Decline Barbell Bench Press
Decline press for the lower chest fibres and sharp pec lines. It works mainly the chest, with help from the front deltoid and triceps.
In Flawless, a man aged 23–39 reaches Gold, the third of eight ranks, at 1.2× bodyweight (95 kg at 80 kg). For a woman it is 0.85× (50 kg at 60 kg).
How to do Decline Barbell Bench Press
- Set the bench to a slight decline, hook your feet under the pads and lie back with the shoulder blades pulled together and down.
- Grip a little wider than shoulder width, unrack the bar and hold it over your lower chest with straight arms.
- Lower the bar with control until it touches the lower part of your chest.
- Press it back up while exhaling; the decline shortens the path and loads the lower chest, so expect to lift a bit more than on a flat bench.
These are the same steps you see in the exercise guide in the Flawless app.
Muscles worked
| Role | Muscle | Anatomical name |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Chest | Pectoralis major |
| Secondary | Front deltoid | Deltoideus anterior |
| Secondary | Triceps | Triceps brachii |
Muscle data from StrengthLog.
Why do it
- Lower chest line and a fuller bottom edge
- Less shoulder load than flat pressing
- Heavier loads over a shorter range
Strength standards for Decline Barbell Bench Press
| Rank | Men | Women | Man, 80 kg | Woman, 60 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | start | start | – | – |
| Silver | 0.8× | 0.55× | 65 kg | 32.5 kg |
| Gold | 1.2× | 0.85× | 95 kg | 50 kg |
| Platinum | 1.6× | 1.1× | 127.5 kg | 65 kg |
| Diamond | 2× | 1.4× | 160 kg | 85 kg |
| Obsidian | 2.5× | 1.75× | 200 kg | 105 kg |
| Painite | 3× | 2.1× | 240 kg | 125 kg |
| Antimatter | 4× | 2.8× | 320 kg | 167.5 kg |
Ratios are one-rep max ÷ bodyweight for ages 23–39; kilograms are rounded to 2.5 kg.
Flawless takes your best set of Decline Barbell Bench Press, estimates your one-rep max with the Brzycki formula (reps are capped at 12) and divides it by the bodyweight in your profile, so you never have to test a true max. Women’s limits are 30 % lower than men’s. For other ages the app lowers every limit: by 8 % under 23 and from 40 to 49, by 18 % in your 50s, 28 % in your 60s and 38 % from 70.
Similar exercises
Questions
What muscles does Decline Barbell Bench Press work?
It works mainly the chest, with help from the front deltoid and triceps.
How do you do Decline Barbell Bench Press?
Set the bench to a slight decline, hook your feet under the pads and lie back with the shoulder blades pulled together and down. Grip a little wider than shoulder width, unrack the bar and hold it over your lower chest with straight arms. Lower the bar with control until it touches the lower part of your chest. Press it back up while exhaling; the decline shortens the path and loads the lower chest, so expect to lift a bit more than on a flat bench.
What is a good Decline Barbell Bench Press for my bodyweight?
In Flawless, Gold starts at 1.2× bodyweight for men aged 23–39 and 0.85× for women, Diamond at 2× and 1.4×. For an 80 kg man that is a 95 kg and a 160 kg one-rep max.
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