Chest day is undoubtedly one of the most popular and rewarding workouts in the gym, but which exercises truly maximise muscle growth? In this blog, we’ll rank the top 10 chest exercises, from least effective to most effective, to help you optimise your training and achieve the best results.
10. Plate Press
Plate press comes in at number 10 because unfortunately, it's not effective for muscle growth. When doing a plate press, your ability to apply progressive overload and cause metabolic stress to your chest is limited due to a lack of range of motion and the fact that you will be limited by how heavy the plates can go.
9. Bodyweight Press-Ups
Press-ups are probably the first chest exercise that we all did however they aren't actually very effective for muscle growth. To build muscle you need to provide your chest with enough stimulus to grow and unfortunately doing press-ups you can only really increase the amount of reps that you do.
8. One Arm Dumbbell Press
Dumbbell Pressing is a good exercise to build your chest however doing it single arm is ranked at number 8 because there are other variations that are better for overall chest growth. The range of motion is good in this exercise however the ability to stay stable while applying progress overload may be difficult.
7. Floor Press
Floor press provides you with good stability meaning the ability to load the weight is good. The one issue is if you're focusing on building your chest, you will be limited with the range of motion as you can not get your elbows as deep as other movements. The Floor press is also a good triceps builder and a good way to improve overall pressing strength.
6. Dumbbell Pull Over
The dumbbell pullover is a good exercise to get a stretch on your chest however there are some drawbacks to it. It is quite a difficult exercise to perform and the ability to train close to failure is limited. It will also be pretty difficult to increase the weight in the long term as the dumbbell will become harder to hold, so this is why it is ranked at number 6.
5. Barbell Bench Press
How much can you bench? Arguably the most popular question when talking about the gym. But it's not at number one in this list. Barbell bench press is great for building strength however for muscle growth there will be better options. Although you can definitely build your chest by doing the bench press, the metabolic stress that you can cause from this exercise to others will be slightly less. The bench press also doesn't converge at the top meaning there are better options out there. Nonetheless, if you enjoy the bench press it is definitely a good and fine option to keep in your plan.
4. Machine Chest Fly
When trying to build your chest, a fly variation should be a staple in most routines. The machine chest fly will allow you to get a good stretch on your chest and a good squeeze on your chest at the top of the movement. This will mean you are training your chest in both the lengthened and shortened position.
3. Dips
You might be shocked that dips are this high on the list but they are top-tier when it comes to building your chest. Dips can be done on a machine, body weight, or even weighted. This makes the potential for progressive overload massive. You can also get a good range of motion and stretch on your chest. Getting strong at dips will be a good chest builder in any routine. Form is key on this one though, nail your form before loading the weights to reduce the risk of injury.
2. Smith Machine Chest Press
The Smith Machine is a massively underrated piece of equipment for building muscle. The Smith Machine Chest Press can be done at an incline or just flat to hit the different areas of the chest. This is one of the most stable exercises and the potential to increase the weight and apply progressive overload is really good. One small reason why this exercise isn't higher up is because it doesn't converge as you come up during the movement.
1. Dumbbell Bench Press
Coming it at number one we have the dumbbell bench press. When performed right this exercise is perfect for building the chest. You can do this at an incline, flat or even a decline if you wish. By using dumbbells you can come deep enough to get a big stretch on your chest and you can converge on the way up to work your chest in both the lengthened and shortened position. Get strong at this movement and your chest will start to grow.
Take Home Message
After reading this list you may go and change your chest workout however it is important to note that this list could differ from person to person. The best exercise for you will also be the one that you enjoy the most and the one that you feel you engage best with.
