About the incline bench press (head up). Bench press on an incline bench up at an angle

Inclined bench press - refers to the basic exercises that pumps primarily the pectoralis major muscle, front deltas, triceps and keeps a bunch of auxiliary muscles in tension. Other muscle groups that are under tension are also indirectly involved. The degrees of difficulty are directly related to the weight of the bar involved. Beginner athletes should limit themselves to using only the bar. Performing an incline bench press in the prone position, even without pancakes, requires proper adherence to technique. It is best to exercise under the strict guidance of a trainer or one of the experienced gym mates. This allows you to learn and consolidate the correctness of movements and easily move on to a more complex version of the exercise - using weights for the neck.

Exercise has the desired effect only when performed correctly. Each phase of the exercise requires careful attention.

To take the starting position, you must:

• set the bench at an angle of 30-45 degrees;
• sit on a bench, bring the shoulder blades together, and push your chest forward;
• keeping the deflection in the lumbar region, grab the barbell;
• hands on the neck are slightly wider than the shoulder girdle;
• the barbell is removed from the stand and held on straightened arms.

Motion

You need to move according to the following principle:

• inhaling air, the barbell is lowered almost to the upper part of the chest, if it is difficult to hold the bar at a short distance, you can touch the chest with a projectile;
• the bar is squeezed back (exhaling air) until the arms are fully extended, and then, after a short pause, lower again.

This movement should be brought to automatism.

Important Features

Correct execution implies that it is impossible:

1. Round the back or tear off the head with the shoulder girdle from the surface of the bench. If this is allowed, almost the entire load will fall on the shoulders.
2. Set the incline bench at an angle greater than 60 degrees. A change in slope leads to a shift in the load on the delta.
3. Excessive arching of the lumbar region. Otherwise, the back muscles will start to engage to make the lift easier.

You should immediately take into account these features of the exercise and avoid such deviations.

To master the correct execution technique, two important points should be considered:

1. The elbows must be kept strictly under the bar and separated from the body to reduce the load on the triceps.
2. Work with a partner when working with too much weight. Otherwise, there is a high chance of injury.

It is a variation of the exercise with a narrow setting of the hands. This type of bench press allows you to reduce the load on the chest and increase the impact on the front deltas and triceps.

Anatomy of exercise: what muscles work?

The incline bench press is a variation on the basic classic chest exercise. An atypical position allows you to redistribute the load and use the upper chest to a greater extent, which by nature is much less developed. Performing this exercise allows bodybuilders to give this muscle group more strength. Consequently, the bodybuilder can develop a more proportionate and sculpted chest shape. Inclined bench presses for strength sports are used as auxiliary and allow you to achieve better results.

The load falls on the following muscle groups:

• clavicular region of the large chest;
• anterior bundle - delta;
• small chest;
• three-headed;
• serrated front.

Preparing for execution

Any workout begins with a warm-up, and then proceed to the execution of a special block. To do a bench press, you need to properly prepare the muscles that are involved in the exercise - the shoulder rotators, which are the main engines.

Warm up these muscles allows special articular gymnastics. Make rotational movements with increasing amplitude. To prepare these muscles, the following actions are performed:

• lightweight approaches to the bench press on an incline bench in the prone position, that is, half of the working first set;
• classic push-ups from the floor surface with their own weight, but without weights.

In the pauses between sets, it is recommended to do stretching movements for the chest - pullovers, divorces with dumbbells. Thanks to these exercises, the muscles are liberated and the sets become much more effective in the next approach.

Instruction:

1. In the initial position, the bar is located above the collarbones. This makes it easier to lift the bar to the upper chest.
2. Raise and lower the projectile in one line, that is, exactly in the vertical direction.
3. The shoulder blades are brought together and constantly held in this position. The chest is kept forward during each phase of the movement.
4. The oblique version assumes a truncated amplitude. It is not recommended to touch the neck with the chest. Otherwise, there is a risk of injury, since the joints of the shoulders are sharply strained, which makes it difficult to make a powerful upward push with the barbell. Touching is acceptable when doing specialized shoulder mobility presses when using minimal weights.
5. The elbows are kept apart throughout the entire range of motion. They can be brought to the body. This position is also safe, which allows you to increase the degree of involvement of the triceps.
6. The forearms at the lowest point of the movement, when the projectile is located near the upper chest area, are kept parallel to each other. To achieve this, you need to experiment with the width of the grip. This will allow you to choose the best option. Usually, the grip allows you to achieve the correct position when the arms are about 10-15 centimeters wider than the shoulders.
7. Forced exhalation should be performed at the time of the bench press. Breathing is done when lowering the bar. Maintain this rhythm of breathing throughout the exercise. It is recommended to exhale at the most difficult difficult stage of the ascent. If you exhale air too early, the stability of the body will be compromised, which will reduce the power of the effort.
8. The negative phase, that is, the lowering of the projectile, should be twice as slow as the bench press.
9. At the extreme top point, you need to make a short pause. This allows you to improve the load on the chest, as well as improve the stability of the projectile.

