• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The BarBend Logo in white.

BarBend

The Online Home for Strength Sports

  • News
    • CrossFit
    • Strongman
    • Bodybuilding
    • Powerlifting
    • Weightlifting
    • HYROX
  • Reviews
    • Recovery
      • Best Cold Plunges
      • Best Saunas
      • Best Mini-Massage Guns
    • Supplements
      • Best Protein
        • Best Vegan Protein Powders
        • Best Whey Isolate Protein Powders
        • Best Mass Gainer
        • Best Protein Bars
      • Best Pre-Workouts
        • Best Pre-Workout for Women
        • Best Pre-Workouts for Men
        • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workouts
        • Strongest Pre-Workouts
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Electrolyte Supplements
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Meal Replacements
      • Best Nitric Oxide Supplements
      • Best Fat Burners
      • Individual Supplement Reviews
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Exercise Bikes
      • Best Ellipticals
      • Best Recumbent Bikes
      • Individual Cardio Equipment Reviews
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Leg Extension Machines
      • Individual Strength Equipment Reviews
    • Apparel
      • Best Weightlifting Shoes
      • Best Cross Training Shoes
      • Best Running Shoes
      • Best Gym Shorts
    • Fitness Tech
      • Best Running Apps
      • Best Fitness Trackers
      • Best Workout Apps
      • Best Smart Scales
    • Support Gear
      • Best Lifting Straps
      • Best Gym Bags
      • Best Lifting Gloves
      • Best Wrist Wraps
  • Nutrition
    • Diets
      • Carb Cycling
      • Vertical Diet
      • Reverse Dieting
      • Carnivore Diet
      • Ketogenic Diet
      • Intermittent Fasting
      • IIFYM Diet
    • Muscle Gain
      • How to Dirty Bulk
      • Go From Cutting to Bulking
      • Eat These Carbs
      • How to Eat for Muscle
    • Fat Loss
      • Macros for Fat Loss
      • Calorie Deficits
      • Natural Fat Burners
      • Cut 2 Pounds Weekly
    • Supplement Guides
      • Pre-Workout
      • Whey Protein
      • Mass Gainers
      • Greens Powders
      • Creatine
      • BCAAs
    • Daily Protein Needs
    • Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition
    • Foods With Creatine
    • Bulking Tips
  • Training
    • Exercise Guides
      • Deadlift
      • Bench Press
      • Back Squat
      • Overhead Press
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Shoulder Exercises
      • Chest Exercises
      • Ab Exercises
      • Quad Exercises
      • Biceps Exercises
    • Training Guides
      • Beginner’s Guide to the Gym
      • How to Build Muscle
      • Guide to Muscle Hypertrophy
      • How to Train on a Cut
    • Workouts
      • Back Workouts
      • At-Home Workouts
      • Chest & Back Workouts
      • Full-Body Workout
      • HIIT Workouts
      • Bodybuilding Workouts
      • Farmer’s Carry Workouts
    • Programs
      • 5×5 Program
      • Bodybuilding Programs
      • Push-Up Program
      • Pull-Up Program
      • 5/3/1 Program
      • Powerbuilding Program
      • German Volume Training
      • Build Your Own Program
  • Calculators
    • Protein Intake Calculator
    • Macros Calculator
    • BMR Calculator
    • Squat Calculator
    • Calorie Calculator
  • Community Forum
Home » Bodybuilding News » From Best to Worst, Jeff Nippard Ranks Chest Exercises for Hypertrophy

From Best to Worst, Jeff Nippard Ranks Chest Exercises for Hypertrophy

Nippard believes machine chest presses and seated cable flyes are the best exercises to build a barrel chest.

Phil Blechman
Written by Phil Blechman
Last updated on April 4th, 2025

There’s a continuous debate in bodybuilding about which exercises are the most effective for building muscle. On March 11, 2024, bodybuilding coach and fitness content creator Jeff Nippard published a video on his YouTube channel wherein he rated the 20 most popular chest exercises based on their effectiveness for hypertrophy. 

Nippard’s Key Factors For Analyzing Chest Exercises

Nippard rated each movement based on three factors:

  • Stretch and Tension: The intensity of the stretch at the bottom of the range of motion (ROM).
  • It Needs To Feel Good: How well you can feel the target muscle working. It shouldn’t cause pain and must have a smooth resistance profile for better muscle pump and mind-muscle connection. 
  • Simple Progression: The ease with which weight or reps can be increased to progressively overload the chest.

Check out the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGm-ef-4PVk&t=0s&ab_channel=JeffNippard

[Related: Opinion: Stop Doing Deadlifts if You Want to Build Muscle]

6 Tier System To Rank Chest Exercises (Best To Worst)

Nippard employed a tier system to rank the 20 exercises. Here is the breakdown, ranging from the most effective (S tier) to the least effective (F tier) exercises for chest hypertrophy:

S Tier (Super)

Per Nippard, exercises in the S-tier are the gold standard for promoting chest growth.

