Liftworthy
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Liftworthy

Every exercise ranked by research, by lifters and by results. Find what’s S-tier for your goal, then train it.

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Explore/Chest

Best exercises for

Chest

Presses, flyes and dips, ranked for building your chest.

Live ranking · updated by evidence & ratings

Chest workout My tier list
S
Cable Fly
Pec Deck
High-to-Low Cable Fly
A
Incline Machine Press
Low-to-High Cable Fly
Machine Chest Press
Plate-Loaded Chest Press
Smith Machine Bench Press
Dumbbell Bench Press
Incline Dumbbell Press
Barbell Bench Press
Single-Arm Cable Chest Press
Smith Machine Incline Press
Dip
Incline Dumbbell Fly
B
Incline Barbell Press
Weighted Push-Up
Dumbbell Floor Press
Dumbbell Fly
Deficit Push-Up
Ring Push-Up
Decline Bench Press
Decline Push-Up
Larsen Press
Push-Up
Dumbbell Pullover
Archer Push-Up
Landmine Press
Spoto Press
Incline Push-Up
C
Dumbbell Squeeze Press
D
—
F
Svend Press

Full ranking

  1. 1S
    Cable Fly
    Cable
    No ratings yet
    94
    Research
    Lifters
  2. 2S
    Pec Deck
    Machine
    No ratings yet
    94
    Research
    Lifters
  3. 3S
    High-to-Low Cable Fly
    Cable
    No ratings yet
    85
    Research
    Lifters
  4. 4A
    Incline Machine Press
    Machine
    No ratings yet
    79
    Research
    Lifters
  5. 5A
    Low-to-High Cable Fly
    Cable
    No ratings yet
    79
    Research
    Lifters
  6. 6A
    Machine Chest Press
    Machine
    No ratings yet
    79
    Research
    Lifters
  7. 7A
    Plate-Loaded Chest Press
    Machine
    No ratings yet
    79
    Research
    Lifters
  8. 8A
    Smith Machine Bench Press
    Machine
    No ratings yet
    79
    Research
    Lifters
  9. 9A
    Dumbbell Bench Press
    Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    75
    Research
    Lifters
  10. 10A
    Incline Dumbbell Press
    Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    75
    Research
    Lifters
  11. 11A
    Barbell Bench Press
    Barbell
    No ratings yet
    74
    Research
    Lifters
  12. 12A
    Single-Arm Cable Chest Press
    Cable
    No ratings yet
    74
    Research
    Lifters
  13. 13A
    Smith Machine Incline Press
    Machine
    No ratings yet
    74
    Research
    Lifters
  14. 14A
    Dip
    Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    71
    Research
    Lifters
  15. 15A
    Incline Dumbbell Fly
    Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    71
    Research
    Lifters
  16. 16B
    Incline Barbell Press
    Barbell
    No ratings yet
    69
    Research
    Lifters
  17. 17B
    Weighted Push-Up
    Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    69
    Research
    Lifters
  18. 18B
    Dumbbell Floor Press
    Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    68
    Research
    Lifters
  19. 19B
    Dumbbell Fly
    Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    66
    Research
    Lifters
  20. 20B
    Deficit Push-Up
    Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    65
    Research
    Lifters
  21. 21B
    Ring Push-Up
    Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    65
    Research
    Lifters
  22. 22B
    Decline Bench Press
    Barbell
    No ratings yet
    64
    Research
    Lifters
  23. 23B
    Decline Push-Up
    Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    64
    Research
    Lifters
  24. 24B
    Larsen Press
    Barbell
    No ratings yet
    64
    Research
    Lifters
  25. 25B
    Push-Up
    Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    64
    Research
    Lifters
  26. 26B
    Dumbbell Pullover
    Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    63
    Research
    Lifters
  27. 27B
    Archer Push-Up
    Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    59
    Research
    Lifters
  28. 28B
    Landmine Press
    Barbell
    No ratings yet
    59
    Research
    Lifters
  29. 29B
    Spoto Press
    Barbell
    No ratings yet
    58
    Research
    Lifters
  30. 30B
    Incline Push-Up
    Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    55
    Research
    Lifters
  31. 31C
    Dumbbell Squeeze Press
    Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    49
    Research
    Lifters
  32. 32F
    Svend Press
    Other
    No ratings yet
    20
    Research
    Lifters

What is the best chest exercise?

Right now Cable Fly ranks first, with an overall score of 94 from the research rubric. It’s followed by Pec Deck and High-to-Low Cable Fly. The best choice for you depends on your equipment and how it feels on your joints, which is why every exercise links to alternatives.

Why it ranks: Constant tension that stays high in the stretch, and almost nothing else limits the set.

How these scores are calculated →