When it comes to sculpting a powerful chest, navigating the sea of workout advice on YouTube can be overwhelming. From classic barbell exercises to innovative bodyweight variations, fitness influencers on the platform offer a myriad of approaches to achieve optimal chest development.
In this article, we delve into the favorites of three prominent YouTube channels renowned for their expertise in fitness and bodybuilding.
Whether you’re a beginner looking to build foundational strength or an experienced lifter seeking advanced techniques, understanding these recommended exercises can pave the way for a stronger, more defined chest. For full breakdowns, watch the videos embedded below the lists.
The Best Chest Exercises According To Jeff Nippard
If you’re not familiar with Jeff Nippard, you need to search him up as soon as you finish reading this article. Nippard takes a science-based approach to building muscle, gaining strength, and losing fat. Without any more preambles, let’s take a look at his top chest exercises.
Bench Press
Machine Chest Press
Cable Press Around
Incline Dumbbell Press
Banded Deficit Pushups
Dips
Cable Crossover
Pec Flye
Dumbbell Iso Hold
AMRAP Pushups
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The Best Chest Exercises According To Athlean-X
If you haven’t heard of Athlean-X, what are we even doing here? While Jeff Cavaliere isn’t the bulkiest guy on the list, there’s no denying he is incredibly ripped, and his almost 14 million subscribers trust his fitness knowledge.
Barbell or Dumbbell Bench Press*
30-45º Incline Bench Press
Heavy 1-Arm Crossovers
Dips
DB Upper Chest Pullovers
Lying Cable Bench Press
Cable Crossovers
Twisting Pushup
Underhand DB Bench
Floor Fly
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*Cavaliere also notes that bench press should be followed up by crossovers to take advantage of the stretch that it provides.
The Best Chest Exercises According To Eric Janicki
Now, Eric Janicki may not be a household name yet, but one look at his physique, and you can see he knows how to make his muscles grow. Now, in his video, the exercises were ranked a little differently than standard #1, #2, etc… instead, he opted for an S-F Tier rating system. He did have a definite top favorite pick, and the rest are exercises that he recommends (A or B Tier).
Machine Flyes (Pec Deck)
Camber Bar Bench Press
Incline Bench Cable Flies
Machine Press
Decline Dumbbell Fly
Dips
Cable Flies
Incline Bench Cable Flies
Barbell Incline Press
Deficit Pushups
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Breaking Down The Results
As we can see, there is a pretty good variety of pressing movements vs. stretching movements from the first two, while Janicki is more focused on stretches. Nippard and Cavaliere both have the classic bench press as the best movement, while Janicki thinks the risk of injury and lack of stretch at the bottom of the exercise doesn’t even place it in his top ten.
However, he does say that a cambered bar bench press is a great exercise since you get an additional few inches of range of motion at the bottom of the movement.
We could go exercise for exercise, but that doesn’t seem needed. Nippard’s list seems a little more press-focused, Cavaliere’s list is a healthy combination of pressing and stretching, and Janicki’s definitely leans more into stretching.
Is one list better than the others? Not necessarily.
A lot of which chest movements work for you may not work for someone else. These lists do give a great jumping-off point for where to get started in programming your own chest workouts. Any chest exercises they missed that you enjoy? Post them in the comments below.
