Preparation
Grasp a dumbbell using a neutral grip (palm facing inward), position the dumbbell at the top of your thigh and sit down at the high end of decline bench. Secure your legs/ ankles at the padding, slowly lay back on the bench and bring up the dumbbell straight up above your lower chest. Keep your hand at a neutral grip (palm facing inward). This will be your starting position.
Execution
As you inhale start lower the dumbbell in controlled motion until the dumbbell stand right to the sides of your lower chest. From this position bring the dumbbell back up to the starting position as you exhale. Contract the chest at the top, hold for a second and repeat the movement for desire reps. When you finish switch the arms and repeat the set.
Recommendations
- To prevent yourself from injury and achieve maximum development in your lower pecs set the bench to an angle between 20-30 degrees. Any lower inclination will overload your rotator cuff and reduce the work of pectoralis muscles.
- Use the hand you are not lifting with to help bring up the dumbbell in the starting position.
- Move the dumbbell in a slight arch trajectory, this would help you to get good stretch at the bottom and better contraction at the top of the movement.
- Keep the elbow pointed and don’t lock it at the top of the movement to keep the tension in the chest muscles.
- Concentrate on keeping the dumbbell fully balanced and under control during the movement, perform the negative phase twice longer than the positive.
- When you finish your set do not drop the dumbbell this can be dangerous to your rotator cuff and the others trainable around you. To safely place the dumbbell of the floor bring your knee up, put the dumbbell on the top of your thigh and bring your self back up with slight kick forward with your legs.