In order to rip the full benefits
of the flat bench press you need to have a certain body type.
Therefore, the superior performance
of the flat bench press over the incline bench press for the sternocostal head is probably because there is a greater horizontal shoulder adduction moment in the flat and decline variations, but a larger shoulder flexion moment in the incline variations.
Not exact matches
After all, this
bench press version was invented for the purpose
of placing a more intense focus on stimulating the chest fibers that the
flat and incline versions can't hit that well.
Even though the
flat bench barbell
press is one
of the «Big Three» in powerlifting along with the deadlift and the squat, and even though it is tremendously efficient it is not the be-all and end - all
of pressing.
To recruit the pectoralis minor more, opt for parallel bar dips and decline
bench presses, the latter
of which produce superior results for lower pecs hypertrophy when compared to using a
flat bench.
The close - grip incline
bench press is another compound classic that will allow you to work tri's with a greater range
of motion compared to a close - grip
flat bench press.
An Australian study published in the Journal
of Strength and Conditioning Research showed that when weight - trained subjects performed incline
bench presses, the muscle activity
of their upper pecs was only around 5 % greater than the upper pec activity during a
flat bench press, which is kind
of a shocking discovery considering the status that the incline
bench press has enjoyed up until now.
The dumbbell
bench press can be performed either
flat, on an incline, or even on a decline for that matter, and it is one
of the most effective chest exercises there is.
Anterior (front) head
of the shoulder is used in pushing movements and gets heavily worked when you do incline and
flat bench presses.
Also, look for a way to emphasize the long head by placing your arms in a more overhead position during other exercises — for example, when performing skullcrushers or close - grip
bench presses, opt for an incline
bench instead
of a
flat one.
Start your giant set with dips, using the highest weight possible that allows you to perform 5 - 8 reps.. Then, grab a pair
of dumbbells that are preferably about 30 %
of the load you would use on dumbbell
bench presses for 10 reps. Lie down on a
flat bench and perform these movements in a consecutive order without taking any rest:
This is an exercise that aims to put a lot
of muscle mass on your body, which means that it has priority over
flat barbell
bench presses.
This is the probably most worked part
of the chest with the
flat bench press.
I rotate incline DB
bench,
flat DB
bench, and DB floor
press using rep schemes
of 2 × 20, 3 × 15, and 4 × 10 every two weeks.
The most well - known
of the
presses that target the pectoral region is the
flat bench press with the barbell.
EMG studies reveal that the front deltoids receive the same stimulation as the pectoralis major
of the chest during the
flat bench press.
As the incline goes from -45 degrees (a decline flye), to 0 degrees (the
flat bench flye), to 45 degrees (an incline flye), to 90 degrees (the military, or shoulder
press), the primary muscles being worked progresses from the sternal region
of the pectoralis major, to the clavicular region
of the pectoralis major, to the deltoids (shoulders).
This is why research shows that certain exercises, like the
flat and decline
bench press, emphasize the main (large) portion
of the chest muscle, whereas others, like the incline and reverse - grip
bench press, emphasize the smaller upper portion.
The execution
of the incline
bench press is similar to the
flat bench press.
Well, here's a bit
of bad news... that
flat barbell
bench press you've been doing is NOT the best exercise for building a great chest.
Now, if you've read any
of my articles where I talk about the Dumbell
Bench Press, you know I'm a BIG fan of doing the exercise on the Swiss ball rather than on an actual flat b
Bench Press, you know I'm a BIG fan
of doing the exercise on the Swiss ball rather than on an actual
flat benchbench.
The Incline
Bench Press is one of the best variations of a flat b
Bench Press is one
of the best variations
of a
flat benchbench.
Each
bench press type targets a different area
of the chest, though it is possible to achieve full chest development using only the
flat bench press.
Flat Bench Press — 3 Set
Of Min 10, Max 15 reps 2.
The machine chest
press can be done with different kinds
of equipment: lying on a
flat bench, an incline
bench or seated with a straight back.
Pec - deck fly (butterfly
press) has an effect similar to that
of the
flat bench dumbbell fly.
Flat Bench Press The
Bench Press is the core upper body routine at the center
of most workouts.
Start with the
flat bench and do one set
of the barbell
bench press with a close grip until you reach failure at about 8 - 12 reps.
Swap incline
bench press for overhead
press (if you do this, I would recommend doing 3 × 8 - 10 instead
of 3 × 5 since you're already going heavy on
flat bench right before this)
These types
of exercises include the
bench press (
flat, incline and decline), squats (and other squat variations), deadlifts (and other deadlift variations), rows (bent over barbell / dumbbell rows, t - bar rows, seated chest supported rows, etc.), pull - ups, dips, and overhead
presses.
On the other hand, performing a
flat bench pressing movement to the NECK area actually forces your UPPER and INTERIOR, as well as EXTERIOR regions
of your chest to pull together like never before in a team effort to REALLY pack on the mass!
right now my every other day routine consists
of individual bicep curls 3 sets
of 5, back rows (currently increased weight and at 3 sets
of 10), Arnold
press one side at a time (the one for the shoulders) and
flat bench press with each set increasing incline to target different sections
of the pectoral mucles which right now it's 1 set
of 10, 1 set
of 8, and 3rd set
of 7 to 8 on
bench
After the
flat bench press, dumbbell flyes are one
of the best chest exercises for overall pectoral development.
