You'll typically see three main bench press variations or maybe even already do yourself: the incline, flat, and decline bench press. But what are their differences? Do you need to do all three, or is one better than the others? How do you know the right variation to add to your training?ย
The flat vs incline vs decline bench press positions all similarly train the pecs, triceps, shoulders, and back, but the change in upper body position alters the range of motion and muscles emphasized. Furthermore, the incline bench press has the largest range of motion, and the decline bench press has the shortest.
Thereโs much more to it than just that high-level definition, so letโs dive into the details.
Table of Contents
Flat vs. Incline vs. Decline Bench Press: 3 Differences
However you slice it, three main differences come when you adjust the angle of your upper body on the bench press:
- Range of motion
- Muscles emphasized
- Training applications
Range of Motion
If we use the flat bench as our baseline, we can compare how the decline and incline bench press alter the range of motion (ROM) or the distance the bar has to travel from having your elbows locked to touching your chest and back to a locked position.ย
Everyone is built differently, but whatever your range of motion is on a flat bench, it will be longer with an incline bench variation and shorter with a declined bench variation.
When you sit inclined, you must bring the bar to your chest a few extra inches before pressing it back up again. When you lie on a decline bench, you remove some of those inches relative to your flat bench press and many inches relative to your incline press.
This is one reason many lifters love how much stronger they feel on a decline press (also called the upside-down bench press) and will sometimes do it exclusively to feel stronger than they are. You simply arenโt moving the weight as far, and youโre removing the range of motion at the bottom (near your chest), which can be the most difficult part of the lift for some lifters.
This is also why many lifters get frustrated with the inclined bench press. They know their flat and decline bench numbers and suddenly feel 20% weaker with the incline press. This is because they must bring the bar another couple of inches to their chest before pressing it back up.ย
Wondering which version of the bench press is hardest? Check out Which Type Of Bench Press Is Harder? (9 Examples).
Muscles Emphasized
Not only does each style of bench press alter the range of motion, but it also affects how your muscles work together. While each of these variations still uses the pecs, triceps, shoulders, and back muscles to complete the movement, the different body angle changes the emphasis of each.
Training Applications
The third difference between the flat vs. decline vs. incline bench press is what you use them for. Each has a different value in a training program.
The flat bench press is an almost universal measure of upper body strength. Sure, some groups feel like the overhead press is a better indicator of total strength, but you canโt deny much of the world looks at the bench press for that metric.
As such, lifters often train it for max effort single reps, either for personal tracking or in formal competitions. But because itโs the middle option of the two extremes (incline and decline), it can also be used for all-around fitness and bodybuilding applications.
The flat bench press is a very versatile exercise since the benefits of training a compound lift expand beyond one specific discipline, sport, or goal set. You can do it for sets of 10 reps for hypertrophy, or you can do it for one heavy rep as a display of total strength.
You can train it to burn calories and build muscle in a program to recomp your body or reduce fat. Or you can use it while eating in a caloric surplus to increase the size of your pecs and triceps.
On the other hand, the incline bench is much less commonly used as a total display of strength. However, thereโs nothing wrong with maxing out an incline bench press.ย
More commonly, powerlifters use it as a variation to improve shoulder strength and increase their flat bench press. Bodybuilders can use it for the same reasons but with higher rep ranges or more slow and controlled reps to increase the time under tension (TUT).
That said, your average person who likes to lift for overall health and fitness doesnโt have to worry that they arenโt a powerlifter with shoulder strength needs or a bodybuilder trying to make their delts pop. Itโs another fantastic compound lift great for burning calories, training many muscles at once, building strength, and increasing muscle size.
The decline bench press is the one I see with the least variety in its applications. Most commonly, bodybuilders use it to develop the lower pecs.
However, most powerlifters agree there is very little value in it as far as assisting the flat bench press. They may even fool you into thinking youโre stronger than you are, making you frustrated when you move back to the flat bench press.
But again, you may not have specific powerlifting or bodybuilding goals and just prefer the feel of a decline bench. In that case, the decline bench press is a great compound lift to round out your upper body training.
We discuss more benefits of the decline bench press in 6 Decline Bench Press Benefits (Plus, 1 Drawback).
Want to improve your bench press technique?
Flat Bench Press: How To, Muscles Used, Tips, Common Mistakes, Pros, and Cons
Flat Bench Press: How To Do It
- Lie on a flat bench press.
- Grip the bar about shoulder-width apart or slightly wider.
- Unrack the barbell from the rack and hold it with your elbows locked directly over your shoulders.
