Decline Bench Press
Muscles worked: Chest (assisted by triceps).
How to do it
- Secure your legs at the end of the decline bench and slowly lay down on the bench.
- Using a medium width grip (a grip that creates a 90-degree angle in the middle of the movement between the forearms and the upper arms), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked.
- As you breathe in, come down slowly until you feel the bar on your lower chest.
- After a second pause, bring the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out and push the bar using your chest muscles.
- Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
Coaching cues
The two cues IronPack shows on this exercise's card mid-workout:
- Bar to the lower chest line
- Shorter stroke than flat - control the touch
Logging it
IronPack suggests working in the 6 to 10 rep range, progressing in 2.5 kg jumps when you own the top of the range. Records are tracked automatically at every rep count from 1 to 12. Loading the bar? Use the plate calculator, and check your estimated 1RM from any hard set.
Related exercises
- Barbell Bench Press - chest
- Dumbbell Bench Press - chest
- Incline Dumbbell Press - chest
- Incline Barbell Press - chest
Track the decline bench press properly
IronPack logs every set, tracks your records at every rep count, shows these form photos mid-workout, and turns the training into a card game you play with your mates.
Get IronPack free on the App StoreFree download, iPhone. Currently on the New Zealand App Store, wider rollout to follow.
Steps: free-exercise-db (public domain) with IronPack corrections. Cues, muscle weighting and logging guidance are IronPack's own app data. Last generated 2026-07-17.