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5 Smith Machine Incline Bench Press

Exercise details

Target muscles: Clavicular (Upper) Pectoralis Major

Synergists: Anterior Deltoid, Triceps Brachii

Dynamic stabilizers: Biceps Brachii (Short Head only)

Mechanics: Compound

Force: Push

Starting position

Place a bench that is inclined at 45 degrees under the bar of the Smith machine.

Secure the safety pins of the Smith machine to prevent the bar from being able to drop too low and injure you.

Sit in position and grasp the bar using a pronated (overhand) grip that’s a little wider than shoulder width.

Plant your feet flat on the floor.

Unlatch the bar from the rail by rotating it.

Execution

Keeping your elbows tucked in a little and your wrists straight, exhale as you press the bar upward until your arms are almost fully extended.

Inhale as you lower the bar either back to the starting position or until you feel a mild stretch in your chest.

Repeat for the prescribed number of repetitions.

Rotate the bar to latch it back onto the rail after you have finished.

Comments and tips

Use the Smith machine incline bench press with safety pins locked in place if you have to press a heavy weight and you do not have a spotter for safety. If you have a spotter, use the incline barbell bench press.

Don’t lock out your elbows at the top of the movement.

Do not use a thumbless grip.

Keeping your elbows tucked in a little reduces the pressure on your shoulders.

Keeping your feet planted and your wrists straight permit you to drive up through your legs, body, and arms, thus getting your whole body behind the press.

In one study in which the angles of inclination of 1, 28, 44 and 56 were compared to see which one is best at activating the clavicular (upper) pectoralis major, 44 degrees was found to be most effective. That’s why an inclination of 45 degrees is recommended for this exercise.

Raise the seat of the bench a little to prevent yourself from sliding off.

4 Incline Bench Press

INTRODUCTION: INCLINE BENCH PRESS VS FLAT BENCH PRESS

Who doesn’t enjoy performing the bench press? It is probably the most popular exercise in gyms across the world. Unfortunately, excessive use of the traditional barbell Bench Press can lead to repetitive use injury, especially in the shoulder and elbows.

That’s why it’s important to perform different variations of these key movements. The Incline Bench Press allows you to change the angle of the exercise to target the same muscle groups in a different way.

The Incline Bench combines the Traditional Bench Press and the Overhead Press. It strengthens the upper and mid chest more than the flat press and requires more activation of your shoulders.

Because of the angle, you are less likely to injure your anterior shoulders when performing this exercise. It is a good idea to include both exercises in your program, or at least include the Incline Bench in your rotation of exercises.

BENEFITS OF THE INCLINE BENCH PRESS

Strengthens the upper and mid chest muscles more than the traditional bench press

Provides a new variation to the bench press, allowing you to continue strengthening the press pattern while decreasing the risk of overuse injuries

Teaches how to maintain a stable shoulder position for everyday movements

MUSCLES WORKED DURING THE INCLINE BENCH PRESS

Upper and Mid Chest

Anterior Deltoids

Triceps

Fore-arms

Glutes

PERFORMING THE INCLINE BENCH PRESS WITH PROPER TECHNIQUE

Approach an Incline bench press rack that has a barbell set at a comfortable rack height

The Incline should be set at 30-45 degrees

Retract and squeeze your scapulae together when laying on the bench. Maintain this retracted position throughout the entire lift. This is where most people perform the movement incorrectly.

Set your grip at a distance that is wider than shoulder width. Keep your pinky fingers within the rings marked on the barbell

Always wrap your thumbs completely around the bar

Place your feet flat on the floor, directly under your knees, and point your feet straight or angled out up to 45-degrees

Un-rack the bar and bring the bar directly out over your clavicles

Begin lowering the bar by TUCKING your elbows at a 45-degree angle. DO NOT flare them out.

