decline bench necessary to build a perfect pecs?

[shortyshort]

those of you wit no-fat pecs do you hit all three top, mid, bottom or just top n mid?

i only do incline n never do decline or flat cuz my right shoulder starts to crackle and i have most of da fat on my lower pecs n making my nipple looking kinda saggy...

currently i only do, incline dumbell press, incline flys, and cables flys, with light, light weights.

thanks for any input

 

[dukkitdalaw]

Fat around the pecs wont be lost by different chest presses.

Cardio and diet.

So fix them up.

 

[TheSquad]

those of you wit no-fat pecs do you hit all three top, mid, bottom or just top n mid?

i only do incline n never do decline or flat cuz my right shoulder starts to crackle and i have most of da fat on my lower pecs n making my nipple looking kinda saggy...

currently i only do, incline dumbell press, incline flys, and cables flys, with light, light weights.

thanks for any input

dukkit is right. honestly decline is a waste.

 

[PeterBobJohn]

I disagree

Decline bench press hits the whole pec, at least two if not three of the muscles in the chest.
Waste? far from it, actually one of the better chest exercises out there.

 

[D BO]

Heard ya on that one PBJ

 

[dukkitdalaw]

Decline bench press hits the whole pec, at least two if not three of the muscles in the chest.
Waste? far from it, actually one of the better chest exercises out there.

Yeah decline isnt a waste.

I have had the most pec development since hitting decline more than other presses.

Studies have shown it to actually give the upper chest muscles more overload than incline actually. More overload equals more muscle. So why waste time doing inclines that work the upper to a smaller degree, when you can be doing decline and hitting lower and upper harder.

 

[Ness]

honestly decline is a waste.

Haha. Perfect hall-of-shame post.

 

[Ness]

Decline bench press hits the whole pec, at least two if not three of the muscles in the chest.
Waste? far from it, actually one of the better chest exercises out there.

Yes, and DIPS!

 

[SVT04DAL]

Yeah decline isnt a waste.

I have had the most pec development since hitting decline more than other presses.

Studies have shown it to actually give the upper chest muscles more overload than incline actually. More overload equals more muscle. So why waste time doing inclines that work the upper to a smaller degree, when you can be doing decline and hitting lower and upper harder.

No shit? I never knew this. I always thought of the decline as primarliy a tricep and lower pec builder. I'm going to have to look into this...thanks for the info!

 

[AJW91]

No shit? I never knew this. I always thought of the decline as primarliy a tricep and lower pec builder. I'm going to have to look into this...thanks for the info!

Decline presses shift the burden off of the anterior delts and onto the pecs. So you get more pec recruitment from decline presses and dips.

 

[PeterBobJohn]

Yes, and DIPS!

yes dips are the best, unfortunately I go to a fitness club with no dip bar!!!
dumbells only up to 120, but weight room is empty and no one talks to me so I can get a good workout anytime I go.

 

[PeterBobJohn]

I consider chest my weakest body part, ironically its not legs like with the rest of the tools here on the east coast.
since I incorporated decline into my workout and stopped flat bench my chest has grown and developed at a rate far greater than before

 

[SugarFree]

Yeah decline isnt a waste.

I have had the most pec development since hitting decline more than other presses.

Studies have shown it to actually give the upper chest muscles more overload than incline actually. More overload equals more muscle. So why waste time doing inclines that work the upper to a smaller degree, when you can be doing decline and hitting lower and upper harder.

I've read the opposite, a study (I think that was done by rochester but would have to double check). In this study comparing different barbell lifts, the decline barbell press did not have any adavantage to the others. Flat wide grip was best for lower, incline regular grip for upper had the best results.

 

[PeterBobJohn]

So the debate begins.
I will side with the decline proponents

 

[Bullman77]

Decline works better for me without the stress on my shoulders. Like stated earlier only diet will get rid of that sag.

 

[Th3darkmarket]

I consider chest my weakest body part, ironically its not legs like with the rest of the tools here on the east coast.
since I incorporated decline into my workout and stopped flat bench my chest has grown and developed at a rate far greater than before

X2 for me.

Didn't think I'd ever catch my chest up with the rest of my growth until I started using decline.

 

[AJW91]

I've read the opposite, a study (I think that was done by rochester but would have to double check). In this study comparing different barbell lifts, the decline barbell press did not have any adavantage to the others. Flat wide grip was best for lower, incline regular grip for upper had the best results.

Could you maybe post the study up here for critique? And did this study use EMG?

You should check out this article about the problems with using EMG to determine muscle recruitment... http://www.medicinasportiva.pl/new/pliki/ms_2011_03_08_Fisher.pdf

Here is a quote from the above:

the limitations of attempting to accurately use EMG data to interpret activation or muscular force production include (but are not restricted to): crosstalk (readings from synergist muscles) depth of active motor units from surface electrode, amplitude related to motor units and muscle fiber-types, variable firing rates, muscle-fiber length, velocity and contraction type [68-74]. Possibly most problematic is the fact that, although
in general there is a positive relationship between force production and EMG activity, the relationship is often not linear, particularly in large muscles such as the biceps and deltoid, and particularly so at high muscle activation levels [75, 76]. Therefore, EMG is very limited in what it can tell us regarding the merits of different equipment or exercises.

It's probably better to rely on trial-and-error, and most people who've tried both seem to agree that decline presses and dips, which are basically the same movement biomechanically speaking, are superior pec builders to flat and incline presses. Just my ten cents.

 

[ericraven2003]

dukkit is right. honestly decline is a waste.

I disagree. In fact, I put on more chest mass with decline then any other chest exericse.

 

[TODouble2]

i have to jump in this on the side for decline also.... i never did them until recently because i thought it was for the lower pec and i'm not at a low enough bodyfat to notice that...

i started doing them because flat hurts my shoulders too much and i've put on more mass then ever before... they absolutely develop the entire chest.

 

[shortyshort]

from what im reading, i should start declining.. my apt gym does not have dipbars...

what other workouts do u recommend besides decline bench/dumbell/dipbars for lower pecs?