Incline vs Flat

[dilatedmuscle]

Yeah, I tend to get more of a pump on the clacivle part of my pecs when i do incline as opposed to flat. But according to those studies, there is no difference in the activity

 

[tim290280]

Yeah, I tend to get more of a pump on the clacivle part of my pecs when i do incline as opposed to flat. But according to those studies, there is no difference in the activity

You sure you do? Are you comparing apples with apples (i.e. similar % of 1RM, same number of reps, similar ROM, using the same sort of equipment, etc, etc)?

Very easy to think something without it being the case. The number of people that will swear that cutting dairy out of their diet was responsible for their weight loss and not the fact that they were now watching what they ate I've heard of is amazing. The small amount of milk they were consuming (and the SFA amount of fat in that) wasn't really significant.

I pursued inclines for a good couple or years because I wanted to fill in my upper chest. What a waste of time. If I had just read that article first I would have realised why.

 

[dilatedmuscle]

from my experience its what i have noticed. I havent worked out chest since reading the article so i'll see how i feel in my next few chest workouts.

 

[tim290280]

from my experience its what i have noticed. I havent worked out chest since reading the article so i'll see how i feel in my next few chest workouts.

I don't think you have quite got me yet.

You would need to know your 1RM on both exercises. You would then need to pick your working weight based upon a % of these (say 70% of the individual 1RM's). You would then do the exact same number of sets and reps using the chosen weights for each exercise. You would perform one exercise at one session then the other at a latter session

Ideally you would have exactly the same conditions for each session, including sleep, nutrition, stress levels, hydration, etc. Also ideally you wouldn't be using a subjective measure like "how you feel" but would actually be using an actual measurement. The experiment used EMG, but could have used a couple of other methods.

The reason you do all of this is to make sure that what you are "feeling" is actually happening. What happens when you have a crap nights sleep and are dehydrated? Poor workout. So what happens when you do an incline bench and "feel more upper chest" than the day that you flat benched could have been more about having had a good workout than anything else. What you may actually be "feeling" might actually just be your shoulders (the warm pump feeling can radiate). People swear that there is an inner chest that can be targeted with flyes and they can "feel" it, reality is that they are just straining the insertion at the sternum. This is why science seeks to measure and understand things, because objective observation is actually tangible, not a subjective feeling that lacks definition.

 

[dilatedmuscle]

Okay i see what you are talking about. Seems simple enough.... Now i gotta sleep right and eat more often LOL.

Would you suggest that, next time i do chest, i should figure out what my max is so i can figure out my working weight for my next session?

 

[tim290280]

^^ No I'm suggesting that science has already done the experiment for you. Hence the article summary I've already posted.

But if you want to do your own you have to plan it out to properly test the variables and know exactly what you intend to measure.

 

[Braaq]

Honestly, I think too much emphasis is placed on targeting different areas of the pectoralis. I always laugh when I see the scrawn balls tell me they are doing incline so they can really work on that upper chest when all I am thinking is "you just need to work your chest in general". Honestly I dont think there is much difference in recruitment until you are very well trained. So with that being said, I prefer the one where you can produce the most force, flat ftw.

Exactly, I have explained this to people at my gym. Then after they either still ask if Decline will help shape their lower pecs and then they still proceed to doing every angle they can find It is a hopeless cause trying to teach people anything, stupidity cannot be overcome it seems not matter how much we may try.

 

[dilatedmuscle]

What would be an ideal Basic chest routine (exercize wise) ?

 

[PistolPete]

Thank you for posting that study Tim, That was good stuff.

I am so tired of reading Flex and have them say, do this chest exercise for this part of chest, etc. It's so fucking annoying. It comes down to genetics, and if you are actually stimulating the muscle at all.

I saw in the study that the decline press added stress to the triceps. I've heard this before, so I think im going to add in a close grip decline bench for my triceps. Thoughts?

 

[Line]

What would be an ideal Basic chest routine (exercize wise) ?

Flat bench.

 

[dilatedmuscle]

So that would be all you would do in the gym? i dont just mean benching, i mean any excercize available to you in the basic gym.... Would u do some dumbell or hammerstrength sets aswell? Or would u just do a few sets of flat barbell benching and call it a day?

 

[Zigurd]

You guys are retarded, Ronnie did flat, decline and incline and he had huge pecs.

I really hope you are not arguing against clear visual EVIDENCE, instead of all this theorycrafting that scientists try to sell in order to finance their drug addiction and hookers.

 

[dilatedmuscle]

You guys are retarded, Ronnie did flat, decline and incline and he had huge pecs.

I really hope you are not arguing against clear visual EVIDENCE, instead of all this theorycrafting that scientists try to sell in order to finance their drug addiction and hookers.

finance their drug addiction and hookers.

drug addiction and hookers.

drug addiction.

hookers.

:iorofl:

 

[Braaq]

You guys are retarded, Ronnie did flat, decline and incline and he had huge pecs.

I really hope you are not arguing against clear visual EVIDENCE, instead of all this theorycrafting that scientists try to sell in order to finance their drug addiction and hookers.

Using Ronnie as a point of reference is moot. He had a huge chest without working out, like Duality. So again, terrible reference. We are saying that in reality your pectoralis major is one muscle, but acts as if it has two heads with its insertion points (clavical & sternum). Contraction of the pectoralis major at any angle contracts the whole muscle. You can change the point of tension a bit which is why I say incline and flat only. But in reality you are still contracting the muscle as a whole either way. Using the ones that are most comfortable for you and that you can lift the most weight is optimal.

 

[El Freako]

Flat bench.

This.

You have a bit of extra time and energy? Throw in some DB presses or maybe some incline press. But ideally you shouldn't need much more than flat bench.

And if anybody even mentions cable crossovers I'm going to vomit in my mouth.

 

[Braaq]

And if anybody even mentions cable crossovers I'm going to vomit in my mouth.

Agreed.

But wait!? Pros do them in Flex magazine!!.... *sarcasm*

I do flat, but I prefer incline because it is easier on my shoulders and feels like a more natural movement that flat.

 

[dilatedmuscle]

This.

You have a bit of extra time and energy? Throw in some DB presses or maybe some incline press. But ideally you shouldn't need much more than flat bench.

And if anybody even mentions cable crossovers I'm going to vomit in my mouth.

What about decline dumbell flyes with a suppinated twis nearing the top of the range of motion?

jk

 

[MrChewiebitums]

whats wrong with cable crossovers?

 

[Braaq]

whats wrong with cable crossovers?

 

[El Freako]

whats wrong with cable crossovers?

Better question: what are they good for?