Focusing on the lower chest workouts in the initial days of bodybuilding is not important. Because you won’t know its importance in the beginning.
But, as you start developing some chest definition, you will realize the importance of lower chest exercises for a chiseled chest.
Training your lower chest is the next step after you feel that your chest muscles are strengthened and now it’s time to give a defined shape to your pecs.
Other than the aesthetics, overall chest development is important to perform your daily life activities with efficiency.
The lateral, vertical, and rotational movements of your shoulders work in collaboration with your chest muscles.
Table of Contents
Most professional bodybuilders have better development in the lower region of the chest as compared to the upper. But many faces serious complications while building the lower pec line.
Importance of Lower Chest Workout
Training all parts of the chest is equally important, most people focus on building the middle chest so they can grow that dream big chest.
It can also happen unintentionally because most of the chest workouts like dumbbell press, barbell chest press, or pec-dec flyes impact your mid-chest fibers.
If you don’t have equal muscle growth in all three parts of your chest then it is more likely to look saggy.
Get Rid of Man-Boobs
The occurrence of prominent breasts in men is an increasing and serious problem.
Men also have breasts just like women, the breast tissues stop developing in men due to high testosterone levels in puberty.
But, for some men breast enlargement is caused due to medical conditions such as gynecomastia.
It is however a rare problem. The common problem most men face is the occurrence of man-boobs due to excess fat on the chest.
This problem is most common in bodybuilders who don’t train their lower chest. It results in unequal development; the upper and middle chest have more muscle mass than the lower which makes it seem like man-boobs.
A lower chest workout can help you develop muscle mass in the lower chest and replace it with stubborn fat cells.
Aesthetic Physique
A well-defined lower chest plays a key role in developing an aesthetic body. The waist to shoulder ratio may be important but what makes you stand out is how your pecs look from top to bottom.
You might have rock-solid arms and rounded shoulders but they won’t be visible when someone sees you from the front.
That’s the reason you notice your veins popping out during weight lifting because your muscles are pumped, veins are closer to the surface which makes them more prominent.
The most visible muscles are your chest and abs. Training your chest with the same exercises over and over again will grow your chest, but it will end up giving it more of a droopy look.
The lower chest development is what you need for complementing the overall look of your chest.
Confusion between high fat and Immature Muscle Groups
You might not see your lower chest definition due to two reasons; the first one is having an overall high percentage of body fat and the second is having less muscular development.
If you are looking more like this guy, then you might have a high percentage of overall body fat. You can’t define your lower pecs until you cut down the fat percentage from your body.
For this purpose, you need to bring changes to your diet. You need to be much more on point when it comes to nutrition because you can only lose fat by sticking to a healthy diet.
Although when you drop some fat percentage from your body, you would still be lacking muscular development which would be achieved through lower chest exercises.
If your chest resembles more with this guy, then your body fat level is already low enough but there is no muscular development.
By this, we mean that you lack that defined line in the lower chest that gives that aesthetic shape to your chest.
To fix this, first, you need to work on the basic chest workouts to strengthen your muscles fibers and then move onto isolated training for all three portions of the chest.
How to Work on Lower Chest Muscles
To effectively execute a chest workout, you need to understand in which direction your chest fibers are working.
The lower chest fibers are running up towards your shoulders, this part is known as the abdominal head of your chest.
So, if you want to work this area of your chest more effectively and in a consistent manner then you need exercises that cause your arm to swing from top to bottom.
Yes, you are right an example of this movement is the decline cable crossover. While performing this exercise we bring our arms from the top position to the bottom and across.
Best Lower Chest Exercises
You have to add the lower chest exercises to your regular chest workout. If you try to do a workout only targeting the lower pecs then it would not be that beneficial.
Here we will be discussing some of the most effective exercises to hit your lower pecs and get that defined shape.
Dumbbell Decline Press
This is the fundamental exercise for building your lower chest. It gives your chest a sharp cut and completes the chest separation from the core.
You also engage your middle chest to maintain the balance of dumbbells while performing this exercise so it helps the chest to look fuller and add more thickness to it.
How to Do It
- Lower the bench to an angle of 30-degree decline.
