Posted in Fitness
Main muscles worked pectorals, deltoids, triceps.
Use this exercise with special caution. It can be very severe on the shoulders. It also encourages exaggerated arching of the back. Arching should be minimized as much as possible in decline, horizontal and incline pressing, if not almost eliminated. Exaggerated arching increases the stress on the lower back to a dangerous level.
The decline bench press, relative to the torso, uses a different bar pathway than does the standard bench press, and a reduced range of motion. But the decline bench press is a riskier exercise. Partial bench presses in the rack, or dips, perhaps done as partial reps, are safer alternatives. To do the decline bench press, use a decline of no more than 30°. Place yourself on the bench so that you do not struggle to unrack the bar from its supports, or struggle to rack the bar at the end of a set. Use the same grip and breathing pattern as in the regular bench press.
With a hand-off, take the barbell out of the stands. Lock out, pause briefly, and then lower the bar under control to your lower chest well below your nipples (on the side of your abs). Pause very briefly at your chest, keep yourself tight, and then push the bar straight up. Your forearms should be vertical throughout the lift. The decline bench press does not give the latitude for the bar pathway used in the regular bench press. Get more than just slightly out of the vertical up and down groove and you will risk missing the rep and injuring yourself.
Never lower the bar to your mid chest or, even worse, to near your clavicles. And do not exaggerate the arch in your lower back—keep your butt fixed to the bench. At the end of a set, have your spotter give you a guided return of the bar to the weight stands, so you do not lose control.
