Have you been dreaming of a big, strong chest? Then you’re in the right place.
To work on building strength in your chest and pushing muscle mass growth, you need to develop the fibers in the upper, middle, and lower chest muscles.
Your pecs, aka the pectoral muscles, are formed by two muscles: the pectoralis major and the pectoralis minor. The latter make up the majority of your chest muscles, whilst the pectoralis minor muscle is a lot smaller and is located just beneath the major.
The pectoralis major is a fan-shaped muscle that is divided into two main parts:
1. Your sternocostal is the larger, lower portion, originating mainly from your sternum.
2. Your clavicular is the smaller, upper portion, which originates from the first half of your clavicle.
These parts are joined by muscle fibers that come together into one tendon and depending on the angle at which you move your arm, different muscle fibers of the pecs will work.
So, for example:
- Incline pressing will target the upper pec muscle fibers (the clavicular head).
- Decline pressing will target the lower pec muscle fibers (the sternal head).
- Flat pressing, like bench pressing, will target the whole pec muscle evenly.
What are the benefits of training your lower chest muscles?
Whether you wanna pop your pecs Terry Crews style or just be able to lift heavier, there’s also benefits to a stronger lower chest, for example, rotating and extending your arms relies on strong lower chest muscles.
Some other benefits include:
- enhanced shoulder stability
- contributes to the overall strength
- can help improve your posture and proper form
- increase the range of motions in the shoulders and arms
- strengthening and lengthening of chest muscles
- avoid elbow strain or shoulder pain as your arms are supported by your chest muscles
Also Read: The best kettlebell core workout
Tips for effectively training lower chest muscles
Of course, we always want to train effectively and safely. These tips will help to keep your workouts as best as they can be:
- Always warm up to prep your muscles
- Stretch after your warmup to reduce your risk of injury
- Balance your muscles between your back and front and don’t exhaust one muscle group
- Make sure that you do enough sets and reps that your muscles are fatigued but not sore
- Don’t work out your pecs more than 2-3 times a week, and make sure you’re alternating between the lower, mid, and upper chest
Now let’s jump in!
The best lower chest exercises
Chest Dips
Sets: 3
Reps: 6
How to do it:
- Start by gripping the parallel bars of a dip station. You want your arms to be straight with your palms facing inwards.
- Next, you want to maintain control as you lower yourself down until your elbows are at a 90-degree angle, keeping your elbows tucked in tight against your body. Hold for a few seconds maintaining constant tension.
- Explosively drive yourself back to the starting position.
Barbell bench press
Sets: 3
Reps: 6
How to do it:
- Begin lying down on a flat bench with a shoulder-width grip and holding a barbell in the rack above you in an overhand grip.
- Now, you’ll lift the bar off the rack, positioning it above your chest. With straight arms that are fully extended, start to slowly lower the bar until it’s in line with your lower chest region.
- Breathe out and push up with the bar, returning it to the starting position. That’s one rep of a barbell bench press!
- Ensure that you keep control and constant tension throughout, and hold the bar for at least four seconds before returning to the start.
Dumbbell chest presses
Sets: 4
Reps: 8-12
How to do it:
- Start lying on your back on a bench, hold a dumbbell in each hand and your arms should be shoulder distance apart with your palms facing towards your feet. There should be a slight bend in your arms.
- Push up and press the weights above your chest, extending your elbows until your arms are straight. Make sure the weights don’t touch.
- Finally, return the weights to the starting position.
Cable pec fly
Sets: 3
Reps: 25
How to do it:
- Start at a cable crossover machine by attaching some stirrup handles to the high pulleys. Ensure the pulley is set to as low as it can go so that you’re targeting the lower chest.
- Take a handle in each hand, and your arms should be outstretched with a slight bend in your elbows.
- Place one foot forward slightly, brace your core and pull the handles down and across your body so your hands meet in the middle.
- Return to the starting position on the cable machine.
Russian twists with a medicine ball
Sets: 3
Reps: 10
How to do it:
- Begin by sitting on the floor with your legs out in front of you. Your feet should be flat on the floor and a slight bend in your knees.
- Engage your core, and lean back with your entire upper body. Roughly at a 45-degree angle, hold a medicine ball directly in front of you with your arms extended.
- Start to slowly twist your torso towards the right, touching the medicine ball to the ground beside you. Hold for a few seconds before returning to the center and then switching to the other side.
Decline sit-up
Sets: 3
Reps: 8-18
How to do it:
- Start by sitting on a flat bench with your knees bent and your feet tucked under the padded bar.
- Next, either cross your arms over your chest or intertwine your fingers behind the base of your head.
- Lift your torso forward until your chest is touching your thighs.
- Hold for a few seconds and then return to the starting position.
Close-grip bench press
Sets: 3
Reps: 12
How to do it:
- Lie flat on your back on a bench and hold a barbell in an overhand position above you. Your hands should be about shoulder-width apart.
- As you inhale, lower the bar until it rests above your chest muscles and keep control.
- Then as you exhale, drive the bar back to the first position explosively.
Barbell military press
Sets: 3
Reps: 6
How to do it:
- You want to start with your feet tucked together and lifting a barbell to shoulder height and your palms facing forwards.
- Explosively thrust the barbell above your head until your arms are fully extended and straight
- With control, slowly reverse the barbell back down until you reach the starting position.
So, there you have it, the best lower chest exercises! Whether you’re focused on strength or you want better-defined pecs, these lower chest exercises will help you to reach your goals. Just make sure that you mix up your workouts, to give your upper body time to recover between each training session.
There’s also a lot of room to combine your lower chest workouts with a tricep workout, targeting your chest muscles as well as your upper arms. So you could compound your workouts to target two different muscle groups for maximum muscle growth.
Also Read: What is lean bulking?
What else can you do to build a strong upper body with upper chest muscles?
We’ve listed the ultimate lower chest exercises here, but if you want to make serious gains, build muscle growth, and level up your training, you’re going to need some support, if you want to level up your progress. Luckily, you have Testogen, Juiced Upp, and Brutal Force in your corner to help you achieve defined pecs, and build up your lower chest, and upper body.
Testogen
With a 100% natural formula, Testogen gives your daily life the little boost it needs! By safely increasing your testosterone, energy levels, and muscle growth. Pair Testogen with a healthy diet and exercise to support muscle growth and performance.
OSTABULK by Brutal Force
OSTABULK has been carefully developed to support bodybuilding naturally and safely. Its all-natural ingredients help to boost testosterone levels, increase strength, and support muscle gains, perfect for building your upper and lower chest. OSTABULK works best when paired with regular exercise and a healthy diet.
Muscle Upp by Juiced Upp
With 100% natural ingredients, Muscle Upp works to increase your T-levels, enhance recovery times and promote overall strength when paired with regular exercise and a balanced diet.
