For chest growth
For chest growth, pec deck rates well ahead on our research criteria: more of the work on the chest, more stretch.
Both are good choices, and they train the chest differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed. (Fonseca et al., 2014; Costa et al., 2021)
The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work
Barbell Bench Press. Easiest press to load progressively, but the bar stops at your chest and limits the stretch.
Pec Deck. Isolates the chest with a fixed path, so every rep is the same quality.
For chest growth, pec deck rates well ahead on our research criteria: more of the work on the chest, more stretch. Both are good choices, and they train the chest differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed.
Pec deck is easier: it’s easy to learn, while barbell bench press takes some practice.
Barbell bench press needs a barbell, a bench and a squat rack, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Pec deck needs a machine, so for most people it’s a gym exercise.
Pec deck: it rates Excellent for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric, against Strong for barbell bench press.