Should I add a decline bench press to target upper chest, or push harder?

[ThomasRL]

I’ve been doing a standard push-up routine for a while, but my chest development seems to have stalled. I’m wondering if adding a decline bench press to my workout would help target the upper pectoral fibers more effectively, or if I should just increase the intensity of my current exercises instead.

[Luna.R]

Decline bench press mainly hits the lower chest; it won't help upper chest much. If you're chasing upper fibers, incline presses are the go-to. I swapped a flat bench routine for a block of incline dumbbell presses and felt the upper chest come in a bit more, though progress still felt slow.

[MarkZM]

I tried piling on push-up volume and tempo, but the chest that grew most was the midline. Then I added incline dumbbell presses and felt the upper chest light up more, plus the shape started changing a little.

[Grace20]

Maybe it's technique. Last few sessions I focused on a slow descent and a tight squeeze at the top, and the chest felt more engaged, but the numbers didn't budge.

[Victoria34]

There was a stretch where I kept incline work but dropped flat bench. Shoulders were happier, but I still hit a plateau in size after six weeks.

[PaisleyM]

Do you think the issue is actually upper chest development or something like shoulder mobility getting in the way?

[JohnR]

Could be not the exercises but recovery and nutrition. I found nights of solid sleep and a little extra protein made my presses feel heavier and my chest work was easier, even when the rack time stayed similar.