- Lower the bar to your chest until it touches your chest, between the bottom of the sternum and the bottom of your pecs.
- Press the bar back up until your elbows are locked and directly over your shoulders.
- Repeat for reps.
Flat Bench Press: Muscles Used
Your pecs are most activated during the downward portion of the lift as you bring the bar to your chest and at the bottom of the upward press (about the bottom half).
Your triceps extend your elbows and are most activated in the top half of the press. Your shoulders work to extend your arms forward and backward for a fluid motion as you move the bar up and down. Your back muscles allow you to control the barbell as you lower it to your chest (like they do in a barbell row).
To learn more about which muscles the bench press targets, check out our complete guide on the muscles used in the bench press.
Flat Bench Press: Pro Tip
An important pro tip with the bench press is to really control the bar on the way down. Instead of letting gravity drop the bar onto your chest and trying to resist that force, be in control of it and think about pulling it down to your chest where you want it to hit.
Mentally, this gives you more confidence and power over the weight. Physically, it allows you to engage your back muscles as a row does. As a result, this puts you in a stronger position to turn the weight around and have a successful press back to the top.
Flat Bench Press: Common Mistakes
There are many common mistakes, and I could go on and on. But I want to point out inconsistent touchpoints specifically.
When you bench press, make the bar move through the same path each time. Pick a specific spot on your chest, ideally near the bottom of your sternum, and make the barbell hit that spot every time. Return the bar to the top straight above your shoulders every time.
Focus on letting the bar simply travel back and forth between these two points over and over again.
This focus and specificity will make your lift more efficient and help you get stronger over time.
Learn more about the ideal bench press touchpoint in Where Should the Barbell Touch on Your Chest on Bench Press?
Flat Bench Press: Benefits
Being a compound lift, the bench press has many benefits. Compound lifts can be loaded with more weight than isolated muscle lifts, enabling you to develop serious strength.
Using many muscles at once to perform the lift, you burn more calories. You also train all those muscles at once instead of doing an isolated lift for each muscle involved, giving you more results for your time.
When combined with the right diet and overall training program to support your goals, the bench press can help reduce fat, build muscle, increase strength, and develop greater work capacity (the ability to train without getting exhausted too quickly).
Flat Bench Press: Drawbacks
One drawback of the bench press is that it canโt be done without specific equipment, like a weight bench and a rack.
Push-ups are your best option for lifters wanting to do it without this equipment. But those can only be loaded up slightly more than your body weight.ย
A second drawback is safety. After all, youโre pressing a barbell over your head while being supported by a bench. If you drop the barbell, and youโre not using a bench with safety armsโฆthereโs nowhere to escape.
Even if you donโt drop the barbell but reach a point where you canโt press it back up, you can find yourself pinned down.
When training on benches without safety arms, I recommend not using clips on the ends of your barbell so you can tilt the barbell and dump the weight to get out from under the bar in an emergency.
Flat Bench Press: Is It Better To Use a Barbell or Dumbbells?
The bench press is valid with either a barbell or dumbbells. While the barbell is the standard practice for a display of strength, dumbbells can help emphasize unilateral (single-sided) strength, develop a weaker side, and increase the range of motion.
Incline Bench Press: How To, Muscles Used, Tips, Common Mistakes, Pros, and Cons
Incline Bench Press: How To Do It
- Lie on an incline bench press, usually at about a 45-degree incline.
- Grip the bar about shoulder-width apart or slightly wider.
- Unrack the barbell from the rack and hold it with your elbows locked directly over your shoulders.
- Lower the bar to your chest until it touches the middle of your pecs.
- Your touchpoint will be slightly higher on your chest in this variation than in the flat bench press, depending on how steep your incline bench is compared to a flat bench.
- Press the bar back up until your elbows are locked and directly over your shoulders.
- Repeat for reps.
Incline Bench Press: Muscles Used
The incline bench uses the pecs, triceps, shoulders, and lats, just like the other two variations. However, when comparing the flat vs. decline vs. incline bench, the incline bench press emphasizes the shoulders and upper pecs the most.
The added range of motion means your shoulders need to move more to extend your humerus or upper arm as you press the weight up and down.
The inclined angle also emphasizes your upper pec more than a flat bench. For this reason, bodybuilders will use it to address this specific area of pec development as they chase the right look of symmetry in their muscular appearance.
Incline Bench Press: Pro Tip
Compared with the flat vs. decline bench press, your incline bench press touchpoint will be slightly higher. Youโd have to move the bar out of its path pretty drastically to reach the same touchpoint as your flat or decline bench press.
