Intelligent Fitness

What is the difference between incline and decline?

By changing your plane of movement (either incline –uphill – or decline – downhill), you can recruit the superior or upper fibers ( clavicular fibers )of the pectorals and garner more training benefits from the same exercise. You are still working your pectorals, but with the incline you place more emphasis on the upper pecs and with the decline, there is more concentration in the mid to lower-pectorals. Some EMG tests state that you recruit approximately 8% more fiber when performing the decline as there is more muslce fiber stressed through the joint's plane of movment. 

In either case, keep the incline or decline as close to horizontal as possible. For maximal recruitment of the upper or lower pectorals, you only need to raise or lower a bench 10 degress above or below horizontal. That is the (advised) maximum amount needed to ideally recruit those specific fibers.  Greater than 10 degrees begins to involve more shoulders (as in a shoulder press), lesser MAY begin to put stress on the rotator cuff. 

See you fitness professional or CONTACT US for more detailed information!! 

What is the difference between using free weights and using machines?

The greatest difference in using free weights and machines is the control through a range of motion, the degree of balance that is required and the difference in resistance during exercises. The primary advantages to using machines is the fact that they are designed to load the weight on the correct muscles and control the path of motion that will best train the muscle. This is preferred by novice users that are not familiar with controlling weight and who are first learning how to “feel” a muscle being trained. Once the user has become experienced, he or she will know how to control a weight through the correct movement pattern to best train the desired muscle as well as expertly control the weight being used.

When someone is using free weight, the user must dictate the path in which the weight is to travel to train the muscle as well as control the weight during movement and maintain balance throughout the rest of the body. This is not very easy for a beginner and that is why it is often recommended that new users start with machines to learn movement patterns. The last point is the difference in resistance. When an exerciser uses free weights, he or she must contend with the weight they have placed on a bar as well as the degree of gravity that is acting on that bar every moment of use. This can be challenging if the user is not experienced. Machines offer a redirection of gravity due to the cam and pulley. This translates into gravity being removed as a safety factor during exercise and a reduction of stress placed upon the muscle based upon the distance between the weight stack and the pulley. The further away or greater in number the cam, the more the resistance is reduced. Both play significant roles in training and are recommended for the user that is at a point of experience to realize the benefits of both.

What is the difference when using a dumbell press vs a free weight press?

Obviously the biggest difference is the independent movement of each arm during the press. This independent movement of each arm translates into many differences. First the free weight press. During a free weight press your arms work together to overcome the resistance placed upon the body. When doing a free weight press the key term is together. As you push the bar away from your body, there are forces being placed on the bar as well as through. This means that a translation of strength will occur from your stronger arm through to the weaker arm in your quest to move the weight to its ending position, in this case the top of your movement. A free weight press allows the weaker arm to piggy back the strength of the stronger. Also with a bar you are restricted in the independent movement of each joint through its range of motion. For purposes of strength, this may cut down the balance of strength shown between each arm through a range of motion. When looking at the free weight press in terms of stress on the shoulder joints, the stress is increased due to the locked range of motion that the bar keeps the joints in. We discussed how there are forces that are sent through the bar when you press. These forces stress the shoulder joint a bit and may lead to increased pain down the road if you do not change up your program of weight used, exercises used and how often you train those particular body parts selected.

The dumbbell press is obvious in its advantages over the free weight press due to each arms independent movement. However, the dumbbell press is best utilized by a skilled user who has learned the correct path of motion that the dumbbells are to travel and who has developed all of the stabilizing muscles in the body to keep posture upright and prevent injury once the exerciser has realized fatigue in the muscles.

Should I let the bar come all the way down to my chest on a pressing movement like the bench press?

The answer lies within you. Everyone has a different skeletal structure and fitness goal. Typically, the design of the human body shows that the muscle stops contracting after the upper arm has broken parallel and begins to move in a direction towards the back or LESSER than a 90 DEGREE angle in the elbow joint . EMG studies have shown the muscle stops showing stress and recruitment, meaning that the stress is being placed on the joint (shoulder specifically), stretching and tearing at ligaments and tendons. The answer: your fitness goals and specific need dominates your decision.

If you are competing in a powerlifting contest and need to bench a tremendous amount of weight from your chest, you should understand the inherited risks and then train for that specific need.

If your body does not show signs of pain from benching all the way to your chest, you may be designed to perform the movement with little or no problems.

For the rest of the world, doing pressing movements that allow the arm to begin moving beyond 90 degrees to lesser ranges (lowering more toward the chest) increases risk for shoulder injury,and obviously negates the positive benefits os strength training and the goals and aspirations of those seeking health and fitness.