As you would know, the bench press should form the foundation of your mass training routine as it’s one of the best chest exercises for building masculine pecs. However, with all of the bench press variations such as the flat bench press and incline bench press, what should you focus on then?
Some people love the incline bench press, while others hate it. If you try to tell a person who benches on a flat bench press that the incline is better then you better watch your back because they might want to fight you!
What are the main advantages of the flat bench press?
Before I talk about why the incline bench press is good I thought I would get out a few nice things about the regular bench press.
The main advantage of the flat bench is that you can handle more weight. The motion is very natural and it is easy to master the technique. This usually means that you have all the elements of a good weight training workout. It is an excellent strength and power motion as it is so simple and brute forceful.
The position that your body is on when you lay on the flat bench is also very comfortable. Again, it is natural and easy to do and usually doesn’t leave you lifting a heavy weight in a strange way. You are able to push off of the bench and it supports you well. However, the incline has certain advantages. Here’s why…
Why is the incline bench press better for chest growth?
Now I move onto the dangerous waters – the incline bench press is better for your pectoral muscles than the flat bench. By far.
You see the main disadvantage of the flat bench is that it works your shoulders a lot. This is why I am not a fan of it. People think that the flat bench is all triceps and chest but they are wrong. The anterior deltoid muscles get worked quite hard and as such your pectorals get a lot of help. This is not good for muscles growth.
If you want to target your pectoral muscles you are much better off using an incline angle for your bench press. You are also better off using a pair of dumbbells instead of your barbell. Now I am really getting into controversial territory! As I mentioned in this post the dumbbell allows you to get a much better stretch and range of motion. These two things are vital for good muscle growth.
In summary, next time you want to target your pectoral muscles and remove as much shoulder work as possible try using an incline bench with some heavy dumbbells instead. Although the flat bench press has a huge role in effective strength training and muscle building, it is not the be all and end all of weight training exercises as many trainees would have you believe.
Read the other articles on this site to learn how to do the incline bench press and flat bench press with good lifting technique.
If you enjoyed this article, please like it on Facebook.
Related Posts
- Chest Exercises: How to Get a Bigger Chest
- A Few Techniques To Improve Your Bench Press
- How Much Can You Bench Press
- The Three Best Muscle Building Exercises
 |
Do you struggle to gain weight? Click here to get the complete guide for gaining weight and building muscle fast. |
|
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve heard the incline press is the key to getting those toned, flat pecs from the “Hollywood” look. Is it true that too much flat movements cause those boob like round bulky pecs? just wondering if you have any tips on working towards cut, toned pecs as opposed to getting huge mass-ed up man boobs, thanks!
if you goal is flat pecs then do any chest exercises, your goal is to just drop overall body fat levels
You need to keep in mind, that you should be doing both. You run the risk of injury if you fail to properly work and stretch all your other muscles. Think of it as a football or hockey team (or whatever floats your boat). One player isn’t going to take you to the superbowl, as much as you might hope. He can carry you for a while, but sooner or later things fall apart.
I agree, in that I like that incline press more for my pecs, but to hit all your chest you need to hit some shoulders, as well as triceps.
To minimize the work of your triceps, use cable crossovers.
http://www.beerbellyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/bent-over-cable-crossover.jpg
you can do the same crossover coming from the bottom up, and I’ve personally found this to work the best. The more intense and more reps the better. Keep your weight low and get a good pump on :D G
Reps is the key to toning, Weight is the key to mass.
Best of luck!
I used to do flat bench all the time, but my chest really didnt start poppin out till I did inclines, it was a whole different growth
I agree wholeheartedly regarding incline dumbell flys. Think of it this way: The basic function of the pecs is to draw the arm(s) across the body. If you’re not sure if that’s correct then picture what a bodybuilder does to achieve the best front chest pose: He brings his arms from the outside to in and squeezes!
Yes, varying your workout routine over time is essential , true, but I now consider incline db flys more important for pec work than flat bench presses.
You guys have to really think about what the person wants. If its a small person trying to gain overall mass than nuthing is better than compound exercises such as bench press, deadlifts, squats…etc but if your at youre goal weight than go for isolation types like incline press
I got a good chest like 44-45 inches on a pretty thin frame naturally. My only problem is i never got into inclines i was all butterfly, flat bench. Now ive been stuck at same weight. Its weird cuz my chest is huge and alot of smaller guys bench the same. Im not to mad though cuz now i cut and i got size. I definately dont think you need to do incline to get strong. Just you gotta avoid same workouts for chest every time