Be aware of that and pick a spot on your middle/upper chest that you target with the same specificity as on a flat bench. Hit that same spot every time you do the incline bench press to make your bar path accurate and efficient.
Incline Bench Press: Common Mistakes
Two common mistakes with the incline press are not being prepared or trained for the added ROM and not touching your chest at all.
I see this all the time with lifters switching over to the incline press after doing a lot of flat bench or decline bench. The added ROM feels hard and unfamiliar, so these lifters get nervous and press the barbell back up once it gets to their nose or chin.
Sure, youโre still working some muscles, but why do an incline bench if youโre skipping the part the incline bench specifically exaggerates and emphasizes for your benefit?
Use a lighter weight than you think you can do to get familiar with the movement. Warm it up from an empty barbell and work your way up, so you are comfortable bringing the barbell all the way to your chest and pressing it back up again.
Incline Bench Press: Benefits
A couple of highlighted benefits of the incline bench are the added ROM to emphasize the shoulders and the incline angle putting a different stimulus on your upper pecs.
These two benefits make this lift great for bodybuilders focused on those two specific needs – growing the upper pec and the shoulders.
For powerlifters, these are great benefits to improve the strength of those two muscles to carry over to their competitive flat bench press.
Incline Bench Press: Drawbacks
One drawback that stands out to me of the incline bench press is the lack of safety arms. While a few incline benches have safety arms specific to them, I donโt see them often.
Dropping a barbell on an incline bench is just as scary as dropping it on a flat bench. There arenโt any escape paths unless you can dump the weights from the barbell sleeves or have someone lift the barbell off you.
In the inclined position, the barbell can roll down and rest in your lap if you drop it, which is better than resting on your face, neck, or stomach if you were lying flat. But itโs still not something anyone wants to experience.
Train smart, use a spotter, and use a weight you can handle when training the incline bench press.
Incline Bench Press: Is It Better To Use a Barbell or Dumbbells?
Like the decline vs. flat bench press, the incline bench press is valuable with both barbells and dumbbells!
If you enjoy the added ROM you get in an inclined position, you can exaggerate it even more with dumbbells and bring them even lower than you could with a barbell that hits your chest at the bottom of the lift. With DBs in hand, you can continue to lower them down more than a barbell and get a better pec stretch and engagement.
DBs are also safer, as dropping them doesnโt equal you being pinned under a bar. While itโs possible to drop a dumbbell on yourself and get hurt, you can also drop them to the side and be just fine.
Decline Bench Press: How To, Muscles Used, Tips, Common Mistakes, Pros, and Cons
Decline Bench Press: How To Do It
- Lie on a decline bench press, usually about a 30- to 45-degree decline.
- Secure your feet in the pads provided to avoid sliding down/backward off the bench.
- Grip the bar about shoulder-width apart or slightly wider.
- Unrack the barbell from the rack and hold it with your elbows locked directly over your shoulders.
- Lower the bar to your chest until it touches your chest, between the bottom of the sternum and the bottom of your pecs.
- Aim for the same touchpoint as your flat bench press, though this position brings said touchpoint closer to your hands for a shorter ROM.
- Press the bar back up until your elbows are locked and directly over your shoulders.
- Repeat for reps.
Decline Bench Press: Muscles Used
The decline bench press uses the pecs, triceps, shoulders, and lats. But when comparing the flat bench vs. incline bench vs. decline bench press muscles, the decline bench emphasizes the lower pecs the most.ย
In the declined position, your lower pec is called upon to do the pressing off your chest. However, based on a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, the upper pecs are still activated similarly to the flat bench press.
Your shoulders are deemphasized, as there is less humerus extension required with the limited ROM.
Your triceps should get about the same work as a flat bench. A study published in the Journal of Human Kinetics backs this up. But since you arenโt exhausting your pecs and shoulders, you can emphasize your triceps with more weight and reps, as they work more independently here than in the other two variations.
For this reason, you can treat it like a board bench press, where a shortened ROM allows you to train with a weight heavier than your full ROM bench or repeatedly train the triceps with reps to strengthen your bench press lockout.
Decline Bench Press: Pro Tip
The best tip I can give you with the decline bench is this – donโt fool yourself.
Look, I've been there. I hit 300 lbs on a decline press LONG before I ever hit 300 lbs on a flat bench press. It was exciting and thrilling, but I kept doing it for much longer than I should have because my ego cared more about the weight on the bar than it did about actual development.ย
Donโt trick yourself into thinking your decline PR is the same as your flat bench PR. Itโs an easier lift with a shorter ROM. So use it as a tool, not as a crutch.
