Thread: Incline CG Bench?

I suppose its like doing DB skullcrushers vs. overhead DB extensions.

We've always done them on a flat. hmmm....

i usually do them

its just more to target inner upper chest region

Originally posted by myCATpowerlifts
i usually do them

its just more to target inner upper chest region

?

isnt the whole point of a CG bench to target the tri's, not the chest?

Originally posted by myCATpowerlifts
i usually do them

its just more to target inner upper chest region

I've always thought that you do cg bench to hit the tri's. When you go wide is when it hits the chest. Unless your form completely sucks then who knows what your hitting and can screw up.

hmm i read that close grip bench actually exercises the inner chest pretty nicely. so maybe incline CG exercises inner-upper chest. who knows?

actually i bet alot of people on this board know.

Originally posted by SkinnyKid
hmm i read that close grip bench actually exercises the inner chest pretty nicely. so maybe incline CG exercises inner-upper chest. who knows?

actually i bet alot of people on this board know.

Originally posted by Yanick

I tired them on the incline a while back just for the hell of it. I found it worked the long head of the tricep more than the lateral or medial head (as I find the flat bench close grips do).

They were hard on my shoulders for some reason, put strange stress on them, like they wanted to pop apart or something. Flat bench CG Is better in my mind, all the way.

Originally posted by SkinnyKid
hmm i read that close grip bench actually exercises the inner chest pretty nicely. so maybe incline CG exercises inner-upper chest. who knows?

actually i bet alot of people on this board know.

I just never understood this training mind set. How do you excercise the "inner" chest? You can't spot train a perticular muscle as in the inner or outter chest(Sternal head).
Performing Inclines will put more emphasis on the Upper chest muscle (Clavicular Head ) which is the reason to perform incline bench presses but chaning grips will not alter how much of that muscle is targeted.
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When performing CG benches, your arms are close to your body and your primary muscle your targeting at this point is your triceps but your still hitting the entire chest muscle as well as a secondary muscle group. In my Opinion it is only a secondary muscle group because your not able to handle the same amount of resistance as you can when you grip is wider and using less tricep. Close grip benches finish at the top pretty close to as you would if performing DB bench presses. In fact DB bench presses your hands may be even closer together at the top then where they are compared to cg benches. The only difference between those two are the position of your elbows through out the movement. CG, the elbows are close to your sides and facing your feet. DB bench they are facing out to the side.

Sounds like hell on the wrists.

Originally posted by Mudge
Sounds like hell on the wrists.

no kidding..i think my wrists would hurt like heck if i did cg inclines, with a good amount of weight

What sounds like hell on the wrists Mudge? My explanation? When I do Close grips,, my hands are just outside my outter pecs. My thumbs touch my chest. I don't feel any discomfort with that grip.
If you were being scarcastic regarding my comparing the top of the movement with DB benches I guestimated it as being pretty close to the same disance when you consider the width of 120 pound D/B's coming together (without banging them of course) Maybe DB are a little closer but pretty close to the same. (if you were being sarcastic, then foo on you jerkey boy...hahahahahahaha) j/k

Originally posted by oaktownboy
no kidding..i think my wrists would hurt like heck if i did cg inclines, with a good amount of weight

I don't know Oak. Thinking about it,,if you keep your elbows close to the sides as you would if doing them flat,,I don't think the incline would make any difference at all in regards to the triceps. Its the same exact movement for the tricep. the only difference I can see is that you are using more front delts.

Originally posted by oaktownboy
no kidding..i think my wrists would hurt like heck if i did cg inclines, with a good amount of weight

i would just like to say i don't what the hell i was thinking when i made this statement. trying to visualize it now, my elbows would still be in to hit the tris and i would bring them down the same way, just not as far

Umm yeaaaa... that's what I just told ya goofy. hahahahahaha

I do them, the main reason I do incline CG is bc I like to vary my routine and I found this is a good way to keep CG in the routine while varying the routine at the same time.
FWIW for me they "feel" just as effective but I only use a slight incline.
Can't live without those close grips for tri's tho!!

For me, on a slight incline, it seems to take the chest out of the movement a little more and isolate the tri's. I like them better than the flat CG, but I guess everone's biomechanics is a little bit different.

Actually SJ what is MOST important is that YOU like doing them that way. If you feel it in your triceps THEN YOU CAN'T BE WRONG for doing them that way regardless what some P/T or PH.D in excercise mechanics (no such thing really hahaha) tells you. YOu like it, you feel it. DO IT. YOu go boy!!!!

Wow thanks for all the replies, I will try them tomorrow when I do tris. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

You know to completely take the chest out of the movement you can move a bench into a squat rack and move the power pins so your ROM is restricted to only the top third the movement, where your triceps are recruited the most. You can load up much more weight with this movement and be sure that you're recruiting your triceps only. This also removes the front delt, because you don't need the thrust of the front delt at the beginning of the movement.

Peace.

Originally posted by firestorm
Umm yeaaaa... that's what I just told ya goofy. hahahahahaha

hahahaha High fives to you my friend (oak)

Originally posted by firestorm
my hands are just outside my outter pecs.

That is not a close grip like I would do on a flat bench, I go about 8" apart or so. Your way is fine, going very close together though, too much for the wrists IMO going high on the chest on an incline bench.

Mudge, I agree that too close is no good as well. I believe from what you just said is that you go closer then I do. I can not go any closer even if I wanted to. It kills my damn "injured" shoulder. In fact, most straight bar movements extremely antagonize it as well. another example is that incline Barbell bench is totally OUT. I can barely do 225 without extreme discomfort which turns into a few days worth of pain. It just isn't worth it since I can make that injury that has come along way go into remission and put me totally out of commision again. DB's hardly bother me at all so that is what I use. When I do barbell benches, My grip width is dictated by my shoulder and not preference.
Talk soon Mudge.