- Lie with your back on the bench holding a dumbbell in each hand.
- Press the dumbbells upwards by extending arms in front of your chest.
- Lower the dumbbells slowly towards your shoulders.
Tips
- Don’t lock your elbows while lifting, it will help you to maintain more tension throughout the set.
- Keep the shoulder blades pinched together, it makes sure that they remain in a safe position.
- Engage your abs to prevent putting pressure on your lower back.
Set: 4
Reps: 15RM-12RM-10RM-8RM (Increase weight on each set)
Decline Press Machine
The decline barbell press can’t be performed effectively without a smith machine until you have a spotter.
So, we will be doing it on a smith machine. The decline barbell press adds volume to your lower chest.
In a decline bench, your arms are forced in a position where they are coming down from a top position. In this way, you can effectively target the lower chest fibers.
How to Do It
- Lower the bench to an angle of 30-degree decline.
- Lower the barbell on the smith machine, and lie with your back on the bench.
- Hold the barbell shoulder-width apart.
- The barbell should be set a little below then your nipple area.
- Lift the barbell by extending your arms.
- Now lower it slowly till it is about to touch your chest.
Tips
- It would be difficult for you to have a full range of motion from the decline position so it is better to use a lightweight.
- Make sure that you lower the barbell slowly, it allows you to work on your negatives.
Set: 4
Reps: 15RM-12RM-10RM-8RM (Increase weight on each set)
Lower Chest Cable Fly
The high to low cable fly is one of the basic lower chest exercises. This exercise works on the phenomena of bringing your arms from a higher to a lower position.
The cable crossover engages the most muscle fibers after bench press and dumbbell press.
Doing this exercise properly will grow your lower chest in no time.
How to Do It
- Set the pulleys above your head level and set the desired weight.
- Take one handle in each hand with palms facing down.
- Stand in the middle of the cable machine, take one step forward to increase tension on your chest.
- Extend your arms out but keep a slight bend in your elbows.
- Press the cable forward in front of your belly button.
- Now, bring it back to the starting position.
Tips
- Use light weights otherwise, you will put more tension on your shoulders.
- When releasing the pulley back don’t stretch too much as it will only result in stretching of your skin rather than muscle.
- While doing this exercise imagine that you are hugging a big tree and are trying to squeeze it.
Set: 4
Reps: 15RM-12RM-10RM-8RM (Increase weight on each set)
Chest Dip Alternative
If you are tired of doing the parallel bar dip exercise and want to find an alternative to that, then the straight bar dip has got your back.
This is a kind of old-fashioned exercise but is highly effective in engaging the muscle fibers in your lower chest and achieving hypertrophy.
The straight bar dip can also help you in building strength for other exercises like dumbbell chest press and barbell press.
How to Do It
- Set the barbell on the smith machine above your chest level.
- Grab the barbell with both hands and lift your body using force from both arms.
- Lift your body until your chest is in line with the barbell.
- While lifting, bend your body towards the rod.
- Low your body by bending your elbows.
Tips
- Before lifting your body, hover your body over the bar to maintain balance before you lift.
- Cross your feet at the back while lifting. It will help you maintain balance.
Set: 4
Reps: 15RM-12RM-10RM-8RM (Increase weight on each set)
Incline Pushups
Whenever we hear the word incline, the upper chest comes into our minds. Because most of the exercises done at an inclined angle are used to target the upper chest.
The incline pushup is one of the effective bodyweight chest exercises. This is relatively easier to perform than a regular pushup.
It also works on your triceps side-by-side. The incline pushups can be useful for building chest endurance. You can also perform incline pushups at home easily.
How to Do It
- Stand in front of an elevated surface like a bench, place your hands on the surface a little wider than shoulder-width.
- Extend your legs back and lower your body till your chest is about to touch the bench.
- Liftback by extending your arms.
Tips
- Keep a neutral spine while performing the exercise.
- Don’t perform the exercise on a slippery surface.
- Engage your core while lifting back.
"This article is originally posted on borntough.com, and borntough.com own the sole copyright on this article. If you read this article outside borntough.com, please report this website to the authority because they have stolen the content from borntough.com and violated borntough copyright"