Barbell bench press at a downward angle

The main load is placed on the lower part of the chest. It is not recommended to incline more than 30 degrees, especially for athletes with high blood pressure. The barbell should be lowered to the lower part of the chest.

In general, I find this exercise quite useless and inconvenient. In a regular flat bench press, the lower part of the chest is adequately targeted already. Therefore, I see no reason to complicate things. But if you want, you can give it a try! )

Nuances and Mistakes

1. If you have high blood pressure, I do not recommend performing this exercise. Since your head will be below your body, your blood pressure may spike sharply.

2. The barbell is lowered a little further from the neck compared to a standard bench press—about 3-5 cm. This happens naturally due to the body’s incline.

3. If you don’t have a special bench, a sit-up bench will suffice. Just set a slight negative angle, with a maximum of 30 degrees.

4. Since this exercise primarily targets the lower part of the chest, it is useful for those who have a lagging lower chest. However, such individuals are quite rare, so most people find this exercise unnecessary.

5. The weight used is generally 10%-15% lower than in a classic barbell press. I wouldn’t say that this position is more challenging for the muscles; it’s just less convenient to perform. And the pressure may cause your eyes to bulge due to the heavy weight.