Chest day on the calendar? Nice. But if you’ve been hitting the incline bench like FitTok told you to, it might be time to show a little love to your lower chest, too.
Building well-rounded pecs isn’t just about chasing that upper chest pump — working the lower part of your pecs adds serious definition, giving you that sharp, sculpted pec line. Plus, it’s the secret to filling out your muscle-fit tees.
But it’s not all about aesthetics. Strong lower pecs play a major role in pushing power, helping you level up your bench press, overhead press, or even that split jerk.
The good news? You don’t need to reinvent your whole workout. With a few simple tweaks, you can shift the focus to your lower chest and build balanced, functional strength. These are the best lower chest exercises to build shape, strength, and definition.
How To Workout The Lower Chest
The chest is made up of the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor, but it’s the pec major that most people are referring to when they talk about the ‘chest’, being the large superficial muscle that sits on the front of the rib cage.
You’ll often hear the pec major divided into three key regions: The upper chest, inner chest, and lower chest–however, as the pecs are still one big muscle, you can’t isolate the distinct regions of the chest. You can, however, emphasize certain parts of the chest more by changing the angle of your chest exercises [1].
When it comes to lower chest workouts (also known as the sternocostal part or abdominal head), studies agree that using decline exercises, such as decline bench press, is most effective [2,3].
However–remember that these exercises do not fully isolate the lower chest. They’ll work the whole of the pec major, putting greater emphasis on the lower chest region.
The Best Lower Chest Exercises
1. Decline Dumbbell Bench Press
The bench press is probably the most well-known chest exercise. But while a flat bench press prioritizes mid-chest activation, moving the bench to a decline shifts the emphasis toward the lower chest [2]. At this angle, the fibers of the lower chest become more directly aligned with the pressing movement, and shoulder activation is minimized, meaning that the lower chest has to work harder to drive the weight up.
Using dumbbells means you can move through a greater range of motion (coming down parallel with your chest and pressing up so the dumbbells touch at the top), making the lower chest work harder under load. Dumbbells also mean you can work each side independently, helping to address imbalances. This makes it one of the best exercises to add to your lower chest workout, particularly useful if you’re training your lower chest at home!
How To Do Decline Dumbbell Bench Press:
Set up the bench, adjusting it to a decline angle (usually around 15-30 degrees). Ensure your feet are flat on the floor, adding a plate under them if necessary.
Select a pair of dumbbells with a manageable weight. Sit on the bench with the dumbbells resting on your thighs.
Carefully lower yourself onto the decline bench, using your thighs to help lift the dumbbells into position. Keep the dumbbells at chest level with your elbows bent at about 90 degrees.
Hold the dumbbells with a neutral or pronated grip (palms facing forward). Your wrists should remain aligned with your forearms.
Take a deep breath, brace your core, and press the dumbbells upward until your arms are fully extended. Keep a slight bend in your elbows at the top to avoid locking out.
Slowly lower the dumbbells in a controlled manner until your elbows are at or slightly below chest level. Maintain a steady tempo to maintain constant tension in the chest muscles.
Repeat and Maintain Form, ensuring your shoulders stay back and down, and avoid flaring your elbows excessively.
Once complete, carefully lower the dumbbells back to your thighs and sit up using your core strength.
Tip: Keep your back flat against the bench throughout, with your feet firmly secured on the ground. Focus on pushing the dumbbells in a straight line, not allowing them to drift.
2. High To Low Cable Fly
The high-to-low cable fly is an excellent exercise for targeting the lower chest. At the starting position, the chest is stretched, and as you pull the cables downward, the lower chest fibers are activated, creating a strong contraction at the bottom of the movement.
Unlike pressing exercises, this lower chest cable fly minimizes shoulder involvement, allowing better chest isolation. Additionally, the cables provide constant tension throughout the range of motion, maximizing muscle activation and time under tension. This consistent load helps build lower chest mass while improving the mind-muscle connection.
How To Do A High To Low Cable Fly For Lower Chest:
Set the cables to a high position on the dual-pulley machine, using the single handle attachment on either side.
Grab the handles with a slight forward lean, maintaining a slight bend in your elbows.
Step forward into a staggered stance for stability.
Pull the cables down and together in a sweeping motion as if hugging a large barrel.
Focus on squeezing your chest at the bottom of the movement.
Slowly return to the starting position with control.
Tip: For optimal lower chest activation, adjust the cables so your hands meet around hip level rather than at chest height. This ensures the movement remains targeted to the lower chest.
