Decline bench?

[butrybench555]

What does it do? Do I need to do it in my workout? What part of chest does it work?
Does it work??

 

[khaos2]

It works the bottom part of your chest. I wouldn't do it unless you are very under developed in the lower portion, regular bench should provide enough stimulation for the middle and lower pecs. Hope that helps

 

[butrybench555]

Yes it did. Thanks a lot!

 

[Type O Hero]

I don't care for decline bench presses because I never establish as much feel in my pectorals as I would doing something like DB bench presses. You could experiment with them and see how they are for you. My chest always lagged, especially my upper chest, and this is the routine that finally started working for me. The goal isn't building a big bench, it's making the chest grow...

- Superset Weighted Dips 3 x 8-10 with Pull-ups 3 x (to positive failure)
- Barbell Rows 4 x 10-12, 8-10, 6-8, 4-6
- Superset Incline DB Flyes 4 x 8-10 with Incline DB Presses 4 x 8-10
- DB Pullovers 4 x 15-20
- Cable Rows or One-Arm DB Rows 3 x 8-10
- Deadlifts (after warm-ups) 3 x 9, 6, 3 (or whatever rep scheme you want)

It's only after doing chest on back day that my chest started responding again. I really love doing incline DB presses right after incline flyes. You get a crazy pump throughout the entire chest. After a while my upper chest started to respond and once your upper chest fills out, your entire chest looks way more full.

 

[butrybench555]

Thanks! What workout is that? Back?

 

[Type O Hero]

Chest and back in the same workout.. Sometimes I'll do a more traditional push (chest/shoulders/triceps), pull (back/biceps), legs routine, but I really like doing chest and back in the same workout.

In that workout, your hitting your chest from a few different angels and your also working your back's pulldown motion, rowing motion and lower back as well.

At least try doing incline DB presses right after a set of incline DB flyes. You'll get a great pump throughout the entire chest and it really helps bring the fullness out. Now, it won't help you get high bench pressing numbers, but unless you're a weight lifter, that shouldn't be your goal. My chest looks better now than it did back when I was pressing 80lbs more than I can now. Numbers don't matter to me, only looks... Okay, that sounded really vain, but I'm in it for bodybuilding, not weightlifting haha

 

[JohnRock]

I see no benefit to decline bench that you can't get doing weighted dips. It's basically the same angle without the risk of severing your head off with the bar.

 

[butrybench555]

Haha thanks guys. And any secrets for traps. Can't seem to get them?

 

[R1balla]

i mainly focus on incline. i do flat bench, but not as much as incline. i do lots of flys on flat bench though.

 

[Type O Hero]

Haha thanks guys. And any secrets for traps. Can't seem to get them?

Use the most weight but still maintain the fullest range of motion. However far up you can shrug the bar without weight, that's how far you want to shrug it with weight. So use the most weight you can. Do as many reps as you feel like you need to do (but should be doing a weight that allows no more than 10-12). Then maybe at the end, really load on the weight and do a couple heavy sets (4-6 reps) where you're okay with doing partial motion. Just don't get too carried away, you don't have to add that much extra weight at the end so that you're using legs to heave the bar up like an ass. Haha when you do shrugs, you want your traps to pull as much weight as possible, right? So why use so much weight where you're having to pump your body up and down to lift it? Dumb. You don't have to use crazy amounts of weights with shrugs to develop the traps. For example, if I were using 225lbs, say for my regular few sets, then at the end I might bump it to 275lbs. Go up in weight as you get stronger. But if there's any secret it's heavy, full range-of-motion work.

Oh, and DEADLIFTS!!!!

 

[butrybench555]

Thanks! I appreciate the advice!

 

[waynaferd]

I LOVE decline!!!

Definately feel it in my pecs moreso than flat or incline, and the real bonus (or reason I switched) is NO shoulder pain anymore!!

A pec is a pec is a pec.....work it and it will grow....

 

[Masciaman]

also when your doing your shrugs.. like type said dont use your legs and also keep your arms straight so you know you arent using your arms to help get the weight up either so its just straight traps workin if that makes any sense to you.

but type o hero you work your chest and back on the same day? because i have the same problem you did with my upper chest. im very happy with like my max bench n **** but like my upper chest really just hasnt filled out as much as everything else and i usually have like a chest only day

 

[butrybench555]

Thanks I usually do a push and pull so I did cheat and biceps

 

[shiggy504]

Chest and back in the same workout.. Sometimes I'll do a more traditional push (chest/shoulders/triceps), pull (back/biceps), legs routine, but I really like doing chest and back in the same workout.

In that workout, your hitting your chest from a few different angels and your also working your back's pulldown motion, rowing motion and lower back as well.

At least try doing incline DB presses right after a set of incline DB flyes. You'll get a great pump throughout the entire chest and it really helps bring the fullness out. Now, it won't help you get high bench pressing numbers, but unless you're a weight lifter, that shouldn't be your goal. My chest looks better now than it did back when I was pressing 80lbs more than I can now. Numbers don't matter to me, only looks... Okay, that sounded really vain, but I'm in it for bodybuilding, not weightlifting haha

I'm in the same boat I don't care if I only bench 135 if 135 gives me the pump I look for. I would rather bench 135 and look good than bench 315 and look like I just finished a buffet Marathon