For chest, incline pressing with a bar that allows a deep stretch tends to outperform flat pressing for overall growth, though individual mechanics can flip this for some lifters. For upper back, a pronated, slightly wide grip pull or pull-up pulled toward the upper chest works well, while a neutral grip pull-up without an arched back tends to better target the lats.
Ask ten coaches for the single best chest or back exercise and you'll get different answers, not because some of them are wrong, but because individual differences in body proportions and mechanics genuinely change what works best for each person. Dr. Joey and Bernardo Lopez, who has a master's in body composition, walk through their favorites and where they disagree.
Chest: The Case for Incline Pressing
Bernardo's top pick is the incline barbell press, ideally with a cambered bar, a bar with a bent, semicircular shape that allows a deeper range of motion than a straight bar. His reasoning: incline pressing hits the upper, clavicular fibers of the chest that many lifters underdevelop, and research comparing incline to flat bench found similar growth in the mid-chest fibers, but better growth in the upper chest specifically with incline.
Anything incline for the chest tends to be the overall best exercise. You'll hit a little bit better the upper part of your chest, which is a part that a lot of people tend to neglect or have underdeveloped.
He also points out a practical advantage: with a barbell, you can add small increments of weight, like two pounds a week with micro plates, making progressive overload easier to track over time compared to dumbbells.
Why Dr. Joey Disagrees for His Own Body
Dr. Joey's personal favorite is actually the flat dumbbell press, despite agreeing with the theory behind incline pressing. For him, the incline barbell press feels mechanically awkward due to shoulder imbalances that make it hard to keep the bar level, while the flat dumbbell press gives him the deep stretch and full-chest contraction he's after, likely because of years of practice with that specific movement.
Incline press with a cambered bar, based on research showing better upper chest development compared to flat pressing.
Whichever variation lets you get closest to true failure with the best stretch and contraction, given your own mechanics and experience.
Back: Grip and Hand Position Change the Target
For the upper back specifically, Dr. Joey favors a pronated, slightly-wider-than-shoulder-width grip pull-up or pull-down, bringing the bar down toward the upper chest area rather than lower on the torso. This grip and pulling path emphasizes the upper back and rear delts more than a standard lat-focused pull.
For targeting the lats specifically, he prefers a neutral grip pull-up, performed without arching the upper back or excessively retracting the shoulder blades. Keeping a slight hunch in the upper body, rather than proudly pulling the chest up, keeps the tension on the lats rather than shifting it to the upper back muscles.
Key Technique Cues
- Upper back focus: pronated grip, slightly wider than shoulder width, pull the bar to the upper chest
- Lat focus: neutral grip, avoid arching the back, allow a slight hunch through the pull
- Full stretch: come to a complete dead hang at the bottom to maximize the stretch on the target muscle
- Incline pressing with a bar allowing a deep stretch may produce better overall chest growth than flat pressing.
- Individual shoulder mechanics and experience can make a "theoretically inferior" exercise the better personal choice.
- A pronated, wider grip pull emphasizes the upper back, while a neutral grip pull-up emphasizes the lats.
- Coming to a complete dead hang at the bottom of a pull-up maximizes the stretch on the target muscle.
- The best exercise for muscle growth in theory and your personal best exercise aren't always the same thing.
Rather than chasing a single "best" exercise, use these principles, stretch position, grip, and pulling path, to experiment and find what actually produces the best mind-muscle connection and results for your own body.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is incline or flat bench press better for chest growth?
Research suggests incline pressing may produce slightly better overall chest growth by better targeting the upper chest while matching flat bench for the rest of the chest. That said, individual mechanics matter, some people simply get a better contraction and stretch on flat bench due to their own proportions and experience.
Why might a cambered bar be better than a straight bar for incline pressing?
A cambered bar's bent shape allows a deeper range of motion and a greater stretch at the bottom of the movement compared to a straight bar, which some lifters find limits their range of motion on incline presses.
How does pull-up grip and hand position change which back muscles you target?
A pronated, slightly wider than shoulder-width grip pulling the bar toward the upper chest tends to emphasize the upper back and rear delts. A neutral grip pull-up, pulled without excessively arching the back, tends to emphasize the lats more directly.
Is there one single best exercise for every muscle group?
No. The best exercise for muscle growth in theory can differ from someone's personal favorite, since individual body proportions, joint mechanics, and experience with a movement all affect how well it actually works for a specific person.
Ready to Build a Body That Lasts?
Science-backed coaching for busy professionals over 40. Apply today for a training program built around your own body and mechanics.
Apply Now →