decline dumbbell bench press
A lot of bodybuilders like to twist the dumbbells at the top of the range of motion to isolate the lower and inner chest muscles even more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R_GwRhG0rY. The decline dumbbell bench press is a compound movement and activates multiple muscle groups such as the pectoralis major, anterior deltoids, and your triceps. With that said, if you are experiencing pain while bench pressing, be sure to first review your bench pressing technique, and seek clearance from a trained professional. Additionally, decreased shoulder stress in the decline bench press could make this a good pressing alternative for lifters who would like to bench press however cannot often handle the discomfort of flat and/or incline bench presses. Always focus on executing proper form. The decline bench works the entire pec or chest muscle, focusing on the lower pecs. Secure your legs at the end of the decline bench and lie down with a dumbbell on each hand on top of your thighs. Get 0 joining fee. The biceps muscles on the front of your upper arms work as stabilizers during the movement. The incline push-up is performed with your hands on a raised surface, which will activate your lower pecs more than a flat or decline push up. Whilst the decline bench press is sometimes favoured over the flat bench in terms . Lie back and bring the dumbbells over your chest with your elbows and upper arms resting on the ground (you may need a spotter to safely get into this position). Increase loading abilities, training different angles of the press, and targeting slightly different muscle fibers of the chest can all increase muscle growth. The decline dumbbell bench press is a popular upper-body exercise targeting the lower pectoral muscles. While the decline bench press can be an effective exercise, other alternatives can target your lower pecs similarly or to a greater extent. Secure your legs at the end of the decline bench and slowly lay down on the bench. But, a decline machine press is a bit rarer to see. You can explicitly focus on the muscle you want to target with machines or cables. Make sure your palms are rotated completely under the dumbbells, squeezing them tight. Step 1 Set a weight bench at a 30 percent decline. If you would like to get in touch, email me at, We use cookies to improve your experience on the website. This is a perfect chest exercise since it does not require any equipment and can be done at home or in a gym with no decline bench available. more. The goal of the movement is to hold the dumbbells with a neutral grip and press them together. Lets get started! The vertical dip will target your lower pecs to a greater extent than the horizontal dip, which is more for isolating the triceps. What Does the Wide-Grip Bench Press Work? Office: Pure Gym Ltd, Town Centre House, Merrion Centre, Leeds LS2 8LY. You can vary the amount of wrist pronation and supination based on preference. While I can do vertical dips with loads over 100lbs, I still like to do the bodyweight variation from time-to-time, but slow the tempo to a 3-second down, and 3-second up the count. We also write workout guides and exercise tutorials in order to help all athletes around the world to get started and improve their workouts. The incline bench press has a greater focus on the upper chest, known as the clavicular head, whereas the decline bench has a greater focus on the lower chest, known as the sternal head. Exhale and slowly bring the dumbbells back to your sides. Make sure you are descending the dumbbells down directly in a straight line. If you cant do dips, then check out my article on the Best Dip Alternatives. If you have not reached your desired amount of reps because the position and/or weight has become too hard, all you need to do is drop your hips back to the ground and continue into a traditional dumbbell floor press. The benefit of doing machine or cable variations is that you can usually isolate the muscle fibers of the lower pec to a greater extent than dumbbell variations. This site is owned and operated by PowerliftingTechnique.com. For a head-to-head exercise comparison, check out my article on Dips vs Decline Bench Press. Hevy #1 Workout Tracker & Planner Gym Log App, Home > Exercises > Chest > Decline Bench Press (Dumbbell) How to Instructions, Proper Exercise Form and Tips. Using dumbbells, instead of a bar, allows you to master the move, which can feel aggressive on your shoulders. Plus, declined chest flyes are beneficial for introducing yourself to decline work before learning how to press. To help coaches and athletes better understand the benefits (and potential limitations) of the decline bench press, we developed this decline bench press ultimate exercise guide that will cover: Before we dive into this decline bench press guide, it is important to note that this exercise could result in one or some of the following, and caution should be used. How to do the decline dumbbell press - Men's Health If youre not using dumbbells, the load will be lighter, so you will want to think about maximally contracting your pecs by squeezing your hands together. Dumbbells are one of the best training implements in the gym to build a bigger and stronger chest. Hey! Regular Push-ups. "A barbell will allow you to use more load, but you can't squeeze your pecs at the top like you can with a dumbbell," he said. Palms should be turned slightly inward. Note, that the decline bench press may be more limited in terms of direct variations when compared with the flat bench press, however the alternatives (next section) are slightly more expensive. Additionally, I prefer the cable pulldown versus the dumbbell pullover because you can take a wider grip on the cables. These low-load or bodyweight decline bench press alternatives are great if you only have minimal equipment or no equipment. As you descend, maintain control and bring the dumbbells down in a straight line, just above your nipple line hovering over your chest before your press back up. You can modify the exercise at any time if the weight or the bridge position becomes too difficult. Exercises: The lower ches. A greater declination has the potential to be too extreme. You might have a lot of experience with the bench press, but the decline version takes time to learn. The anterior deltoid, however, is the least active in the decline press when compared to the flat and incline versions, which could be beneficial for lifters looking to minimize shoulder stress. Decline Bench Press Technique This section will break down the technique required to effectively perform a barbell decline bench press. Additionally, caution should be used when racking and unracking weights, as well as getting into position (such as with dumbbells), as this exercise can result in injuryif caution and/or spotters are not used. Your body works in a specific plane of motion. With both dumbbells in your hands and close to your body, carefully get on the bench and secure your