Group: General Fitness & Exercise

Created: 2011/12/31, Members: 383, Messages: 54581

Various general exercise related discussions. Find out what it takes to reach your fitness goals through daily effective exercise. With so many options we try to find out what works best.

Join group

incline press vs. decline press

laramertz
laramertz
Posts: 34
Joined: 2003/03/31
United States
2003/04/11, 03:37 PM
I was wondering what areas of the chest the incline press and decline press work. Right now I'm doing the flat barbbell press and the incline press in my my chest routine. Should I be doing the decline press as well or rotating the incline and decline press on every other workout? I am a female and one of my goals is NOT to lose my chest from working out.
asimmer
asimmer
Posts: 8,201
Joined: 2003/01/07
United States
2003/04/11, 04:09 PM
Hit your muscles from as many angles as possible.
there are differing theories on whether you actually get any different development from different angles, but you hit more fibers.
Supposedly you will build up the muscle fibers in your lower pecs with decline, giving your chest a nice, antural 'lift'.
Unfortunately, the leaner you get, the less you are going to have on your chest as far as mamary tissue. I do know some women at the gym who get fairly lean and still retain some chest size, but that was not my experience. Biut having muscle built underneath helps, anyways.
The incline is supposed to give you better definitiona nd muscle stimulation of the upper fibers of your chest muscles. It can't hurt to do them all.
try decline cable cross-overs (stand inbtween the cables and bring the handles from next to your hips (palms up) to meet just above your waist, under your chest. Keep your arms straight but not locked - I feel this one more than most chest exercises and you can see how it works your chest when you do it.
Good luck!

--------------
Challenge + Consistency = Results