3. Jackhammer Pushdown
The Jackhammer Pushdown is a variation of the tricep pushdown that also engages the lower chest due to its unique movement pattern.
By leaning forward at a 30 to 45-degree angle and pressing the handles downward and slightly forward, the exercise mimics the mechanics of a decline press, aligning the force with the lower chest fibers. This angle reduces shoulder involvement and shifts the workload toward the lower chest.
Additionally, as the elbows move closer to the body, the lower chest assists in shoulder extension, further contributing to the pressing force.
How To Do The Jackhammer Pushdown:
Attach a straight bar or rope handle to the high pulley on a cable machine and select a manageable weight that allows controlled movement.
Stand facing the machine with your feet shoulder-width apart for stability. Grip the bar or rope using an
overhand grip (palms facing down).
Hinge slightly at your hips and lean forward at about a 30—to 45-degree angle. Keep your chest up, core braced, and back straight. This position emphasizes the lower chest more. Keep your elbows close to your body, slightly in front of your torso, and maintain a soft knee bend to ensure stability.
Push the bar or rope down and slightly forward in a pressing motion, mimicking a decline press. Fully extend your arms without locking your elbows, focusing on contracting your lower chest and triceps as you do so.
Slowly allow the bar or rope to return to the starting position with control, maintaining muscle tension. Avoid letting the weights pull you back or losing your forward lean.
Perform for your desired number of repetitions (typically 8-12 reps for hypertrophy).
Tip: To maximize lower chest activation, maintain the forward lean, keep your chest engaged, and focus on pushing the handles down and slightly inwards rather than straight down.
4. Straight Bar Dips
Dips are often performed on the straight bar, a chest day classic that primarily active the chest, triceps, and shoulders. By taking a slight forward lean, flaring your elbows, and pressing through the chest, the focus can be shifted from the tricep and shoulders onto the pectoralis major, especially the lower part of the muscle. The more forward you lean, the more the lower chest fibers are engaged.
Focus on range of motion, going as deep as your shoulders and elbows allow while maintaining proper form. The deeper you dip, the more stretch you'll get in the chest, especially the lower fibers.
How To Do Dips For Lower Chest:
Set up the Dip Bars, ensuring they are stable and at a height where your feet don't touch the ground when you hold the bars with your arms straight.
Grab the bars firmly, palms facing inward (neutral grip). Your arms should be fully extended at the start with a slight bend in your elbows to avoid locking them.
To activate the lower chest more, lean your torso slightly forward as you descend, bending your elbows and flaring them out to the side. The forward lean shifts the emphasis away from the triceps and onto the chest. For balance, bend your knees and keep your legs crossed at the ankles or hanging straight down (without swinging).
Lower yourself as deeply as possible, keeping the movement slow and controlled until your upper arms are parallel to the floor or slightly lower. The deeper you go, the greater the stretch on the lower chest.
Push through your palms and the sides of your hands to push back up, extending your arms and focusing on activating your lower chest muscles to return to the starting position. Keep your body slightly leaned forward as you push up, maintaining tension in the chest.
Perform the movement for the desired number of repetitions, keeping your form tight and focusing on squeezing your chest at the top of the movement.
Tip: If bodyweight dips are too difficult, you can use a resistance band to assist with the movement by placing your knees into a band or performing them on the weight-assisted dip machine.
Too easy? Add extra resistance using a weighted dip belt with a plate, or place a dumbbell between your knees to further challenge the lower chest.
5. Decline Machine Chest Press
The decline machine chest press is another exercise that places the body at a downward angle. By pressing from a lower starting position near the bottom of the chest, the movement engages the sternal head of the chest muscle, which is responsible for the lower portion of the chest.
Using a machine provides more stability compared to free weights, allowing you to focus on the contraction and control of the lower chest without worrying about balancing the weights. This helps maximize the engagement of the lower chest muscles.
How To Do Decline Machine Chest Press:
Set up the machine's seat and handles so that the handles align with the middle of your chest when you are seated.
Sit with feet flat, grip the handles with a neutral or slightly pronated grip, and ensure your back is pressed against the seat. Choose an appropriate weight for your set.
Before beginning, tighten your core muscles to help stabilize your torso and prevent unnecessary movement during the press.
Push the handles forward by extending your arms. As you do, focus on driving the movement through your lower chest, not your shoulders or triceps. Keep your elbows slightly flared out (about 45 degrees) to ensure maximum chest engagement.
