the feel of the pump. Also, I kinda like to see the fruits of my labor...a very pleasant site, indeed.

Of course, I can understand why a pump is not "important" for a purified, lift-for-the-principal-of-it, powerlifter like, say, yourself, for you don't lift for girls or vanity, right, Alex?

Annoyed or something?

 

[int3l]

warboss alex is back?! haha awesome, where have you been man. I'm still doing that cardio you told me to do and those tips and stuff you gave me have stuck through.

Anyway for chest i'll switch up the DIPs then. I'm having little to no progress on incline or any of my benches for that matter these days. Pissing me off...

 

[Warboss Alex]

Espi, like I said, my days of arguing on forums is over. Feel free to take it to PM if you want.

One thing though.

90% of people in gyms would disagree with much of what I say, as you do.

Do 90% of people gyms look as if they train? (I'm not implying you don't, btw.)

 

[mintxx]

Espi, like I said, my days of arguing on forums is over. Feel free to take it to PM if you want.

One thing though.

90% of people in gyms would disagree with much of what I say, as you do.

Do 90% of people gyms look as if they train? (I'm not implying you don't, btw.)

haha SNAP!

 

[Warboss Alex]

...I just kind of felt that you took a cheap shot at me when you questioned "the importance of the pump." I really felt like you were trying to make me look silly...

Not at all dude, I put the smiley in there to signify it was a joke. The only person I take cheap shots at is myself, hence the fat comments.

I'd never discredit somebody's opinion or training methodology, and especially not publically. I'd debate it but never discredit it - after all, if someone is doing an ABC routine, it must work otherwise they wouldn't be doing it. Just like your HIIT comments - I never once said it didn't work for fat loss, because it does, very well in fact.

Bodybuilders and powerlifters on friendly terms have a good natured 'rivalry'. There was a guy I used to train with, he was like you, did higher volume stuff for aesthetics and ate virtually a zero fat diet. His conditioning and development was admirable but he couldn't bench 220 (he had bad shoulders, to be fair to him) and he didn't squat or pull. So I'd rip on him for having no legs and he'd rip on me for doing like three reps in the time it took him to finish his workout. But it was all friendly stuff, we were always there to spot and encourage each other, and we'd stick up for each other when confronted by the gym staff for being intimidating to other members (my friend did train his ass off and grunted and trained heavy - generally frowned upon in commercial fitness centres as we all know).

But I do know friendly banter can be taken out of context, particularly online.

There's too much drama in the outside world to bring it into gyms and message boards. We're all here to progress. No offence meant.

 

[int3l]

so yeah, incline and DIPS?

 

[user43770]

so yeah, incline and DIPS?

Flat BB bench

Incline DB bench

Weighted dips



Recipe for success