Flat Bench vs. Incline Bench Press – Which one should you do? – Fitness Volt

The bench press is the most common exercise in the gym. The bench press only rose to prominence in the 1950’s despite its popularity.

Before that, if you wanted to work your pecs, you were limited to dips, push-ups, floor presses and gymnastic rings.

Powerlifting has been built around the bench press, because it is so popular. Mondays are known as Bench Press Day in gyms around the world.

Is inclines better than flat bench presses for bench presses? It depends on what you are training for.

We compare and contrast flat and incline bench presses so you can choose the best one for your needs and goals.

Flat Bench Press

The flat bench press is the first thing lifters learn. It’s the classic chest exercise and can be done with a barbell. The majority of exercisers who do it have found that the bench press is an effective muscle builder.

Flat bench presses are excellent strength exercises. The stable platform allows you to lift heavy weights safely.

Several sports rely on the bench press for testing the strength and endurance of their athletes, not least the NFL Combine, where pro football wannabes see how many reps they can perform with 205 lbs. The current record is held by Justin Ernest of Eastern Kentucky.

The strongest NFL players in the world.

Muscles Worked

The bench press is an exercise. The bench press involves multiple joints and muscle groups.

• Pectoralis major – known as the pecs for short, this is the muscle group that makes up your chest. The primary function of the pecs is horizontal flexion of the shoulder joint.
• Anterior deltoids – this is your front shoulder muscle. It works alongside the pecs to flex your shoulder joint.
• Triceps brachii – usually just called the triceps, this is the muscle on the back of your arm. Its role in the bench press is elbow extension.
• Latissimus dorsi – despite being a back muscle, the lats play an essential part in bench pressing. They help stabilize your shoulders, providing a stable base from which to raise and lower the weight.
• Rotator cuff – the collective term for the subscapularis, teres minor, and supraspinatus muscles, which help stabilize the shoulder joint.
• Serratus anterior – this is the saw blade-shaped muscle over and between your upper ribs. It helps keep your scapulae flat against your upper back during bench presses, increasing upper body stability.
• Middle trapezius and rhomboids – located between your shoulder blades, your mid traps and rhomboids pull your scapulae together to stabilize your shoulder joint.
• Biceps brachii (short head) – the short head of the biceps is located on the front of your upper arm. Its function is to stabilize your shoulder and flex your shoulder joint.
• Core and lower body – for an upper-body exercise, the bench press also involves a lot of lower-body activity. The harder you brace your core and legs, the more stable you’ll be. Increased stability means less wobbling and wasted energy and better bench press performance. The bench press IS an upper body exercise, but your legs and core are involved too, albeit to a lesser degree.

How to do Flat Bench Presses

A lot of lifters think they can bench press but don’t do it right. Incorrect technique will limit the number of reps you can perform and the amount of weight you can lift.

You can get more from the flat bench press if you learn to do it right.

1. Lie on the bench with your eyes directly beneath the bar. Reach up and hold the bar with an overhand, slightly wider than shoulder-width grip. For most bench press variations, your forearms should be vertical at the bottom of each rep.
2. Brace your abs, pull your shoulders back and down, arch your lower back slightly, lift your chest up toward the bar, and push your feet into the floor. This will help stabilize your body.
3. Unrack the bar and hold it directly over your chest.
4. Bend your arms and lower the bar with control until it lightly touches your sternum. As the bar descends, tuck your elbows down and slightly inward toward your sides. Do not bounce the bar off your chest. Instead, imagine you have a pane of glass on your chest and touch the bar down very lightly.
5. Push your bar up, flaring your elbows as the bar nears the top of your rep. Extend your arms fully without locking your elbows.

Flat Bench Press – Pros

The bench press is a great chest exercise. You can check out the list of pros and make your own decision.

Most lifters get to grips with the flat bench press in a relatively easy way. There are special techniques for lifting more weight, such as arching, but you don’t need to master them immediately.

If you aren’t a powerlifter, you can still use the bench press to measure your strength and compare it to other lifters of the same gender, age group, and weight category.

You can use the bench press to build strength, endurance, and muscle mass. The universal appeal of the bench press is explained here.

There are many ways to perform the flat bench press.

• Paused bench presses
• Bench presses from pins
• Partial bench presses
• Bench presses with bands or chains
• Board presses
• Banded bench press, etc.

Most gyms have at least one bench press station You should be able to find a gym where you can do bench presses. A barbell and a flat bench are all you need to do the bench press.

Flat Bench Press – Cons

The flat bench press is the world’s favorite barbell exercise, but there are other drawbacks to consider.

The flat bench press is hard on the shoulders and can lead to chronic shoulder pain. Pressing on a bench can put stress on the shoulder joints by preventing the shoulder blades from moving. For this reason, some lifters have to give up bench presses in favor of more shoulder-friendly exercises.

A failed bench press rep can result in serious injury. If you can’t lift the bar, it can come crashing down on your chest. You should use a spotter or a power rack to bench press heavy weights.

Some people are not built to be good at the bench press. If you have long arms, narrow shoulders, or a shallow chest, the bench press could be uncomfortable. The bench press is not compulsory and there are plenty of other chest exercises you can do instead.

