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View Full Version : Decline bench press?



Hunger for Glory
02-07-15, 11:21 pm
Seriusly, what's up with this move? Why anybody seems to know nothing about it? It's like the only bench nobody uses in my gym and I have hit it a couple times but I'm told not to cause it makes shit. Why should I use it and how? Thanks already

rainman
02-08-15, 8:25 am
Strangely, at my gym most of the guys prefer this to the flat bench. I think that ultimately it isolates the chest more by taking shoulders out of the equation and it also means you can shift more weight. When I have used it I have found my chest gets hit better, but I prefer the leg drive from flat benching as I train more like a powerlifter.

Swolepez
02-08-15, 10:47 am
Wasn't Dorian Yates very big on decline bench at one point?...I think it was after he had already stopped competing, I think he said it hit the chest better...

rainman
02-08-15, 11:41 am
From my experience it took a lot of the shoulders out of the movement, so there is a lot more emphasis on the chest directly which, from a bodybuilding perspective, makes it a more useful movement. Dorian Yates also cited preventing shoulder injuries for a move to decline if I remember correctly.
As my gym is a predominantly bodybuilding gym the decline bench is used a hell of a lot. When I have used it I have liked the movement. Unracking the weight feels strange at first, but I have felt stronger using it and got more of a chest pump out of it. I also like to use the decline bench for doing decline DB flyes occasionally as I find using flat or incline with these tend to beat up my old AC injury.

Cellardweller
02-08-15, 1:53 pm
Mostly it takes leg drive away. You also can't hump your ass off the bench like most guys do when going heavy. Really I think the benefit of decline bench is that it simulates getting a big arch on the flat bench. If you have a big arch your shoulders are rotated into a similar position as a decline bench. So for powerlifting there really is no carry over. Opinions may vary I guess.

SDR
02-24-15, 5:55 pm
I got love for the Decline press, it allowed me to press fairly heavy for me even with a shoulder issue, not to mention you get a nice overall chest pump.
Try it with a 5x5 with a triple drop on your last set.

johnt
02-24-15, 6:03 pm
From a powerlifting point of view, I personally, didn't see any benefit on a decline.
I know there are a lot of bodybuilding advocates that will praise the decline though.