Instead of training your chest from one angle, complete your chest workout and add the decline chest press to your workout routine. Use a barbell and slide weight plates onto the ends, or hold a dumbbell in each hand as your resistance tool. The dumbbells allow you to train each side of your chest equally, while the barbell is easier to control in the decline position.
Muscle Strength
The front and middle portions of your shoulder muscles are used to assist the press during the decline chest exercise. Although the majority of the benefits from a decline press are to the front of your body, the backs of your upper arms -- the triceps -- also contract when you lift the weight. Along with your triceps, the muscles of the back of your shoulders and your upper back -- the rhomboids -- are used as shoulder-stabilizing muscles during the exercise. Lift a heavy weight that allows you to complete between eight and 10 decline presses to improve your muscular strength.
Joints
Your shoulder and elbow joints flex and extend as you perform a decline chest press. Your hands hold onto a weight, which is lowered toward your chest and lifted toward the ceiling. Your elbows flex and your shoulders extend during the lowering phase of the exercise. Your elbows extend and your shoulders flex as you press the weight. Ligaments and tendons maintain stability in your joints as you perform a decline bench press. As your muscular strength improves, so does the strength in your tendons and ligaments, leading to an overall increase in upper-body strength.
Workout Variation
When you always use the same chest exercises, your muscles stop responding with improvements such as strength and tone. Muscle tissue needs variety and stimulation to cause the cellular breakdown. Your cells respond by repairing the damage, which results in muscular growth. A decline bench press provides variation by changing the angle at which you strengthen your chest. The decline bench press uses your entire pectoral muscle, but the decline changes the concentration to the lower portion of your chest.
Muscle Endurance
A decline press is used to improve your muscular endurance. Lift a light amount of weight and perform 15 to 20 decline presses. This weightlifting technique keeps a higher level of oxygen flowing into the muscle cells so you are able to continue the exercise for a longer time period.
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