The pectorals run across the sternum in the chest, and they are considered major muscles due to their large size. Having strong pecs enables you to perform pushing motions with more efficiency, which bodes well for sports like football and basketball. A decline press plays a major role in pectoral strength, and it has various characteristics.
Function of Exercise
When doing chest workouts, the goal is to perform multiple exercises from different angles and with different movement patterns. This in turn causes you to achieve the highest amount of development. Decline presses target the lower area of your chest, and they are performed on a decline bench. Incline presses target your upper chest, and flat bench presses target the middle of your chest.
Form
Proper form is a major consideration to take into account with decline presses. You need to be strict with your range of motion, movement speed and body alignment. Begin in a face-up position on the decline bench with your hands grasping the barbell with a wide, overhand grip. Steadily push the bar off the supports and hold it directly above your body with your arms fully extended. Keeping your abs tight, slowly lower the bar down until it lightly touches your lower chest. Take a big inhale as you do this. Forcefully push the bar back up to the starting point as you exhale and hold the top position for a full second before starting your next repetition.
You also have the option of using dumbbells for this exercise. Lower them down to the sides of your stomach by bending your elbows, then push them back up. When using dumbbells, do not let them bang into each other.
Other Muscles Targeted
The decline press causes you to bend your elbows and shoulders. This makes it a compound exercise, which in turn works more than one muscle. In addition to the pecs, you also work your triceps and deltoids. The triceps sit on the back of the upper arms, and the deltoids are on the shoulders.
Variations
Using a barbell or dumbbells is only one way to do the decline press. You also have the option of using a cable machine. This is performed with single handles attached to low settings and the decline bench placed between the weight stacks. A decline fly is a variation that places more stress on the inner portion of the lower chest. This is performed by lowering dumbbells to your sides with your elbows slightly bent and pushing them back up.
Resistance
To achieve the best muscle-gaining results, use a heavy resistance with your exercises. As a rule of thumb, aim for a weight that will only allow you to do eight to 12 reps with your sets.
Member Comments