Ep. 8: The Top Chest Exercises Ranked S to F Tier

20 Chest Exercises Ranked

In episode eight, Keenan and Jared rank the top 20 chest exercises from S tier to F tier. The conversation settles on three things that separate a great chest exercise from a not-so-great one: you can load it progressively, you get a full stretch at the bottom, and you feel stable enough to actually push. The tier list covers everything from incline dumbbell press to Bosu ball push-ups.

THE RANKINGS

S tier: Incline dumbbell press, flat dumbbell press, high-to-low cable fly, pec deck, dumbbell fly, incline barbell press, Smith machine incline press

A tier: Barbell bench press, machine chest press, mid cable fly, chest-biased dips (if you can do them), low-to-high cable fly

B tier: Push-ups, decline push-ups, guillotine press, elevated push-ups

C tier: Decline barbell press, single-arm cable press, medicine ball push-ups

F tier: Band chest fly, plate squeeze press, Bosu ball push-ups, one-arm push-ups

TAKEAWAYS

1. The best chest exercises share three things. You can load them progressively, you get a deep stretch at the bottom, and you stay stable enough to actually push hard. If an exercise checks all three, it belongs in your program.

2. Incline dumbbell press is one of our favorite chest exercises. Each pec works independently, you can adjust the angle, and the stretch you get at the bottom is better than a barbell. If you only do one chest exercise, make it this one.

3. You need both a pressing pattern and a fly pattern. Both belong in a well-rounded chest day.

4. Train through a full range of motion. Going deeper into that stretch in deficit push-ups, dumbbell flys, and incline presses builds more muscle with less weight and keeps your joints healthier over time.

5. The plate squeeze press and band chest fly are not great chest exercises. The squeeze press is mostly triceps. The band fly has the resistance curve backwards: hardest at the top where the chest is least active, easiest at the bottom where the chest needs the most load.

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