The incline bench press is one of the main alternatives to the classic bench press. It allows not only to improve the results in the press on the horizontal bench, but also to purposefully develop the upper pectoral muscles. Tips on the correct execution technique will allow you to fully understand all the features of the exercise and use them in practice. Anyone who is involved in strength sports is well aware of the benefits of an exercise such as a barbell press. This exercise is included in the list of basic and fundamental in many sports, be it bodybuilding, weightlifting or any kind of martial arts. The press is also one of the three main exercises in weightlifting, which is included in the "holy trinity". It is difficult to describe the full benefits of the barbell press, as it can take hours to list all the benefits.
It is much more important to focus on what the techniques for performing this exercise are, as well as their specificity and impact on specific muscle groups.
Today hardly anyone can be surprised by stories about the importance of this exercise. Nevertheless, as practice shows, many gym goers rarely use various techniques, which sooner or later leads to a point called the "training plateau". This term means the termination of the body's response to a specific exercise and type of load due to the fact that the muscles are simply accustomed and adapted to such work. Simply put, the word "plateau" refers to the moment when additional action is needed to overcome this hated point.
It is also no secret that in order to overcome this point, it is necessary to additionally work on lagging muscle groups, as well as apply various types of techniques, change the width of the grip, the inclination of the bench, etc. Many will ask themselves why professional athletes, despite the enormous loads and impressive weights with which they work, do not have any plateau? All this is due to the fact that they never cease to shock and "surprise" their muscles, changing the conditions of performance, technique, pace and other features.
Incline bench press: an alternative and direct competitor?
One of the best exercises that not only serves as an alternative to the bench press, but also complements it perfectly is the incline bench press. The essence of this exercise is to redistribute the load on those areas of the pectoral muscles that are less involved during the performance of the classic bench press. Also, such a bench press allows you to additionally load the anterior deltoid muscles, as well as triceps.
As you go to the gym regularly, you've probably seen people doing incline bench presses with less weight than a regular bench press. This directly speaks not only of the lag of the upper part of the pectoral muscles, but also of the specificity of this exercise, which requires great physical capabilities. Based on this, we can come to a rather simple conclusion - the bench press on an incline bench allows you to purposefully strengthen those areas of the pectoral muscles that are less involved in the classic press, which allows you to progress and overcome the plateau. But is there any use of the incline bench press for those who do not know about any plateau and are still far from the moment when the harsh reality will introduce him to this concept? The answer is pretty simple - yes. The benefits of such a minor change in the exercise as the bench incline are so significant that such a technique is able to compete with the classic barbell press. This is directly demonstrated by many modern athletes who put the incline press in the first place. Until recently, such a replacement could only cause laughter, however, the incredibly impressive volumes of the pectoral muscles of such athletes clearly demonstrate that this has its own meaning.
From the point of view of logic, everything is quite simple, because if you initially rely on the press at an angle, then your muscles will be able to show no less results in the classic version, already having excellent adaptation to the load and serious strength indicators.
However, most athletes are of the opinion that the ideal solution is to stick to the golden mean, combining both the classic press and the incline press at the same time.
Bench Press Technique and Tips
It makes no sense to say that the correct technique is a must in any sport, and especially when doing the bench press, because every athlete knows this. It is much more important to consider the correct technique for performing the bench press in an incline, since judging by the inhabitants of the gym, not many can boast of it.
Although the technique is not very different from the classic barbell press, there are differences that are important to know:
- Lie on a bench and rest your back firmly on it (the angle of inclination should be approximately 35 degrees).
- As with the classic bench press, place your feet firmly on the floor.
- Do not try to press the bar in the same way as on a horizontal bench. You need to concentrate on maximizing the involvement of your upper pectoral muscles.
- Never drop the barbell down or do a bounce. This will practically turn off the pectoral muscles from work and additionally load the deltoids, which will not only be inappropriate, but may well cause injury.
- Maintain the correct grip width.
It is worth dwelling on the last point in more detail, since the wrong grip width can negate any of your efforts, simply eliminating the load from those muscles for the development of which you are performing this exercise. It should be understood that your hand position on the bar is an individual feature and depends on the length of your arms. Determining the correct position is quite simple, your forearms should be parallel to each other and perpendicular to the floor.
Do not forget one important detail - this exercise carries a much greater injury rate than the classical execution on a horizontal bench, therefore the technique for performing each movement should be as correct as possible. However, the benefits of doing the incline bench press are so great that neglecting the exercise is a huge mistake for most athletes.
Video about the technique of bench press lying on an incline bench:
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