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Nighthawkk
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I know it sounds weird, but I can incline about 40lbs more than I can do on flat bench. This is certainly not the case for many other guys I see in the gym, oddly enough. Does anyone else find themselves in the same position?
Anyone incline bench WAY more than flat bench?
- Thread starter Nighthawkk
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Bulldog_10
New member
not gonna find many people like that.
Dorian'sDisciple
New member
i think walkingbeast has a stronger incline
Griz1
New member
Actually, I do waay more incline than flat. For the past two years I do 5x5 working set as inclines and then do a sup exersise as flat.
Despite this, I can flat bench over 300 (on a good day) but I'm lucky to do over 250 on a good day on the incline. And I actually have some good shoulders on me so go figure, you'd think it should be the opposite...
Despite this, I can flat bench over 300 (on a good day) but I'm lucky to do over 250 on a good day on the incline. And I actually have some good shoulders on me so go figure, you'd think it should be the opposite...
psychedout
New member
Man there is some f'ed up people out there. Inclining more than they flat. More power to all of you!
I don't do a lot of flat benching (not heavy anyway).
Incline Bench: 315 x 8, February 2004
Close Grip Bench: 315 x 8 and 365 x 4, April 2004
I do a lot of overhead work though and I use flats, inclines, and close grips as assistance work.
B True
Incline Bench: 315 x 8, February 2004
Close Grip Bench: 315 x 8 and 365 x 4, April 2004
I do a lot of overhead work though and I use flats, inclines, and close grips as assistance work.
B True
My incline is the same if not more than my flat right now simply because I have been doing Inclines as my main movement for the last 6 months. I can get 105 on Incline as maybe the same for flat. I have also been doing alot of OHP and push presses etc so my delts and tris are much stronger than my chest.
Nighthawkk
New member
Scotsman said:
No, my motion is clean and my feet are firmly planted where they should be. No contorting or cheating involved. I usually do incline first, and for flat I do flyes...never do flat bench w/ barbell at all, I find it a waste of time really. For decline I'll use either barbell or dumbells, doesn't matter.
Nighthawkk
New member
Bran987 said:
Well I know for a fact that when I do either, I can feel a different part of the pectoral muscles being worked. I just think I have way more ability to develop the part associated with the incline movement, rather than the part of the muscle worked during flat movements. It has not always been like this...it just must have been the way I have been trying to go to failure more often on incline over the past year or two, and it has paid off.
Scotsman
New member
Nighthawkk said:
Using shoulders and tri's isn't necessarily cheating just might be how you press. Also you answered your own question here by saying that you don't do flat bench and do inclines first. That right there will make you stronger in that motion due to focus of training.
Cheers,
Scotsman
Nighthawkk
New member
Scotsman said:
Yea, you're right about the focus of training...though my original question was not concerning why I incline more, but just if anyone else finds themselves in the same position
Dorian'sDisciple said:
They are very close to eachother. My incline max was 360 and flat was 370 for 3/4's of a rep, just missing lockout. Also, 315x6 on incline and 315x7 on flat. Keep training hard brother!!
zxe003
New member
Nighthawkk said:
My incline is also about the same as my flat...more so with dumbells presses. I think it's mostly because I've been doing a lot of delt work. I generally try to do my barbell presses (incline and flat) on a smith machine so as to try and eliminate so much of the supporting muscles taking over and to better isolate my chest. I also tend to start my chest days off with inclines because in the beginning my upper chest was really lagging. Just never happened to switch up the order after that.
leemachine07
New member
i noticed some great improvement in my chest since pulling my feet up off the ground every set.. no matter if your doing bar bell or db's pull your feet up.. it makes you control the weight more which in turn stresses the muscle more. the hardest part is excepting the fact that might have to back off the weight a little.
leemachine said:
I believe completely the opposite.
One should be STABLE and tight with the weight. Keeping a flat back will allow one thing...you to keep a flat back. Keeping a flat back will allow something else...the shoulders to be forced to be pushed forward. The shoulders pushed forward put them in SEVERE risk for injury.
B True
MsBeverlyHills
New member
leemachine said:
if your doing this- I really suggest you have a spotter cause its pretty risky- esp @ heavier weights.
leemachine07
New member
i guess i just get annoyed with guys going in the gym thinking they can push some weight when their form is awful..squirling and squigling all over the bench..i find this amusing.. and if you try this and loose your balance, just drop your feet and stabilize yourself.. i usually do this the last few reps to help out.