Basic Mistakes

Too much slope at the bench

The smaller the angle, the lower the load on the target pectoral muscles. The optimal indicator is an inclination from the horizontal of 30 degrees, which helps to load the triceps. It is not always possible to adjust the position of the bench. If the possibilities are limited, it should be taken into account that the maximum allowable angle is 60 degrees. In a high tilt, the shoulder joints experience more stress, and the emphasis shifts to the deltoid muscle.

Leading the elbows out of the neck projection

They must be under the heading of the projectile. You can not move your elbows towards the legs or head.

Using the same weights as in the "horizontal" press

The positive-slope version assumes that the working weights are always taken less than in the classical version. This is due to the fact that the exercise involves an isolated effect on the chest, when the assisting muscles are practically unused.

Springy chest strikes

In this version of the bench press, such a technique is cheating. It makes it easier to lift the working weight, but is unsafe. Repulsing the bench press can cause injury.

The bend of the hands

Such a mistake leads to injury. To prevent this, strict control over the fixation of the palms on the neck allows. They should always be in line with the forearms.

Lowering the bar to the center of the chest

A strictly formed movement skill when performing a classic bench press usually leads to such a mistake. This option requires a change of direction to the clavicle area.

"Bear" grip

The correct execution technique involves the use of a locking overhand grip, when the thumb is opposite the others. This helps to make the exercise as safe as possible. The hands should be quite tense all the time. Otherwise, the power of the effort during the press will decrease.

How to get the maximum effect from the exercise?

Bench press on an incline bench in the prone position gives the maximum result when:

1. Before lifting the projectile, you should try to simply tighten the muscles of the chest, and then focus all your attention on this sensation and fix it in your memory.
2. Targeting the muscles of the chest. The main thing is not to allow imitation of the bridge, tearing off the lower back from the bench. There should be no gap between the support and the back. Otherwise, the work of the muscles will be greatly complicated. It is much easier to first perform the exercise on a bench if it has special footrests.

These two simple rules make this bench variation much more effective.

Contraindications

Exercise is not recommended for those who have problems with the shoulder joints. When the situation is not critical, the bar is changed to dumbbells, which reduce the load. They allow the shoulder joints to move more freely and adapt to the kinematic optimal trajectory of the projectiles.

If the athlete has a back injury, then he must control the deflection in the lumbar region. Following this recommendation allows you to perform this bench press variation, but, of course, with caution.

How to include exercise in the program?

This variation of the bench press belongs to the basic one and should be included in the training. Exercise is recommended to be done in the first half of the lesson. It is best done either as an alternative to or after the classic bench press. When it is performed as the main one, the number of repetitions is 6-12 repetitions for 2-4 sets. After heavy exercises, the weight load is reduced, one cycle is done with 12-15 repetitions.

The incline bench press is the most important exercise for upper and lower chest development. In this article, we will look at four options for the bench press - at angles of 30, 45 and 60 degrees (on the top of the pecs) and bench press with the head down (on the bottom).

Benefits of the inclined position

When you do a bench press on a horizontal bench, work:

• Large and small chest (middle part) - do the main work.
• Anterior bundles of deltoid muscles.
• Triceps.

We are specifically interested in breasts. It is believed that the usual classic bench press evenly pumps the entire chest. However, the main load during its implementation falls on its central part. If the top or bottom of the chest looks much smaller than we would like, various variations of the bench press at an angle come to the rescue.

When we move the body into an inclined position, the main working muscle groups do not change, but the load is distributed differently. We can purposefully force the upper or lower chest to work.

Redistribution of load depending on the angle:

• Pressing at a 30-degree angle works primarily on the middle part of the chest and a little on the upper part.
• 45 degrees transfer the load to the upper part, freeing the middle.
• 60 degrees already transfers the entire weight of the bar to the front deltoids and triceps, leaving some of the load at the very top of the pectoral muscles.
• Incline bench presses can also be performed upside down. This is a proven way to pump up the lower chest.

