From the triceps and upper back to the deltoids and lower chest, these muscles are actively engaged in this exercise. It integrates a unique arm position to force the muscles https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/what-physical-activity-fitness to work harder to maintain balance during the exercise’s movement. This exercise integrates both forms of the planche and the push-up to better emphasize muscular engagement. While some consider the dumbbell pullover an excellent chest exercise with dumbbells, many lifters don’t feel strong pec activation.
Cross-Body Standing Dumbbell Flye: Lacks Benefits for the Chest
It is important to avoid training the same muscle groups multiple days in a row because muscles need time to recover after a hard workout. To perform the dumbbell squeeze press, lie on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand. Start with your arms extended above your chest, palms facing each other, and the dumbbells touching. Slowly lower the dumbbells towards your chest, keeping them squeezed together throughout the movement. Pause at the bottom of the movement, then press the dumbbells back up to the starting position.

Full-Body Strength Training
Doing push-ups daily is not recommended as the muscles need time to rest and recover to grow stronger. If the muscles are in a weakened state because they haven’t been given the appropriate recovery time, injury risk increases. It is possible to grow the lower chest with just push-ups, but other factors can affect progress. Progressive overload and nutrition both play prominent roles in promoting continuous growth by stimulating the muscles and encouraging hypertrophy.
UPPER CHEST FIBERS (CLAVICULAR HEADS)
This is integral to optimize the benefits you receive – such muscle growth and strength increase. If you’re doing your lower chest workout at home, our next exercise is an Incline Twisting Pushup. You can do this body weight exercise to train lower chest at home using a piece of furniture or a counter top. First up is the dip, one of the classic exercises found in all good lower chest workouts. You don’t have to do every single one of these exercises in one long lower chest workout. Just pick a couple based on what equipment you have available to you and add them into your regular chest day workout.
Deeper And Improved Breathing
- Perform two to three sets of eight to ten reps, using moderate weights to fully engage the lower chest.
- Parallel-bar dips require a significant amount of upper body strength.
- An important part of the chest’s range of motion is also toward and across the midline.
- Bringing the bar fully down engages the chest deeply, and it’s easy to add weight progressively.
- The dumbbell bench press trains your pecs similarly to the barbell bench press, making it one of the most effective lower chest dumbbell exercises you can do.
- People who want to develop their lower chest muscles can try a range of exercises to strengthen the pectoral muscles.
If you don’t need a brief anatomy lesson on your pectoral muscles, skip to the next section, which gets right into the best lower chest exercises. If you’re still unsure what exercises are the best for you to build your lower chest muscles, head back to the top of this guide and check out our suggestions. Lower chest exercises help you to focus on the pectoralis minor muscle located close to your sternum. Chest dips are perfect for chest-focused workouts and strength training routines and can be included 2-3 times per week. The downward angle of the bench makes the dumbbell flyes ideal for activating lower chest muscles nearer the sternum. As well as relieving pressure on your shoulder joints, the decline dumbbell press with rotation also works additional muscles in the chest.
Benefits of Training Your Lower Chest
It serves as an excellent substitute for traditional bodyweight dips, offering a similar range of motion and muscle engagement but with the added benefit of adjustable resistance. Incorporating the decline cable press into your routine is sure to help you achieve your lower chest goals. If you are now feeling inspired to incorporate the flat bench press into your training but weighing up if the barbell or dumbbell will be better, Gonzalez weighs in. In the barbell vs dumbbell debate, both bench presses have their own benefits. Barbells offer greater stability, and allow you to lift more weight compared to mad muscle review dumbbells. While many people assume that decline presses are one of the best exercises for building the lower chest, the flat bench press offers superior overall benefits for building your chest.
) STANDING CABLE LC PRESS
It fits nicely into a chest-based routine or as part of a full-body session. He https://www.trustpilot.com/review/madmuscles.com has been a contributor for several health and fitness publications, including WealthyGorilla.com, MuscleAndBrawn.com. Here is an example workout for you to try that will allow you to put a collection of the exercises contained in this article to good use. For best results, Gonzales says to set the cables high, grab the handles, and step forward with a staggered stance. Start with arms parallel to the floor and a slight bend in your elbows. Pull the handles down to meet near your waist, keeping your torso upright.
Best lower chest exercises to add to your routine
Although plyometric push-ups build explosive strength, they fall short for muscle hypertrophy due to a lack of sustained tension. Explosive tempos on loaded movements like the bench press are more effective for growth, leaving these in the D tier for hypertrophy goals. The bench press is a staple chest exercise for men and women alike, delivering high tension and effective overload. Bringing the bar fully down engages the chest deeply, and it’s easy to add weight progressively. However, some may experience shoulder strain, especially when lifting too heavy.
Costal head
These features of isolation exercises tend to allow an individual to target specific muscles more readily, with less fatigue being generated from training. [7] Together, this makes isolation exercises like dumbbell flyes a great movement to include when muscle size is the goal. Building a strong, defined chest doesn’t require heavy weights or fancy machines—you can achieve an incredible pump with just your bodyweight.
Get Your FREE Body Transformation Guide
The two muscles that make up the chest are the pectoralis major and minor. You can still get a great lower chest workout with nothing but a pair of dumbbells and a few square feet of floor space. Shoulder-friendly – bench presses and dips are notoriously hard on your shoulders and often cause shoulder pain. That’s because they lock your hands into a fixed position, which puts unnatural stress on your joints.