Is an incline bench press machine harder than a regular bench press?
Incline bench presses are harder for most people. Why? Because when you are in an incline position, the front delts (the fronts of your shoulders) are recruited more heavily to execute the move. This deactivates the pecs slightly, and transfers more of the load on to the smaller, typically-weaker front deltoids. The higher the incline, the more the front delts are recruited during the move. Almost all people, unless they regularly train in an incline position and do a fair amount of shoulder training, will be much stronger in the flat position than the incline position. If you move into the decline position, your front delts are nearly completely removed from the movement, and your pecs carry all of the load. Most people will find that they are able to move the most amount of weight in a decline position, and the least amount in a high-incline. The best approach is to perform your chest presses in an incline, flat and decline position, which will give you the best overall strength and
