Incline Press - A Waste of Time?

[The Rose]

Are incline presses really a waste of time? I've heard that you cannot target specific areas of a muscle such as the major pectorals (clavicular vs. sternum) because they are one smooth muscle, not two.

 

[Mule]

Oh man here we go!

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Im an Iron Addict!

 

[I Are Baboon]

You asked that before, remember? And it started World War III. Check it out:
http://www.ironmagazine.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000329.html

Incline bench press is my favorite chest exercise.

It's all good!

 

[Scotty the Body]

Yes, its all GOOD, just keep the angle on your bench no more than 30*.

Yes it is all one muscle with two different heads, you can emphasize one part more than the other doing different movements but you CANNOT isolate one over the other.

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Just another day in the gutter

 

[Arnold]

Originally posted by I Are Baboon:
You asked that before, remember? And it started World War III. Check it out:
http://www.ironmagazine.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000329.html

Incline bench press is my favorite chest exercise.

Good memory, and good job finding the thread I Are Baboon!

I love incline press, no it's not a waste of time.




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Just because the majority believes it, does not make it true!

 

[Mule]

Im with charger I like the DBs for now. For a change. I got 100's on the Inclines DBs the other day for almost 6. I was so proud. Well thats good for me since the shoulder injury!

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Im an Iron Addict!

 

[TheSupremeBeing]

They are not a waste of time per se, but there are better exercises for the chest (decline press, dips, flyes).

And NO, you can't isolate of even emphasize the upper VS lower chest. I cannot believe this BS is still being parroted around...

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Complex problems have simple, easy to understand, wrong answers.

 

[Charger]

I'm with Mule!

I also love inclines done as Scotty said, 30* incline. I prefer DB presses and flies.

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Can't never did nothin,(Dedicated to my father)

 

[The Rose]

I think I agree with the Supreme Being!

 

[Scotty the Body]

Originally posted by The Rose:
I think I agree with the Supreme Being!

That's fine, I guess books speak more to you than experience then, your choice.

If you can't even emphasize one part of the muscle over the other, than why would we bother doing more than one exercise for it?

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Just another day in the gutter

<FONT COLOR="#000002" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">[Edited 1 time by Scotty the Body on 07-28-2001 at 09:37 AM]</font>

 

[Slim Jim]

<IMG SRC="http://www.ironmagazine.com/ubb/image_uploads/michael.gif" border=0>

I found this picture of TSB, he might have a lot of book knowledge but I don't think he even lifts weights. Think I'll stick with my inclines.

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I wish I hadn't eatin that.

 

[TheSupremeBeing]

LOL...yeah that's really me you idiot.

Scotty, I'm sorry you can't understand the scientific aspects of it, so ask yourself this: Have you EVER seen anyone change the shape of their chest? Take a look at the thousands of before and after photos, find just ONE and I'll never say you can't train them seperately again.

You don't speak from experience, you speak from wishful thinking and muscle mag articles, and prolly some gym talk as well.

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Complex problems have simple, easy to understand, wrong answers.

 

[Scotty the Body]

Your right, I can't back it up.
But I'd still like to know what's the point of doing more than one exercise for say chest if you can't emphasize any part of it?

I mean, I might as well just do a set of dips and move on. right?


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Just another day in the gutter

 

[TheSupremeBeing]

Exactly! Pick a press (preferably decline or dips), pick a flye. The press works the pecs in it's strongest range and with the aid of the delts and triceps, and the flye eliminates the weak links allowing for maximal stimulation of the pecs.



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Complex problems have simple, easy to understand, wrong answers.

 

[walter]

supreme-Incline for your upper chest, decline for lower, and regular bench for your whole chest.

 

[Robboe]

Originally posted by Scotty the Body:you can emphasize one part more than the other doing different movements but you CANNOT isolate one over the other.

So fook, you can emphasise more, but that won't spur localised growth. Why 'cheat' yourself by doing an inferior exercise [in comparison to decline or weighted dips]?

Flat/decline bench for compound movement.
A flye for 'isolation' - basically to remove the weak links of the compound movement [triceps and delts.]

Rah rah rah...


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I'll type a good one when i feel like it...

 

[ballast]

If inclines are such an inferior exercise then why do you do them CD?

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"I figure,f*ck it.While I'm at it why not just shoot my buddy,take his job,give it to his sworn enemy,hike up gas prices,bomb a village,club a baby seal,hit the hash pipe and join the national guard....I could be elected president."

 

[TheSupremeBeing]

Inclines are crap.

On an incline press the weak links will ALWAYS fail before the chest (unless pre-exhaust or a similar technique is applied). Shoulders and triceps are the weak links, putting the bench on an incline will bring the shoulders more into play, and put the chest in its weakest position. The pec (major) primary function is to pull the arm across the chest and downward - therefore a decline press/dips are the best among the presses. A dip/decline press will minimize the weak links (the lats will come into play more, but they are generally not a "weak" link and will not fail before the chest), and put the chest in its strongest position.

