No one should be skipping chest day. Whether you’re an athlete trying to build explosive power, a bodybuilder working to gain muscle mass, or even a desk job worker who wants to counteract poor posture and build upper body strength, you must include chest work in your weekly split.
Not only is lower chest strength essential for basic pushing movements in daily life, but it also provides performance power for athletes, helps develop a balanced upper body, and creates a defined and impressive aesthetic look. The lower chest is a key muscle group that supports pressing strength, posture correction, and overall aesthetics.
With these six powerhouse lower chest moves, you can avoid muscle imbalances, fix your posture, and improve your functional pushing strength.
How To Target the Lower Chest
Effectively targeting the lower chest requires a combination of techniques. It’s about your angle, exercise selection, programming organization, and form.
As you set up your workouts, plan to target the lower pecs at the start when your muscles are fresh. Use a higher frequency of reps and tap into your mind-muscle connection for activation.
The lower chest exercises you choose should prioritize decline movements, stretch out the lower pec fibers, and focus on a deep range of motion, especially ensuring you reach the bottom portion of each movement.
A decline is key because that 15-45º angle with your hands positioned lower than your feet allows you to shift the focus from upper chest to lower. Research has proven that decline presses are ideal for developing the lower sternal portion of the pectoralis major.
When you work through your movements, focus on downward pressing toward your upper abs area and aim to feel the stretch in the bottom of your pecs with each rep. Squeeze and hold at the bottom for a little something extra.
Avoid shallow ranges of motion or an excessive focus on heavy weights. When working your lower chest, it's more about muscle activation.
The 6 Best Lower Chest Exercises
Ready to feel the burn? These six lower chest exercises will make you feel muscles you may have never worked before.
Cable High-to-Low Crossovers
A high-to-low cable crossover with a cable machine like the Speediance Gym Monster 2 is the perfect first move to try. It targets the lower pecs by imitating a downward pressing motion with cables. You’ll maintain constant tension throughout the move with a peak muscle contraction at the bottom.
Start by setting your cables high. Face away from the cable machine and grab each handle. Step forward and slightly bend your torso forward.
Keep your elbows slightly bent and begin to contract your pec muscles to pull the handles down and across your body to create an X shape. Squeeze your chest at the bottom and slowly return to the starting position with control.
Focus on the squeeze here, not necessarily the weight. When you’re ready to progress, add a longer pause at the bottom or increase your weight in small increments.
Chest-Focused Dips
Chest-focused dips use a forward lean to shift the emphasis away from your triceps and into your pecs. This bodyweight movement can be done almost anywhere, making it great for vacation or at-home workouts.
Find parallel bars or use two chairs with armrests to set up for the move. Grip the bars or armrests and lean your torso forward about 20º. Bend your elbows and dip your body until your shoulders are below your elbows. If doing this with chairs, you may need to kneel.
Press up explosively when you reach the bottom position while keeping that forward lean.
If you’re having trouble with balance, keep your legs slightly forward. Avoid using momentum or swinging to assist you.
When you’re ready to progress, add a weighted vest or use a slow negative tempo. Those who can’t complete this move independently can use resistance bands or try it on an assisted dip machine for support.
Decline Cable Press
A decline cable press combines the benefits of a decline angle with the constant tension of cables. Thanks to the continuous resistance, you’ll avoid strength curve dead spots. You can also use this as a unilateral move, working one side at a time.
Set your cables high and use a decline bench or simply stand and lean forward. Face away from the cables and grip each handle with that arm. Press directly down with the cables at a 30-45º angle until you reach full arm extension.
For this exercise, you must maintain a strong and stable core. It’s easy to let the cables pull your shoulders forward, but fight that urge and keep them back and down.
Progress this move by adding more weight or trying a single-arm variation. Think about pressing down and out, not together and not forward.
Incline Pushups
In this move, we’re switching it up by moving to an incline position. You will use a box, bench, chair, or couch (anything that’s stable and slightly elevated) to elevate your chest and create more emphasis on the lower pecs.
Place your feet on the floor and your hands on your chosen platform. Brace your core and create a straight line from head to toe. Slowly lower your chest close to the ground/base and press up explosively back to the starting position.
To progress, add a weighted vest, perform it on parallel bars to lower your upper body even further between your hands, or try a single-arm variation.
Decline Dumbbell Flyes
To really target your lower pecs, try this isolation movement. It uses an arc motion, which is excellent for specific muscle activation.
