Decline Bench Press Alternatives

Decline Bench Press Alternatives

What is a decline bench press?

A decline bench press is where the bench is set in a decline of between 15 to 30 degrees with your upper body on the downwards slope.

It changes the angle and tension on your chest creating increased stimulus on your muscles and maximizing the potential for growth. It can also stop the arching of your back common with a flat bench press and therefore reducing the stress on the lower back, particularly handy for those with back complaints.

What muscles does it work?

The Decline bench press is perfect for engaging the pectorals major which is found in the upper chest.

The decline bench press is designed to engage your lower pec muscles as they work to extend the arm in the upwards phase of the movement. It also works the triceps in the rear of your upper arm, the shoulder muscle called an anterior deltoid and even your biceps.

What are the alternatives to a decline bench press?
There are may alternative exercises to the decline bench press which still stimulate the same muscles and incorporate the upper arm muscles and shoulder muscles.

List of Decline Bench Press Alternatives

1. Weighted chest dip

Firstly you could try a weighted chest dip, this involves keeping your upper body at a 60 degree angle whilst doing dips on either 2 parallel bars or a dip machine. Its great for engaging your shoulders arms and chest.

2. Decline Fly

A decline fly is actually really similar in both movement and muscle activation to a decline bench press, both use the decline bench but the fly uses 2 dumbbells which are extended to either side of the body and brought back in to the center chest.

3. Incline Press Up

Another alternative to the decline bench press is the incline push up, using a low stationary bench and keeping your body flat with your hands on the bench in a traditional push up position is great for increasing the resistance against your chest muscles and encouraging chest growth.

4. Weighted Push up

In a similar vein to a incline press up, adding extra weight to a traditional body weight press but by doing the exercise with weight plates on your back adds that extra level of strength needed to complete the exercise and activates the muscles more for extra chest workout and size growth.

5. Single Dumbbell Pullover

Laying on a weights bench using one dumbbell and holding the base in your palms and pressing it behind the head is a great workout for the shoulders, triceps and for your chest.

What are Decline Bench Press Alternatives? | Summary

If you’re looking to shake up your workout and change out your decline bench press for something a bit different to keep you interested but still activate and grow the same muscles then you should check out some of these.

A weighted chest dip, a decline dumbbell fly, and include press up, a weighted push up or a single dumbbell pullover, all of them activation similar muscles to the decline bench press.

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