Thus, by varying the technique of the press, you can build the desired relief of the chest.

Bench press position in training

It is not recommended to use the barbell bench press on an incline bench as an independent exercise. It is better to do it after basic exercises, for example, after a classic bench press. In extreme cases, after push-ups on the uneven bars with weights.

First you need to give a heavy overall load, and only then you can start working on specific areas of the pectoral muscle.

The incline bench press is very useful for beginners to evenly develop the entire mass of the upper body.

Here are a few schemes, using which, you can reasonably load the entire area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe pectoral muscles.

First scheme

We perform the exercises in this order:

1. Do the classic bench press.
2. After it, we set an angle of 30 degrees and do an inclined bench press there in 3 sets and 10 repetitions.
3. Then we do 2 approaches with less weight, but already at an angle of 45 degrees.
4. After that, we finish killing our chest with a wiring on a horizontal bench.

Second scheme

This scheme is a superset for the pectoral muscles:

1. We did a bench press on a horizontal bench (the required number of approaches).
2. We put on an incline bench an angle of 30 degrees, sitting business approach of 10 repetitions with a heavy weight.
3. Then we take light dumbbells and instead of a break, we do wiring in 15 repetitions.
4. Again we do an inclined bench press, wiring. As a result, we must do this 3 times 10 times. This is a kind of superset on the chest, which allows you to load and pump it very well.
5. After completing it, we rest for a minute, during which we set an angle of 45 degrees on the bench. We press the barbell at this angle (if it’s hard, you can lighten the weight) as many times as at 30 degrees. We do the wiring in the same way. After three approaches, you can rest.

If you wish, you can repeat the superset if you have strength left.

And when to press upside down?

If you want to highlight your lower chest, then the incline bench press is ideal for this purpose.

As already mentioned, there is no point in doing such a bench press as an independent exercise. If you didn't do basics that day, then try to do at least 3 chest exercises.

For example:

1. First, press the barbell upside down.
2. Then the dumbbell press from the same position.
3. And finish everything by breeding dumbbells on a horizontal bench.

The first exercise is performed in 3-4 sets and 8 repetitions, the second - 10 times, and the third - also 10 times in two or three sets. Focus on your condition.

If you have enough strength, do 3-4 sets in each exercise. Between sets, a break of 60-90 seconds, between exercises - 90 seconds.

If you're working to failure on the bench, rest as much as you need. Just remember that too long a rest leads to a "cooling" of the muscles. And on a “cold” muscle, you can get a stretch.

Head down should be pressed in cases where the lower part of the chest is far behind. Usually bodybuilders use this exercise to perform effectively in competitions. For the rest, it is enough to do a horizontal bench press and a bench press on a bench with an upward slope.

And good advice: when you do the bench press with an incline, ask a partner or trainer to help you. You will need help with weight transfer. The bar is usually taken from the floor. In the position in which you will be, it will be quite difficult to take it. Especially if the barbell weighs 50 kg or more. Still, do not remove from the racks. Although some gyms are quite well equipped and allow you to comfortably do this kind of thing.

Execution technique

Finally, we have reached the most important. Now you know why to do the incline press, it's time to learn how to do it right!

As always, we all start with a warm-up. To begin with, an empty neck is suitable, you will need to do 10-15 repetitions at an average pace, but without throwing it sharply up and down.

1. Set the desired angle of the bench back. Sit on it so that the pelvis is pressed against the seat, and the back against the back. Spread your legs apart and rest your heels on the floor.
2. Leave a natural arch in the lower back. Bring the shoulder blades together, they should rest against the back. Put your head on the back, look at the top of the wall opposite you.
3. Grasp the bar with a direct grip wider than shoulders, focusing on the risks. On each of the neck marks (on the right and on the left), any finger of your hand should be located (usually the middle or ring finger, depending on the length of the athlete’s hands).
4. Remove the bar from the racks, bring it to its original position: it should be located above your collarbones.
5. Lower the bar to the top of your chest as you inhale. Without holding your breath, exhale and push the bar up. Control the movement at every stage! You don’t need to throw the barbell on your chest, just as you don’t need to push it up uncontrollably.

When you have done the desired number of warm-up reps, put the bar back, hang up the working weight and do 3 sets of 8 reps.

