Lately I've been working my Incline BP like a bad mother and I was wondering if this is going to improve my standard BP or do I need to train both equally?
Honestly you need to train all 3 of them. They all hit differnt parts of the chest. Your very first excersie is going to be your power one. Incline is the hardest one to do and decline is the easiest. The decline involves the most amount of chest when working. I like to start with that, then move to flat and end with incline. Grant it I don't get over 225 6 or 8 times with it but when I finish my chest is pumping full of blood.
Incline wont hurt your regular bench thats for sure. Its more shoulder intensive than the other styles of bench. Simplest thing to do, if you find that you're flat bench has stalled, switch to incline, wait till that stalls, and switch back. JP is right about the DB's helping the flat bench. It'll improve starting power, and a raw bench is all about starting power.
where would military press come into it for you then? a supplement to the other 3, or as a 4th exercise?
it is good to work each muscle in different ways so it is good you are inclining. sometimes i will concentrate on a certain movement more than others for a period of time just like you are, i think it is good to do that. it will help your flat bench but your flat bench will improve most (if you are talking about poundage lifted) by lifting heavy, eating like you want to get strong, resting like you need it, and lifting heavy
Depending on your flat bench technique too, keep in mind the incline press doesn't use the back/lats at the bottom of the lift like the bench press does. So if you're chasing a big 1RM in the bench, you will need to spend some time on it, even if it's just for technique purposes. That being said I really like the inc press as a muscle/strength developer.
Military presses work the shoulders, I do mine behind the neck and it is the first excresise in my shoulder routine
Shit, I can't remember the last time I did Inclines. I do remember that they didn't do a whole lot for my flat bench. I prefer OH presses and dumbell presses these days!
i love incline and have almost stopped doing decline. i know you cant believe everything you read, and especially think lifting is more of what you like and think you get out of it, but, i did read a few years back that decline wasnt as effective as once thought. it also was mentioned that doing a lot of decline will build up your lower chest more and when you get older it will be easier to develope "old man" tits, the ones that sag. but yes, incline will help the flat bench, and i still do mix in some decline, maybe 3 sets, every 2nd to 3rd chest routine.
The only time I've found a direct increase in my flat bench from an incline was when I did them (the inclines) in conjunction with my flats. I would occasionally use them as a max effort movement or hit a few sets of twenty after my dynamic bench sets. I know that when I've actually concentrated on the incline as a priority at the expense of emphasis on my flat bench, my flat has decreased. I assume similar results would be seen by most experienced lifters unless a specific muscle weakness that is drastically hindering the flat can be strengthened by the incline. Novice lifters would most likely see an increase in flat press from pretty much any kind of press imaginable.
