If the pulley’s at the highest position, you’re targeting your lower pecs; the lowest position on the pulley will work your upper pecs; placing the pulley at shoulder height (so your arms are parallel to the floor) will hit your middle pec fibers. Pick 2-3 exercises and perform them over two training days throughout the week with reps between 6-15 to build muscle mass. For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube! Can I add incline work? Parallel Grip Dips #9. Be cautious. No Lean Dip #10. 4- Decline bench press. Just as a refresher, let’s go over the proper technique of a traditional chest press: Muscles worked: Pectoralis major, anterior and lateral deltoids, and triceps. Hi! Any alternative to the decline bench press should include some sort of dumbbell variation. $2,599.00. Do the same with the other band and kettlebell, placing it on the other end of the bar. Arch your back so the lower portion is off the bench and your shoulder blades are pulled together. How to do it: Using a cable crossover unit, begin with your arms straight in front of you, handles in both hands. “The main difference between the incline bench press and the flat bench press is the incline promotes more upper pectoralis major and shoulder development,” Reames says. Decline bench press #6. The vertical dip will target your lower pecs to a greater extent compared with the horizontal dip, which is more for isolating the triceps. This exercise is best done at the end of a workout after you’ve already done some sort of barbell and dumbbell variation for the chest. But trying a bench press alternative can add some variety to … Decline Bench Press. You don’t need as much load for this exercise because rather than applying force to the dumbbell to lift the weight upward, you are (at the same time) trying to isometrically squeeze the dumbbells together as hard as possible as you go through the range of motion. Other articles you may be interested in are: 10 Bench Press Accessories To Improve Strength & Technique and 16 Tricep Exercises To Increase Bench Press Strength. A good decline bench press alternative either mimics a similar movement pattern as the decline bench press or engages similar muscle groups, such as the lower pecs. Get a buddy to spot you, then carefully lift the bar. Perform 10 reps of the decline press and then as many reps as possible with the bodyweight exercise directly after. Next, bring the dumbbells up—one at a time—so you’re holding them in front of you, shoulder-width apart. Should Powerlifters Do Incline Bench Press? For chest it’s decline presses. ... How to INCREASE Your Bench Press: 3 Common Mistakes | Silent Mike & Alan Thrall - Duration: 6:14. For more information please read our, The 30 Best Dumbbell Exercises of All Time, How Lamorne Morris Got Action Hero-Ready For ‘Bloodshot’, NFL Training: 15 Ways J.J. Watt Trains for Football Domination, Workout of the Month: The 40-Pushup Challenge, Foam Roller Chest Press: The Workout Move That’ll Challenge Your Entire Body. This is because you’re putting more stress on your upper pecs and anterior deltoids. Based on what you want to accomplish with your overall fitness plan, goals, needs and current abilities, we’ve got 10 variations of the popular, multi-faceted resistance training movement, provided by Robert Reames, C.S.C.S., National Spokesperson for Pear Training Intelligence/Coaching System and Gold’s Gym. The chest press—or to use the traditional term, “bench press”—has been a staple in strength programs since men started picking things up and putting them down. Thanks for your question. The decline dumbbell bench press is the closest variation that you can do to the barbell decline bench press. The key with the straight bar serratus pulldown is to purposely limit the range of motion of the exercise. You might actually experience better gains because i found with hammer strength my front delts get a big pump and triceps to as opposed to dumbbell. In this wider grip, you can activate your lower pecs more. “If you’ve ever been asked, ‘How much do you bench?’, this is the variation most guys are referring to,” he adds. Lie down on the bench and position the dumbbells so your palms are facing each other. Additionally, the reason why I prefer the cable pulldown versus the dumbbell pull-over is that you can take a wider grip on the cables. This article is an extension to my Top 9 Flat Bench Press Alternatives. Related article: Should Powerlifters Do Incline Bench Press? I don’t like to go too heavy on this exercise because I find it pretty hard on the shoulders if done incorrectly. A: The decline press is the best for chest because it hits the lower- and upper-pec segments, according to an EMG study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (11:163-167. This is because the free-weight nature of dumbbells allows you to lift a significant amount of weight, which provides the optimal training environment for building both strength and mass through progressive overload. How to do it: Begin lying flat on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand, even with your shoulders. In-Stock. Don’t let your feet move off the floor or the arch in your back collapse. 