DECLINE
BENCH
 MPEG:
Decline bench
CORRECT FORM
1) Place your hands
on the bar such that when the bar reaches your chest, your elbows
are at 90 degree angles.
2) Lift the bar off the
rack, hold for a second, then slowly begin to lower the barbell.
3) The barbell
should land just about 1 inch below the nipple line, closer toward
your stomach.
4) Inhale as
you lower the weight, exhale as you lift the weight.
5) Do not lock
your elbows completely at the top. Stop just barely short of locking
the elbows.
MUSCLES
USED
SAFETY
CONSIDERATIONS/PRECAUTIONS
Because of the
awkward starting angle of the bar, a spotter should assist in handing
the barbell to you, especially as you begin to lift heavier weights.
The rotator cuff and shoulder joint incurs an enormous amount of stress
when attempting to pick the bar off the rack from behind your head.
This
is by far the more dangerous of all bench press lifts because of
the position of your head! Be sure to have a spotter standing
behind your head following the path of the bar with his/her hands.
EFFECTIVENESS
This is an excellent
exercise for development of the not just the lower portion of the
pectoralis muscles, but the middle as well. Because of the smaller
distance the bar has to travel to from the top of the lift down to
the chest, and the change in the length-tension relationship of the
pec muscles, you should be able to lift a bit more weight during the
decline press, as compared to the incline
or flat bench. This
is of course only after you have adjusted to the awkwardness of the
lift.
Bodybuilders love this exercise because of the effect
it has on shaping and developing the lower portion of the pecs.
This enhances the look and definition of the pecs. It probably has
less of an impact on usefulness with respect to gaining strength
for playing sports. Flat bench
is a much more appropriate exercise if you want to improve overall
strength in a particular sport.
HELPFUL WITH TRAINING FOR
Bodybuilding, Power
lifting, Football.
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