Again, it comes down to the gravitational pull.
In comparison, the cable crossover average is 94% and the pec deck fly is 90%. So, they’re acceptable substitutes.Īs for the DUMBBELL FLY, averaging the two studies (one looking at flat flyes, the other looking at incline flyes), we get 66%. The MACHINE CHEST PRESS and DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS both activated pecs 79% as well as their barbell equivalents. We’d love to see how Hammer Strength machine presses, Smith machine presses, and machine incline flyes stack up, to name only three. So, what to make of all the other chest exercises? First, some weren’t included in any EMG study. However, 30 did a better job of also stressing the middle pecs, making 45 degree inclines more upper-centric but 30 degrees a better overall chest exercise. It confirmed that incline worked upper more and decline worked lower more, but upper pec stimulation was virtually identical with either 30 or 45 degrees.
But yet another study looked at chest activation during flat, 30-degree incline, 45-degree incline, and 15-degree decline barbell presses. For example, it’s much easier to go from 300 to 305 than 30 to 35.Īs for the angle of the incline or decline press, one of the studies mentioned above determined that 45-degrees was better than 25-degrees for focusing on either the upper pecs (with an incline press) or lower pecs (with a decline press). Heavier weights also allow you to more frequently add resistance for the same reps. This barbell standard allows you to stress your chest with the greatest free-weight loads. However, in the mid-range of reps, the tension is very high in comparison to other chest exercises. Tension is not maximized on the pecs from start to finish (the front delts and triceps do work). Because the bar is going up or down in a straight (or nearly straight) line, you’re battling gravity from start to finish.
The barbell press at any angle has several things going for it: A third study also ranked traditional barbell presses high but placed the wide-grip guillotine press (a risky variant of the barbell bench press, done to the neck) even higher. And in the study that differentiated angles, the BARBELL INCLINE PRESS wins for upper chest, as does the BARBELL DECLINE PRESS for lower chest. Let’s dive deep into the science of chest training.įocusing on the two biggest EMG studies, the clear winner in both is the BARBELL BENCH PRESS. Olympia Ronnie Coleman, who typically did nothing but flat, incline, and decline presses for chest-barbells one workout and dumbbells the next.) But the story is more complicated than just “do free-weight basics,” because when it comes to flying, machines are superior. (One big exception from the recent past was 8-time Mr. That’s because everyone did barbell bench presses then, while too many champs avoid them today.
The chests of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu in the ’70s seen above would still wow on the Olympia stage today. The interesting thing about pecs is, unlike some other muscles, the highest standards haven’t changed much over the past half-century. The results may surprise you-or maybe not. We sifted through the data of three electromyography (EMG) studies to determine precisely which exercises do the best job of activating your pectorals, which do an okay job, and which you should modify or avoid.