Incline Bench Presses To Improve A Flat Bench

The incline bench press is an exceptional exercise for assisting your progress on the flat bench press. Not only does it provide variety in your training, it can be used as a secondary assistance exercise to get in additional training volume and further work and develop the muscles used in the bench press. Please consult your physician before beginning any diet or exercise program.

Mechanics of the Incline Bench Press

While the incline bench is similar to the flat bench in many respects, the main and obvious difference between the two is the angle of your torso. This has some fairly significant effects on your training. The most obvious is due to the difference in leverage; you cannot lift as much weight. And contrary to a common myth, the clavicular head of the pectoralis major, often called the 'upper pec' is no more active in the incline press than in the flat bench press, at least according to research from Chris Barnett of the University of Queensland.

The Effects of the Incline

According to Barnett and his colleagues, the major differences resulting from an inclined bench are both a greater range of motion and a greater recruitment of the triceps. This can have a significant effect on your training, as it allows you to not only work the muscles used in the bench press through a slightly greater range, but allows more work to be done by the triceps, which are an extremely active muscle in any pressing exercise.

Utilization of the Incline Bench

This exercise can be used in several ways. If you are only benching once a week, perform the exercise following your regular bench press. Set and rep schemes will vary based upon your goals at the time. If you are benching multiple times per week, you can substitute the incline bench for the flat bench during one workout. Another option is to vary your grip width, and bring your hands in slightly on the incline bench, which will result in additional work for the triceps secondary to the increased range of motion.

Mistakes to Avoid

Do not lower the bar to your neck, but rather to the upper chest -- not only for the obvious safety reasons but to achieve the greater range of motion mentioned earlier. Do not grip the bar too wide, or allow the elbows to flare out too widely, such as more than 45 to 70 degrees. At 90 degrees, you can put a bit more strain on the shoulder than is comfortable, and if you can avoid doing so, so much the better. Good training is safe training.