Touch the bar to your upper chest just below the clavicles and pause for a fraction of a second

Reverse the movement by simultaneously contracting your glutes (without elevating your butt off the bench) driving your feet into the ground, and pressing the weight up and slightly back towards your face

Continue to press until your elbows have locked out and the bar is back in the starting position

Ensure that your scapulae remain retracted the entire time

Repeat for the desired amount of repetitions

COMMON INCLINE BENCH MISTAKES

BENCHING WITH A FLAT BACK

This is simply a technical issue

Begin by retracting your scapula while setting up and maintain this position

Not performing this crucial step puts your shoulders in an unstable position

FLARING THE ELBOWS ON THE DESCENT

This is also a technical issue

Tuck your elbows to about a 45-degree angle while descending

Flaring your elbows places a lot of stress on your pectoralis tendon and shoulder capsule

NOT PERFORMING A FULL RANGE OF MOTION

People often perform half-reps because they mistakenly believe that a complete range of motion is bad for the shoulders

If you maintain your scapulae retracted, your shoulders are in a stable un-compromised position

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Are Incline Bench Presses Harder Than Flat Bench?

Yes. In the incline bench, you are not in a mechanically advantageous position to lift the barbell. As such, you are relying on less overall muscle to move the weight.

You can expect your incline bench to be anywhere from 65-85% of your bench press weight.

What’s The Best Incline Bench Press Angle/How High Should The Incline Be?

The lower the incline, the more the movement resembles the traditional bench press, while the higher the incline, the more it resembles an overhead press.

High inclines will train the shoulders and upper pec muscles more, making the movement more difficult.

A good place to start is roughly at the halfway mark between the two exercises or a 30-45 degree incline.

Is Incline Bench Press Necessary/ Worth It?

No, they aren’t necessary. However, it does provide you with a pressing variation that you can use to change up your routine. If you have been training for a while, you will notice that you can start to develop overuse injuries from doing the exact same exercises over and over.

This tends to happen a lot with the traditional flat bench. I recommend rotating the the incline bench in as your main pressing movement every 12 weeks.

Is Incline Bench Bad For Your Shoulders?

No, the incline bench does not put your shoulders in a compromised position. With that said, if you do the exercise incorrectly (as shown above) you can certainly cause wear and tear of your shoulder.

As always, if this exercise hurts your shoulders despite having good technique, then by all means, do not perform it.

Can Incline Bench Presses Increase Your Flat Bench?

It has the potential to. It all depends on your technique and your weak points. If you are naturally weaker in the shoulder muscles as compared to your triceps, then incline bench can help increase your flat bench.

This is contingent on the fact that you actually train the incline bench sufficiently, and realize an appreciable increase in incline pressing strength.

Can Incline Bench Help Improve Overhead Press?

Maybe, maybe not. The overhead press is a completely different animal, and depends on strict shoulder and core strength. You also need good shoulder mobility to overhead press correctly.

Overhead pressing can translate to bench pressing, but usually not vice versa.

Can I Incline Bench With Dumbbells?

Yes. We have an entire tutorial on how to do those which you can find here. Obviously, you won’t be able to lift as much weight using dumbbells, but it’s still a great exercise to have in your tool box.

Can I Use An Incline Bench Machine?

If this is all you have access to, then feel free to use it. I generally recommend that you stick to free weights, as machine exercises will eliminate the stability component needed to lift the barbell.

3 Bench Press

The bench press is an upper-body weight training exercise in which the trainee presses a weight upwards while lying on a weight training bench. The exercise uses the pectoralis major, the anterior deltoids, and the triceps, among other stabilizing muscles. A barbell is generally used to hold the weight, but a pair of dumbbells can also be used.[1]

The barbell bench press is one of three lifts in the sport of powerlifting alongside the deadlift and squat, and is the only lift in the sport of Paralympic powerlifting. It is also used extensively in weight training, bodybuilding, and other types of training to develop the chest muscles.

Movement

The person performing the exercise lies on their back on a bench with a barbell grasped in both hands. They lower the barbell to chest level, then press the barbell upwards, extending the arms until the elbows are locked out. This is one repetition (rep).

