depends how youre built. For shorter guys with shorter, moderate arms barbell bench ,works for their structure. For Tall guys with long arms it doesnt do much and hits front delts more.
I don't agree with this at all, as I've seen numerous instances of tall guys with long arms getting great results from the bench press, myself included (not to mention guys like Arnold, Ronnie, Haney, etc, who have built some of the best chests of all-time, and they are all taller guys with long arms). 99% of the time, a lack of results on the bench press is attributable to improper mechanics...not structure. Unfortunately, there are a LOT of guys who don't know how to properly engage their chest while pressing.
Its also the number one exercise Ive personally seen people get injured on. My trainer partner tore his pec doing 315b or 340 or something many many years ago.
Yes..this happens for two reasons. One, improper mechanics (I've seen plenty of advanced bodybuilders, and even some pros, who don't know how to bench press properly). Two, because it places more STRESS on the chest--and therefore provides potentially better results.
read or watch some Dorian Yates Videos on the bench press , he explains why youve got to find what works for your structure, limb length, range of motion , etc do what works best for you but just bc it works for you doesnt mean itll work for everyone
I may have read, listened, and watched more about/from Dorian than anyone on this board, including his thoughts on the bench press, but the fact is...Dorian DID bench press. His "decline" barbell presses were done at such a slight decline that for all intents and purposes, it basically was a flat bench. Still, the point is that he pressed with a barbell...at both an incline and at a decline that was almost flat. Furthermore, most of the guys who experience great results from bench presses get a great arch in their lower back when pressing, which pretty much turns the movement into a slight decline anyway. So, whether someone does shallow declines (like Dorian) or gets a good arch while laying on a flat bench, the movement is very, very similar. The difference in pec activation is negligible. Aside from all that, the point is that barbell pressing (regardless of whether the angle varies by a few degrees or not) as been responsible for building the best chests of all-time and I believe the flat and incline barbell presses are the two most effective movements, in general, for building the chest. By the way, this includes pressing done on the smith, as it is basically the same movements on a guided track.
I would also say that weighted dips performed properly can be equally effective for building overall mass.
will a beginner build up their chest? sure
but when youve been bodybuilder 5,10,15 years, and competitively over seven years now, you find out what works for yourself
Of course, other exercises will provide benefits (I love hammer strength inclines for the upper-inner pecs). I never said flat and incline presses were the only chest exercises one should do. But...chances are that if someone doesn't do flat presses/shallow declines (on either a bench or smith), they probably don't have the greatest chest. In fact, I have seen very few bodybuilders with world class chests that haven't done those two exercises religiously...at least while building up their overall mass. I would also say that the BEST chests ever built (probably the entire top 10) were all built by men who religiously performed those exercises in their training. I don't think that is coincidence. Lastly, all this is stated "generally", as not all people are alike, but like I said above, I do believe they are the most effective mass-builders for the largest number of people.
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