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Does bench pressing sculpt your pecs more or your triceps? New study finds out

Does the bench press deserve its high ranking in the elite of chest-pumping moves?

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man lifting weights muscle bench press barbell black and white
I Am FOSNA / Pixabay

The bench press is a staple chest day move, and it also targets your triceps in your upper arms, your deltoids in your shoulders, and your core. When powerlifters and gym buffs want to see serious chest gains, the bench press is a go-to to pump those pecs. Recently, researchers wanted to know whether bench pressing increases chest hypertrophy more than the triceps. Is it really a superior move for building your chest muscles and helping to sculpt the upper part of the desirable V-taper look? Let’s delve into the research.

The study

Man bench pressing in gym wearing green pants on a bench woman helping train him
Michael Demoya / Unsplash

The study published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies involved 24 healthy men who were placed in one of two groups. 13 men were placed in the resistance training group and 11 in the control group that didn’t do any resistance training. Over ten weeks, the resistance training group trained three times every week. Each training session included three or four sets of 12 reps at 50-55% of the participants, one rep max. Participants had three minutes of rest between sets and 36 seconds of time under tension per set.

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The researchers assessed the effects of this 10-week bench press training program on muscle hypertrophy. They focused on the muscles involved in the exercise: pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, anterior deltoids, medial deltoids, and triceps brachii. Muscle hypertrophy refers to muscle growth or enlargement. The researchers used MRI to assess muscle size or muscle cross-sectional area.

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The study results

man bench pressing outside
Frame Kings / Pexels

As we expected, the resistance training group had significantly more muscle growth in all muscles compared to the control group. 

Here are the results for the resistance training group:

  • The pectoralis major had the largest increase in muscle size of 20%. The triceps and pectoralis minor showed muscle growth of 12%. 
  • For the anterior deltoid muscles at the front of the shoulders, muscle growth was 15%.
  • The medial deltoids or middle delts showed less hypertrophy compared to the other primary muscles.

The researchers concluded that resistance training promotes hypertrophy in all muscles worked. The bench press exercise caused a more significant hypertrophic response of the pectoralis major compared to the triceps bracchi and pectoralis minor.

The takeaway

triceps
Tima Miroshnichenko / Pexels

The main takeaway here is that the bench press does deserve its high ranking in the elite of chest-pumping moves. When you want to build a more sculpted chest and contribute to the larger upper part of the V-taper look, it’s worth including the bench press in your repertoire. This study shows that the bench press grows all targeted muscles, including your pecs and triceps. That being said, you’ll see more growth in your pectoralis major compared to your triceps. For the best outcome, maximize your triceps with exercises like skull crushers, dips, and overhead tricep extensions.

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Steph Green
Steph Green
Steph Green is a content writer specializing in healthcare, wellness, and nutrition. With over ten years of experience, she…
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