Don't buy into that "you can work the upper chest with incline presses and the lower with declines!" crap. This is not possible because of the pecs anatomy.

In case you don't get the point - you should work the chest in its strongest position and minimize the weak links, and do not waste time trying to target the upper/lower chest individually.



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Complex problems have simple, easy to understand, wrong answers.

 

[Robboe]

Originally posted by ballast:
If inclines are such an inferior exercise then why do you do them CD?

I'm dropping them after i cut. I'm keeping them for now cause i don't want to change anything while i cut. When i'm done cutting they is outta here.


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Wantin' ta be big iz da schiznit...

I iz da schiznit...

Wannabebig is da schiznit...

 

[ballast]

Chicken Daddy-by your own admission,you are cheating yourself by doing an inferior exercise, aren't you?
I don't see why dropping them would affect your "cutting", especially if they are such an "inferior" exercise.
I don't mean to insult your intelligence, but, Why would you try to disuade someone from doing an exercise(because it is supposedly useless),when you yourself are doing the same exercise?

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"I figure,f*ck it.While I'm at it why not just shoot my buddy,take his job,give it to his sworn enemy,hike up gas prices,bomb a village,club a baby seal,hit the hash pipe and join the national guard....I could be elected president."

 

[TheSupremeBeing]

...To avoid having to re-learn the exercise robbing himself of muscle stimulation.

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Complex problems have simple, easy to understand, wrong answers.

 

[ballast]

He's a big boy,Supreme.Let him answer for himself.
And what do you mean "re-learn"?According to CD, after he is done "cutting", the inclines is outta here.So no need to re-learn, right?

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"I figure,f*ck it.While I'm at it why not just shoot my buddy,take his job,give it to his sworn enemy,hike up gas prices,bomb a village,club a baby seal,hit the hash pipe and join the national guard....I could be elected president."

 

[ballast]

Don't feel bad Supreme.I'm glad I'm not chicken daddy either.He sounds like a damn hypocrite.

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"I figure,f*ck it.While I'm at it why not just shoot my buddy,take his job,give it to his sworn enemy,hike up gas prices,bomb a village,club a baby seal,hit the hash pipe and join the national guard....I could be elected president."

 

[TheSupremeBeing]

Chicken is coo, but he's a stupid english bloke.

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Complex problems have simple, easy to understand, wrong answers.

 

[Maki Riddington]

Chicken Daddio is da shiznit

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Exercise, my drug of choice

 

[walter]

This is just amazing supreme, you don't think Inclines and Declines work the Upper and Lower parts of your chest?? Is that what you are trying to say?? Well from "experience" I have always done declines and inclines, and yes your upper chest does shrink if you stop doing them. You just can't do the regular bench press for chest development, Inclines build that mass on the upper portion of the chest, like you don't have. Why don't you stop giving advice to all these people, when you are a weakling yourself. You act like a PT or something, and you are full of crab, 99% of the time. You think you know all this stuff about weightlifting, or powerlifting or whatever you try to do, but the truth is you don't know how to work your own body. YOu are a a person who reps out 185 3 times for 10 sets, takes off your shirt and admires yourself. I wish I knew where you lifted so I could come down there and show you what "real" weighttrainingris. Keep on giving advice to these poor guys, and see there results shoot right down the drain.

 

[TheSupremeBeing]

Originally posted by walter:you don't think Inclines and Declines work the Upper and Lower parts of your chest?? Is that what you are trying to say??

Exactly.



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Complex problems have simple, easy to understand, wrong answers.

 

[TheSupremeBeing]

I answered for him because he just went offline.

By re-learn I mean that if he were to switch exercises it would take 4-6 weeks for him to gain any muscle off of the new movement due to the time the nervous system requires to optimize itself. When cutting you want to do everything in your power to keep building muscle a top priority, and switching exercises would take him a step back in his quest for hypertrophy.

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Complex problems have simple, easy to understand, wrong answers.

 

[ballast]

I didn't say for him to switch exercises, I said why didn't he Drop them if they were inferior.According to his log he is doing benches and flyes in addition to inclines.In his earlier thread, he stated to do a bench and a fly, so by eliminating the inclines there is no need to switch exercises.According to him, he would have all he needs with the benches and flyes.Right?

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"I figure,f*ck it.While I'm at it why not just shoot my buddy,take his job,give it to his sworn enemy,hike up gas prices,bomb a village,club a baby seal,hit the hash pipe and join the national guard....I could be elected president."

 

[TheSupremeBeing]

But, if he drops them his upper chest will shrink!

Hehe, I don't see why he is keeping them then...remember, I ain't ChickenDaddy (gladly).

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Complex problems have simple, easy to understand, wrong answers.