H
hottxjock28
Guest
I have the same problem. I can usually press 20-40lbs more on Incline than on flat bench. However, if I use db's my flat bench goes way up. I know my form is great, just can't figure out why I can't flat bench more than I do.
Which brings me to my next question: If I do press more on Incline than flat with a bar, should I just give up the bar altogether and use db's? Any thoughts?
Which brings me to my next question: If I do press more on Incline than flat with a bar, should I just give up the bar altogether and use db's? Any thoughts?
hottxjock28 said:
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
Keep a mix of both in your routine. Ideally you want incline/flat/decline to be relatively similar in weight. I have one guy i know who does 365 for all 3. He probably has the best chest i have ever seen, perfectly simetrical. My incline was lacking for a while, but it is creeping ever closer to my flat and decline. I can rep 405 (5 rep minimum to count for reps) on flat and decline, but only 335 on incline. About a 1.5 years ago i could only do 275 for 5. I changed the routine and my incline has skyrocketed.
zxe003
New member
cwick0 said:
Damn...speaking as a person who can bench 275 for 6-8 reps on incline right now, that seems to me, like a pretty big jump in a year and a half! Maybe my progress is just hella slow moving, but anything over the 275 mark starts to feel hella fuckin heavy to me. Man, I'd be interested to hear what you did to make that kind of progress...also how big are you?
JKurz1
Banned
I firmly believe both are almost an art form, to which you can master by doing one more than the other or vice versa. I got 2 guys in my gym, who are pretty lean and skinny, but bench a shitload of weight (for their size)...it's because they prob. do it more than any other exercise......so, let's say they are around 350lb flat, move them to the incline and they got a plate and a dime at most...............
JKurz1
Banned
cwick0 said:
Boy, we just aren't on the same page today...............Sergio had one of the most symetrical chests in the game, yet he inclined 3/4ths of what he could flat bench......
In regards to that, I incline 2x as much (well, maybe not quite double) as I flat do in part to a f'd up rotator cuff.........my chest is very symmetrical.....
zxe003 said:
My flat bench has always been my best lift. However, i met a guy at U of Pittsburgh right after i started grad school. The first time i spotted him, he did 315 for 17 reps, only touched the bar on the 17th. So, we began training together. So here is the routine i learned from him and often use today.
REMEMBER...a year and a half ago i could only do 275 for 5 reps on a good day
incline bench routine:
warm-up: 135lbs - 10-15reps
warm-up: 225 - 10 reps
first set: 275 - 10reps
second set: 275 - 10reps
third set: 275 - 10reps (actually did 15 on this set 2 weeks ago)
rest pauses: 315 - 5reps
The key is do be able to do 3 sets of 10 reps at the same weight. Once you accomplish this, move the weight up, but absolutely not until.
Lastly, i no longer do much flat barbell and incline barbell much. More often than not now, i will do flat barbell and incline dbs or vice versa. Also about every 6 weeks or so i wont do any flat bench, only incline barbell and decline barbell.
Good luck. I would be happy to answer any other questions you may have about my routine.
corey
JKurz1 said:
Did you catch what you just said? Sergio inclined 3/4ths of his flat, that is pretty darn close. A hell of a lot better than most. Just like the guys you were talking about doing 350 on flat, but 155 or so on incline.
You incline 2x flat because of your shoulder. I think that could be expected since the injury.
I suspect your chest is very symmetrical due to your training regimen. I am sure you more than make up your flat barbell with dbs, cables, pushups, etc. I just had a buddy that could do 365 on incline, flat, and decline for 5reps on each and had the best and most symmetrical chest i have ever seen.
JKurz1
Banned
I forget what my point was, but anywho, I firmly believe that my pec development is the weakest (if I had to give a weak point) of all my other bodyparts....sure I'm somewhat strong, but I want more roundness, so maybe it is a good thing I have this shoulder problem......today I have chest and I'll concentrate mostly on inclinces and flys...........
that may make sense theorhetically but it doesnt hold true. most people can decline a hell of a lot more than they incline and its due to the position you are putting your muscles in. Ive seen guys with much better development than myself kill me on flat and then I outdo them on incline.
cwick0 said:
IJ26 said:
Everyone is different, but look at someone's chest who has all relatively the same lifts on decline, flat, and incline should have some damn good symetry.
The decline issue is due in large part because 90% of the people in the gym train flat first and hit incline after flat or rarely hit incline at all.
Im not saying that you cant beat someone on incline who is stronger than you on flat. You have better upper pec development than they do. I am assuming you concentrate more on incline than flat or that you have some sort of shoulder trouble on flat.
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