The incline bench press will preferably hit the upper chest whereas the flat barbell bench press hits the mid-pecs.
Incline bench works your upper pecs and more of your front deltoid and upper traps. You will feel it more in your shoulders compared to flat bench.
If you can't feel your chest when you're doing an incline press, it could be because you are tucking your elbows too far in on the way down, which over-activates your triceps, and doesn't allow you to get a full range of motion ❌ To fix this, bring the dumbbells outs and let them clear your chest, or when you begin to ...
During the bench press, the bar should ideally touch your chest around the nipple line or slightly below it. This position allows for optimal range of motion and muscle engagement. Here are a few key points to consider:
Where should it hurt after chest workout? Generally speaking, unless it is delayed onset muscle soreness (or DOMS for short) it shouldn't hurt anywhere after a chest workout. Soreness related to microtrauma from exercise can also be present in your secondary movers including the deltoids and triceps.
Your chest isn't your strongest muscle, that's why you don't feel it particularly. Try squeezing your arms together while working chest. When you bench press, try bringing your hands together. Your hands won't move, because they're holding the bar, but you'll feel more chest activation.
Retract your shoulders to make your back stronger during the descending motion. Touch the bar to your chest, then push the weight back up, keeping your elbows under the bar. Repeat for the desired number of reps.
What Incline For Incline Bench Press? The incline bench can be set to anywhere between 30 and 45 degrees. The more upright the bench, the greater activation of the deltoids, so keeping closer to 30 degrees will ensure most of work is coming from the pecs.
There are generally two trains of thought here. Some people spot the wrists, staying close to the dumbbells. Some people spot the elbows, and when the time comes to spot, they apply upward pressure to the elbows to help drive the weight up.
Press straight outward in front of your chest, squeezing the shoulder blades to avoid the front delts taking over the movement. 30 degrees is the best inclined position to help you to achieve the best upper pectoralis activation.
The Role of Muscle Activation
This altered muscle activation is one significant reason why the incline bench press tends to be harder. While the flat bench press engages a more balanced activation of the pectorals, the incline position targets the upper pecs and shoulders more intensely.
Don't Overdo the Depth
Depending on your shoulder mobility, you may or may not be able to do this. Your goal should be to lower the dumbbells as until your elbows are below your shoulders at least, and you should be able to own and control this position.
The Conclusion. The findings indicate that bench press angle significantly affects muscle activation. For the pectoralis major, a flat bench (0 degrees) was most effective, while a higher incline (60 degrees) maximised anterior deltoid and triceps brachii engagement.
Rest between set durations should be based on sets/exercise (volume), and not load or training goal. General recommendations include moderate (2 min) rest between sets if performing 2 sets/exercise, long rest (3 min) if performing 3 sets/exercise, and very long rest (> 4 min) if performing 4 sets or more/exercise.
Decline bench pressing targets the lower chest muscles by increasing the stretch on the pectoralis major muscle and reducing the range of motion. This allows you to lift heavier weights and stimulate muscle growth in the lower chest.
The incline bench press effectively increases upper body strength. It works the muscles of your chest (pectorals), shoulder (deltoids), and arms (triceps).
The incline of the bench means that it targets the upper chest and deltoids more, specifically hitting the clavicular head of the pec major. This variation requires more stability and single arm strength compared to the barbell version.
Choose a rep range and weight to suit your abilities. As a general rule of thumb, for hypertrophy (building muscle) four sets of 6-12 reps should be sufficient.
This exercise targets the pectorals, the main muscles of the chest. These are the same muscles you use when pushing a grocery cart or to get up off the floor. The chest press machine also recruits the biceps and the large muscles in the shoulders and back.