Powerlifting: Take position on a flat bench with body weight resting on buttocks and upper traps whilst driving feet into the floor. Movement requires the weight to be taken at full arms’ length, lowered to upper torso, paused, and then lifted to starting position.

History

The bench press has evolved over the years, from floor, bridge, and belly toss variations to the methods used by bodybuilders and powerlifters today. It become popular from the late 1950s onwards.[2] Despite the fact the parallel dip is safer (the dip does not require spotters, or safety bars[2]), in the 1950s the bench press took over the dip in popularity, and became the standard fare for chest exercises.

At first the strict floor press was the most popular method. In 1899, using a barbell with 48 centimetres (19 in) discs (plates), George Hackenschmidt, inventor of the barbell hack squat, rolled a barbell over his face (which was turned to the side) and performed a strict floor press with 164 kilograms (362 lb). This stood as a record for 18 years until Joe Nordquest broke it by 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) in 1916.

Around this time, new methods started gaining ground. Lifters started figuring out that strong glutes could help them get the bar from the ground to overhead. They would lie on the floor and position the bar over their abdomen, then perform an explosive glute bridge movement, catapulting the bar upwards and catching it at lockout.[3]

Lifting techniques, training and drugs have improved over the years and the bench press record lift has grown from 164 kilograms (362 lb) to 487.6 kilograms (1,075 lb) (equipped, record held by Ryan Kennelly) in fewer than 100 years.

The bench press is used as a test of upper-body explosive strength during the NFL combine, where prospective NFL draft picks attempt to get as many reps of 225 lbs as possible.

Muscles

A conventional bench press uses the pectoralis major, anterior deltoids, and coracobrachialis muscles to horizontally adduct the shoulder. It also uses predominantly triceps and anconeous to extend the elbows. Wider hand spacing places a greater emphasis on shoulder flexion and narrower hand spacing utilizes more elbow extension. Because of this, wider hand spacing is associated with training the pectorals and narrower hand spacing is associated with training the triceps.

In addition to the major phasic (dynamic) muscles the bench press also uses tonic (stabilizing) muscles: scapular stabilizers (serratus anterior, middle and inferior trapezius), humeral head stabilizers (rotator cuff muscles), and core (transverse abdominis, obliques, multifidus, erector spinae, quadratus lumborum)

Variations

Variations of the bench press involve different groups of muscles, or involve the same muscles in different ways:

The flat bench press involves both portions of the pectoralis major muscle but focuses on the lower (sternal) head as well as the anterior deltoid muscle. The term ‘bench press’ on its own is assumed to refer to a flat bench press.

An incline elevates the shoulders and lowers the pelvis as if reclining in a chair; this variation emphasizes anterior deltoids with little emphasis at the upper (clavicular) head of the pectoralis major. This variation is called the incline bench press.[5]

A decline bench press elevates the pelvis and lowers the head, and emphasizes the lower portion of the pectoralis major whilst incorporating shoulders and triceps.

File:Sequence 01.webm

A woman explains how to properly perform the dumbbell bench press and the dumbbell incline bench press.

A reverse grip bench press utilizes an underhand (supinated) grip on the bar. A supinated grip externally rotates the humerus, which puts the shoulders in a much more favorable position for the lift, decreasing injury potential without compromising range of motion. It emphasises the clavicular head of the pectoralis major more than an incline bench press. On the eccentric phase of the lift, the bar path will create a larger arc and eventually touch a point on the chest that is lower compared to the regular bench press, because the upper arms and elbows are closer to the body and the angle between the humerus and the torso is smaller.[6]

A bench press performed with the hands close together (“close grip”) relies on the triceps to complete the pressing motion.[3] Called the close grip bench press, this variation is best performed with arms in a near-vertical position to reduce strain placed upon the wrists, elbows and shoulders. A close grip bench press can also be performed with dumbbells.[7]

A bench press performed with the hands far apart (“wide grip”) shortens the range of motion, lessening the contribution of the triceps.