Incline Bench Press

The incline bench press is more popular than the flat bench press. The incline press benches are designed to increase upper chest activity. The incline bench press is a staple for pec training and is not often used by powerlifters.

Muscles Worked

The incline bench press and the flat bench variation use the same muscles. The clavicular head of the pecs and anterior deltoids can be activated by the incline bench press.

The activation of the sternal and costal heads decreased slightly.

How to do incline bench presses  

The performance of the incline bench press is very close to the performance of the flat bench press. The angle of the bench has an effect on how the exercise is performed. There is a brief overview of how to do incline bench presses.

1. Lie on an incline bench at a 30 to 45-degree angle.
2. Grip the barbell wider than shoulder width, and make sure your wrists are straight to support the weight.
3. Tuck elbows in slightly to prevent shoulder strain.
4. Position your feet firmly on the floor and arch your back.
5. Unrack the barbell and slowly lower it to a few inches above mid-chest while retracting your shoulder blades.
6. Drive through your heels while you push the barbell back to the top and contract your chest through the movement.
7. Repeat.

Incline Bench Press – Pros

Does the incline bench press deserve a place in your workouts? Consider the benefits and make a decision.

If you only do the flat bench press, your workouts will become boring. The incline bench press is a great way to keep your workouts interesting and productive.

The incline bench press has been found to be more comfortable for some exercisers. If you switch to incline bench presses, you may find some relief.

If you want to build an aesthetically pleasing body, you need to work your lower, upper, and middle chest.

It is worth noting that lifters can move the barbell over a greater distance with incline bench presses compared to the flat variation. If you want to increase shoulder mobility, this might be beneficial.

Incline Bench Press – Cons

The incline bench press is one of the downsides of most exercises.

Most lifters are up to 30% weaker with incline bench presses compared to the flat variation. The effect becomes more pronounced if the angle is steep. Although it is an excellent hypotrophy exercise, the incline bench press is less useful for building strength.

The risk of getting crushed under the bar is similar to the flat bench press. You should always do incline bench presses with a spotter, because of this.

Flat Bench vs. Incline Bench Press

Now that you know more about incline and flat bench presses, let’s judge them by a few different criteria.

Strength

If you want to get as strong as possible, the flat bench press is the best option. Most lifters can bench more than they can press. How much you can lift affects strength increases.

Hypertrophy

The pec exercises will help you build a bigger chest. The regions of your pecs that they engage are the main differences. While incline bench presses work your upper pecs more, flat bench presses are more of a general chest exercise.

The one that hits the muscles you want to develop is the one you should choose. If you want to maximize overall chest size, use both exercises.

Safety

If you can’t complete a rep if you don’t have a spotter on hand, you can do a flat and incline bench press. Flat bench presses are a little harder on your joints than inclines, but that’s not always the case.

Ease of learning

The angle of bar travel during incline bench presses may be a little awkward for beginners. The flat bench press is usually easy to learn. This will make it easier to perform the incline bench press.

Equipment

The most popular barbell exercise is the flat bench press. There are many dedicated bench press stations. Incline presses aren’t as popular as they used to be, so some gyms don’t have the necessary equipment to do them. This doesn’t have to be too much of an issue since you can always do incline dumbbell bench presses.

Long-term progression

Both types of bench presses can be used for long-term progression. There is no reason for you to expect your bench press progress to stop soon.

As your strength potential is greater with the flat bench press, you may be able to add weight or do more reps for a longer period of time. Most lifters have a long way to go in terms of genetic potential.

Variety

The incline bench press is a variation of the flat bench press, and there aren’t many ways to change it. There are a lot of different ways to do a flat bench press, many of which are designed to increase bench press performance.

Read also:

• Bench Press vs Push Ups: Which One Should You Do? 
• 15 Best Barbell Bench Press Variations
• Bench Press Alternatives For A Big, Powerful Chest
• 8 Ways to Boost Your Bench Press
• 10 Non-Bench Press Moves for A Bigger Chest
• 13 Unique Bench Press Variations for Massive Pecs
• Hit a Bench Press PR With The Smolov Jr. Program
• Wide Grip Bench Press: A Kickass Chest Workout

Wrapping Up

There is no clear winner between incline and flat bench presses in the battle of pec exercises. Both exercises have their drawbacks and benefits. The right one depends on your goals and experience.

The flat bench press is an excellent chest exercise and is a great way to build strength. It is a very accessible exercise because most gyms have a bench press station. The bench press can be hard on shoulders.

The angle of the incline bench press reduces the amount of weight that can be lifted. It emphasizes the upper chest, which may be a better choice if you want to build the pec region more quickly.

You don’t need to choose one exercise and the other to do it. The best option for most exercisers is that.

Either way, make sure you use good technique and increase the difficulty of your workouts from one week to the next, even if you do both of them. You could find yourself in a progress rut if you don’t.

The incline bench press and flat bench press are good for chest exercises. You might need to put more effort into one than the other.

References:

1 Here are the strongest players in the history of the combine.

There are two items. The Effect of Five Bench Inclinations on the Electromyographic Activity of the Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoid, and Triceps Brachii during the Bench Press Exercise

There are 3 items. There is a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of range of motion on resistance training.

It was 4. The Effects of Bench Press Variations in Competitive Athletes on Muscle Activity and Performance is an article in the journal PMC.

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