Barbell Thoughts on the Incline Bench Press? (Out of Curiosity)

[Ny Wc]

I was reading The "Best" Press article today and I noticed that the incline bench-press was not mentioned. I was wondering why this is?

I think it has better carryover to over head pressing than the flat bench. Also, if you are a good incline bench presser then you are a respectable bench presser. I think that it builds a better looking physique than the flat bench or the standing press. Finally, it probably builds more upper-body mass than over head pressing. Beyond Bodybuilding mentions some of this.

I imagine that you can probably use more weight with a flat bench and build more mass and strength in general? However, I've heard that the flat bench doesn't carryover as well to overhead/incline work as overhead/incline work carries over to it.

I'm sure it depends on your goal. I would like to over-head press heavy, build upper-body mass (Later), and look my best. So I'll be rotating between the Incline and Standing presses in a 40 day program.......

So it's all opinion but thoughts?

P.S- Thank you for answering my other thread today. I saw it tonight when I logged on to post this thread. I was just getting back into training after my first post and I was a little anxious.

 

[taedoju]

some people swear by incline some hate it. There is no rules when it comes to lifting weights.

 

[Steve Freides]

@Ny Wc, you can easily receive email notifications when people respond to something in which you're interested, be it your own thread or another - just "watch" it. You'll get one notification when the first new post has appeared in the thread, and no more notifications cluttering your inbox until you've been on the forum and read that and any other new posting that have since appeared. You may also watch and entire forum.

People lift for many reasons and there are many ways to go about it. Your observations

... you can probably use more weight with a flat bench and build more mass and strength in general? However, I've heard that the flat bench doesn't carryover as well to overhead/incline work as overhead/incline work carries over to it.

are spot on.

The combination of a standing overhead press and a bench press is, although I hate to use the word, pretty "complete" and a time-honored way to train.

-S-

 

[JMoorhead]

Bench doesn't carryover to overhead press for me but I see quite a bit of carryover to the bench when I train the press. I don't bother with the incline press because I only have so much time to press and I'd rather spend it on the bench and press.

 

[JeffC]

I have had good results from a bench(heavy day), incline bench(medium day), and overhead press(light day) routine. I did an old Bill Star program I had found. Lately I think of incline press either bar or DB as an accessory movement after bench or overhead.

Higher volume, less intensity. Sometimes I start at a steeper incline and drop a notch on each set until close to flat.

My experience is close grip bench has a great carryover to overhead press because it's a great tricep builder. Stronger triceps are one way to increase your press.