Important Points

Before you start training, pay attention to a number of important points.

Insurance

It is more difficult to remove the barbell with an incline press than with a classic one. Therefore, you will need an assistant. Ask someone to help you remove the barbell. While you are doing the exercise, have the person stand next to you. Putting the barbell back is no less difficult, so you will need help here.

When you work with 60-75% of your maximum weight, you can do it all yourself. Failure approaches require insurance.

pivot points

During the exercise, you lean on the buttocks, back and legs. Usually beginners tear the pelvis off the bench. With the incline bench press, this is even more dangerous than with the classic one, since the weight presses on you in the vertical plane (albeit slightly).

Do not tear your pelvis off the bench!

An attempt to make a bridge

When you try to get into a bridge in such a press, all the sense of 45 or 30 degrees is lost. Due to your bridge, you reset this angle. So you don’t need to bend, a natural deflection in the lower back is enough.

Bench press in the simulator

The trainer can give you a bench press in Smith after the classic. This is normal and allows you to pump the upper chest in isolation. Everything is done here in exactly the same way as when working with a free barbell. Only the task is made easier - the neck is fixed and moves strictly in a vertical plane.

It is best, of course, to work with free weights. Let other muscles join in to stabilize the position of the barbell.

What to do for shoulder pain

If your back deltoids hurt, it won't affect the incline press. If the middle or front - everything is much more complicated.

Decide by experimenting with light weights at what angle you are comfortable to press. If pain haunts you in absolutely any bench press, you will have to exclude these exercises for a month or two.

If, for example, at an angle of 45 degrees you do not feel pain, you can work. But those exercises in which you feel discomfort should be excluded.

Before the exercise, warm up well, use special ointments. Listen carefully to your body. If there is pain somewhere, stop exercising immediately! In a warm state, the athlete may not immediately understand that a sprain has occurred. This will manifest itself after training, when the muscles have cooled down.

It may not hurt you to do a bench press with your head down. The shoulders in it are not as strongly involved as the triceps and chest.

How often to do incline presses

If you divide chest exercises into 2-3 days, then you can do different variations of bench presses 3 times a week.

For example, a bench press at an angle of 30 degrees in the first workout, after it, a dumbbell bench press at 45 degrees.

On the second workout, after push-ups on the uneven bars, you can do an incline bench press while sitting at 45 degrees and finish with the same layout.

If you alternate light and heavy workouts, you should do the same, but with actual weights. For example, if today is an easy workout, the weights should be less than your failure.

Since my articles about exercises are mainly devoted not to their simple description, which is not lacking on the Internet, but to technical nuances and attempts to classify them, justify them theoretically and practically, then another exercise that I have something to say about is bench press with a wide grip, on an inclined bench (head up) at an angle of 20-40 *.
In principle, the incline press engages the same muscles as the horizontal press, but shifts the load from the lower-middle to the mid-upper pecs and frontal deltoid muscles, which are harder and more fully engaged. Triceps works to the fullest in both horizontal and incline bench presses - there is simply nowhere for it to go.


The “trick” is that often the horizontal and inclined bench press are perceived “separated by commas”, as something very similar both in execution and in meaning - as if the difference is only in the emphasis on the upper chest, but in fact, in the execution technique and I mean, there's a huge gap between these exercises.

So, if the horizontal bench press is a general strength exercise (unless it's a fitness bench, described in my article "three hypostases of the bench press or how I searched for the truth"), and not only for the development of the shoulder girdle and chest (but mainly for their development, of course), the situation is somewhat different with the incline bench press.
The incline press is an exercise specifically for the front parts of the deltas, chest, and triceps, and nothing more. Neither the general tension of the muscles of the whole body, nor the legs, nor the lats can “help” these muscles in lifting the barbell here - no bridge or other “cheating” will work here, as well as options for the trajectory of lifting the barbell, as in the horizontal press, there are no .


Those. the weight is lifted solely by the strength of the muscles of the agonists of this multi-joint movement - the chest, deltas, and triceps (or we can say that they are all equal synergists in this movement), without options, along a vertical trajectory with the elbows spread apart (the elbows are always under the bar, which falls on the top of the chest) is the correct technique for performing this exercise.
And real progress in this exercise begins when a tangible “track” appears in the lifting trajectory, corresponding to balance, balance, and the most rational lifting of the bar (it is very convenient and effective to do it in a Smith machine, where this track is provided by the simulator itself).

