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Incline Bench Press
Incline Bench Press Benefits
The incline bench press is a great way to get your upper pecs a good workout and rapid growth. The upper pecs genetically are very often the part of chest that is weaker than the lower or middle pec. This is probably why it is usually such a common exercise done in most gyms.
Incline Bench Press Muscles Worked
The incline bench press primarily works the muscles of your upper chest, shoulders and triceps.
The incline press is a great way to increase the size of your upper pec sand will also help increase your flat bench press strength.
Incline Bench Press Form
There are a number of ways that you can do an effective incline press and using dumbbells is a good idea because it will give you a fuller range of motion than using a bar. If you are training heavy using dumbbells you will more than likely need a spotter to help you.
But be careful in selecting dumbbells that are too heavy, as this will affect the technique that you are using and can actually land up causing some serious injury. Just like all movements done when weight -training your technique is vital and needs to be kept as strict as possible.
The incline that you set your bench at is vitally important because if you set the angle at anything less than 30% the stress will be going to your middle and lower pecs. Just as important is that setting your bench angle to more than 45% will put most of the stress on your shoulders.
So when doing a dumbbell press you should first get the weight to the locked out position with the help of your spotter. It is important to note that the closer the elbows are to the sides of your body the greater the load is on your shoulders.
It is important here to make sure that you do not "lockout" your arms at the top of the press but rather keep the arms very slightly bent at the top. It is best to hold your breath as you push up because it will help the muscles of the lumbar spine hold stronger and increases the resistance of the body and gives strength.
When doing this movement with a barbell it should be noted here that it is not advisable to use a very wide grip. This is because the angle that you want to achieve maximum stress on is going to be compromised when you use a grip that is too wide.
A good habit to get into between sets is to stretch the muscle that you have been working. This not only will allow the blood/nutrients to get to the very end of the muscles but will keep your muscles from cramping up. The place where a muscle starts is called the origin and where it ends is the insertion.
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Incline Bench Press