Decline Bench Press: Common Mistakes
ะs with the other two bench variations, inconsistent touchpoints, or not defining your target touchpoint at all, are a big mistake.
Each lift will hit your chest in a slightly different spot. Plan and know where you want to aim the bar every time you bench. Understand that it will be different for each lift. Have a different touchpoint that makes sense for the flat, decline, or incline bench, depending on which variation you do.
Decline Bench Press: Benefits
One of the main benefits is supramaximal training or training with a weight heavier than you can otherwise handle.
If you compare the flat bench vs. incline bench vs. decline bench, you can train with more weight on the decline bench due to the shortened ROM. This can be a great tool for getting comfortable using heavier weights and successfully completing reps.ย
That doesnโt mean you can lift 100 lbs more than your usual bench press, so be smart and use reasonable ranges here. But you can absolutely use this lift to improve your flat bench press by training with heavier weight.
For bodybuilders, the emphasis on the lower pec is great for building out the shape and size of the pecs for symmetry and appearance!
For the average gym-goer, the decline bench can be a great way to still get a compound pressing movement in if other bench presses at the gym are occupied!
Decline Bench Press: Drawbacks
Outside of the benefits, I stated above, Iโm not a huge fan of the decline bench. I feel like my flat bench press develops my pecs the way I need them. The lower pec emphasis alone doesnโt do a whole lot to improve my flat bench press, and I can do dips at the end of my chest day to get the same effect without loading a barbell with a bunch of weight.ย
The drawback is that its value is the most limited of the three, in my opinion. If you had to choose between removing the flat, incline, or decline bench press, the decline bench press would be the one to eliminate.
Decline Bench Press: Is It Better To Use a Barbell or Dumbbells?
Either barbells or dumbbells are great for the decline bench! You may find it difficult once youโre using some heavy dumbbells to get them in your hands, hook your feet into the ankle pads, and get into position without someone handing them to you. But once you get into position, dumbbells are a great tool for the decline bench.
Like with the flat and incline bench, dumbbells can travel deeper past your chest than a barbell. This allows you to train that lower pec with even more ROM and get more pec engagement.
If you donโt have a decline bench or want to add variety to your routine, check out the best decline bench press alternatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Decline or Incline Bench Press Harder?
An incline bench press is almost always harder than the decline bench press because the incline position adds more range of motion. You have to move the bar farther down and up to complete the lift. The decline press shortens the range of motion significantly, making it easier for lifters to move more weight.
Is Decline or Incline Bench Better?
The decline and incline bench each have their benefits. The incline bench is better for overall strength development and upper pec and shoulder emphasis. The decline bench is better for lower pec development and being able to move more weight, as it has a shorter range of motion.
Are Incline and Decline Bench Presses Necessary?
The incline and decline bench presses arenโt necessary, but they are useful. The decline and incline presses can improve weaknesses and carry over to improving your flat bench press. They can also emphasize the upper and lower pecs, shoulders, and triceps more.ย
Should I Start With Incline or Flat Bench Presses?
If your program calls for both lifts in the same workout, starting with the flat bench press is best because you can usually lift more weight with that variation. You can then follow it up with the incline bench press as an accessory movement.
Whatโs the Difference Between the Incline and Decline Bench Press?
Aside from the angle of the bench, the main differences between the incline and decline bench press are the muscles worked and the range of motion. The incline bench press works the shoulders and upper pecs more. The decline bench press works the lower pecs more. The decline bench press also has a much shorter ROM.
Final Thoughts: Flat Bench vs. Incline Bench vs. Decline Bench
As you can see, there are several differences between the incline and decline bench. These two variations also differ significantly from the flat bench press.
That said, all three versions of the bench press are fantastic compound lifts for upper body development, whether you use barbells or dumbbells. Each lift is a fantastic inclusion in your program, regardless if you want to focus on strength, size, or appearance of muscle.
When comparing the flat bench vs. decline bench vs. incline bench, the incline bench is the hardest and has the longest ROM. The decline bench is easiest with the shortest ROM. Outside of that, each variation emphasizes (or deemphasizes) the targeted muscles differently.
But instead of worrying about whether the flat vs. incline vs. decline bench is best to add to your program, ask yourself how you can incorporate all three to meet your goals and get closer to where you want to be.
About The Author
Adam Gardner is a proud resident of Utah, where he lives with his wife and two kids. He has been competing in powerlifting since 2016 in both the USPA and the APF. For the past three years, he and his wife, Merrili, have coached beginning lifters to learn the fundamentals of powerlifting and compete in their first powerlifting competitions.