But a better way to get all 3 areas
of your chest is to do a regular 4 - to - 6 sets
of 4 - to - 12 reps workout doing middle chest compound exercises like dips and
flat barbell or dumbbell
bench presses (which basically works your entire chest anyway) followed by you doing chest isolation exercises for your upper and lower chest - for example...
What makes the power rack ideal, is that with a decent set
of weights and a
flat / incline
bench, you can perform almost all the major, heavy duty lifts like the
bench press, dead lifts, squats, jerk /
press etc...
This is a similar range
of motion to the standard
flat -
bench press, except you are in a seated position.
For years, I was stuck a maximum
of 300 pounds on the
flat bench press.
In one study, 41 people were randomized to receive either 8 grams
of citrulline malate or a placebo one hour before performing as many repetitions as possible on a
flat barbell
bench press (11).
Ed would superset
flat dumbbell
bench presses with
flat dumbbell flyes for 4 sets
of 8 to 10 reps per exercise.
«You could go in and do two sets each
of incline dumbbell
press,
flat bench, chinups, rows, front squats, and RDLs,» says Ferruggia.
The
flat bench press is a fundamental exercise that deserves a place at the core
of every weight lifter's chest workout.
At one point my standard chest workout included 4 sets
of 225 lbs on the
flat bench press and I wasn't working by back AT ALL.
Several studies have compared the barbell
bench press to isolation exercises, including the pec deck,
flat dumbbell fly and the bent forward cable fly (Welsch et al., 2005; Schanke, 2012; Rocha - Junior et al. 2007) and most
of these have found no differences in pectoralis major muscle activity between exercises.
The
flat and decline variations
of the
bench press appear best for developing the sternocostal head
of the pectoralis major.
Comparing four different angles
of the
bench used during the narrow grip
bench press, Barnett et al. (1995) found a main difference in triceps brachii muscle activity between -18 degrees and 0 (
flat) compared with 40 and 90 degrees.
Thus it appears that the decline and
flat bench press angles are superior to angles above 40 degrees and the
flat bench press may be optimal, which is in line with the findings
of Landin & Thompson (2010) noted above.
Barnett et al. (1994) compared the barbell
bench press at a number
of bench press angles including 18 degrees below horizontal (decline),
flat, 40 degrees incline and vertical shoulder
pressing.
The incline barbell
bench press is identical to
bench press, described earlier, except that you lie on an incline
bench instead
of a
flat one.
The
flat bench dumbbell
press requires more involvement
of the stabilizer muscles to balance and control the dumbbells, so you will probably need to use less weight.
FIRST incline
press using thick bar 1 x 8 - 10 incline dumbbell flye 1 x 15 - 20 incline
press using thick bar 1 x 8 - 10 dumbbell
bench press 1 x 8 - 10
flat bench dumbbell flye 1 x 15 - 20 dumbbell
bench press 1 x 8 - 10 front pulldown or chin 1 x 8 - 10 stiff - arm pulldown 1 x 15 - 20 front pulldown or chin 1 x 8 - 10 one dumbbell pullover drop set
of 3 x 8 close - grip
bench press 1 x 8 - 10 pushdown with rope handle 1 x 15 - 20 close - grip
bench press 1 x 8 - 10 seated overhead (one - arm) extension drop set 3 x 8 incline or hanging kneeups 1 x 8 - 10 ab -
bench crunch 1 x 15 - 20 incline or hanging kneeups 1 x 8 - 10 SECOND [2] dumbbell upright row 1 x 8 - 10 standing forward - lean lateral raise 1 x 15 - 20 [2] dumbbell upright row 1 x 8 - 10 dumbbell (two - arm)
press drop set 3 x 8 incline one - arm dumbbell lateral 1 x 8 bent - over dumbbell lateral drop set 3 x 8 dumbbell (two - arm) row on high
bench 1 x 8 - 10 seated bent - arm bent - over dumbbell lateral 1 x 15 - 20 dumbbell (two - arm) row on high
bench 1 x 8 - 10 one - arm dumbbell row 1 x 8 - 10 barbell shrug [wrist straps or hooks are fine] 1 x 15 - 20 standing dumbbell curl w arm - blaster 1 x 8 - 10 spider curl with E-Z curl bar 1 x 15 - 20 cable curl with straight bar 1 x 8 - 10 incline (two - arm) curl drop set 3 x 8 incline (two - arm) hammer curl drop set 3 x 8 rotator cuff with ShoulderHorn and dumbbells 1 x 8 - 10 hang from chinning bar'til failure THIRD front squat 1 x 6 - 8 leg extension 1 x 15 - 20 front squat 1 x 6 - 8 sissy squat 1 x 8 - 10 supine leg curl 1 x 15 - 20 leg
press on angled leg
press 1 x 8 - 10 stiff - legged deadlift 1 x 8 - 10 immediately followed by back extension 1 x 30 - 50 (no weight) 5 minute rest leg
press calf raise 1 x 20 leg
press calf raise 1 x 15 standing calf raise 1 x 12 - 15 seated calf raise 1 x 12 - 15 D.A.R.D raise 1 x 8 - 10 4 - way neck work with towel — 1 15 - second rep for each
of the 4 ways TIPS for using this program in your weight lifting routines: