The Claim

After performing flat bench press exercise, the sternocostal head of the pectoralis major muscle shows significantly greater increases in cross-sectional area compared to the clavicular head (P = 0.046), demonstrating an opposite pattern to that observed with inclined bench press.

Source: Non-uniform excitation of pectoralis major induced by changes in bench press inclination leads to uneven variations in the cross-sectional area measured by panoramic ultrasonography

What the research says

Supports is higher

Support is ahead, but a single strong opposing study can change this.

Supports
26score
Challenges
0score

These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.

Quantitative
1 study reviewed
In plain English

When people do flat bench press, the lower part of their chest muscle grows more than the upper part - and this is the opposite of what happens when they do incline bench press.

See the scientific wording

Following flat bench press exercise, the sternocostal head of pectoralis major demonstrates significantly greater increases in cross-sectional area compared to the clavicular head (P = 0.046), showing the opposite pattern to inclined bench press

What the research says

1 study

  1. Study: Non-uniform excitation of pectoralis major induced by changes in bench press inclination leads to uneven variations in the cross-sectional area measured by panoramic ultrasonography

    The study tested flat bench press and measured how much the two parts of the chest muscle (sternocostal and clavicular heads) grew right after exercise. Just like the claim says, the sternocostal part got bigger than the clavicular part after flat bench press, and this was the opposite of what happened with inclined bench press.

Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies

Fit Body Science verdict — we translate health claims into clear verdicts backed by peer-reviewed research.

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