decline

[0nyx]

why is it that almost everyone says decline bench press is a bullshit excersise.. and is a big waste of time to do ? what is your reasoning for that?

and john i know you suggest using declines ? why?

 

[huskyguy]

The possible injuries vs the benefits keep me from doing this exercise. I never get a pump from this exercise and I have found weighted dips to be my favorite chest builder.

 

[pullinbig]

i love declines. you can handle more weight and often times if you are stuck on flat bench sub declines in for a month or so and almost everytime once you go back to flat you will break thru that barier. it is very similar to a dip depending on the decline of the bench. for me personally dips kill my shoulders so i dont do them but they are a great exercise if you can do them. i will say this that a "pump" is overrated. just because you gettin a pump dont mean you are getting optimal exertion in a given muscle group. I rarely get a pump on any exercise unless i am doing high reps which in my opinion is not optimal for building muscle.

 

[Insane_Man]

Decline bench helps isolate the chest if you are one of those folks who arches their back to get the weight up.

 

[Oh Knats]

I think decline is a waste of time. All you need is flat, incline and a flye variation.

 

[Mudge]

I think they rock, I can't do much heavy flat benching anymore so declines are the base of my chest routine. They work for me just like dips, without the hassle of a weighed belt.

 

[jcp2]

I fucking hate them, they destroy my shoulder. I seem to be the only one who has this problem though, lol. I never got much from them, weightes dips seem much better to me. I know alot of guys who swear by them though, llike mudge. Everythign is a personal preference, you have to see what works for you, don't take what people say as gospel, figure it out on your own.

 

[Mudge]

I started doing them again about 3 months ago and have loved them, I dont grip wide otherwise yes my shoulders will bug. I can't flat bench under 10 reps for too many workouts before my shoulders bug me.

The one thing about decline I am not fond of is unracking it myself, I try to get as close to under that bar as I can - so thankfully I am tall. This is one thing I find helps save my shoulders is not having to do a lot of work OTHER than the movement itself, follow this rule for any kind of benching IMO. I also do rotator work on delt day. 15 pound dumbells, slow and easy, high reps.

 

[josh81]

jcp, I've got the same problem.
My shoulders always hurt like a bitch afterwards so I quit doing them long ago. I stick to the flat bench, inclines, and dips.

 

[string_bean00]

I like decline dumbbell press a lot. Barbell seems to have too limited ROM for me.