Head down dumbbell press. Incline dumbbell bench press

- this is an isolating exercise, yes, we emphasize once again, this is an isolating exercise that must be performed with moderate weight and in a large number of repetitions. In no case do it for strength if you do not want to earn diseases of the cardiovascular system or high blood pressure! You need to be careful with this exercise, but you should not avoid it either. There are times when it is indispensable, but not for achieving hypertrophy pectoral muscles, but to adjust the proportions and shape of the breast. The fact is that such an accentuated study of the lower part of the pectoral muscles helps to lift the chest up.

However, press down with the goal of hypertrophy muscle fibers lower chest is useless! The lower bundle of pectoral muscles is already its strongest bundle, so it always receives most of the load during chest exercises. Actually, on the contrary, if you want pump up your chest proportional, then you should focus on its upper part, which almost always underperforms. And only in exceptional cases, when for some reason an imbalance has formed, perform a special bench press to pump the lower chest.

Work of muscles and joints

Pressing upside down, as noted above, loads the pectoral muscles, and in the first place it is lower part chest muscles. At the same time, the triceps and biceps receive the load, the latter as a stabilizer, and the triceps take on a significant part of the load during the positive phase of the exercise. To remove the load from the triceps and load, respectively, more pectoral muscles, you should spread your elbows slightly down and to the sides, so that in lowest point they form an angle of 90°. It is also important to exercise moderate pace to 12-15 repetitions you have done in 50 seconds.

joints during this exercise are not in the most comfortable position, in part, so the bench press is not recommended to be performed with a lot of weight. By the way, this exercise should always be performed with the help of a partner who will help remove the barbell, insure, and also put the barbell back on the rack. But it is also important to observe the technique of performing the exercise so as not to injure the elbows and shoulders. In fact, the joints work the same as during the bench press, but they are in an uncomfortable position, and you are lying upside down, because of which an active flow of blood goes to the head area, and this makes you be careful!

Head down press - scheme

1) Lie down on a bench, previously raised so that the head is lower than the legs, and the legs need to be secured, which will keep the body in the desired position.
2) Take the barbell so wide that when you lower it to the solar plexus, your elbows form a 90° angle.
3) With the help of a partner, remove the bar from the rack and hold it above the solar plexus so that the trajectory of movement is even.
4) Slowly lower the bar down, inhaling the air, lowering the bar should be about 2-3 seconds.
5) With a powerful push for 1-2 seconds, push the bar up, but leave your elbows slightly bent.

Pressing upside down - notes

1) Do not do a bridge during this exercise, press your back tightly against the bench.
2) The higher you raise the bench, the more you shift the load to the lower part of the pectoral muscles.
3) Be sure to breathe properly while doing the down press, as this will ensure better blood circulation.
4) Keep your head on the bench and look up, not at the bar, during the exercise.
5) do not take the bar to the forehead, always keep it level solar plexus and always keep your elbows slightly bent.

Anatomy

Pressing down with your head loads the strongest bundle of pectoral muscles, but isolates it, so the weight should be selected taking this factor into account. In addition, since the athlete lies upside down, the exercise must be performed in the range of 12-15 repetitions, that is, with such a weight at which energy supply is carried out due to glycolysis and the formation of lactic acid. It is precisely because of the latter that the need arises to monitor the breath so carefully, since correct breathing facilitates the work of the liver. In addition, proper breathing will help reduce intracranial pressure.

From an anatomical point of view, the bench press is not the best best exercise, therefore, it should not be performed often, but only in specialized training programs. And beginners, especially, should not perform this exercise in their first training programs. It should also be noted that in this exercise in a not very convenient position are shoulder joints, so it’s better to spread your elbows not to the sides, but to lead along the body the way powerlifters do. Summing up, we can say that the exercise helps to correct imbalances in breast development, but it should only be used by experienced athletes.

Bench press on incline bench- most important exercise for the development of the upper and lower chest. In this article, we will look at four options for the bench press - at angles of 30, 45 and 60 degrees (on the top of the pecs) and the bench press (on the bottom).

Benefits of the inclined position

When you do a bench press on a horizontal bench, work:

Large and small chest (middle part) - do the main work.
Anterior bundles of deltoid muscles.
Triceps.

We are specifically interested in breasts. It is believed that the usual classic bench press evenly pumps the entire chest. However, the main load during its implementation falls on its central part. If the top or bottom of the chest looks much smaller than we would like, various variations of the bench press at an angle come to the rescue.

When we move the body into an inclined position, the main working muscle groups do not change, but the load is distributed differently. We can purposefully force the upper or lower chest to work.