A lifter can elect to lower the bar to nipple level, to the xiphoid process, or even further, to the abdomen. On the other hand, a lifter may lower the bar to a very high point on the chest, or even to the neck; the latter variation is called a guillotine press and emphasizes the upper pectorals.

The bench press can be performed with various modifications to make the lifter or the weight less stable. Examples include lifting on a Swiss ball, using dumbbells instead of a barbell, or lifting with the legs on the bench or in the air

The bench press can be performed with chains and bands, which are used to strengthen the top end of the range of motion in the movement (the “lockout”) and develop explosive power in the bench press.[8]

An “equipped” bench press is performed with a stiff, supportive shirt that allows greater weights to be used. The materials and cut of the bench shirt, as well as the skill of the lifter and the rules of performance, will determine how much additional weight can be pressed in the shirt as opposed to without it. The contrast between equipped, and unequipped (raw) bench press weights is illustrated in the progression of the bench press world records, with the record equipped lift exceeding the unequipped lift by hundreds of pounds.

People who suffer from shoulder injuries can use a specialised barbell such as the Swiss Bar or Football Bar that allows them to hold the bar in a neutral grip, reducing the amount of external rotation on the shoulder. It also engages the shoulder more, increasing power in upper body movements. Another variation is the Hex Press in which two dumbbells are squeezed against each other, with the palms facing inwards. This puts the strain of the exercise on the triceps and inner chest rather than the shoulders. The Floor Press is another variation that puts less strain on the lifter’s shoulders, due to the shorter range of motion.

Possible injuries

Performing the bench press can contribute to multiple types of injuries:

Torn ligaments / tendons in shoulders

Injuries to the trapezius muscle

Elbow / wrist strains

Cracked or broken ribs, usually the result of bouncing the bar off of the chest to add momentum to the lift or a loss of strength causing the bar to fall onto the chest

Distal clavicular osteolysis: bone spur or erosion at the end of the clavicle. Athletes suffering from this condition should avoid doing bench presses.[9]

Torn or damaged rotator cuff

Pectoral muscle tear

Death by asphyxiation by being trapped under the bar (several each year)

2 Incline Dumbbell Press

Also Known As: Incline chest press, incline dumbbell chest press

Targets: Chest, shoulders, triceps

Equipment Needed: Dumbbells and an incline bench

Level: Intermediate

The incline dumbbell press is a free weight exercise designed to target the chest, shoulders, and triceps, hitting each side of the body independently.

Unlike the more traditional flat bench press, the incline press shifts the focus of the movement to the upper portion of the pectoral muscle groups and the front of the shoulder. This allows for greater hypertrophy (muscle growth) of the upper chest when the exercise is performed regularly.

The incline dumbbell press is designed to increase chest strength and size, so it’s typically included in a well-rounded, intermediate strength training program. If you split up your weekly workouts by body part, include this chest exercise on your upper body or chest day, after exercises like pushups or the flat bench press.

Benefits

The dumbbell incline press targets the upper portion of the chest—specifically, the clavicular head of the pectoralis major—an area of the chest that’s almost completely unengaged during other common chest exercises, like the traditional bench press, incline pushups, and chest fly. The incline press also hits the anterior head of the deltoid muscle of the shoulders, or the front part of your shoulder.

When the dumbbell incline press is performed regularly, you’ll develop a more well-balanced chest and shoulder musculature, helping to keep the shoulder joint stable and strong.

Functionally, the dumbbell incline press transfers naturally to a range of pushing and pressing motions, such as pushing open a heavy door or putting groceries away on elevated shelves.

The dumbbell version of the incline press is especially beneficial for correcting strength imbalances between each side of your body. It’s common for one arm to be stronger than the other. By using dumbbells to perform this exercise, each arm works independently, which prevents the dominant arm from “taking over” to perform the lift, improving strength and stability on both sides of the body.