Set a bench in a decline position with the head 15-30º lower than the feet. Find a moderate chest weight, lie down on the bench, and extend your arms with your elbows slightly bent.
Lower the weights in a wide arc as you bring your elbows toward the floor while maintaining your arm position. Squeeze the pec muscles at the bottom and return to the starting position by reversing what you just did.
Focus on controlling the negative portion of this movement. If you go too heavy at first, you increase the risk of injury, so go slow and only increase weights incrementally.
Decline Dumbbell Press
Keep your bench and position the same as above. Commonly known as the king of lower chest workouts, the decline dumbbell press allows you to carry your heaviest chest load for strength and mass. This compound movement targets multiple muscle groups, but your lower pecs will get the most impact.
Secure your feet on the decline bench and hold your dumbbells with a slightly wider grip than your shoulders. Lower the bar to your lower pecs as you breathe in, and then press straight up as you breathe out.
Be careful with your angle here – you want to press upwards, not toward your face.
Use a spotter for your safety when performing this move. Avoid bouncing the weight off your chest, and keep your shoulder blades retracted for stability. If you want even more support, practice this with a Smith machine before moving on to free weights.
What Are the Benefits of Training the Lower Chest Muscles?
Need a few reasons why it’s worth it to start training your lower chest? Let these key benefits motivate you.
Defined Chest Shape
If you’ve been chasing that coveted chest “shelf” appearance, this is an effective way to achieve it. You’ll create more separation between your pecs and abs and eliminate a flat chest area. When wearing fitted clothes, you’ll notice a fuller pectoral appearance.
Improved Pressing Strength
Go up in weight for your standard bench press by adding some decline press movements into your split. This will enhance your bench press lockout power, giving you more stability when pressing overhead.
Better Posture
These exercises are ideal for improving posture and counteracting rounded shoulders. They pull your shoulders back into proper alignment, balancing an overdeveloped upper chest and reducing forward head posture.
Increased Chest Mass
If you’re not working your lower pectoral muscle fibers, you’re missing out on a lot of potential chest mass. Making these moves a regular part of your weekly workouts will create a fuller and more complete pectoral appearance.
Enhanced Athletic Performance
Lower chest work can benefit swimmers, fighters, golfers, tennis players, and hockey players. It increases explosiveness when rotating the body, produces powerful swimming strokes, and strengthens the core for dynamic movements.
6 Tips for Training Lower Chest Muscles
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Start your workouts with lower chest moves. Train this muscle group first when you’re fresh, then you can carry heavier weights without compromising your form.
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Prioritize decline angles. Use a decline position between 15-30º to focus the load on your lower pec fibers.
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Emphasize the stretched position. Go deep on each rep and pause at the bottom where the move is working the chest the hardest.
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Connect your mind to your muscles. Focus on the feeling of working your lower chest and squeeze at the bottom of the movement for full activation.
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Focus on consistency and incremental progressive overload. Train your lower pecs two to three times per week and gradually increase your weight, reps, or time under tension. Your lower chest responds well when worked every few days with progressive challenges over time.
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Proper form > ego lifting. Perfect your technique with lighter weights before adding more load. Sloppy form with heavy weights won’t help you build muscle correctly. Slow and steady wins the race.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is It Worth Doing Lower Chest Exercises?
Lower chest exercises are absolutely worth it. They build your pec muscle mass and create a well-developed chest. You’ll build an unbalanced and flat-looking chest without targeted lower chest training. Lower chest exercises help build that lower pec shelf while improving your pressing strength.
Is the Lower Chest Hard To Grow?
The lower pecs aren’t hard to grow when targeted with regular training. To get the most out of lower chest work, use decline angles and focused exercises that stretch the lower pectoral muscle fibers. Train them 2-3 times per week for noticeable growth.
What Is the Best Exercise for Your Lower Chest?
The best exercise for lower chest growth is likely the decline press using either two dumbbells or a barbell. This is the gold standard because it allows you to load the muscles heavily while recruiting correct muscle fibers.
Lower Chest Training Builds Strength, Shape, and Balance
Imagine balancing your chest appearance, getting that “shelf” look you’re after, growing your bench strength, and fixing your posture, all with one group of exercises—is it possible? Yes! Consistent lower pec training utilizing proper form and decline angles can improve strength and aesthetic appearance. Many of the best lower chest moves can be performed at your local gym or from the comfort of your home with dynamic equipment like the Speediance Gym Monster 2. Try these moves for a few weeks to see and feel the difference!
