The Best and Worst Chest Exercises for Muscle Growth: A Complete Ranking

Building a strong, full, and well-shaped chest is one of the most common goals in the gym. Yet with so many different exercises available—from classic barbell bench presses to fancy influencer moves—it can be hard to know which ones actually deliver results and which ones are a waste of time.

In this article, I’ll walk you through 20 of the most popular chest exercises, ranking each from S tier (superb) to F tier (fail). The ranking is based on three critical criteria:

Deep Stretch Under High Tension
Exercises that allow your pecs to stretch fully while remaining under heavy load score highly. If a movement doesn’t check this box, it will not pass.
Feel and Mind-Muscle Connection
The exercise should feel smooth, comfortable, and effective—producing a strong pump without causing joint pain or awkward mechanics.
Simple Progression
You must be able to progressively overload the exercise—by adding weight, reps, or intensity—over weeks and months.

At the end, I’ll crown one ultimate winner (S+) as the best chest exercise overall, and also identify the absolute worst (F-) that you should avoid at all costs.

The Failures: F-Tier Chest Exercises

Let’s start with the bottom of the barrel—the exercises that simply do not deliver meaningful chest growth.

1. Hex Press (F Tier)

The hex press involves pressing dumbbells together while keeping your arms tucked. While it looks unique, it fails every important test:

No deep stretch on the pecs.
Triceps take over most of the work.
Minimal progressive overload potential.

This exercise has no real advantage over standard pressing and is often promoted just to look “different.”

2.

Plate Press (F Tier)

Even worse than the hex press, the plate press is performed by pressing a weight plate between your hands. It’s awkward, unstable, and nearly impossible to overload. It offers little pec activation and ends up being more of a grip challenge than a chest builder.

3. Guillotine Press (Barbell Version) (F Tier)

The guillotine press, where you lower the bar to your neck with elbows flared, does provide a massive pec stretch. However, the risk of serious injury is simply too high. Dropping a barbell on your throat could end your lifting career—or worse.

Modified with dumbbells, it can be safer and even effective. But with a barbell? Straight to F tier.

4. One-Arm Dumbbell Press (F Tier)

Some lifters think doing presses one arm at a time adds benefits. In reality, it doesn’t. Each pec already works independently in a normal dumbbell press. Doing it with one arm only adds balance issues, reducing tension on the chest.

5. Crossbody Dumbbell Fly (F Tier)

The standing crossbody fly with a dumbbell offers almost no tension where the pecs are stretched. Most of the load shifts to the front delts. Compared to cable or lying fly variations, it’s simply a poor choice.

The Disappointments: D-Tier Chest Exercises

Not total failures, but not great either.

6. Dumbbell Pullover (D Tier)

While biomechanics show that the pecs contribute to this movement, in practice, most lifters feel it much more in their lats and triceps. Very few bodybuilders rely on it for chest growth. A decent back exercise—but not ideal for pecs.

7. Plate Press D Tier)

Explosive push-ups may build power, but they lack sufficient tension in the stretch and eccentric phase for maximum hypertrophy. For bodybuilding, you’ll get better results with traditional pressing.

The Average Options: C-Tier Chest Exercises

Decent in some contexts, but not optimal for serious pec growth.

8. Bodyweight Push-Ups (C Tier)

Great for beginners, but quickly become too easy. Once you can perform 30+ reps, they lose effectiveness for hypertrophy. Overloading with weight plates on your back is possible but unstable.

9. Floor Press (C Tier)

Excellent for triceps and bench lockout strength, but limited chest development due to restricted range of motion. Without a full stretch, pec activation is subpar.

The Solid but Flawed: B-Tier Chest Exercises

These can build muscle but have clear drawbacks compared to better options.

10. Decline Bench Press (B Tier)

Targets lower pecs well, but most lifters struggle more with upper pec growth. Also, the range of motion is slightly reduced.

11. Decline Dumbbell Press (B Tier)

Similar drawbacks to the decline bench press, plus an awkward setup. Requires a spotter to hand you the dumbbells safely.

12. Banded Push-Ups (B Tier)

Bands add tension, but mostly at the top of the rep, not at the bottom where pecs need it most. Fun as a finisher, but not a main builder.

The Reliable Workhorses: A-Tier Chest Exercises

Strong hypertrophy movements with just minor drawbacks.

13. Barbell Bench Press (A Tier)

The king of compound lifts—provides heavy loading and great progression potential. However, limited stretch due to the bar hitting your chest and occasional shoulder issues keep it from S tier.

14.

Incline Bench Press (A Tier)

Emphasizes the upper chest, where most lifters need work. Research shows it grows the mid and lower pecs just as effectively as flat bench. Nearly S tier, but not quite.

15. Flat Dumbbell Press (A Tier)

Allows a deeper stretch than the barbell bench. Great for chest pump and mind-muscle connection. The only drawback: heavy dumbbells can be awkward and gyms often cap weights at 100 lbs.

16. Incline Dumbbell Press (A Tier)

Same benefits as flat dumbbell press, with extra focus on upper pecs. Excellent option for balanced development.

17. Dips (A Tier)

One of the deepest pec stretches possible with heavy loading potential. Downsides: can irritate shoulders in some lifters and not the smoothest feel.

18. Deficit Push-Ups (A Tier)

A simple but effective bodyweight option. By elevating your hands, you get a deeper stretch on the pecs. Still tricky to overload, but much better than regular push-ups.

19. Smith Machine Press (A Tier)

Despite its reputation, studies show the Smith press builds muscle as effectively as free weights. Easier to overload safely and great for training to failure.

20. Cable Crossovers (A Tier)

Smooth tension across the full range of motion with a great pec stretch. Slight instability is the only drawback compared to seated fly variations.

21. Pec Deck Machine (A Tier)

Stable, effective isolation. The only downside: fixed movement path may not suit every lifter’s shoulder mechanics.

22. Dumbbell Fly (A Tier)

Much improved when done as partials, focusing on the stretch. Not as smooth as cables, but still valuable.

23. Cable Press-Around (A Tier)

One of the few exercises that fully contracts the pec across the midline. Slightly awkward at first but fantastic once mastered.

The Elites: S-Tier Chest Exercises

Finally, the best of the best—the movements that check every box.

24. Machine Chest Press (S Tier)

When you find a well-designed machine, it’s unbeatable:

Deep stretch and consistent tension.
Smooth feel with excellent mind-muscle connection.
Easy and safe to overload.

This is the ultimate hypertrophy chest exercise.

25. Seated Cable Fly (S Tier)

The best isolation option. Stable, smooth, and customizable. It maximizes tension in the stretch while allowing natural shoulder movement.

The Crown Winners

Best Chest Exercise (S+): Machine Chest Press
Safe, effective, and progressive. If your gym has a great chest press machine, use it.
Worst Chest Exercise (F-): Plate Press
Awkward, ineffective, and impossible to overload. Skip it entirely.

Final Thoughts

If you want to maximize chest growth:

Base your training around compound presses (barbell, dumbbell, machine, dips).
Add isolation work (seated cable fly, pec deck, dumbbell fly variations) for full development.
Avoid “influencer” exercises that look flashy but deliver no real gains.

Consistency, progressive overload, and smart exercise selection will always beat gimmicks.

آخر الأخبار

The Best And Worst Chest Exercises (Ranked By Science)

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