Therefore, even the most “original” ones that declare that the classic bench press is useless for chest development precisely because of its general strength character, they hardly have anything against the incline press.

Thus, the incline press is a technically simpler exercise, more isolating, and it develops the chest, deltas, and triceps to the maximum.

Very often, amateurs who are primarily concerned with the result in the horizontal bench press, with solid working weights and the total mass of the pectoral muscles, have an underdevelopment of its upper part.
Meanwhile, by focusing the load on the upper chest and front deltas with an inclined bench press, it is possible, due to their additional strengthening, to increase the overall power potential in the bench press, and, as a result, the result in the horizontal bench press will increase.
And also, doing incline bench presses on a consistent progressive basis can't have a positive effect on standing/sitting press results.

This is not about doing incline presses after horizontal ones, in one workout, as is done everywhere, but about replacing horizontal presses with inclined ones, in separate workouts (for example, alternating from workout to workout, incline and horizontal presses as the main chest exercise), and, accordingly, the perception of incline presses not as an addition to the horizontal one, but as an independent full-fledged exercise. Where progress is just as important, as in the bench press, bench press, and squat for example, is about the correct approach to the incline bench press for advanced lifters who are concerned with both chest development and maximum bench press performance (and who isn't). ...).

For fans who are not concerned with strength indicators in traditional exercises such as bench press and standing, but who think only about strength in principle, regardless of specific exercises, and the development of muscle shapes and volumes, the inclined press can generally become an alternative exercise for the chest (for example, replacing the classic tandem exercises for the chest and shoulder girdle as part of the “general” workouts - horizontal bench press + standing press, for an alternative - inclined bench press at an angle of 30 * + “pulling” the bar to the chin while standing or laying dumbbells to the sides while standing).

The case when the incline press may even be preferable to the horizontal press - the so-called. super-abbreviated “general” workouts, in which shoulder presses (standing / sitting) may not be performed at all, and all efforts are focused on building up results, for example, in only three exercises: bench press, some sort of back row (pull-up or bent-over row) and squat.

Also, an incline bench press at an angle of 20-30 * instead of a horizontal one can be recommended for beginners for the first few months of training, as a more comfortable and technically simple exercise. At the same time, it perfectly develops the muscles that work in the horizontal bench press, which will then facilitate the process of mastering the horizontal bench press - with the muscles already prepared and trained to some extent.

N.B. Sometimes beginners are advised to do the bench press (no matter incline, horizontal) in the Smith machine for the first time, as a simpler and more comfortable exercise. In my opinion, this is completely inappropriate if in the future it is supposed to do a bench press with a free barbell - the coordination skill for creating and maintaining a lifting trajectory must be developed from the very beginning so that in the future there will be no problems when switching to a regular barbell.
Therefore, if you plan to work with a free bar in a horizontal bench press, then I recommend starting with an inclined one, of course, only with a free bar - this is a technically simpler exercise that perfectly develops strength and coordination for the subsequent development of a horizontal bench press.
About the difference and expediency of free weights and power simulators in principle, I wrote in the article “strength machines & free weights – which is better?”.

Conclusion:

In amateur weight training, a lot of unnecessary and unnecessary exercises are often used for absolutely nothing, a simple amateur. The bench press on an incline bench certainly does not apply to them, at the same time, oddly enough, it is often unreasonably ignored, or perceived as an “appendage” to the horizontal bench press - it is performed after it in one workout, when either there is no strength, or even can be harmful (lead to overtraining).
With this article, I tried to emphasize the usefulness and need for amateur training, the bench press on an incline bench. As always, I do not pretend to be the ultimate truth and the completeness of the information provided.

Video Inclined bench press for girls

Analysis of the exercise

Anatomy of exercise: what muscles work?

The incline bench press is a variation of the classic basic exercise for the development of the pectoral muscles. The use of an atypical position in this case allows you to distribute the load on the participating muscles in a new way and focus attention on the upper chest segment, which is fundamentally weak by nature. This advantage is used by bodybuilders to give the pectoral muscles a proportional shape and a clear relief. In the strength disciplines, incline presses are used as an auxiliary exercise to increase performance in the basic movement.

The workload in the context of muscle is distributed as follows:

Preparing for execution

Without focusing on the main part of the warm-up (conducting a light cardio session), we will immediately move on to a specialized block. "Introduction" to the presses involves preparing for the work of the participating muscles and the main movers - the shoulder rotators.