Redistribution of load depending on the angle:

Pressing at a 30-degree angle works primarily on the middle part of the chest and a little on the upper part.
45 degrees bear the load on upper part, freeing the middle one.
60 degrees already transfers the entire weight of the bar to the front deltoids and triceps, leaving some of the load at the very top of the pectoral muscles.
Incline bench presses can also be performed upside down. This is a proven way to pump up the lower chest.

Thus, by varying the technique of the press, you can build desired relief chest.

Bench press position in training

It is not recommended to use the barbell bench press on an incline bench as an independent exercise. It's better to do it after basic exercises, for example, after the classic bench press. In extreme cases, after push-ups on the uneven bars with weights.

First you need to give a heavy total load, and only then can you start working on specific areas of the pectoral muscle.

The incline bench press is very useful for beginners to evenly develop the entire mass of the upper body.

Here are a few schemes, using which, you can reasonably load the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe pectoral muscles.

First scheme

We perform the exercises in this order:

Do the classic bench press.
After it, we set an angle of 30 degrees and do it there incline press in 3 sets and 10 repetitions.
Then we do 2 approaches with less weight, but already at an angle of 45 degrees.
After that, we finish killing our chest with a wiring on a horizontal bench.

Second scheme

This scheme is a superset for the pectoral muscles:

We did a bench press on a horizontal bench (the required number of approaches).
We put on an incline bench an angle of 30 degrees, sitting business approach of 10 repetitions with a heavy weight.
Then we take light dumbbells and instead of a break, we do wiring in 15 repetitions.
Again we do an inclined bench press, wiring. As a result, we must do this 3 times 10 times. This is a kind of superset on the chest, which allows you to load and pump it very well.
After completing it, we rest for a minute, during which we set an angle of 45 degrees on the bench. We press the barbell at this angle (if it’s hard, you can lighten the weight) as many times as at 30 degrees. We do the wiring in the same way. After three approaches, you can rest.

If you wish, you can repeat the superset if you have strength left.

And when to press upside down?

If you want to highlight your lower chest, then the incline bench press is ideal for this purpose.

As already mentioned, there is no point in doing such a bench press as an independent exercise. If you didn't do basics that day, then try to do at least 3 chest exercises.

For example:

First, press the barbell upside down.
Then the dumbbell press from the same position.
And finish everything by breeding dumbbells on a horizontal bench.

The first exercise is performed in 3-4 sets and 8 repetitions, the second - 10 times, and the third - also 10 times in two or three sets. Focus on your condition.

If you have enough strength, do 3-4 sets in each exercise. Between sets, a break of 60-90 seconds, between exercises - 90 seconds.

If you're working to failure on the bench, rest as much as you need. Just remember that too long a rest leads to a "cooling" of the muscles. And on a “cold” muscle, you can get a stretch.

Head down should be pressed in cases where the lower part of the chest is far behind. Usually bodybuilders use this exercise to perform effectively in competitions. The rest is enough to do horizontal press lying down and bench press on a bench with an upward slope.

AND good advice: When you do the bench press with an incline down, ask a partner or trainer to help you. You will need help with weight transfer. The bar is usually taken from the floor. In the position in which you will be, it will be quite difficult to take it. Especially if the barbell weighs 50 kg or more. Still, do not remove from the racks. Although some GYM's quite well equipped and allow you to conveniently do such things.

Execution technique

Finally, we have reached the most important. Now you know why to do the incline press, it's time to learn how to do it right!

As always, we all start with a warm-up. To begin with, an empty neck is suitable, you will need to do 10-15 repetitions at an average pace, but without throwing it sharply up and down.

Set the desired angle of the bench back. Sit on it so that the pelvis is pressed against the seat, and the back against the back. Spread your legs apart and rest your heels on the floor.
Leave a natural arch in the lower back. Bring the shoulder blades together, they should rest against the back. Put your head on the back, look at the top of the wall opposite you.
Grasp the bar with a direct grip wider than shoulders, focusing on the risks. On each of the neck marks (on the right and on the left), any finger of your hand should be located (usually the middle or ring finger, depending on the length of the athlete’s hands).
Remove the bar from the racks, bring it to its original position: it should be located above your collarbones.
Lower the bar to the top of your chest as you inhale. Without holding your breath, exhale and push the bar up. Control the movement at every stage! You don’t need to throw the barbell on your chest, just as you don’t need to push it up uncontrollably.

When you have done the desired number of warm-up reps, put the bar back, hang up the working weight and do 3 sets of 8 reps.

