For chest growth
For chest growth, plate-loaded chest press rates higher on our research criteria: easier to progress, easier on the joints.
Dumbbell bench press gives more stretch.
Both are good choices that train the chest the same way, so they swap freely. Rotating between them every few weeks is an easy way to vary your training.
The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work
Dumbbell Bench Press. Dumbbells go deeper than a barbell, giving the chest a bigger stretch.
Plate-Loaded Chest Press. A machine press you load with plates: stable, simple to progress and safe to take close to failure.
For chest growth, plate-loaded chest press rates higher on our research criteria: easier to progress, easier on the joints. Dumbbell bench press gives more stretch. Both are good choices that train the chest the same way, so they swap freely. Rotating between them every few weeks is an easy way to vary your training.
About the same: both are easy to learn.
Dumbbell bench press needs dumbbells and a bench, so a home gym covers it. Plate-loaded chest press needs a machine, so for most people it’s a gym exercise.
Plate-loaded chest press: it rates Excellent for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric, against Strong for dumbbell bench press.