Additionally, inter-set pauses can be “filled in” with stretching movements for the chest, for example, pullovers or dumbbell breeding - this will not only allow you to liberate the muscles, but also work more efficiently in the next set.

Proper execution

Mistakes

The “sharper” the angle, the less load goes to the target pectoral muscles. An inclination of 30 degrees from the horizontal is considered optimal, which allows you to turn off the triceps as much as possible. If the possibilities for adjusting the bench in your gym are limited, then adjusting to the specifics of the equipment, keep in mind that the “boundary” value of the bench angle should not exceed 60 degrees. With a high inclination, the shoulder joints experience strong tension, and the training emphasis moves to the deltoid muscle.

When performing the bench press, the elbows should be strictly under the bar of the bar, and not aim in the direction of the head or legs.

The working weights in the positive-inclined version of the bench press are always objectively smaller than in the classic exercise. This is due to the fact that the effect on the chest is more isolated, that is, assisting muscles are less involved in the movement.

This technique in this exercise is a kind of cheating that makes it easier to overcome the weight, but by no means "harmless" - the bench press in rebounding can cause chest injury.

If such a mistake is made, it is easy to injure the brushes. To prevent this, it is necessary to hold the hand fixedly in line with the forearm.

Often the reason for making this mistake is the motor skill formed in the classic bench press. Meanwhile, in this version of the bench press, the rules change: the bar should “go” to the collarbone area.

The incline bench press involves the use of an upper lock grip, in which the thumb “lays down” on the bar opposite the rest - this increases safety during the exercise. In addition, this grip option does not allow for relaxation of the hands and a decrease in the power of the pressing effort.

Exercise Efficiency

Contraindications

Inclusion in the program

As an exercise of a basic nature, the bench press at an angle is the "backbone" of the training program and is performed in the first part of the session. It can be placed immediately after the sets of the classic bench press or as an alternative.

If the barbell press on an incline bench is highlighted as the main exercise of the "chest" training, it should be performed in the mode for 6-12 repetitions with a total volume of sets - from 2 to 4 (we are talking about bodybuilding training programs). In the event that the incline press is preceded by other heavy exercises, it is recommended to reduce the weight load and switch to the "pump" mode with 12-15 repetitions per set.

Hello friends! Today we’ll talk about dumbbell bench presses on an incline bench, as well as barbell presses and various variations of incline bench presses. I think the information will be useful to you.

As I said, the blog is back on track.

I already miss the practical articles about bodybuilding. This time, I have prepared something interesting for you.

Why Incline Bench Press?

As I said, very often athletes prefer the horizontal bench press over the incline bench press. But in vain.

Now I will explain why.

During the performance of each basic exercise, as a rule, several muscles or even muscle groups work.

For example, when we press a barbell or dumbbells lying down, then to one degree or another we are included in the work:

• Breast.
• Delta.
• Triceps.
• Back.
• Trapezoidal.

I pointed out the back not by chance, it is included in the work in the NEGATIVE PHASE (when the barbell or dumbbells go down).

Deltas (shoulders) and triceps are the SYNERGISTS of our chest.

Synergists- these are muscles that perform unidirectional work (the same contractile function) in various exercises, i.e., in other words, HELP each other.

The chest pushes the arms forward, as a result of its contraction and the triceps, pushes the projectile forward. If it's really rude.

I wrote a detailed article about . From it it is clear that the deltoid is unique in that it is divided into three beams.

1. The front delta performs a PUSHING function.
2. The rear delta performs a PULLING function.
3. And the middle delta is unique in that it is HYBRID (push and pull).

Those. we are seeing another synergist: FRONT DELTA.

Now it becomes clear that when we press the projectile on the bench, not only the chest works, the triceps + front delta also work.

Roughly speaking, they steal the load from the target muscle (the muscle we want to pump).

What to do? Make sure that the involvement of synergists in the work is minimal!

How to achieve this? TECHNIQUE + BODY POSITION!

Which bench angle to use?

• The HIGHER the bench angle is HIGHER = Triceps work LESS.
• Than the bench angle is HIGHER = Delta works HIGHER.

Those. we need to find the perfect fit.

Obviously, we cannot raise the corner of the bench as much as possible, because. then the deltas will turn on as much as possible and steal a significant part of the load (the chest will almost turn off).

It is clear that we cannot lower the bench completely, because. in this case, the triceps will feel great and steal the load.

You need to do it as follows.

Raise the bench angle by 20-30 degrees!

