Summary of The Best & Worst Chest Exercises To Build Muscle (Ranked!)

00:00:00 - 00:10:00

In the video "The Best & Worst Chest Exercises To Build Muscle (Ranked!)," the speaker ranks different chest exercises based on muscle-building effectiveness. He discusses the benefits and shortcomings of each exercise, including cable crossovers, which he finds to effectively target different parts of the chest, though they require more setup and weight progression can be difficult. The dip, incline dumbbell press, and machine chest press are among his favorites, while exercises such as the standing plate press and dumbbell pullover do not effectively target the chest. The bench press is ranked as the number one exercise for effectively overloading the pecs and placing high tension on them throughout a full range of motion.

• 00:00:00 target the mid pecs and on the third set, I set the cables high and fly down and in to target the lower pecs. I find this approach more effective than doing just one height for all sets, as it allows me to hit different parts of the chest while still maintaining constant tension. Additionally, cable crossovers have a greater range of motion than most other chest exercises, which results in greater stretch and contraction, thus leading to more muscle growth. However, the downside to cable crossovers is that they require a bit more setup than other chest exercises, and the weight is not always as easy to increase. Overall, I give them three and a half stars.
• 00:05:00 In this section, the speaker discusses a cable crossover ladder exercise that targets the upper, mid, and lower chest with the use of just one piece of equipment. Though it is not an exercise that is easy to progressively overload, it is great for a pump style workout. The dip, which provides an excellent tension generating stretch and squeeze throughout the range of motion, is a staple in the speaker's programs. However, he finds that loading it with a belt can be irritating and can cause shoulder strain if not loaded properly. The deficit push-up plus bands is an underrated chest builder that delivers immense stimulus with less fatigue. The incline dumbbell press, chosen as the number four exercise, provides a little extra range of motion at the bottom and is crucial in targeting the upper chest. Machine chest presses that give a smooth resistance profile and take full advantage of the range of motion are beloved by the speaker, who finds that they provide a better mind-muscle connection with the chest than almost any other exercise.
• 00:10:00 In this section, the best and worst chest exercises are ranked for muscle building. The machine chest press is given four and a half stars for consistently and efficiently building muscle. Ranked at the number one spot is the bench press, which easily overloads the pecs and places high tension on them throughout the exercise's full range of motion. While some people argue it has limited range, this concern is not significant as other chest exercises can supplement the end range benefits of the bench press. The standing plate press is not a favored exercise as it does not maximize pec tension, and the alternating one arm dumbbell press does not work the chest effectively. The dumbbell pullover is also not a chest exercise as it mainly targets the lats, triceps, and teres muscles of the back, and the pec involvement is negligible.