Dumbbell Incline Bench Press

The Dumbbell Incline Bench Press is a compound, pushing movement, that engages the muscles of the chest and shoulder girdle.Often used to bring up the upper chest.The exercise is among the best movements to include in a split routine focused on strength endurance and muscle mass in the chest and shoulders. Kinesiologic analysis shows that this movement is very close to the barbell incline bench press, with some significant differences.

The Incline Dumbbell Press has the following features:

• allows for a longer (deeper) range of motion
• allows for a dynamic change of grip and arm span
• further engages the stabilizing muscles
• has a lower power threshold ,i.e. doesn't allow a very high maximum performance compared to barbell incline

Contraindications:

The exercise is not recommended for people who have suffered injuries in the shoulder joints.
The exercise should be performed with a spotter to help with the initial dumbbell position, spot you through the movement and monitor the position of the shoulders.

Muscles

Target

• Pectoralis Major, Clavicular

Synergists

• Deltoid, Anterior
• Triceps Brachii

Dynamic Stabilizers

• Biceps Brachii, Short Head

Variations

Depending on the inclination of the bench

• Small incline (10 to 20 degrees) - the big heads are still used in a major way
• Medium incline (20 to 30 degrees ) - the most commonly used variation, this is the best slope to focus on the upper chest muscles. Here the assistance from the shoulders is weak to intermediate.
• Big incline (30 to 45 degrees) - Assistance shifts to the front shoulder and triceps. Lower pectoral heads only stabilize the position of the upper arm.

According to grip and wrist position

• Pronated grip (dumbbell axes coincide):strong emphasis on shoulder and triceps. Traditional bodybuilding grip for this particular movement.
• Pronated grip with the arms and shoulders in line in the lower end point: This further increases the role of the shoulders and triceps in the movement and often unnecessarily involves the small pectoral muscles.
• Semi-pronated (dumbbell axes form a 90 degree angle): Preferred by fans of power-conditioning methods, it involves a larger number of synergists in the movement.
• Dynamic from half pronated to pronated: Variation used in high intensity sets, where the emphasis is given briefly with pronation and holding only in the uppermost point of the range of motion.

Shoulder position

• Shoulder width: suitable for developing strength endurance and stability.
• Narrow: bodybuilding option, accompanied by chest flexion in the uppermost point.
• Wide: The emphasis is on stability.Advanced method that should be done with a spotter and very light weight. The modern fitness industry offers equally effective and much safer options with the same benefits. It would be best to take advantage of those.

According to the range of motion

• Full ROM: full range of motion.
• 3/4 ROM : the same range of motion one would have with a barbell. Wrists stop at chest level.
• 1/2 ROM (upper) : Elbows stop at a 90 degree angle. It's a very bad idea to do partial reps on the incline dumbbell chest press, especially when paired with a wide finish and over pronation.Don't do it in high intensity sets! The barbell variation here is preffered.
• 1/2 ROM (lower) : This variation aims for a good stretch at the bottom. a bodybuilding option, which carries a lot of risk.

Method of execution

1. Sit down on incline bench with dumbbells resting on lower thigh. 
2. Kick weights to shoulders and lean back.
3. Position dumbbells to sides of chest with upper arm under each dumbbell.

Execution

1. Press dumbbells up with elbows to sides until arms are extended. 
2. Lower weight to sides of upper chest until slight stretch is felt in chest or shoulder. 
3. Repeat.

Recommendations:

• If you're aiming for a deep stretch and a full range of motion, you shouldn't be using a weight higher than 60% of your 1RM, the pace should be slow with a slight hold at the bottom.
• The most difficult part of this exercise is getting the dumbbells to the starting position, if you don't have a spotter that is.Place the dumbbells on your legs, get ready and use your legs to push the dumbbells upward towards your upper body to get to the starting position easier.
• Don't perform this exercise if you do not have sufficient stability in the wrists and elbows. A small error in the lower section of the movement will lead to a big error on the top.
• At the lowest point your wrists should be at roughly at shoulder level and over your elbows.
• Do not pull your shoulders diagonally to your ears/chin. The small pectoral and trapezius muscles will actually only disrupt your shoulder girdle stability instead of helping you out with the movement.
• This exercise is not made to be a show of strength, the main benefits of this exercise come from the extra range of motion and its ability to provide a good stretch at the bottom. You won't be able to utilise neither of those if you're using too much weight, there is no point in performing the Dumbbell Incline Bench Press with a 1/2 range of motion, that basically makes it a less effective version of the Barbell Incline Press. So make sure you set your ego aside before performing this exercise.