Exactly so, because in this way we include the chest in the work (the classic horizontal press does not concentrate the load on the chest so well + synergists work actively).

Raising the bench a little from the horizontal, we practically exclude the triceps from the work, but we also do not allow the deltas to turn on.

Conclusion: The angle of the bench should be in the range of 20-30 degrees.

Why is the horizontal bench press not so good for chest growth?

I think you already understood this from the above.

When performing a barbell or dumbbell bench press on a horizontal bench, the triceps and anterior delta are ACTIVELY involved in the work, which does not allow you to focus on the pectoral muscles as much as possible.

Plus, on a horizontal bench, as a rule, during the bench press, the so-called. BRIDGE in the back. The body tries to flex more to spread the load over more muscles (so no muscle gets overstressed).

Another argument against this is one famous experiment by Bret Conteras in the field of electromyography.

What is this experiment?

Bret Conteras has long studied the electrical activity in muscles at the time of their contraction in a variety of exercises.

Here's what happened in terms of chest engagement (from top to bottom, from BEST to least effective):

Top of chest

1. Incline dumbbell bench press.
2. Bench press with a wide grip in the style of "guillotine" (we lower the neck to the throat).
3. Bench press lying on the floor.
4. Crossover with medium rollers.
5. Angled Dumbbell Raise and Angled Bench Press.

The middle part of the chest

1. Wiring dumbbells lying on a horizontal bench.
2. Dumbbell bench press lying on a horizontal bench.
3. Incline bench press.

Lower chest muscles

1. Bench press with a wide grip in the style of "guillotine".
2. Wiring dumbbells lying on a horizontal bench
3. Push-ups on bars with weights
4. Crossover off the high block.

Marvelous? Still would.

These are not my assumptions, friends, and not even my personal experiments and feelings - this is science in its purest form.

What are the implications of all of the above?

• The bench press to the neck (in the style of "guillotine") loads the pectoral muscles much better than the classic bench press (when the bar is lowered at the level of the nipples). Even more amazing is that excellent muscle activation is observed FOR ALL PARTS OF THE BREAST! Bret did this exercise with the Vince Gironde technique: legs up on the bench (remove the bridge), wide grip, barbell down to the neck, big stretch.
• The classic bench press on a horizontal bench turned out to be practically the MOST USELESS EXERCISE for chest training. It, of course, can be used to train the lower chest, but not particularly advisable, because. Dumbbell fly-ups, guillotine-style barbell presses, crossovers will work better. The only caveat is that Bret was doing a barbell press on a horizontal bench in a lift technique (with a bridge and footwork). I still, if I can’t find an incline bench, then I do a press, throwing my legs on the bench and remove the bridge, thereby focusing on muscle feeling.
• The incline bench press is not an upper chest exercise! It perfectly loads the MIDDLE PART of the chest. For me it was clear for a long time, because. I focused on my feelings.

The body is NOT FAVORABLE to grow muscle because of their energy consumption, so it tries to prevent muscle growth, and one of these ways is to DISTRIBUTE the load among as many muscles as possible.

The bench press lying on a horizontal bench is, after all, more of a powerlifting and weightlifting exercise aimed at developing maximum STRENGTH indicators, but this is not our task.

For us, the progression of loads is important, but the muscular feeling is more important so that the load hits the target exactly. We must make our muscles HARDER in order to simulate a situation for the body, FAVORABLE GROWTH!

Training ==> Stress ==> Production of stress hormones and growth factors ==> Recovery of previous energy resources and motor units (muscle cells) ==> (muscle growth)

The body understands: “Yeah, the load was big, it’s much more profitable to avoid such stress in the future in order to reduce the threat to life and build up a little more muscle than it was for this.” Direct benefit, friends.

The body does not do what is not beneficial to it.

Honestly, I never do bench presses at all, and my chest has not lost volume from this.

I already talked about this in the article,.

Incline bench press. Technique

As I said, you can achieve maximum concentration of the load on the muscles of the chest in the following ways:

1. Body position.
2. Technique.

About the position of the body, I think it's understandable. It is necessary to slightly raise the angle of the bench to 20-30 degrees, so that the load falls mainly on the chest. We exclude triceps and anterior delta from work, thereby.

Hand position:

• The WIDER your hands hold the bar (if you press the barbell) = The stronger the stretch and the more chest turns on, BUT the smaller the range of motion.
• The hands ALREADY hold the bar = The weaker the stretch, More tricep engagement, Greater range of motion.

