Ask a group of 10 lifters to name their favorite chest exercise and you’re bound to hear the good ol’ bench press mentioned at least half the time.
However, the path to pumping up your pecs to their fullest potential could lie elsewhere.
Renaissance Periodization founder Dr. Mike Israetel tackled the topic of the best chest-building movement in a video published on YouTube on Nov. 12, 2024. While you can still flat bench to your heart’s delight, you’ll get the most bang for your buck doing things a little differently.
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The Angle Is Everything
In Israetel’s own words, the flat vs. incline bench press debate “is a little bit of a false dichotomy.” Rather than one vs. the other, there’s a broad spectrum of pressing angles.
When it comes to engaging your pecs, your options include:
- Bench dip
- Bar dip
- Decline press
- Flat press
- Low incline press
- Medium incline press
- High incline press
- Overhead press
For maximum stimulation, the angle of attack must match the direction of the muscle fiber alignment.
“If you want your lower pecs to develop, the line of pull has to go mostly down,” Israetel explained. “If you want your mid pecs to develop, the line of pull has to be straight across with a press.”
In general, decline angles hit your lower and mid pecs, flat and low incline presses hit the mid pec (and whole pec overall), and high inclines work best for upper pec development.
The Low Incline Is King
From an aesthetic standpoint, Israetel highlighted how most lifters want to develop large upper pecs for that full, rounded look. Naturally, that lends itself to more incline pressing.
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But if you’re limited on time and want to reap the most hypertrophic rewards, what’s the best route to take?
According to Israetel, the most effective exercise for overall chest development is the low incline press. The RP Strength founder recommends an angle between 15-30 degrees, which is the lowest degree a standard adjustable bench can go in most commercial gyms.
“Somewhere between those two is where you’re probably going to get your best hypertrophy for overall chest results,” Israetel explained.
While Israetel made it clear the low incline press is king if you can only choose one chest exercise, the blueprint for well-developed pecs should include a mix of movements. This offers both physical and mental advantages that can help you achieve optimal results.
“The fatal conceit of anyone who asks what’s the best “XYZ” exercise assumes that you’re only ever going to do one exercise, which is insane,” Israetel said.
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Not only would that lead to boredom and burnout, but it would also irritate your joints and connective tissues.
“The same chest workout done all the time is by definition not the optimal because it excludes variation as an important principle of training,” Israetel explained. “Always focusing on just one angle is not ideal.”
Ultimately, taking the “variety is the spice of life” approach is probably your best bet if you want to build the best pecs possible — and stay sane in the process.
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