legs. April 21, 2023 by Steve Theunissen According to gym lore, to work the entire chest you do the flat bench press, to target the upper portion of the pecs you do the incline bench and to focus on the lower pecs, you do the decline bench press. If you want to exhaust your lower pec muscles even more, you can choose to superset the decline machine press with one of the bodyweight decline bench press alternatives in the next section. Variations: You can use an exercise band or a barbell to perform this exercise. Adjust the decline bench to about a 30-40-degree angle. The decline bench press can be done with dumbbells to increase unilateral development of the lower pectorals and enhance muscle activation (due to increase stability demands, angular changes from wrist pronation/supination, and increases range of motion). Step 2 Lie back on the bench kicking the dumbbells back with you or have a spotter hand the weights to you. Setting yourself up on the decline bench is more difficult and can lead to pressing with a rounded upper back. The key with the straight bar serratus pulldown is to purposely limit the exercises range of motion. The definition in the lower region is preferred to distinguish between your chest and abdominal muscles. Use code: ZEROJF. Its not a pure isolation exercise for the lower pecs, but it will contribute to a more defined and full-looking upper body. The decline dumbbell bench press is a popular upper-body exercise targeting the lower pectoral muscles. Think about creating an arrow shape with your arms and head. Decline Bench Press | How To & Common Mistakes As youre sitting upright with the dumbbells resting atop your thighs, bring your shoulders back, engage your abs, and take a breath. If you want to work your triceps, use a close grip, bringing your elbows down into a narrower descent, towards the bench. Start by selecting an appropriate set of dumbbells and positioning yourself on the floor. (Second Movement)- Exhale as you press the weights back up to the starting position while squeezing your lower pecs. Decline Dumbbell Bench Press - Chest Exercise - YouTube Your shoulders and triceps also benefit from the decline dumbbell press. Plus, flared elbows prevent you from lifting as much weight as possible because the dumbbells are farther from your body. However, the decline bench is a problem for many people. Decline dumbbell bench press should be used in your training program, but not used on every chest day training split. Consciously move both dumbbells up and into one another throughout each repetition. When looking at the pec muscles, they can be split into upper and lower muscle fibers. Lower the weights slowly until they reach your chest, then push the dumbbells back to starting position. Decline dumbbell bench press | Exercise Videos & Guides - Bodybuilding.com In doing so, you press the weight at a unique angle that allows you to emphasize the lower portion of your chest. Reverse grip dumbbell press. To a lesser extent, it also works the upper pectoralis major, anterior deltoids and triceps. If you're stuck in a bench press rut, mix it up. The decline bench itself, provides more added benefits in regard to muscle targeting and specific stimulation. How to Do a Decline Chest Press: Techniques, Benefits - Verywell Fit The Decline Bench Press for Your Chest - Healthline Related Article: 12 Best Cable Crossover Alternatives (With Pictures). However, the researchers noted there was no significant difference between upper pec activation, which means that the upper pecs were recruited similarly in both variations. Need guidance on how to perform the exercise? In this set up below the feet are not secured, as there was not access to a proper decline bench. Are Workout Splits Better Than Full-Body Sessions? We often turn to the apparent exercises for chest growth: flat bench, incline press, and flyes. A superset simply performs two back-to-back exercises with little to no rest. The dumbbell decline press is also fantastic for the front deltoid head, which assists our chest in arm extension (1). The Decline Dumbbell Bench Press. In addition, dumbbells force each side of your pecs, shoulders and triceps to do equal work. http://www.instructionalfitness.com Personal fitness trainer Joe Tong teaches the proper way to do a decline dumbbell bench press. Decline barbell pressing is also useful for causing greater mechanical tension in your upper body because you can work with more weight (3). Below is a step-by-step guide on how to properly set up and perform the decline bench press, more specifically the dumbbell decline bench press. Bench press variations like the flat and incline bench press both are highly beneficial for overall chest development and pressing strength, however little is discussed about the decline bench press variation. In this case, the muscle fibers of the pecs. Note, that these are general guidelines, and by no means should be used as the only way to program the decline bench press. Read our detailed analysis on the, The triceps are responsible for elbow extension, which occurs in the decline bench press. These cookies do not store any personal information. Therefore, since the decline bench press targets the lower pec fibers to a greater extent, you will want to find exercise substitutes that activate the lower chest versus upper chest muscles. In addition to improving muscular imbalances, mobility, increasing core strength, and stability. This damage occurs when stress is placed upon the intended muscle fibers. Keep full control of the dumbbells at all times. Our goal with Hevy is to provide athletes with the best workout tracking tool in the market, and help them reach their fitness goals! (4 Reasons). You'll also get the benefits of shoulder and triceps activation, which are the muscles targeted in most chest press movements. Exercise variability is important to increase muscle mass, strength, and core strength. Decline barbell bench press Instructions. While it can be a strength-focused movement, it is usually performed for moderate to high reps, such as 8-12 reps per set or more, as part of upper-body or chest-focused training. The flat bench and/or floor press can both be done with a slight hip bridge to vary the angle at which the press is done, matching that of a standard decline bench press (- 15% of a decline). Ramp up your load and volume slowly overtime. Learning proper decline dumbbell bench press form is easy with the step by step (2020). It's easy to get into a weight-training rut, in which you do the same moves over and over hoping for different results. The way to accomplish this is to manipulate the angle of your body, the direction and range of motion of the load, and your hand/grip placement. The decline dumbbell bench press is an advanced chest movement, and we advise building a suitable amount of chest strength through the seated chest press, dumbbell press and incline press, as well as working on core strength and stability, before attempting the decline.