Solution: I suggest placing the hands MEDIUM (not too wide and not too close, roughly on the edges of the notches on the neck). So, to increase the range of motion, maintain stretch and reduce the work of the triceps.

Movement speed:

• We lift the projectile quickly = glycolytic fast muscle fibers (BMW) and high-threshold fast muscle fibers (HBMW) work if the weight is critically large (we can lift it 1-2 times).
• We raise the projectile slowly = oxidative slow muscle fibers (MMF) are included in the work.

Solution: For beginners, I advise a slightly slower lowering of the projectile, concentrating on sensations, and a relatively fast rise of the projectile (without breaking the technique). Don't focus on speed, focus on how you feel.

Leg position:

• The legs are LOWER = More likely to bridge, which will reduce the work of the chest (remember the electromyography?).
• The higher the legs = The easier it is to remove the bridge and focus on the work of the chest.

Solution: I advise you to throw your legs, say, on the row of dumbbells in front of you (I often do this when I press dumbbells), or on a bench. So we will remove the deflection in the back (bridge) and focus on the work of the chest.

Where to drop the bar:

As you already understood, if we lower the bar to the neck (in the “guillotine” style), then this way we load the pectoral muscles more (all parts of the chest work). Therefore, I see no point in lowering to the nipples if your goal is large, beautiful breasts.

Solution: We lower the bar closer to the neck (if we press on a horizontal bench), and between the neck and nipples, if we press on an inclined one.

Breath:

Everything is simple here. We lower the projectile = take a breath. Raise the projectile = EXHAUST!

Try not to hold your breath. This increases intraocular and blood pressure.

Well, do not forget, friends, FOCUS ON FEELINGS!!! This is first of all. Your body will tell you what is best for you.

Let's talk about my MOST FAVORITE exercise for developing chest muscles.

Yes, indeed, this is my favorite exercise for developing pectoral muscles.

Firstly, this is the best exercise in terms of engaging the pectoral muscles in the work according to the results of Bret's experiments with electromyography.

Secondly, here are some more reasons:

1. Because we don’t have a partition (neck) between the shells, then we can lower the dumbbells lower, which means we can increase the amplitude of movement, thereby complicating our work.
2. We can deploy (supinate) the dumbbells at the points of peak contraction in order to better feel the muscles. This is an important point, because allows the load to hit the target exactly.
3. If there is not enough strength to complete one more repetition, then we can not be afraid that the projectile will crush us. We can just throw them on the sides of ourselves, thereby not harming ourselves.

There are some inconveniences when using dumbbells:

1. There comes a time when it becomes inconvenient to progress the load. For example, you are already confidently pressing dumbbells of 40 kg for 12 times (and this is already quite a lot of weight), and you want to lift the working weight. Most likely, you will not find 41.25 kg or 42.5 kg dumbbells in the gym, but you will see only 45 kg shells. And increasing the working weight by 5 kg per side (total weight 10 kg) is usually too much, unless, of course, you use pharmacology.
2. The technique must be more meticulously honed, otherwise the risk of injury is high. One awkward movement with a fairly heavy dumbbell and you can get very unpleasant injuries (elbows or shoulders, ligaments and tendons). These injuries may prevent you from training normally in the future.

How to do dumbbell incline bench press? It's very simple, friends.

DO NOT just take dumbbells and throw them up with a swing. I have seen it so many times. This easily leads to torn ligaments and tendons in the area of ​​the shoulder and elbow joints.

1. Throwing dumbbells do so. We take two dumbbells, rest them on our upper thighs (above the knees), sit on the bench. Further, as it were, we throw one dumbbell with our knee, at the same time lying down on the bench, by inertia, working with the second knee, throwing the second dumbbell. We firmly hold the dumbbells, squeeze up. This is the STARTING POSITION.
2. Relatively slowly we lower the dumbbells down to the point of MAXIMUM STRETCH, we feel how our chest is stretched (we lower it into the area between the nipples and the neck).
3. Focusing on the sensations of the chest, we press the dumbbells up with a little more speed, KEEPING TENSION IN THE CHEST throughout the lift.
4. At the top point, we slightly supinate (turn) the hands with dumbbells inward, additionally making a PEAK BREAST REDUCTION (we just additionally strain the chest).
5. It was one repeat.

I love starting my chest workout with this exercise. The chest is filled with blood, burns, swells. Great feeling!

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