Rating Every Chest Exercise (REP or REJECT!)

There are so many chest exercises to choose from that you can include in your chest workouts, but which ones should you focus your efforts on if you want build a bigger chest and increase your strength? In this video, I am going to rate some of the most popular chest exercises and on each one, I am going to tell you if you should rep it or reject it. Hopefully, after this video, you will know with these chest exercises rated, which ones to you can include in your workouts and which ones you can skip altogether.

Pec Deck: while not everyone has access to a pec deck machine, I think it is a good option to stimulate adduction of the chest and allows you to get the stretch you might think that you are getting with a bench fly. I prefer the machine that has articulating arms as it allows people with any arm length to get the same stimulus needed. Overall, I think it’s a good exercises and that you should rep it.

Flat Bench Press: one of the best exercises you can do to overload the chest with maximal tension, this one is not only going to build a big chest, but a strong chest too. If you have shoulder discomfort when using the barbell, you have the option of using dumbbells which allows for more freedom of motion to help shoulder stability. This is one of my top ranked chest exercises and thus, you should rep it.

V-Sh*t Crossover: do I really need to say much about this exercise? Not only is it not training adduction, it doesn’t do a whole lot for the chest at all in the first place, and it looks downright dumb. If that wasn’t enough, just look at who invented the exercise and that should be enough to tell you to reject it.

Incline Bench Press: when you are looking to build a big chest, especially a big upper chest, there are few exercises that match the effectiveness of the incline bench press. Not only does it have the greatest range of motion for all bench press variations, but it also provides the most stretch at the bottom of each rep. If you opt for dumbbells over a barbell, you get even more stretch with a greater range of motion at the bottom. Definitely an exercise that falls in the “rep it” category

Underhand Bench Press: another variation of the bench press that is great for hitting the upper chest, this one is a go-to if you don’t have access to an incline bench and you want to hit the upper chest fibers. One feature of this exercise is the travel of arms from low-to-high, which follows the fibers of the upper chest. My only caveat would be to suggest using dumbbells over a barbell as the awkward hand placement is exacerbated by the use of barbell if you aren’t experienced enough with the exercise. Absolutely rep it.

Plate Press: a fairly awkward exercise that can be done by squeezing one plate between two hands or even two smaller plates between both hands. There is not a lot of chance for overload on the chest here as the weight you can handle on this exercise is going to be fairly minimal. I would say you should reject it in your next chest workout.

Decline Bench Press: this bench press variation is designed to hit the lower chest fibers and is a great way of overloading them. While it has the least range of motion for most bench press variations, it is easy on the shoulders, so if you have any discomfort, this could be a great option for you. When it comes to ranking chest exercises, I would rate this one towards the top.

Pushups: the gold standard for bodyweight chest exercises, I think everyone should be doing pushups. However, if you can do 30 or more pushups in a single set, I would say that you need to find a different variation that challenges you enough to where you fail under 30 reps if you are looking to grow your chest. Overall though, this is an exercises that falls in the “rep it” category.

Guillotine Press: this version of the bench press requires you to bring the barbell down towards your throat while flaring your elbows out wide. I think if you are going to do this exercise, you should use dumbbells as you can alter your elbow angle while bring the weight down to that upper chest touch point. Add in the safety factor that you can actually dump the dumbbells. However, with better options in my chest exercises rated, I am going to reject this chest exercise.

For the rest of my answers, make sure to watch to the end of the video to see which chest exercises are rated to rep or reject.

For more videos on how to build a big chest, make sure to subscribe to this channel here on YouTube and remember to turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published.

[athleanx]

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[LittleBpaulmuller-Owners]

👍
0:20 Pec Deck
1:05 Flat Bench
2:05 Incline Bench
2:50 Underhand Bench
4:30 Decline Bench
5:25 Pushup
7:30 Cable Crossover
8:15 Static Press
10:15 Upper Chest Pullover
11:15 3D Crossover
12:20 Weighted Dip
👎
1:35 V Crossover
3:35 Plate Press
6:30 Guillotine Press
9:15 Bench Fly

[Metal_Mastery]

Great breakdown! Love how you mix practical advice with humor. Definitely repping those chest exercises with new motivation! 💪🔥 Thanks for keeping it real and relatable.

[MikeyDee]

Good call on the pushups. Two torn rotator cuffs and a supraspinatus tear due to excessive pushups. Had one shoulder repaired, and it feels worse than the one that’s still torn. Once you mess up your shoulders, there’s a good chance they’ll never be the same. Thanks for the video!

[ReinManYYC]

Just found your channel, and it's been a lifesaver! I'm using weight training for my rehab - I had a stroke that left me paralyzed on the right side. Thanks for the content! I'd love to hear more about how you rehabbed your shoulder. I blew mine up due to the paralysis and overworked it when function started to return.

[flcps]

This channel is excellent for exercise, execution and technical details . Thanks for all you sharing here.

[Hypertank]

I guess Monday really is international chest day!

[TacticalTyler]

Do you guys have videos about doing chest exercises with a bad shoulder? Jeff references his bad shoulder and I'd be interested in learning more about what exercises he did to help recover and get back up to speed, along with how he mitigates further issues.

[Szabjack]

Thanks gents for these insights. Managed to build a rock solid workout plan based on the worst to best series. Very grateful!

[cookingwithchauhan]

Dr Mike did his 5 best chest exercises today too. Would love a collaboration between these two guys!

[darrensutton]

Flys with dumbbells is a MUST for me, if you ain’t got all the cables at home flys are a MUST simple, agree with everything else you said thou 👍

[gaelw]

I recently replaced flat bench with just dips. I know what you're thinking, but hear my reasoning. As a mountain hiker/rock climber, weighted dips are far more beneficial for me personally because I use that movement frequently, with a 20 pound bag on my back, on crappy terrain. Benching, not so much. So I go with heavy dips, and neutral cable crossovers for mid chest

[vincej]

Thanks for posting these chest exercises.

[OdotJdot]

13 million subscribers? Congratulations! I remember when you were under 1 million. I remember when Jessie wasn't a thing lol. I'm glad to see you guys are still rocking together. Your videos have helped me tremendously. High five!

Edit because I made this comment before the video was done. But do you have any advice for someone (me) who can't do dips because it KILLS my hands. Im a web developer and I kinda have carpa tunnel syndrome l lol. I can't do 2 dips without my hands catching fire. thanks

[generoshon]

Thanks Jeff. Where I had been working out did not have a station for dips. But they did have a couple sets of rings hanging from the ceiling. I discovered that took dips to a whole new level.

[joselazaropenaherrera]

Howdi, Jeff! Could you please make a video explaining the correct usages of the abdominal belt and another gym implements like wrist, knee and elbow pads?
Hugs from Cuba! Come some day to here!!! 🥳

[kevinholt]

Confirmed the bench fly is to be avoided. I recently injured my shoulder doing this exercise in the exact way Jeff describes.

[fulstaak]

I had bench flyes in my newly created program. Thanks for letting me see the light. I've switched to 3d crossovers. Boom! Now my plan is perfect. Yes I do face pulls.

[richardbrewis]

Great video Athlean-X! Fun format for the vlog. Thanks

[joseluisa.ledezma]

Dear Jeff, all the exercises that you say are useless or even bad, I never do them and if I did I stopped doing them immediately, we love you Jeff.