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Below is a direct quote from Rippetoe's latest book regarding the decline bench press. I wish I could post something about the flyes, but he doesn't even mention them throughout his book.
The decline press is a rarher useless exercise because the angle of the body in the decline position shortens the distance the bar can travel, decreasing the amount of work done with respect to the distance the load moves. This has an effect of increasing the weight that can be used in the exercise by decreasing its difficulty. This leads to inflated perceptions of one's ability, and is essentially masturbation, much like that which is possible with a 30-degree leg press or half-squat. It gets recommended for its effects on the "lower pecs." Dips perform this function more effectively, while at the same time involving more muscle mass, more balance coordination, and more nervous system activity. Declines are also dangerous because if their point of contact on the lower sternum gets missed, the next stop is the throat. Couple this with heavy weight and a lousy spotter, and you might have a really, really bad "chest" workout.
-Mark Ripptoe (Starting Strength - Basic Barbell Training, 2nd Edition)
The decline press is a rarher useless exercise because the angle of the body in the decline position shortens the distance the bar can travel, decreasing the amount of work done with respect to the distance the load moves. This has an effect of increasing the weight that can be used in the exercise by decreasing its difficulty. This leads to inflated perceptions of one's ability, and is essentially masturbation, much like that which is possible with a 30-degree leg press or half-squat. It gets recommended for its effects on the "lower pecs." Dips perform this function more effectively, while at the same time involving more muscle mass, more balance coordination, and more nervous system activity. Declines are also dangerous because if their point of contact on the lower sternum gets missed, the next stop is the throat. Couple this with heavy weight and a lousy spotter, and you might have a really, really bad "chest" workout.
-Mark Ripptoe (Starting Strength - Basic Barbell Training, 2nd Edition)
