Overall Strength

I’m pretty sure the anwser is yes, but i want to be sure… If i do a 5x5 with only the flat bench then my incline and decline bench will surely increase with it right?

It works that way for me, but not the other way around… for me atleast

In the past, when I have made significant strength gains, my lifts went up across the board. I got stronger even in lifts that I didn’t train directly, but not nearly to the same degree as the lifts I trained.

Basically, yes, your other lifts will go up, but not quite as much as your flat bench.

Try throwing in a little incline and decline work, and this problem will be moot.

What are your goals? Why such an interest in you incline and decline press? Not that theres anything wrong with that, I keep track of all my lifts. I’m just curious what the thought process is behind your question.

In regards to overall strength, when I train squats or dead lift hard I’ve noticed that I will lose some strength in my bench press. Overall, it is a net gain, but still it can be a little demoralizing. I would probably say that if your bench is going up, probably all your upper body lifts will go up.