Different Chest Presses, Same Muscle Growth, Different Soreness
Chest Press Exercises With Different Stability Requirements Result in Similar Muscle Damage Recovery in Resistance-Trained Men
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Dumbbell users felt no triceps soreness at all, while barbell users had prolonged elbow soreness—even though total volume was identical.
Common belief: Free weights cause more muscle damage due to instability. But here, the most unstable option (dumbbells) caused the least soreness in supporting muscles.
Practical Takeaways
Switch to dumbbells for chest days if you're feeling overly sore in your triceps or elbows—especially if you train frequently.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Dumbbell users felt no triceps soreness at all, while barbell users had prolonged elbow soreness—even though total volume was identical.
Common belief: Free weights cause more muscle damage due to instability. But here, the most unstable option (dumbbells) caused the least soreness in supporting muscles.
Practical Takeaways
Switch to dumbbells for chest days if you're feeling overly sore in your triceps or elbows—especially if you train frequently.
Publication
Journal
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Year
2017
Authors
D. V. Ferreira, J. Ferreira-Júnior, S. Soares, E. Cadore, M. Izquierdo, L. Brown, M. Bottaro
Related Content
Claims (10)
Your chest muscles swell the same amount after a hard workout whether you use a machine, barbell, or dumbbells—so the muscle-building stress is about the same.
No matter which type of chest press you do—machine, barbell, or dumbbells—you’ll feel about the same level of soreness in your chest muscles after a hard workout, and it’ll go away at the same rate.
No matter which chest press they used, the guys completed almost exactly the same number of reps in every set—showing they pushed just as hard regardless of equipment.
Just because your triceps feel sore doesn’t mean they’re damaged or weak—sometimes they feel sore even when they’ve fully recovered, and sometimes they’re fine even when they feel fine.
When trained men do different types of chest presses—using a machine, barbell, or dumbbells—their chest muscles and shoulder strength bounce back at about the same rate after a tough workout, no matter how stable the equipment is.