Important Points

Before you start training, pay attention to a number of important points.

Insurance

It is more difficult to remove the barbell with an incline press than with a classic one. Therefore, you will need an assistant. Ask someone to help you remove the barbell. While you are doing the exercise, have the person stand next to you. Putting the bar back on is no less difficult, so you will need help here.

When you work with 60-75% of your maximum weight, you can do it all yourself. Failure approaches require insurance.

pivot points

During the exercise, you lean on the buttocks, back and legs. Usually beginners tear the pelvis off the bench. With the incline bench press, this is even more dangerous than with the classic one, since the weight presses on you in the vertical plane (albeit slightly).

Do not tear your pelvis off the bench!

An attempt to make a bridge

When you try to get into a bridge in such a press, all the sense of 45 or 30 degrees is lost. Due to your bridge, you reset this angle. So you don’t need to bend, a natural deflection in the lower back is enough.

Bench press in the simulator

The trainer can put you on a bench press in Smith after the classic. This is normal and allows you to pump the upper chest in isolation. Everything is done here in exactly the same way as when working with a free barbell. Only the task is made easier - the neck is fixed and moves strictly in a vertical plane.

It is best, of course, to work with free weights. Let other muscles join in to stabilize the position of the barbell.

What to do for shoulder pain

If your back deltoids hurt, it won't affect the incline press. If the middle or front - everything is much more complicated.

Decide by experimenting with light weights at what angle you are comfortable to press. If pain haunts you in absolutely any bench press, you will have to exclude these exercises for a month or two.

If, for example, at an angle of 45 degrees you do not feel pain, you can work. But those exercises in which you feel discomfort should be excluded.

Before the exercise, warm up well, use special ointments. Listen carefully to your body. If there is pain somewhere, stop exercising immediately! In a warm state, the athlete may not immediately understand that a sprain has occurred. This will manifest itself after training, when the muscles have cooled down.

It may not hurt you to do a bench press with your head down. The shoulders in it are not as strongly involved as the triceps and chest.

How often to do incline presses

If you divide chest exercises into 2-3 days, then you can do different variants presses 3 times a week.

For example, a bench press at an angle of 30 degrees in the first workout, after it, a dumbbell bench press at 45 degrees.

On the second workout, after push-ups on the uneven bars, you can do an incline bench press while sitting at 45 degrees and finish with the same wiring.

If you alternate light and heavy workouts, you should do the same, but with actual weights. For example, if today is an easy workout, the weights should be less than your failure.

The dumbbell head down press is a bodybuilding exercise that allows you to develop mass in the lower chest. To perform this exercise, you will need an incline bench. The difference from the barbell head down exercise is that with the help of dumbbells you can increase the amplitude of the exercise and reduce the load on the wrists.

Target muscle: pectoral muscle (emphasis on the lower chest)
Secondary: triceps, deltas, trapezius muscles

Downward dumbbell press technique:

Lie down on a bench with a reverse slope (approximately 30 degrees). Take dumbbells in your hands (or ask a partner to give them to you) and straighten your arms above you. From this position, begin to lower the dumbbells approximately to the lower chest area. Breathe in as you lower. Lower until you feel the maximum stretching of the pectoral muscles (within reasonable limits). From the lowest point, begin to squeeze the dumbbells up, while exhaling. try to feel working muscle and watch your elbows so that they do not “walk” to the sides (at the bottom point, your elbows should form a perpendicular to the floor). Do all movements without sudden jerks. Breathe properly.

To improve your grip, you can rub your palms with chalk.
Do not perform the exercise for speed, this can lead to injury to the shoulder joints.
Try to feel the working muscle.
Don't take too much weight on the dumbbells, because if they are too heavy for you, you will automatically start pressing more with your triceps and will most likely not arch your lower back.
If you feel that you are no longer able to squeeze the dumbbells, then just throw them on the floor. First one, then the other.

Mistakes in the dumbbell head down press exercise:

Too low lowering dumbbells. It is not necessary to forcefully try to lower the dumbbells too low, this can result in injury. Lower as far as your shoulder joints allow you to.
Incomplete range. With incomplete amplitude, you do not stretch the muscle enough, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the exercise.

Similar exercises:
Barbell Head Down Press

Important! To prevent injury, follow correct technique doing a dumbbell head down press.

Type of exercise: basic

Core muscles: chest

Accessory muscles: front delta, triceps

The complexity of the exercise: high

Equipment: dumbbells

Now I will tell you about the advantages and disadvantages of dumbbell upside down incline bench press.