Applications

The Incline Dumbbell Press has applicability in fitness, bodybuilding and strength-conditioning routines. Its main application, however, lies exactly in the workout routines of bodybuilding enthusiasts and professionals who know its advantages and disadvantages compared to its machine and barbell variations.

The exercise is best performed as the third or fourth exercise in a chest workout. In workouts prioritising the upper chest, it can be placed second.

If you decide to include the Dumbbell Incline Bench Press in your routine, try to find a training partner to monitor your form and provide assistance when needed.

Feel free to ask any question you might have about this exercise in the comment section bellow.
(sources:exrx.net)
(picture:musclemag.com)

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Barbell Bench Press

The Barbell Bench Press is a compound exercise. This movement is one of the best exercises for developing strength, strength endurance and mass in the chest muscles, due to the fact that when we are performing the exercise, the bar is precisely over our chest.

This, however, does not make it the best exercise for developing the chest muscles as many people might
claim. In this article we'll go over what we should do, what we shouldn't do and what is the bench press used for.

Muscles

Target

• Pectoralis Major, Sternal

Synergists

• Pectoralis Major, Clavicular
• Deltoid, Anterior
• Triceps Brachii

Dynamic Stabilizers

• Biceps Brachii, Short Head

Variations:

• Power Focus - typical for power lifters, but inexplicably often practiced by people with bodybuilding goals.
• Classic - this variation will be described in this article and it has universal applications.It's most commonly used for "power bodybuilding" and also as a part of routines of professional athletes.It is also used as a balance strengthening technique for the shoulder girdle.
• Isolation (guillotine), most often used in bodybuilding.Usually used by amateurs trying to increase the size/strength of their pecs.Professionals use it far more successfully by combining it with the classic bench press variation and flyes, pec-deck, etc. .
• Unbalanced - versions of the variations above are implemented with unilateral or bilateral imbalance between agonists, antagonists and stabilizers.

To sum it up, the difference between the classic and power performance is that the power technique uses a bigger arch and a greater involvement of the abductors in the shoulder girdle (serratus and minor pectoral muscles) and shoulder flexors(anterior shoulder head).

Grip:

• Classic grip - the bar lays on the middle of the palm with the thumb on top;
• Inverted (tilted wrist) grip - the bar lays at the base of the palm and thumb, the thumb is over the bar but the wrist is tilted back so there is less pressure on the forearm flexors, however there is much more pressure on the wrist itself;
• Inverted thumb less grip(suicide grip) - the bar lays on the middle or on the base of the palm, the thumb is under the bar.

All variations of the inverted grip are steering away from the classic barbell bench press and going towards the guillotine.The classic variation suffers greatly if performed with an inverted grip.

Trainees that perform the exercise with heavy weight, tilted wrists and a suicide(thumbless) grip, inevitably lower the bar like the classic bench press variation and are forced to push it back up guillotine "style" or drop the bar.In other words do not go heavy with a thumbless grip, you can get a very serious injury or even die.
According to the ROM

• full range of motion
• partial upper or partial lower (1/2, 1/3 or 2/3 of the movement) range of motion

According to the pace (lower, pause, press back up)

• classic 3-1-1, 2-1-1, 3-1-2, 2-1-2 ;
• bodybuilding 4-1-2, 4-1-3
• explosiveness 1-0-3, 1-0-2
• strength 2-1-1, 1-1-1

Method of execution

preparation

1. Lie supine on bench.
2. Arch your back.
3. Pull your shoulders in and back.
4. Plant your feet.
5. Dismount barbell from rack over upper chest.
6. Take a moderately wide classical grip.

performance

1. Lower weight to mid-chest.
2. Try to keep your elbows from flaring out.
3. Press bar upward until arms are extended.
4. Repeat.