Slowly lower the handles back to the starting position by bending your elbows. Control the weight as you lower it to maintain tension on the lower chest. Allow your upper arms to drop below the horizontal or slightly deeper if comfortable for a greater stretch on the chest.
Perform the desired number of repetitions, focusing on a slow and controlled motion, especially during the lowering phase, to maintain constant tension on the chest.
After completing your set, slowly return the handles to the starting position and release the weight. If necessary, stand up carefully and adjust the machine for the next user.
Tip: Keep your elbows slightly flared out (not too tucked in) to target the lower chest more effectively instead of relying too much on the triceps.
6. Incline Push Up
An incline push-up activates the lower chest by elevating the hands on a surface, such as a bench or step. This puts the body at an angle where the chest is slightly below the hands, making it one of the best push-ups for the lower chest compared to a standard push-up, which activates the mid-chest more.
This exercise is a great finisher for your lower pec workout, allowing for higher repetitions to push the muscles to fatigue. The movement can be easily adjusted in intensity by changing the height of the incline, making it accessible for all fitness levels. Additionally, performing the exercise with controlled movements increases time under tension, promoting muscle growth and endurance in the lower chest.
How To Do Incline Push Ups:
Place your hands on an elevated surface such as a bench, step, or platform. The higher the incline, the easier the exercise will be. Choose an incline that allows your body to form a straight line from head to heels.
Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on the elevated surface. Ensure your fingers point forward and your palms are flat.
Tighten your core and slowly bend your elbows, lowering your chest toward the elevated surface. Keep your elbows at a 45-degree angle to your body, not flaring out too wide. Go as deep as your range of motion allows, ideally until your chest nearly touches the surface.
Press through your palms to extend your arms and push your body back to the starting position, focusing on using your chest and shoulders to power the movement.
Perform the desired number of repetitions, maintaining a controlled and steady pace, especially during the lowering phase.
Tip: Keep your body in a straight line throughout the movement, avoiding letting your hips sag or lifting them too high. Concentrate on squeezing your chest as you press upward to contract your lower chest fully.
Lower Chest Workout Training Tips
Focus On Mind-Muscle Connection
As mentioned, you can’t fully isolate the lower chest. But employing mind-muscle connection can help help active the area you are trying to work [4].
Focus on squeezing and contracting the chest, particularly the lower fibers, as you push or press the weight. This mental focus can help activate the chest more than simply going through the motions with your shoulders and triceps doing most of the work.
Use Full Range Of Motion
Always aim for a full range of motion to get maximum lower chest activation. For example, when doing decline presses, make sure to lower the barbell or dumbbells deep enough to feel a stretch in the lower chest. For dips, lower your body as deep as your mobility allows to maximize chest activation.
Control The Tempo
Focus on a slow, controlled eccentric (lowering) phase, especially during presses and dips. Lowering the weight slowly increases time under tension, which can help build muscle and better target the lower chest.
Train To Failure
Since the lower chest can sometimes be underdeveloped compared to the upper chest, training to failure ensures you’re maximizing muscle recruitment and fatigue. This can be done through drop sets (after hitting failure, reduce the weight by 20-30% and continue for additional rep) or rest-pause (rest for 10-15 seconds and perform as many reps as possible), and is best done with exercises that are safer to fail on, like machines, cables, or bodyweight movements.
By fully exhausting the muscles, you create greater muscle damage, leading to greater hypertrophy.
Benefits of Training Your Lower Chest
Improved Chest Definition And Symmetry: Lower chest exercises help create a well-rounded, balanced chest and develop your pec line.
Builds Pushing Strength And Power: It is useful for other compound movements, such as the bench press and overhead press, and sports like football, basketball, and combat sports.
Injury Prevention And Muscle Balance: A balanced chest reduces strain on the shoulders and triceps. Strengthening the lower chest can prevent muscle imbalances that lead to poor posture and injuries.
Improved Posture: Lower chest workouts help develop a balanced chest, reducing muscular imbalances contributing to poor posture.
FAQs
How Often Should I Train My Lower Chest?
Ideally, you should train your lower chest twice a week.
Generally, increased volume is directly associated with increased hypertrophy. Research finds 4 sets per muscle group to be the minimum effective dose, with increasing returns until reaching 12 to 20 sets. Based on this research, you should aim for 4 to 12 sets of lower chest exercises per week, equating to roughly 2 to 4 exercises [5].