  • Machine Chest Presses
  • Seated Cable Flyes

These movements deliver a deep chest stretch in the lengthened position, keep constant tension on the target muscles throughout the movement, and allow for easy and gradual progressive overload. The movement mechanics allow for focus on contracting the target muscles in the fully shortened position.

Nippard crowned the machine chest press as the overall best chest-building exercise.

A Tier (Great)

Since the S-tier only has two exercises, Nippard opined that the bulk of a hypertrophy-focused chest workout should consist of the following A-tier movements:

  • Barbell Bench Press
  • Incline Barbell Bench Press
  • Flat Dumbbell Bench Press
  • Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
  • Dips
  • Dumbbell Guillotine Press
  • Smith Machine Bench Press
  • Incline Smith Machine Bench Press
  • Standing Cable Flyes
  • Pec Deck Flyes
  • Dumbbell Flyes
  • Cable Press-Around

Although Nippard credits the barbell bench press for his chest development, he believes a barbell doesn’t provide as deep of a stretch at the bottom as dumbbells, which can significantly limit growth potential. This prompted Nippard to put the barbell bench press on the A-tier instead of the S-tier. The incline bench press has all the same upsides as the flat bench press, except it slightly emphasizes the upper pecs. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jeff Nippard (@jeffnippard)

[Read More: Best Upper Chest Exercises for Building Muscle]

Since dumbbells can move past the rib cage on eccentrics, dumbbell bench presses can lead to a deeper chest fiber stretch at the bottom versus a barbell variation. 

B Tier (Good)

While B-tier exercises have some advantages for chest growth, they also have limitations. These can be included in a hypertrophy workout but shouldn’t be the primary focus. Exercises that fall into Nippard’s B-tier include:

  • Decline Barbell Bench Press
  • Decline Dumbbell Bench Press
  • Banded Push-Ups

Since decline bench presses have a limited ROM compared to the flat and incline variants, Nippard put them in the B-tier. The Canadian bodybuilder uses banded push-ups as a superset exercise to exhaust the chest.

C Tier (Okay)

Push-ups are a convenient bodyweight exercise that can be performed anywhere. However, progressive overload for bodyweight exercises isn’t as easy as weighted exercises.

Floor presses can build strength but aren’t the most effective at promoting chest hypertrophy. Nippard’s C-tier exercise list comprises:

  • Bodyweight Push-Ups
  • Barbell Floor Presses

D Tier (Unsatisfactory)

Plyometric push-ups might help build explosive pushing power but are not great for maximizing chest tension during eccentrics. They are the only exercise on Nippard’s D-tier.

  • Plyometric Push-Ups

F Tier (Fail)

Nippard discourages including F-tier exercises in a chest workout. These exercises are not effective for chest hypertrophy or can potentially lead to injury. The exercises on Nippard’s F-tier list include:

  • Hex Press
  • Plate Press
  • Dumbbell Pullover
  • Crossbody Standing Dumbbell Flyes
  • Guillotine Press
  • Single-Arm Dumbbell Press

Nippard opined that hex presses limit the stretch at the bottom and can transfer the tension to the triceps.

The plate press is a hex press that feels even more awkward with even less overload potential.

Although scientific evidence shows that dumbbell pullovers activate the chest, Nippard believes they are a much better lat exercise. The inherent risk associated with lowering a barbell to the neck prompted Nippard to put the Guillotine press in the bottom tier.

More Training Content

  • Are Exercise Bikes Good For Weight Loss? (+ Workout From a Personal Trainer)
  • Can You Train for a Marathon On a Treadmill? An Expert Running Coach Teaches You How
  • Learn How to Make a Homemade Electrolyte Drink from a Certified Nutrition Coach

Featured image: @jeffnippard on Instagram

Phil Blechman

About Phil Blechman

Phil is a native New Yorker passionate about storytelling, bodybuilding, and game design. He holds a BFA from Syracuse University.

View All Articles

Primary Sidebar

Latest Reviews

Featured image for the Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 Review

Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 Review (2025): Our Expert’s New Favorite FID Bench

Titan T3 Power Rack Review

Titan T3 Power Rack Review (2025): An Expert-Approved Rig Beckoning to Budget-Minded Athletes

Our tester works out at the beach in preparation for the Rogue Resistance Bands Review

Rogue Resistance Bands Review (2025): Tested by a Certified Personal Trainer

Barbend tester Jake Herod works out on a Force USA Trainer

Force USA G3 Review (2025): Our Experts Tested This Compact All-In-One Rack for Small Home Gyms

BarBend

BarBend is an independent website. The views expressed on this site may come from individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view of BarBend or any other organization. BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting.

  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Sections

  • CrossFit
  • Strongman
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Weightlifting
  • Reviews
  • Nutrition
  • Training

More

  • BarBend Newsletter
  • BarBend Podcast
  • The Ripped Report
  • 1RM Calculator
  • BMR Calculator
  • Macros Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Squat Calculator

Policies

  • Accessibility
  • Advice Disclaimer
  • Cookies Policy
  • Disclaimers
  • Disclosures
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2025 · BarBend Inc · Sitemap