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Across 1 decoded pieces of advice. This scores the state of the evidence behind what they say — not them, and not their honesty. Good creators cover contested ground; that shows up here as mixed.

What Noli has graded

Set the bench 'one notch above flat' to target the upper chest on the incline dumbbell press.

The full read

The isolated claim: a modest bench incline better targets the upper chest than a flat bench. Several EMG studies confirm the direction: a 5-angle study (0° to 60°, 30 trained lifters, MDPI 2020) found peak activation of the clavicular pectoral head at 30°, with a shift toward the anterior deltoid past 45°; a 2025 incline study (20°, 32°, 43°) found significantly lower activation at 20° than at 32-43°, with no significant difference between 32° and 43°. So the direction of the advice is right (incline beats flat for upper chest), but 'one notch' on a standard adjustable bench often corresponds to a fairly shallow incline (around 15°) — closer to the low end of the range where activation stays suboptimal per these studies, which place the real peak between 30° and 45°. The advice points the right way but likely understates the angle needed to maximize upper-chest activation. Verdict: mixed.

mixedFeb 14, 2026the post

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