Add these 9 best exercises for an attractive lower chest into your training and take your strength and physique to the next level.
These exercises have been chosen and described by Gravity Transformation.
Best Exercises for an Attractive Lower Chest
Add these into your training.
A Note on Chest Muscle Fibres
“What we all refer to as the chest is mostly made up of the pectoralis major, which is a large exterior muscle that covers up the front part of our top 6 ribs and connects from our sternum, collar bone, ribs, and external obliques. It also joins to our upper arm and sits on top of the smaller pectoralis minor.”
Source: Pixabay“The pectoralis major also has two heads dividing it into upper and lower portions. Now, on top that, the muscle fibres don’t all run in the same exact direction. some of them run more at an upward angle which is commonly referred to as the upper chest, others run straight across, or the mid-chest. Finally, some run at a lower angle or the lower chest.”
“Today I want to give you guys the 9 best exercises that you can perform to target this lower portion of your chest to help create that attractive lower chest outline.”
1. Best Exercises for an Attractive Lower Chest – Barbell Bench Press
“The first exercise that you’ll hear most people recommend for your lower chest is the decline bench press. This is a great exercise to mix into your workouts to focus specifically on those lower fibres when compared to the flat bench press. With the decline press you will most likely have a shorter range of motion; you’ll take tension away from the upper portion of your chest and you’ll shift some of that tension over to your triceps and your lats.”
“On top of that, since you now know that the middle and lower part of your chest is actually part of the same muscle head, it may come as no surprise that one of the best exercises to target the lower chest is the flat bench press.”
“The flat bench press is such a great exercise that some studies show that it is all you need to build a bigger chest and simply working on increasing the weight that you lift on the bench press over time is enough to build up your entire chest including that lower portion.”
“To set up the flat bench press you’ll lay down on a bench with your eyes directly under the bar. Before beginning, you’ll want to retract your shoulder blades and pack them nice and tight together. You can grab the barbell at a closer or wider grip but a good place to start is about thumbs distance from where the knurling starts.”
“From there you’ll lift the barbell, bring it over your chest and lower down aiming for your nipple line while keeping your elbows somewhere between a 45 and 75-degree angle from your body, making sure not to flare the elbows too far out.”
“Also, make sure your feet are planted into the ground and that your driving through your legs as you press since this will allow you to lift more weight. Another thing you’ll want to do is maintain an arch in your back just make sure that your hips don’t rise up off the bench as this can lead to a lower back injury. After lowering the barbell press back up and repeat for reps.”
“I recommend saving the decline bench press as a secondary exercise if you want to Incorporate it later in your workout after performing the regular flat bench press. With this one you would follow very similar cues, except obviously your feet would be off the floor and you would now also be aiming a little lower under your nipple line when bringing the barbell down.”
2. Best Exercises for an Attractive Lower Chest – Pec Deck Fly
“For the next lower chest exercise, we have an isolation movement, the pec deck fly. Now normally I prefer using dumbbells and barbells over machines but by using the pec deck fly you’re able to really isolate your chest in a unique way.”
“Unlike regular flyes, with dumbbells, your biceps and forearms won’t be involved as much in the movement since your arms will be bent and you’ll be able to apply pressure directly through your elbows. This may be why a study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise showed that chest activation on the pec deck fly machine was very close to the flat bench press itself.”
“To perform the exercise, you’ll first want to adjust the seat to the right height so that your upper arms are about parallel with the floor when you grab the handles. Then sit straight up with your shoulder blades pulled back together and arch your back to help target more of those lower chest muscle fibres. Then you’re simply going to bring both arms inward toward the center of your body and then bring them back out until you feel a nice stretch in your chest. From there you would just repeat for reps.
For more information and the rest of the exercises, watch the video below.
You can use the time stamps beneath the video to see an overview of all the exercises and click to the one that you want to watch if you prefer.
Video – Best Exercises for an Attractive Lower Chest
Time Stamps – Best Exercises for an Attractive Lower Chest
1:00: decline bench press
1:27: flat bench press
2:40: decline bench press
3:04: peck deck fly
4:04: chest dips
4:52: bent forward high cable crossover
5:44: decline cable chest press
6:45: dumbbell press (flat/decline)
7:33: dumbbell fly (decline /flat)
8:29: incline push up
Learn More – Best Exercises for an Attractive Lower Chest
How to Increase Chest Size and Strength
Best Way to Train the Chest for Hypertrophy (Muscle Mass)
3 Hacks for a Bigger Chest
Upper Chest Exercises Ranked (Best to Worst)
9 Best Dumbbell Chest Exercises
Muscles of the Chest
The chest, or pectoralis major, is a large muscle that extends from the sternum to the upper arm and is responsible for many functions. It’s also the most visible muscle in the body, which is why men often work on it at the gym.
Pectoralis minor is a small muscle located underneath pectoralis major that helps rotate and flex your arm. Serratus anterior attaches along your ribs and attaches to your scapula (shoulder blade).
All three of these muscles are important for maintaining good posture and protecting vital organs like your heart and lungs on top of their more obvious functions like movement of arms/shoulders!
Best Exercises for an Attractive Lower Chest – Pectoralis Major
The pectoralis major is the largest muscle in the chest. It originates on the sternum and clavicle, and inserts on the humerus.
Best Exercises for an Attractive Lower Chest – Pectoralis Minor
The pectoralis minor (PM) is a thin muscle that originates from the lower 8 ribs and inserts into the coracoid process of the scapula. It functions to adduct and medially rotate the glenoid cavity, bringing your arm closer to your body. The PM also assists in flexion of your shoulder joint, but it doesn’t contribute significantly to this movement as compared with other muscles in this area.
Best Exercises for an Attractive Lower Chest – Serratus Anterior
The serratus anterior originates on the first 7 ribs, and inserts on the medial border of the scapula. It is anterior and inferior to pectoralis major, and it initiates protraction of the scapula. It also works in conjunction with other muscles to achieve elevation of the scapula.
The chest muscles function to adduct the shoulder and assist in internal rotation
The chest muscles function to adduct the shoulder and assist in internal rotation.
The pectoralis major is a large muscle that originates from the clavicle, sternum, and ribs. It inserts into both upper arms via its tendons. The pectoralis major functions as both an adductor of the arm and an internal rotator of the humerus (upper arm bone). In other words, when your arms are by your sides with palms facing forward, it will pull them towards each other so that your palms face inward (internal rotation) or away from each other so that they face outward (adduction).
Conclusion – Best Exercises for an Attractive Lower Chest
As you can see, the chest muscles function to adduct the shoulder and assist in internal rotation. They also allow you to lift your arms above your head. The pectoralis major is the largest muscle on your chest, while the pectoralis minor helps stabilize your shoulder joint when lifting weights or performing other exercises such as pushups or dips.
Add these 9 best exercises for an attractive lower chest into your training.