Recommendations

• Do not let the weight free fall, focus on the negative.
• Do not push the bar off your chest.
• Keep your shoulders pulled back and down.
• Don't let your shoulders go towards towards your ears, if you do that you'll be doing a bad version of the Guillotine Press.
• In the lower parts of the movement keep your elbows close to your body.If you are having trouble with this and your elbows are flaring out, try to separate the bar, pull the bar apart, that's not possible of course, but by doing that you will tuck your elbows in.

Relevancy

The Barbell Bench Press can be found in almost any routine aiming to increase and maintain muscle mass.

It is important to understand that this is not just a chest exercise, it is a complex and a compound movement that recruits many muscle groups. Attempting to isolate the chest with the classic variation of the Barbell Bench Press such is almost meaningless, as there are many alternatives that will do just that in a much more effective fashion.Like these:
Guillotine Press, Chest Flies, Hammer Strength Chest Press, Cable Crossovers etc.

The Barbell Bench Press is a great exercise for the overall pressing strength of the upper body, it used in most power lifting competitions around the world, and is considered a margin of strength alongside the Squat and Deadlift.

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Decline Barbell Bench Press

The Decline Barbell Bench Press is a compound chest exercise that focuses on the lower heads of the pectoral muscles.It is a good exercise for hypertrophy as well as strength. Performing the Decline Bench carries some risks, so its use is not recommended for beginners. The movement should be performed with a spotter and clipped weights.

The decline bench press is closer to the kinesiology of a regular push up compared to the flat bench press, so the two movements are interchangeable to a certain extent .

Contraindications :

• Avoid the movement if you have shoulder injuries.

Muscles

Target

• Pectoralis Major, Sternal

Synergists

• Pectoralis Major, Clavicular
• Deltoid, Anterior
• Triceps Brachii

Dynamic Stabilizers

• Biceps Brachii, Short Head

Variations

The different options for the Decline Barbell Bench Press can be:

• Power lifting method - most often aiming for the shortest range of motion
• Classic - full ROM
• Shoulder (shoulders are forward and inward toward the ears) - Stay away from this one! If you're looking to train your shoulders consider other more reasonable exercises.

Grip

• The decline press must only be done with a locked grip, never utilize the thumb less(suicide) grip while performing this exercise.Any attempts to do so will end badly.
• Wide overhand grip - mostly combined with partial ROM . Completely bodybuilding oriented.
• Shoulder width overhand grip - the most popular power option.
• Wide underhand grip - a very dangerous variation, should not be attempted without two spotters to follow the descend of the bar.Leave this one to the pros.
• Shoulder width underhand grip - advanced technique. For this one you'll need at least one spotter to stay with you through the movement and to rack and unrack the bar for you.

Range of motion(ROM)

• Full ROM -the standard and preferred variation.
• Partial upper or lower half of the range of motion.

Method of execution

preparation

1. Select desired bench tilt and rack the bar on a proper height.
2. Choose a grip that suits the width of your shoulders and coincides with your training goals.
3. Arch your back and get your shoulders down and back, lock the shoulder girdle. It must remain locked in that position through the whole movement.

performance

1. Lower bar to upper chest.
2. Stop right before the bar touches your chest, at this point elbows should be at a 90 degree angle.
3. Press bar until arms are extended. 
4. Repeat.

Comments and recommendations

• Never try to unrack a bar that's too high or too low from the working position.It will end badly.
• If the bar is too far from hooks, leave it with your spotter.
• Do not turn your head sideways while performing the movement.
• Do not allow your shoulders to descend to your ears . If this happens, then the serratus and the small pectoral muscles can't take that much weight, so lower it.

Relevancy

Fitness and bodybuilding enthusiasts may include the exercise in their chest workout, while utilizing a more muscle building oriented variation. And if you want strength and power you can use the Decline Barbell Bench Press to improve performance as well as stability of the chest and shoulder girdle .
(sources:exrx.net)

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