For upper-chest growth
For upper-chest growth, low-to-high cable fly rates higher on our research criteria: easier to progress, easier on the joints.
Incline dumbbell press gives more stretch.
Both are good choices, and they train the upper 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
Incline Dumbbell Press. Dumbbells allow a deeper stretch than a barbell, on an incline that brings in more upper chest.
Low-to-High Cable Fly. Steady cable tension angled up toward the upper chest, with less load in the stretch than a classic fly.
For upper-chest growth, low-to-high cable fly rates higher on our research criteria: easier to progress, easier on the joints. Incline dumbbell press gives more stretch. Both are good choices, and they train the upper 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.
About the same: both are easy to learn.
Incline dumbbell press needs dumbbells and a bench, so a home gym covers it. Low-to-high cable fly needs a cable station, so for most people it’s a gym exercise.
Low-to-high cable fly: it rates Excellent for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric, against Strong for incline dumbbell press.