Advantages:

Compared to the barbell press, the arms go deeper into the dumbbell exercise and because of this, the pectoral muscle is more stretched.
The dumbbell press involves more bundles of pectoral muscles than a barbell.
Each hand works evenly.

Flaws:

Dumbbells are difficult to hold in your hands, you always need to balance and use many other muscles of the stabilizers, but this can be an advantage.
It is inconvenient to throw dumbbells on the bench, you need an assistant.
The main disadvantage is that the dumbbell press is dangerous for people with high blood pressure. When you lie upside down, blood rushes to your head. You start to do the exercise, the load on the vessels of the head increases, along with the chance of a stroke.

Initial position

If there is no special incline bench for dumbbell press upside down, then find a bench for the press. Place a rubber band on the sides of the bench so that you can throw dumbbells on it at the end of the exercise, and not on the floor. At big weight dumbbells, find yourself an assistant: he will serve dumbbells and insure you during the exercise. Set the bench angle to 30 degrees. I, personally, lower the bench completely and then raise it one notch. Lie down on a bench, place your feet under the rollers. The pelvis, lower back, shoulder blades brought together and press the head to the bench. Now have an assistant hand you 2 dumbbells. Do not throw one dumbbell on your own, save your strength. Take dumbbells on your chest, elbows look down, this will be the starting position.

Upside Down Dumbbell Press Technique

Inhale and turn the dumbbells parallel to each other, then begin to squeeze them up. Exhale on effort. At the top, the dumbbells should touch smoothly, and not fight off each other. Do not fully unbend your arms: this will transfer the load to the triceps and this is dangerous for elbow joints; keep your elbows slightly bent. As you inhale, lower the dumbbells down until they touch your shoulder or pectoral muscles. When lowering the dumbbells, the elbows look to the sides and down. After contact with the body, immediately inhale and squeeze the dumbbells up.

After completing the approach, drop the dumbbells and take 2-3 breaths and exhale, then get up.
Try doing the dumbbell press down with supination and pronation. Supination- this is when at the top point the palms turn towards each other. Pronation- this is when at the bottom point the palms turn towards each other.
Weight take less than 15-20% of the dumbbell bench press horizontally.
Do not tear your lower back off the bench, so there will be more load on the pectoral muscles, but then take the weight of the dumbbells less.
For reliability, ask an assistant to insure, let him squat down near your head and help squeeze the dumbbells, pushing under your elbows.

Mistakes

Do not throw dumbbells on your own, save your strength.
When sitting on a press bench, do not pull the dumbbell yourself. Not only can you fall towards the dumbbell, but you also risk pulling the mouth muscle when doing dumbbell presses upside down.
Do not push your shoulders forward, so the load from the pectoral muscles goes to the deltas.

] Description of the exercise

What muscles work
Incline Bench Press
Technique and muscles involved during the exercise
Type of exercise:
Movement :	jogging
Target Muscles:
Performance
Inventory:
Implementation options:
Complexity:	moderate
Injuries:
Similar exercises:
Advantages:
effective for the development of pectoral muscles
Flaws:
insurance is required if there are no restrictions

Bench press with a negative angle

Incline Bench Press

Core muscles: pectoralis major and minor.

Additional muscles: front deltas, triceps.

Stabilizing muscles

shoulder blades: Serratus anterior, rhomboid, trapezius muscles.
shoulder joint: Rotators of the shoulder, biceps shoulder (short head).
Moderate torso stabilization: Abdominal and gluteal muscle groups, latissimus dorsi back.

Level of training: Intermediate to Advanced.

Step 1. Bend back horizontal bench 30-45° below the horizontal line. Sit on a bench and rest your legs on the support rollers.

Step 2. Remove the bar from the racks and lift it up. The arms are straightened.

Step 3. Inhale and hold your breath, slowly lower the bar to the lower fragment of the pectoral muscle.

Step 4. With a powerful movement on the exhale, squeeze the barbell up to fully extended arms.

Bench presses, performed on the incline bench, load the lower part of the pectoral muscles. Well-trained lower parts of the pectoral muscles make the chest more beautiful.

Try not to perform this exercise with a large number of repetitions and stay in this position for a long time. Getting used to the state when the blood rushes to the head does not occur immediately. To minimize dizziness, breathe evenly and avoid holding your breath. After completing the exercise, rise slowly.

Tips for proper exercise technique:

Learn the correct technique for performing the movement before increasing the weight.
Avoid using the force of inertia; use slow, controlled movement.
Exit when you lift the bar.
Keep your elbows outward, in line with top chest.

Bench press on a bench with an inclination down