Incline bench-What angle is best?

[RoadBlocK]

I have searched here and googled a bit, and I have found many different answers, from 30 degree,
to 60 degrees, and I would like to know two things:

What is the "best" or most effective/generally accepted angle?

And what is the least amount of degrees of incline that will
be effective.

If you look at this website, it gives some pretty easy to read pictures of the angles:

Measurement of angles


I believed 40-45 degrees was the standard, but Ive seen alot of websites say 30 degrees, and 60 degrees looks way too high, and I really wondering if something less 30 degress would be effective.

Any thoughts would be helpful.


LOG:

http://anabolicminds.com/forum/supplement-reviews-logs/53835-roadblocks-alpha-drive.html

 

[ItsHectic]

I think whatever you personally feel gives you the best upper pec workout without too much anterior delt.

 

[somewhatgifted]

I think whatever you personally feel gives you the best upper pec workout without too much anterior delt.

My answer exactly.

 

[RoadBlocK]

Execellent advice, and I will take it. Thanks. What I was really hoping to get was an numerical answer, like 35 degrees is the optimal angle as per the sports medical journal blah blah, etc. Because I wanted to get a baseline of what is the accepted angle so I can experiment.

The reason Im dong this is I am finding some shoulder aggrevation during inclines that is preventing me from going heavy, and the bench I have has only one preset placement setting for doing inclines. What I was and will try is something a little unorthodox, I want to use my flat bench, but raise the back(flat part where your head rests) up only about 4 or 6 inches, Im not sure of the angle this will give me yet, but it will certainly be less than 45 degrees and see what kind of results I can get. I believe that this should at least, in some part bring the upper chest more into play, perhaps not as much as 45 degrees, but it may help me work through my current issues.

Do you think this slight angle will help target the upper chest area at all or will I be wasting my time??

 

[ItsHectic]

It will help target the upper chest as its involved in flat bench aswell, so logically a slight incline would involve it more.
If you are having shoulder agrevation you might want to switch to decline DB for a while and do rotator cuff exercises, otherwise just dont go down too low but still change to DBs.

 

[Jstrong20]

I find 30 degree to be the best for me as far as hitting the pecs hard.

 

[somewhatgifted]

I personally go closer to 50 degrees bc of my pressing arc, arm length, chest ratio and i find i hit my upper chest hard at a higher angle. Lots of anterior delt involvement, but thats to be expected in a heavy incline press.