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Incline vs. Flat Bench

retrofish Posts: 118 Joined: 2005/06/20	2008/03/05, 08:38 PM I just started incline benching again and I've noticed that difference between my incline and flat bench has decreased. I recently flat benched 205x5 (possibly questionable since my spotter sucked), and today just incline benched 175x5. I'm not too concerned about it but I thought it was interesting. If you do both incline and flat bench, what is the difference between those two lifts for you?
arondaballer Posts: 1,054 Joined: 2003/06/14	2008/03/05, 09:46 PM I would think the avg lifter (if there's such a thing) lifts more on flat than incline. Is this what you're askin? -------------- I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle-victorious. --Vince Lombardi "Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work." H. L. Hunt
retrofish Posts: 118 Joined: 2005/06/20	2008/03/05, 10:21 PM You'd have to have something a little bizarre going on I'd imagine to incline bench more than flat bench. The question was, if you do both on a regular or semi regular basis, what is the difference between the weight lifted on those two lifts for you? Mine seems to be about 20-30 lbs. In percentage terms, my incline right now is 10-13% lower than my flat bench.
wrestler125 Posts: 4,619 Joined: 2004/01/27	2008/03/06, 12:03 AM 275 flat, I think I might struggle for 225 on the incline. I've got strong shoulders and a good overhead press, but not having leg drive kills me. I take this to mean that my bench is weak, and also that my incline bench is weak. -------------- SQUAT MORE ~Jesse Marunde Blood Guts Sweat Chalk
Kidfreedom Posts: 52 Joined: 2004/05/19	2008/03/06, 04:21 PM I find incline dramatically more difficult than a flat bench because I have weak shoulders. Flat bench is around 300, and I doubt I could get much more than 225, if even that.
bigandrew Posts: 5,146 Joined: 2002/10/21	2008/03/06, 06:52 PM Problem w/ inclines is they all vary on the angle. Some are pretty low..others almost a damn military press. They have always bothered my shoulders, If I did them it was with dbs or close grip...just as a secondary or axhillary. But if you add wieght to your incline and your bench(flat) goes up....then use/do it, if It does ntohing but agravate you and cause discomfort don't do it. -------------- \\"The eight laws of learning are explanation, demonstration, imitation, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, and repetition\\"
coolnatedawg Posts: 813 Joined: 2005/03/09	2008/03/06, 11:01 PM i find inclines to be somewhat beneficial. my shoulder work sucks and OHP seems to aggravate me. I bench 295 but hit 225 for an easy 3 the other day. In a few more weeks i will do it again.
corless319 Posts: 118 Joined: 2008/03/07	2008/03/07, 01:15 PM Incline is harder cause it does use your pecs but also includes your shoulders. If your chest is stronger then your shoulders which is usually the case incline will be harder and the weight will drop. A great workout though is inclined d bell bench press. Awesome but it depends on your gyms dbell sizes im about to have to switch at my gym cause im now almost needing 80lb dbells to incline with right now im at 75 thats the biggest they have. Long story short its normal to be weaker on incline bench press.
retrofish Posts: 118 Joined: 2005/06/20	2008/03/07, 05:51 PM I am going to be an optimist and assume that the 205x5 was just an off day for me, and this means my 1rpm will actually be higher than I thought the next time I go for it. I guess I'll find out soon enough. Do the two exercises use comparable amounts of tricep strength? If thats true would that make the ratio between the two lifts a good indicator of whether your shoulder strength or chest strength is a weakness?
Sam295 Posts: 23 Joined: 2008/03/19	2008/04/03, 08:03 AM For me, I noticed the same thing you do...if I understand you correctly. You think your incline is really close to your flat bench compared to what alot of other peoples are, right? I right there with you, with my incline actually even closer to my flat bench than yours. Ignore it. It means nothing! Some people have bench presses of more than what they can squat or even deadlift.
Pemdas Posts: 973 Joined: 2004/07/22	2008/04/03, 08:34 AM ============ Quoting from sam295: It means nothing! Some people have bench presses of more than what they can squat or even deadlift. ============= It does mean something. It mean that the person is a shoulder/tri dominate bencher and that their chest is weak in comparison. Unless you have an injury, if you can DL and Squat more than you can bench then your training is really bad.
koya1893 Posts: 19 Joined: 2008/03/12	2008/04/03, 10:51 AM My experience with benching flat/incline is: I don't do the barbell bench I focus on using the dumbbell. I am about 10-15lbs difference, max on the incline on heavy day is 115lbs. dumbbell 6 reps. this is after 5 sets. max on flat dumbbell press is 125lbs. 5 reps after 5 sets. during the flat position multiple muscle group are involve, during incline several are not in play during the exercise. Hence the weight difference, my experience everyone is different. also take into account the angle you are in. The fix incline bence the angle is too high for me. the adjustable bence you can get the proper angle, around 10-15 degree. The higher you get the shoulders comes to play a great deal like you are headed towards a mil. press position. I coution you on doing heavy weights during incline when you are on a high angle. The shoulders don't like it.
Pemdas Posts: 973 Joined: 2004/07/22	2008/04/03, 10:59 AM ============ Quoting from Pemdas: ============= EDIT: Unless you have an injury, if you CAN'T DL and Squat more than you can bench then your training is really bad.
rev8ball Posts: 3,081 Joined: 2001/12/27	2008/04/03, 11:51 AM EDIT: Unless you have an injury, if you CAN'T DL and Squat more than you can bench then your training is really bad. I was just looking at that, and was like "What the.....?" LOL..... -------------- Michael Strength & Conditioning is not everything; it just really sucks to be weak and slow.
bigandrew Posts: 5,146 Joined: 2002/10/21	2008/04/05, 05:47 PM My coach benches like 10-20lbs more than his best pull. Gear for pullers doesn't help much. Gear in the bench can add 200lbs plus. So it's actually easy to bench more than one pulls....depending on the lifter. -------------- \\"The eight laws of learning are explanation, demonstration, imitation, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, and repetition\\"
retrofish Posts: 118 Joined: 2005/06/20	2008/04/05, 08:02 PM I assume he's talking about those top heavy frat guys that do 50 sets of 10 on the bench and don't do squats because they say it hurts their knees. So do you guys think I am correct in assuming my chest strength is what's holding my flat bench back? If that is the case what should I be doing? All I can come up with is throwing in some flys as an assistance exercise.
wrestler125 Posts: 4,619 Joined: 2004/01/27	2008/04/06, 09:28 AM I'm pretty sure he's talking about raw lifting. -------------- SQUAT MORE ~Jesse Marunde Blood Guts Sweat Chalk