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You can usually lift more weight in the decline bench press vs the flat bench press. Related Article: Touch and Go Bench Press: Should You Pause On Your Chest? The decline dumbbell together press is a small variation to the decline dumbbell bench press mentioned above. Lock you arms at the top of the lift and squeeze your pecs, holding for a few beats, before slowly lowering back down. In addition, third parties, including Facebook, may use cookies, web beacons, and other storage technologies to collect or receive information from PowerliftingTechnique.com and elsewhere on the Internet and use that information to provide measurement services and target ads. Steelflex PLLE200 Leverage Leg Extension Machine. In a decline bench press… Bend forward at the waist so your upper body is almost parallel to the floor and assume a lunge position, keeping your knees soft. How to do it: Lie down with your back flat on an Olympic-style bench so your eyes are directly under the bar. Muscles worked: Pectoralis major, anterior and lateral deltoids, triceps, core, glutes, hamstrings, spinal erectors, and abdominals. This positioning makes it so you can lift a bit more than a traditional bench press. On a personal level, I’ve been dedicating myself to the world of powerlifting for the past 15 years, having both competed and coached at the highest level. So just go light, focus on higher reps, and think about contracting your lower pecs as you perform this movement. You may be curious about the mechanics behind the chest press machine versus a bench press. Let’s get started! Unlike some of the other substitutes for decline bench press, the decline machine press is extremely simple to set up. Leverage Decline Chest Press My PT Hub. Due to this, decline barbell bench press is a great way to add variation and extra volume to a standard chest routine without compromising the shoulders. If you want to exhaust your lower pec muscles even more, you can choose to superset the decline machine press with one of the bodyweight decline bench press alternatives in the next section. As such, you should include this exercise into your routine in order to have a well-rounded workout. “You want to keep your lower body stable and focus on just rotating your upper torso,” Reames says. “Basically one side is performing the press while the other stabilizes and holds the start position,” Reames says. The handles should be near the top of the pectorals at the beginning of the motion. Many of the decline bench press alternatives discussed in this article are exercises that you can also perform in conjunction with a solid chest program. PowerliftingTechnique.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. 1997). Target Muscles. On the motion, extend one arm forward, coming slightly across to mid-chest while stabilizing the start position with your other hand. This dedicated chest press machine lets you achieve incline and flat reps with a fully adjustable bench and lifting arm positions/angle. The vertical dip is performed on parallel bars, which is in contrast to the horizontal dip where your feet are elevated on a bench. This exercise stretches the muscle fibers more than any of the other dumbbell variations, which can lead to greater “muscular damage”. Grasp the bar slightly outside shoulder-width apart. When you’re grasping the handles (palms facing down or out, depending on the machine), your hands should be in line with your chest and your feet flat on the floor. But, a decline machine press is a bit rarer to see. Hold the dumbbells by your chest, elbows bent, palms facing forward. While you can do the incline push-up as part of the main workout, I like to use it as a warm-up for other bench press variations. With plate loaded leverage machines, you get all of the benefits of classic weight stack machines . If your goal is powerlifting, and you want to increase strength on your bench press, the decline bench press has very little carryover. If an area of the chest is lagging, then begin with it on chest day. “This exercise variation is great for strength building and requires little athletic skill,” Reames says. When looking at the pec muscles, they can be split into upper and lower muscle fibers. How to do it: Begin sitting tall on a stability ball with dumbbells in each hand. The only downside to the decline machine press is that not all gyms have this piece of equipment. Some people prefer to do this variation kneeling as it prevents any ‘cheating’ by swinging your body-weight to move the load. Try it both standing and kneeling and pick whichever variations feels the most comfortable. Body Solid LVBP Leverage Bench Press. 50%. Muscles worked: Pectoralis major, anterior and lateral deltoids, and triceps. “This exercise allows for more horizontal abduction—or the ability to bring your upper arms across your upper body—as well as added work and development of the pectoralis major,” Reames says. It’s not a pure isolation exercise for the lower pecs, but it will contribute to a more defined and full-looking upper body. It’s possible to truly feel the chest getting a challenging stretch on the protracted place of the exercise. Replace hammer strength chest press with flat dumbbell chest press 12-15 reprange. The decline bench press is almost as popular as its flat forefather (and its incline cousin), but it's worth diving into its factual benefits and drawbacks. 