Further research has proven that training a muscle group twice a week is better than training it once, suggesting you would be better to add a couple of lower chest exercises into your upper body day or push/pull workouts rather than do a single lower chest workout per week [6].
How Many Lower Chest Exercises Should I Do?
For hypertrophy, new research found increased volume positively correlated with better progress, up to 12 sets [5]. According to The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), you should do 3-6 sets of 6-12 reps for hypertrophy. Considering this research, you should do 2 to 4 lower chest exercises a week, depending on how many sets and reps of each exercise you do.
Why Do I Feel Dips More in My Shoulders
When done incorrectly, dips can stress the shoulder joint and lead to pain. To avoid pain in your shoulders during dips, keep your shoulders back and down throughout. Bring your knees slightly forward so they are in line with your chest, bring your chin down, and focus on bringing your chest towards your hands. Descend only as far as you can while maintaining good form. This will reduce the stress on the shoulders.
If you struggle with this and still feel dips in your shoulders, use a resistance band to reduce some of the load.
Why Is My Lower Chest Not Growing?
There might be several reasons you’re struggling to grow your lower chest:
You’re Selecting The Wrong Exercises: To target the lower chest specifically, you need to choose exercises that take the arms down and across the chest. These are often performed from a decline position.
You’re Not Lifting Heavy Enough: Muscles need to be put under stress to grow. This creates microscopic tears, which the body subsequently repairs and rebuilds, making the muscle fibers stronger and larger than before. To continue seeing muscle growth, you need to progressively increase the weight you lift, challenging your muscles to adapt and grow even further.
You’re Not Resting Enough. Your muscles need time to repair themselves to grow. Prioritize your rest days and leave at least 48 hours before training the same muscle group.
Make sure you work hard enough during your sessions and leave enough time for recovery between them. During your sessions, employ the mind-muscle connection and focus on form and time under tension for maximum results.
Can You Train Your Lower Chest at Home?
Yes! You can do many bodyweight lower chest exercises at home. These include:
Incline Push-ups: Elevate your hands on a sturdy surface (like a wall, a chair, or a table) to shift the focus to the lower chest.
Pseudo Push-ups: These push-ups require your hands to be closer to the hips beneath the lower chest level, making your lower chest and front shoulders work extra hard during the movement.
Dips: Use two stable chairs or surfaces to perform dips, focusing on a slight forward lean to target the lower chest.
If you have access to dumbbells, you could also perform some dumbbell lower chest exercises (even if you don’t have a bench!):
Decline Dumbbell Bench Press: Lie on your back and bring your hips into a glute bridge position. Then, keeping your glutes squeezed and core engaged, press both dumbbells to the sky, then lower them, and then back down, just as you would for a regular decline dumbbell bench press.
Decline Chest Flies: Come into a glute bridge position, holding the dumbbell in line with your chest, palms facing each other. Slowly lower the dumbbells in an arc, stopping when your arms are almost parallel to the ground and the dumbbells are in line with your chest. Then squeeze your chest to bring the dumbbells back together.
The Only Lower Chest Exercises You Need
Add some decline presses, dips, and targeted flies to your routine, and your lower pecs will get the attention they deserve on chest day.
Balance is everything. Pair these lower chest exercises with upper chest moves to build definition, shape, and size. And as a bonus? You’ll be boosting your pushing power, making gains that’ll show up in your bench press, overhead press, and every lift in between.
So, if you’re ready to get training, download the Gymshark Training App to access the best pec workouts and more, tracking your sets, reps, and weights along the way.
References:
Rodríguez-Ridao, D., Antequera-Vique, J.A., Martín-Fuentes, I. and Muyor, J.M. (2020). Effect of Five Bench Inclinations on the Electromyographic Activity of the Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoid, and Triceps Brachii during the Bench Press Exercise.
Glass, S.C. and Armstrong, T. (2019). Electromyographical Activity of the Pectoralis Muscle... : The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research.
Coratella, G., Tornatore, G., Longo, S., Esposito, F. and Cè, E. (2019). Specific prime movers’ excitation during free-weight bench press variations and chest press machine in competitive bodybuilders.
Snyder, B.J. and Fry, W.R. (2012). Effect of Verbal Instruction on Muscle Activity During the Bench Press Exercise.
Pelland, J.C. et al.(2024). View of The Resistance Training Dose-Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gain.
Schoenfeld, B.J., Ogborn, D. and Krieger, J.W. (2016). Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
