Flat bench best for chest growth??

[yungfaceb3]

I have heard that decline dumbell press targets the most of the chest followed by decline barbell press as according too some form of scientific study that noted the number of muscle fibers used for several chest exercises. But today, while scanning the book: Strength Training anatomy by Frederic Delavier, it is flat bench targets the largest portion of the chest and barbell and dumbell are much more similar in isolating this area than you may think. so classic bench press IS the king of chest exercises after all! I have recently re-enlisted it as my main chest builder and starting exercise (replacing 15 degree incline dumbell presses) and I can already tell that i am in for some serious growth!!

[Undecided09]

Im a believer in Dumbbells for chest growth, whether it be flat or incline dumbbell presses...These give you the greatest range of motion and force your Pecs to work independently of each other, therefore incorporating the most muscle fibers, including major muscles of the chest and stabilizers...

[taiboxa]

dips really blast my chest like no other.

[Renesis]

Alternating dumbbell presses are a b!tch and I like the way they feel.

[green22]

It varies from person to person. May be the king for your chest but not for mine. I prefer incline.

[yungfaceb3]

I like incline, flat, and both barbell and dumbell variations of both, and I do them every chest workout. dumbells do give you a greater range of motion, but barbell you can use more weight for one and two (if done very srrictly and correctly) hits your chest better and is the best for putting on size. dumbells however, have thier benefits too. the most isolatory chest pressing movement i have ever done and that really blasts my chest in 15 degree incline dumbell presses, and the exercise that blasts my chest more than any other is flyes at this same incline. I still sometimes do regualr incline barbell, but rarely. I almost always hit incline with dumbells and have never hit 15 degree inclines with anything but DBs. Barbell and dumbells feel very different, dbs give me a better squeeze at the top and a much better stretch at the bottom thus increasing my range of motion and quality of contraction, and with DBs my chest shakes and convulses like no other. when sore from dumbells I can feel the broad range of the muscles the increased ROM allowed me to hit, but with barbell I can feel that DEEP soreness across a broader scale of the surface.

[Undecided09]

but barbell hits your chest better and is the best for putting on size. .

Thats not necissarily true, what works for some people, may not work for everyone...

Dumbbells, BY FAR, hit my chest better than barbell presses, its just obvious, both in how I feel during the lift, and how wrecked my chest is the next day...

Also, I must be an anomoly, because I throw up 100-105 dbs for reps on the flat press, but my bench blows, I can only bench 195-205 for that same rep range as dumbbells...

[DesiBoy]

I think the best for chest growth is to combine 2-3 exercise with 12-15 reps and to try to hit all the three parts of the chest. I personally start with the incline press.

[Chitown Raider]

I personally start with the incline press.

same here

[Ronnie Rowland]

so classic bench press IS the king of chest exercises after all! I have recently re-enlisted it as my main chest builder and starting exercise (replacing 15 degree incline dumbell presses) and I can already tell that i am in for some serious growth!!

yungface, this tends to be true for those like Arnold who have a gifted chest. Many, like myself, are not gifted and develop shoulder problems and shoulder mass from using the flat bench press.