Exercise scientist Dr. Mike Israetel is known for his evidence-based approach to fitness and muscle development. In a recent YouTube video shared on November 12, 2024, Dr. Israetel offered his guide to building the chest, focusing on the most effective angles for achieving hypertrophy.
Dr. Mike Israetel’s knowledge goes beyond just being a doctor of sports physiology. With experience as a competitive bodybuilder and professional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grappler, Dr. Israetel’s understanding of exercise mechanics runs deep.
Dr. Mike Israetel Breaks Down the Best Pressing Angles for Maximum Chest Growth: Flat vs. Incline
His ability to explain training principles has earned him a large following across multiple social media platforms. Dr. Mike Israetel easily teaches and demonstrates concepts such as his step-by-step guide to growing bigger quads with squats and his foolproof formula for making gains.
In his latest offering, Dr. Mike Israetel took to his YouTube channel to break down the best chest-building exercises, exploring the best angles for producing hypertrophy.
Level Up Your Fitness: Join our 💪 strong community in Fitness Volt Newsletter. Get daily inspiration, expert-backed workouts, nutrition tips, the latest in strength sports, and the support you need to reach your goals. Subscribe for free!
“Let’s talk about what is the best angle for chest development,” shares Dr. Israetel.
He says flat versus incline is a ‘false dichotomy,’ adding that there are other options to consider.
“It turns out that flat versus incline, is a little bit of a false dichotomy. There’s something to that juxtaposition but there’s actually a spectrum of pressing angles.”
He proceeds to list all of the angles and exercises someone can use to stimulate the chest fibers.
- Bench dip
- Bar dip
- Decline press
- Flat press
- Low incline press
- Medium incline press
- High incline press
- Overhead press
“If you’ve done bench dips before, you reach your hands behind you, it does stimulate the pecs but only the lowest possible fibers of your pecs. Then, you can go into regular dips, still low pec stimulation.
You can go to decline presses, flat presses, low incline presses, medium incline presses, high incline presses, and overhead barbell presses which still utilize the very upper part of your upper chest.”
According to Dr. Israetel, more people want a bigger upper chest than lower pec development.
“I’m not saying lower chest doesn’t matter at all, but upper matters more… most people should probably bias most of their pressing towards the incline angle.”
As for what can produce the most overall pec growth, he prefers a very low incline pressing exercise.
“Low incline probably, the lowest degree of regular incline degree that an incline bench can go, so you can pull the pin out and go click, push the pin in, 15 degrees or so, 30 degrees, somewhere between those two is probably where you’re going to get your best hypertrophy for overall chest results.”
Given that different individuals need upper or lower pec development, how workouts are structured can make a significant difference in gains.
“Individualization. Here’s the thing, you’re not the same as everybody else. You might need more overall pec work,” he adds.
He says to focus on growing the chest generally before diving into how to add mass to the upper or lower portions of the body part.
“If you ain’t nothing but 14 years old, bird chest-looking motherfucker, basically you turn sideways and disappear.
Don’t ask anybody about what part of my pec should I focus on, motherfucker, the pec part, you don’t have any pecs. Overall growth is the priority for most new lifters if not all of them. No matter if you want big upper pecs in the future.”
He gave some parting thoughts on chest exercise selections and progress.
“Be easy about looking for just the best flat-out exercises period without these considerations. Think about the functions of the exercises, think about your needs, think about your preferences. If you’re looking for the best, unequivocally writ large of any category, you’re going to be disappointed.”
Dr. Mike Israetel’s expert tips extend well beyond chest training, as he has previously shared his go-to exercises for each muscle group. Additionally, he has even paired up with other influential figures in the fitness community, such as Jeff Nippard, to offer fresh, science-backed perspectives on building shoulders and optimizing overall muscle growth.
Dr. Israetel’s insights into training and hypertrophy have helped countless individuals optimize their muscle growth. His latest chest-building guide offers strategies for anyone looking to take their workouts to the next level. Above all else, he favors the low incline press as the most effective for muscle building.
To watch Dr. Mike Israetel’s full video, click the link below:
You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and
YouTube for even more content.