Step-by-Step Instructions

All you need to perform the incline dumbbell press is an incline bench or an adjustable bench and a set or two of dumbbells. You won’t need much more space beyond the space required for the bench itself.

If your bench is adjustable, set the incline to between 30- to 45-degrees. The bigger the angle, the more the exercise will engage the shoulders. Generally speaking, 30-degrees is the ideal angle for hitting the upper portion of the chest.

You’ll want to select dumbbells that are lighter than you’d use for a flat dumbbell bench press and when performing a barbell incline press. If you’re unsure of the right weight, start light and work your way up until you feel challenged but can still do an entire set using proper form.

Sit on the bench and lean back. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, with hands positioned at your shoulders, elbows bent and angled down below your ribs. Relax your neck against the bench. Keep your feet flat on the floor.

Brace your core and press both dumbbells straight up over your chest as you exhale. Keep your wrists straight (don’t let them “cock” backward). At the top of the movement, the dumbbells should almost touch each other and your arms should be perpendicular to the floor.

Reverse the movement and slowly lower the dumbbells back to the top of your chest as you inhale. As you lower the dumbbells, your elbows should come down at roughly a 45-degree angle to your torso. They shouldn’t splay out to the sides, pointing toward the side of the room. Instead, keep your elbows pointing to the floor.

Aim to complete sets of 8 to 12 reps. Start with one set and work up to two to three sets over time as you build strength. When you finish your set, safely exit the exercise by sitting up and placing the dumbbells on your knees before you stand up. Avoid dropping the dumbbells while you’re lying on the incline bench.

Common Mistakes

This exercise can seem deceptively simple, making it easy to overlook possible mistakes. Read on to learn about potential issues as well as how to avoid them.

Using Too Much Weight

If you’ve been doing dumbbell bench press or incline barbell press for a while, you probably have a good idea of how much weight you can handle for these exercises. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to lift the same amount when trying the dumbbell incline press.

The incline press, as a whole, uses smaller muscle groups than the flat bench press, so you’ll need to decrease your weight a bit for the incline press. Even if you’re familiar with the incline barbell press, you may still need to decrease your weight for the dumbbell version of the exercise. This is because the dumbbell press requires each arm to lift its own dumbbell independently, which requires more strength. This action is more challenging to control and ends up using more of the stabilizing muscles of the shoulder.

electing a lighter weight helps ensure you’ll be able to complete the exercise safely. Plus, selecting a weight that’s too heavy typically leads to other common mistakes, which can undercut your efforts or result in injury. If you start with the right weight for you, you’ll be less likely to encounter the other issues mentioned below.

Cocking Your Wrists

Cocking your wrists backward while holding the dumbbells—forming a 90-degree angle between the back of your hand and forearm—may not seem like a big issue, but holding the dumbbells this way puts a lot of strain on your wrists. Focus on keeping your wrists straight so that they’re perpendicular to the ground throughout the exercise to prevent wrist injury.

Choosing the Wrong Angle For Your Bench

Doing a chest press on a flat bench positioned at 0-degrees targets the middle of your pecs. Likewise, doing a press on an upright bench positioned at 90-degrees targets your shoulders. To effectively target the upper portion of your chest, you need to select an angle somewhere between those two angles.

The trick, though, is selecting the right angle to work the muscles you want to strengthen. Generally speaking, you should set your bench between 30- and 45-degrees. The 45-degree angle will hit more of your shoulders, while the 30-degree angle will target the pecs to a greater degree.

Bouncing the Dumbbells Off Your Chest

Lowering the weights quickly and “bouncing” them up off the top of your chest is ineffective. Using a bouncing movement to gain momentum to help propel the weight up again is essentially cheating. If you find yourself doing this (or if you are tempted to do so), that’s a good indication you’re lifting more weight than you should be.

