The Best Science-Based Chest Workout for Mass & Symmetry

Training chest seems to be paramount for a great many bodybuilders and while you should be focusing on training your entire physique, having an impressive chest can bring your physique together. But when it comes to the ‘best chest workout,’ it really comes down to choosing the right exercises that allow symmetrical growth in the upper chest, middle chest, and lower chest while still providing overall mass to your chest.

If your chest workout is unbalanced and favors one portion of your chest over the other, over time, this will lead to imbalances and take away from the aesthetics of your chest.

In the following video YouTuber Jeremy Ethier a certified NASM and FMS professional shows you the best workout for chest based on scientific literature and our anatomical understanding of the body. It includes the best upper chest exercises, middle chest exercises, and lower chest exercises to help evenly shape and build your chest.

The upper chest will be prioritized through movements that involve shoulder flexion. The middle chest will be prioritized through any horizontal adducting movements that don’t involve shoulder flexion or extension. The lower chest will be prioritized through movements that involve shoulder extension. Although the chest exercises in this video have been carefully chosen through my analysis of many studies, it doesn’t account for every individual.

Watch the video:

Feel free to swap out some exercises for other chest exercises that you feel better chest activation with.

Study Refrences:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22076100
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23629583
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15903383
https://www.t-nation.com/training/inside-the-muscles-best-chest-and-triceps-exercises
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jsm/2013/612650/abs/
https://www.acefitness.org/certifiednewsarticle/2884/ace-sponsored-research-top-3-most-effective-chest-exercises
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24169471
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21225489
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24983847
https://minds.wisconsin.edu/handle/1793/62857
https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/11597240-000000000-00000
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1440244008001898