The main finding of this study is that performing a 6-RM bench press on an inclined bench resulted in lower triceps brachii activation, but higher biceps brachii activation compared with the flat and declined bench position. Comparing the three grip widths, similar muscle activation was observed, with the exception of reduced EMG activity in the biceps brachii using the narrow grip, compared to the medium and wide grip conditions. While 6-RM loads were found to increase as the grip position widened, lower 6-RM loads were achieved in the inclined bench position compared with the flat and declined bench positions, which may be of relevance in designing effective hypertrophy protocols.
Bench Press Pakistan
Similar levels of activity in the PM (sternocostal and clavicular parts) were observed in the flat bench compared with the inclined and declined bench positions. Importantly, all participants were bench press athletes competing at national and international level and all participants used different bench press variations in their weekly training. This may have resulted in similar PM EMG activity in all three bench inclinations as the participants’ training enabled them to adjust their shoulder joint and trunk alignment to maximize the contributions of the PM during the different bench press positions. A one year study that observed elite weight-lifters lifting strategies found only slight differences in muscle activity on repeated EMG measurement (Hakkinen et al., 1987) suggesting elite lifters exhibit repeatable muscle activation patterns on different tasks. It is possible that athletes in this study may have adjusted their lifting action to preserve consistent muscle activation, although we did not use 3D motion analysis to examine this aspect.
Previous comparable studies have demonstrated inconclusive EMG results in the sternocostal and clavicular part of the PM (Barnett et al., 1995; Glass and Armstrong, 1997; Trebs et al., 2010). In line with the present study, similar EMG activity in the clavicular part of the PM between the flat bench and the inclined and declined bench positions has been shown (Barnett et al., 1995). This latter study, in contrast to the present one, demonstrated greater activation in the clavicular part of the PM when comparing inclined and declined bench press positions, although only six recreationally trained male subjects participated, and unlike our study, a +40º inclined and −18º declined bench was used, which may explain the differences in our findings.
Elsewhere the effect of different inclined bench press positions has been examined with findings of similar activation in the clavicular part of the PM, but greater activation of the sternocostal part of the PM using a 28º incline bench position compared with the flat BP (Trebs et al., 2010). This study used a Smith machine which imposes a fixed, one dimensional vertical lifting pathway, compared with the weighted barbell used in the present study. It is possible that constraining the motion pathway during the bench press action may result in stereotypical patterns of muscle activation compared with subtle adjustments in the glenohumeral joint and elbow position permitted by a weighted barbell in an experienced lifter.
The inclined bench position resulted in lower EMG activity in the TB, but greater BB activity, compared to both flat and declined bench positions. The biceps brachii is a bipartite muscle, with a long head originating in the supraglenoid tubercle of the scapula and a short head which originates close to the pectoralis minor on the coracoid process of the scapula, and as well as acting on the scapula also is a powerful supinator of the forearm. It is therefore possible to speculate from its anatomy that in the inclined position increased activity recorded in BB may reflect its action on the scapula, contracting isometrically to control the scapula in an inclined (as opposed to flatly aligned or declined) position and provide anchorage during the dynamic phase of the press. Alternatively, or additionally, greater BB activation may result from its action on the forearm and indirectly the wrist, resisting a greater pronatory moment caused by a greater in
