Are inclines overated ?

[anthrax]

A lot of people swear by inclines barbell press for their chest development (especially the so called upper chest)

And I'm sure it's a good upper body exercise but it involves so much the shoulders that I think it's a bit overated for chest compared to flat (or even declines)

 

[diesel rip]

flat bench targets more of your inner and outter area of your chest...decline is outter and lower area...incline is outter and upper and yes alittle of your anterior delt but in all i think every movement has its advantage and dissadvantage. choose what works for you

 

[fergie]

Incline barbell presses are the shit!!! They are essential for overall chest development

 

[kansasfarmman]

Incline barbell presses are the best pressing exercise for the chest IMO. I have been using them for 12 years and had much better strength gains and development since I dumped the bench press in 1997.

To build a big strong chest, inclines and weighted dips are all you need.

Inclines and weighted dips will build the chest, delts, and triceps, so you won't need to waste time adding additional exercise for these three muscle groups.

Remember, it takes years to get big and strong. Results don't come over night.

 

[n8ive_stylez]

Remember, it takes years to get big and strong. Results don't come over night.

Depends on what you're on.. lol..

But I do agree with Kansas, you need to work inclines and weighted dips into your workout to see good gains in your chest development.. By far 2 of my favorite exercises..

 

[Tom Treutlein]

diesel rip - No. That's entirely false. There is no "inner" and "outer" chest. You have the sternal and clavicular chest muscles (lower and upper, respectively), and that's it. The incline bench press simply puss less emphasis on the lower chest. In reality, flat bench presses will stimulate the lower and upper pectoral muscles as optimally as possible. Incline bench takes away from the stimulus on the sternal head of the chest muscles.

 

[Chi town]

Inclines and weighted dips will build the chest, delts, and triceps, so you won't need to waste time adding additional exercise for these three muscle groups.

I couldn't disagree more. If you want well rounded delts, you MUST have a well rounded shoulder routine that hits all 3 heads. Otherwise you'll end up with that "hunched forward" look...huge front heads, and no rear heads. And the same goes for triceps. There's 3 heads there that need to be hit from different angles.
As far as incline press goes, I get more stimulus in my chest by using a wider grip than most. I'm only 5'9" (short arms) and my index fingers are just outside the rings on the bar. I've noticed far less pressure on my shoulders, and more on my chest with this grip. And I almost always do inclines first, and I alternate every other week w/ DBs on inclines.

 

[BOOEY]

I center my workouts around Incline DB Press at a 30 degree angle. I've gotten much more growth out of doing this than centering around Flat Press.

 

[Tom Treutlein]

A wider grip isn't going to do much besides irk your rotator cuffs. Don't fool yourself into thinking it's going to develop your chest more. Also, the three heads of the tricep don't need to be hit with individual exercises. More bullshit being passed around. As for the deltoids, no need for isolation work. Bentover rows and pullups will get your rear deltoids developed so you won't have to worry about that "hunched" look.

Now this may not be true for all bodybuilders who want their rear deltoids jutting outward, but you needn't worry about isolating them otherwise.

 

[Chi town]

A wider grip isn't going to do much besides irk your rotator cuffs. Don't fool yourself into thinking it's going to develop your chest more. Also, the three heads of the tricep don't need to be hit with individual exercises. More bullshit being passed around. As for the deltoids, no need for isolation work. Bentover rows and pullups will get your rear deltoids developed so you won't have to worry about that "hunched" look.

Now this may not be true for all bodybuilders who want their rear deltoids jutting outward, but you needn't worry about isolating them otherwise.

The wide grip puts a huge pump in my chest after a few sets, and I've seen some growth on myself and others by using this method. It's not my imagination friend.
And I never said the word "isolate" for individual delt heads. But, you won't have well-rounded delts just from chest n back workouts alone. If you never do any shoulder work, at least military presses, your delts will look silly compared to the rest of your uper body.