The Results
After crunching the numbers and data, researchers
found that out of the nine exercises tested, the
pectoralis major was activated the most during the
barbell bench press. Therefore, data-wise, all of the
other exercises were statistically compared to that
exercise and reported as a percentage of that value.
Both the pec deck (at 98% of muscle activation
compared to barbell bench press) and the bentforward
cable crossover (93% of muscle activation)
elicited nearly equivalent muscle activation as the
barbell bench press. Likewise, ratings of perceived
exertion for each of the three exercises were
comparable as well (Table 1).