Effective weight training requires you to exercise muscles from different angles to constantly reach new muscle fibers, promote growth and increase strength. The incline bench press, as opposed to the decline or flat bench press, gives you several options.
Performance
Lean back on an incline bench at about 30 to 45 degrees, head on the bench. Your feet should be flat on the floor and low back flat against the bench. At the start of the lift, arch your back slightly and grab the bar with your hands just slightly wider apart than shoulder width. Relax and get comfortable with the weight and balance of the bar at arms' length as you bring it directly above your head.
In a controlled movement, bring the bar down to a point high on your chest below your chin, pause, then press it back as you exhale. Don't touch your chest on the way down, nor lockout between reps. Keep your wrists straight, your elbows under your wrists and your arms tucked at a 45-degree angle to your body.
Incline Dumbbell Flyes
When you choose single-arm over double-armed exercises, you increase the work load. Start with less than half your barbell weight in each hand. Sit with the dumbbells on your knees, and as you lean back, "kick" the dumbbell up with your knee to shoulder position, grip facing forward. It's good to have a spotter under your elbows on this lift to assist.
With a slight arc, hands always facing forward, bring the dumbbells above your head, close together at full arms' length. Lower in the same fashion, beginning the next rep before you bottom out. This lift increases strength and develops balance and coordination.
Machine Inclines
Weight machines lock you into a movement. The good side is that it's difficult to lift improperly; the bad side is that once you reach your maximum (12 to 16 weeks), you have no more adjustments to make, according to "Science and Practice of Strength Training." The Smith machine locks you into a track for lifting, but you can adjust the bench between 30 and 45 degrees.
Low Inclines
Advanced weight training routines use a variety of techniques to "shock" the muscles into response. Sometimes this is accomplished with partial reps--just the top or bottom portion of the lift. If you're using a barbell, you can adjust the width of your grip. The more narrow the grip, the more deltoid and triceps involvement you get.
An advanced training technique involves using dumbbells on a low--20 to 30 degree--incline. Lift upward over the top of your chest, and as you bring the weights down, supinate the thumbs toward each other. Lift slow, lift heavy. This technique is for intermediate and advanced trainers.
Chest Training
The chest is a large area that needs to be worked with inclines for the top portion, flat bench for overall strength and development, and declines for the lower portion. Both men and women want to develop all portions. A developed chest adds width to the upper body and the illusion of a smaller waist. For women, chest development helps support the breasts. A woman never wants to overdefine the square pectorals so they contrast with the roundness of breasts.
Your chest training should include at least one exercise for incline, flat and decline per week. Men should increase intensity on this muscle group, while women should work it less and with narrower grips to help define the triceps on the back of their arms.
References
- Incline Performance
- "Science and Practice of Strength Training", Valdimir Zatsiorsky, William Kraemer, 2006.
- Low Inclines
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