30%. In-Stock. Now, rotate your wrists forward so your palms are facing away from you and lower the dumbbells so they’re at the sides of your chest, creating 90-degree angles. The concept of “muscular damage” is one of the main drivers of hypertrophy (muscle growth). Essentially, this is the chest press machine in your gym or rec center. Out of Stock. Next, bring the dumbbells up—one at a time—so you’re holding them in front of you shoulder-width apart. Plate loaded gym equipment is an affordable alternative to traditional weight stack machines. Steelflex PSDP Seated Decline Press. Such benefits include added safety for the user and the ability to push closer to … Here are a few frequently asked questions that I get around the topic of decline bench press alternatives: If your goal is to develop your lower pecs, you don’t need to do decline bench press. Slowly move your feet forward so your head, neck, shoulders, and upper back are flat against the stability ball. When each rep takes 6-seconds to complete, it doesn’t require much load to start feeling a significant training effect. Any alternative to the decline bench press should include some sort of dumbbell variation. #3. Face away from the tubing, grasp the handles, and stand with your knees slightly bent. First, just three general tips. This will recruit your lower pecs to a greater extent. Make note to keep your core, glutes, and legs tight throughout the exercise. Loading... Unsubscribe from My PT Hub? This would look like rotating the dumbbells so that your pinkies touch together at the top. You may have a “seated chest press machine”, which is great at targeting your total chest. (Note: Whichever arm is not pressing the weight up is staying in this start position.) Sit up tall and engage your abs. Chest. Muscles worked: Pectoralis major, anterior and lateral deltoids, triceps, abdominals, and legs. The exercises below are the best decline bench press alternatives to target the lower chest. “Even though you’re pushing, imagine the motion looking and feeling like you’re giving someone a hug,” Reames says. Touch and Go Bench Press: Should You Pause On Your Chest? don’t slam the weight stack on the return motion). Before starting the movement, make sure the handles are close to the top of your pectorals while your shoulder blades are retracted, and head and chest are up. You don’t need to do all of these exercises at once. However, there are several reasons why you might need an alternative to the decline bench press, including your gym doesn’t have a decline bench, you find the decline bench awkward to set-up, you want to isolate the lower pecs even more, or you don’t have a spotter. There is no math equation that could help convert a leverage bench press to free weights bench press. - Lever Press Arm: Multi-position leverage arm precisely replicates a barbell motion in safety - Swivelling Bench: Quickly swivel the bench to the side to use the press-arm standing or seated - Bench Back Pad Adjustment: 10 positions, adjusts to decline, flat, incline and fully upright angles with a quick release spring-loaded pin How to do it Adjust the bench so it’s at a slight decline. The key to engaging your lower pec is to “fly” the dumbbells lower, more in line with your sternum, and turn your palms so they are facing toward the ceiling. Draw your elbows back just past your shoulder and return to the start. Slowly return your arms back toward your chest. Our selection of chest and shoulder press and fly machines can be found in both leverage and cable weight variations. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'mensjournal_com-under_second_paragraph','ezslot_2',167,'0','0']));Reames recommends having at least one session with a qualified professional trainer to learn the basics of the exercise and proper form first. $1,499.00. Whatever chest exercise you do its targeted. These low-load or bodyweight decline bench press alternatives are great if you only have access to minimal equipment or no equipment at all. Easily set your incline or decline position with the 5 lifting arm positions, 5 back pad positions, 3 seat positions, and 13 bench depth positions. When the bar touches your body, drive your feet into the floor and press the bar back up. Hook the band loops over the end of the barbell to suspend the kettlebell off the bar. Exhale and use your chest muscles to push the dumbbells up. If you’re trying to bulk up your chest, this variation is excellent. Then, press the weights toward the ceiling, extending your arms fully. The decline bench works the lower pecs. This is because the free-weight nature of dumbbells allows you to lift a significant amount of weight, which provides the optimal training environment for building both strength and … “It’s very important you use a resistance level you can control not only during the exercise but moving into and out of the exercise, too,” he adds. How to do it: Secure the tubing onto a column or stable unit behind you that won’t move or slice the tubing. A lot of bodybuilders like to twist the dumbbells at the top of the range of motion in order to isolate the lower and inner chest muscles even more. 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