When you speed through a movement like this, you end up losing the target focus for the exercise, allowing other muscle groups and momentum to help you complete the move. This may not seem like a big deal, but it ends up reducing the effectiveness of your workout, making it harder to see the improvements you want to see. Instead, reduce the weight you are lifting until you can complete the exercise without any bouncing.

Over-Arching Your Back While Pressing

When you are fatigued toward the end of a set or if you’re trying to lift more weight than you should, you may find yourself straining and over-arching your back to try to force the dumbbells upward. This can open you up to the possibility of a back strain.

Also, your efforts will be shortchanged. You’ll end up recruiting muscle groups other than the specific muscles intended to be targeted by the exercise.

There is a natural arch in your back that should be there while performing this press exercise. You don’t want to eliminate this natural curve. When you try hard to push your back into the bench, your shoulders will naturally roll forward. Try to maintain the natural arch without increasing it.

If you find yourself straining toward the end of a set, ask a friend to spot you as you lift. This will allow you to finish your set without altering the movement. If you find yourself over-arching your back from the get-go, choose a lighter set of dumbbells.

Modifications and Variations

The incline dumbbell press can be modified in various ways or made more challenging to suit individual needs and fitness goals.

Need a Modification?

If using dumbbells or isolating each shoulder independently doesn’t work for you, you can modify the exercise and still get similar results. Instead of the dumbbell incline press, opt for the barbell incline press. The barbell exercise targets the same muscle groups in the same way but doesn’t require the unilateral control that the dumbbell press requires.

This exercise will help you develop the baseline strength required for the movement while also starting to engage the stabilizing muscles of the shoulders without isolating each shoulder independently. Perform the exercise in the exact same way as the dumbbell press, except use a barbell gripped with both arms instead of individual dumbbells.

Up for a Challenge?

Make the exercise harder by switching out your dumbbells for a set of kettlebells. Due to the uneven weight distribution of kettlebells (the “bell” portion weighs more than the handle of the equipment), it requires more stability and control to perform the exercise correctly. This exercise is otherwise performed in the same way as the incline dumbbell press, but you’re pressing kettlebells with each hand, rather than dumbbells.

You can also engage your core more substantially by performing the exercise as a single-arm kettlebell incline press. Use only one kettlebell at a time, performing a full set with your right arm before switching to your left arm. This type of single-sided exercise requires your core to engage to prevent your non-working side from rotating toward the side you’re working.

In other words, if you’re doing a right arm kettlebell press, your core has to engage to prevent your left shoulder and hip from rotating to the right as you perform the movement.

Safety and Precautions

The most important thing to remember when performing the incline dumbbell press is to select an appropriate weight for your strength level, which is probably less than you think. You should be able to complete between 8 and 12 repetitions with the weight you select for a typical workout routine.

The dumbbell incline press is generally a safe exercise, but it does require a baseline level of strength, and it shouldn’t be attempted if you’re brand-new to strength training. In that case, start with machine weights or a barbell incline press to grow accustomed to the movement, then move on to the incline dumbbell press once your ready.

The incline press can be problematic for those who experience shoulder pain. If you have ongoing shoulder pain, attempt the exercise on a machine or with a barbell before trying it with dumbbells. If you experience sharp or shooting pain at any point during the exercise, stop and opt for exercises that don’t cause pain.

1 Incline Dumbbell Fly

Muscles Worked: Chest, Shoulders

Difficulty: Easy

Equipment needed: Dumbbells, Bench

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and lie on an incline bench. Start with your arms extended directly above you and then slowly lower them out to the side, keeping a slight bend at the elbow. Reverse the action and bring your arms above you again, then repeat.

Source

https://whitecoattrainer.com/blog/incline-bench-press

https://www.darkironfitness.com/smith-machine-bench-press-benefits/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bench_press

https://www.verywellfit.com/how-to-do-incline-dumbbell-press-4588212

https://www.menshealth.com/uk/fitness/a753026/dumbbell-incline-fly/

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