Lifting at an incline, should I?

[Upstanding Young Man]

I'm not big on lifting. Pretty much the most I can get up 3 times is 155lbs. But I have incline slots on me weight bench, what's the benifit of using an incline?

 

[Slickster]

If I'm reading your question right..........

When you lift something straight up weighing 100 lbs you are lifting 100 lbs. If you lift the same weight on an incline you are lifting less. Its the same idea as a ramp or inclined plane. Force required to lift 100 lbs goes up and down depending on how steep of an incline you are lifting on. So .....

If the incline exerise you are doing works different muscles or different parts of muscles then that is a benefit to you. eg. Incline benchpress. However if your weight machine/bench has you doing some crazy incline exercise that is working the same muscles as you would if you did the same exercise vertical then there really isn't a benefit at all. All you would be doing is having to add more weight to achieve the same results.

In some cases though, doing the exercise on an incline may be benefical for comfort purposes or even during recovery from sports injuries etc. Also sometimes just doing a certain exercise is fun.

There sure are a lot of crazy fitness machines/equipment out there though. All having you do the same basic motion in as many ways imaginable. Its all marketing and gimmicks to sell more stuff. You can pretty much work your whole body with a set of dumbells. Fact is, doing any exercise is better than none, so if your incline machine has you hooked then go with it.

 

[Nocturnal]

Originally posted by Slickster
When you lift something straight up weighing 100 lbs you are lifting 100 lbs. If you lift the same weight on an incline you are lifting less. Its the same idea as a ramp or inclined plane. Force required to lift 100 lbs goes up and down depending on how steep of an incline you are lifting on. So .....

If the incline exerise you are doing works different muscles or different parts of muscles then that is a benefit to you. eg. Incline benchpress. However if your weight machine/bench has you doing some crazy incline exercise that is working the same muscles as you would if you did the same exercise vertical then there really isn't a benefit at all.

I don't follow you here... He's talking about doing bench presses on an incline. The difference is that instead of laying horizontally you are laying at an angle with your head higher than your waist. In both exercises you push the bar up vertically. http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/PectoralClavicular/BBInclineBenchPress.html

The idea is that you ARE working different muscles. Since there is a wider angle between your arms and chest, you end up using your upper chest to pull your arms through the appropriate path. Incline is a good way to get a more "squarish" chest shape, or at least one with better definition higher up.

 

[Slickster]

I don't follow you here... He's talking about doing bench presses on an incline. ..

Is he talking about incline bench press? If so I don't see anything saying that. He just says lifting on his weight bench. For all we know he could be doing leg presses which is a similar movement to a squat except you are usually pressing the weight on an incline. You are correct incline bench press works your muscles differently than lying flat. You'll also notice I did acknowledge that as a benefit.

I was just trying to point out that some exercise machines put you in different positions for exercises that really could be done vertically or horizontal and achieve the same effect. If you don't believe me check out some late night info-mercials that promote all kinds of crazy exercise shyt.

My response is just a general answer to a pretty vague question.
I was just trying to cover all the bases. If I'm wrong, sorry my bad.

 

[Upstanding Young Man]

Very sorry for the confusion.

I meant an incline where instead of laying flat on the bench my upper torso, head, and the rest of me that's connected there is higher than the waist.

Thanks, I think I'll start working those into my lifting, see how it feels.

 

[Anhslaught]

Inclined bench works mainly the top of your pects and your front deltoids.