Vissers believes dumbbell and machines outshine the barbell bench press.
Last updated on July 17th, 2025
What if the barbell bench press was not always the best choice for chest day? While it might be a good strength builder, standard barbells can restrict range of motion and cause shoulder discomfort.
In a mid-July 2025 tutorial, 2024 Arnold Classic Physique champion Wesley Vissers demonstrated his go-to chest-building alternatives to avoid shoulder impingement and ensure the chest is engaged during concentrics.
Wesley Vissers’ 3 Go-To Chest Exercises
The Bench Press: Not Always Optimal
The flat bench press can restrict the natural movement of the chest. The chest adducts the arms (i.e., moving them toward the opposite shoulder), which is critical for full chest contraction.
The stretch under load may contribute more to muscle growth than the contraction. (1) However, data confirms concentrics are important. It’s best to prioritize a full range of motion.
“The only usable range of motion is pretty much [at the bottom],” Vissers expressed. “That is a very short range of motion.”
Building a complete physique requires a variety of techniques. For instance, incline presses build the upper pecs better than flat angles. (2)
Safety Concerns
Pretty much all the pec tears in the history of bodybuilding happen on the bench press.
—Wesley Vissers
Tears typically occur when the bar is overloaded and the weight is dropped too quickly to the chest, placing excessive strain on the pectorals and deltoids.
[Related: Build a Well-Rounded Chest With These 3 Exercises]
Wesley Vissers’ Safer Alternatives
Building a big, round chest doesn’t require maximal loads, so lighten the weights, aim for moderate rep zones, and develop bench pressing form.
1. Smith Machine Bench Press
“The solution is the Smith machine,” Vissers explained. The Smith machine mimics a bench press pressing motion with a fixed barbell path that provides added safety via catch bars and pins that can take the weight at most points throughout the press.
Machines offer better muscle isolation, as stability demands are significantly reduced. The scientific consensus is that machines and free weights are similarly effective for building muscle. However, strength gains may favor the free-weight bench press. (3)(4)(5)
2. Dumbbell Press
Dumbbells allow for a natural convergence pattern—arms moving inward at the top—for greater contractions.
The dumbbell bench press is one of the best chest builders in the universe.
—Wesley Vissers
A 2017 study showed higher pectoral activation during dumbbell presses than barbell presses, even with heavier barbell loads. (6)
3. Machine Chest Press
Chest press machines are arguably superior to free weights because they combine a safer stretch without conceding peak contractions. Modern contraptions are designed to be more ergonomic.
Vissers believes the chest press is “ultra safe” and allows complete focus on chest activation without the risk of failure-related injury.
When is Barbell Bench Press a Good Idea?
Vissers doesn’t entirely dismiss the bench press, admitting that, “As a beginner, bench press is totally fine. I grew my chest with it quite a lot myself.” Beginners tend to grow from any resistance exercise due to initial adaptation responses.
However, experienced lifters could benefit more from variety. “You get stronger, more injury-prone…move to movements that allow your chest to move naturally,” Vissers recommended.
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References
- Maeo S, Wu Y, Huang M, Sakurai H, Kusagawa Y, Sugiyama T, Kanehisa H, Isaka T. Triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position. Eur J Sport Sci. 2023 Jul;23(7):1240-1250. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2022.2100279. Epub 2022 Aug 11. PMID: 35819335.
- Chaves SFN, Rocha-JÚnior VA, EncarnaÇÃo IGA, Martins-Costa HC, Freitas EDS, Coelho DB, Franco FSC, Loenneke JP, Bottaro M, Ferreira-JÚnior JB. Effects of Horizontal and Incline Bench Press on Neuromuscular Adaptations in Untrained Young Men. Int J Exerc Sci. 2020 Aug 1;13(6):859-872. doi: 10.70252/FDNB1158. PMID: 32922646; PMCID: PMC7449336.
- Haugen ME, Vårvik FT, Larsen S, Haugen AS, van den Tillaar R, Bjørnsen T. Effect of free-weight vs. machine-based strength training on maximal strength, hypertrophy and jump performance – a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2023 Aug 15;15(1):103. doi: 10.1186/s13102-023-00713-4. PMID: 37582807; PMCID: PMC10426227.
- Schwanbeck SR, Cornish SM, Barss T, Chilibeck PD. Effects of Training With Free Weights Versus Machines on Muscle Mass, Strength, Free Testosterone, and Free Cortisol Levels. J Strength Cond Res. 2020 Jul;34(7):1851-1859. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003349. PMID: 32358310.
- Schick EE, Coburn JW, Brown LE, Judelson DA, Khamoui AV, Tran TT, Uribe BP. A comparison of muscle activation between a Smith machine and free weight bench press. J Strength Cond Res. 2010 Mar;24(3):779-84. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181cc2237. Erratum in: J Strength Cond Res. 2011 Jan;25(1):286. PMID: 20093960.
- Farias DA, Willardson JM, Paz GA, Bezerra ES, Miranda H. Maximal Strength Performance and Muscle Activation for the Bench Press and Triceps Extension Exercises Adopting Dumbbell, Barbell, and Machine Modalities Over Multiple Sets. J Strength Cond Res. 2017 Jul;31(7):1879-1887. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001651. PMID: 27669189.
Featured image: @wesleyvissers on Instagram
