The guiding principle behind most weight-room training programs is to build strength and size. Focused strategies are essential to making the most of your time and energy. This will make it difficult to achieve the results you want. This is why many training programs focus on specific muscle groups and not randomly assign exercises. Focusing on your chest will help you achieve your goal of building a strong, muscular chest.
However, you have to be careful about how specific your training is. Many men want to have more chest muscles. They will target different muscle groups, often splitting the chest into lower, inner and upper sections.
Let’s focus on the last category, the lower chest. Perhaps you want to tighten a weak spot in your lower chest, or you want to ensure that all muscles are being focused on equally. Your efforts to train only your lower chest area are futile.
Is it possible to train your lower chest?
Yes, it is possible to train your lower chest, but not as easily as other muscles like your biceps. There won’t be one exercise that targets that specific muscle group as curls for your arms. Because of the overall musculature, your lower chest will be different.
You won’t succeed if you want to tone your lower chest to lose fat. Spot reduction is a myth. You can’t “burn” extra fat by focusing on one area of your body.
You can train your chest muscles together. To give your lower chest muscles a different stimulation, you can adjust the angles of some of these exercises. However, unless you are a serious bodybuilder or a professional athlete, it will be more beneficial to work on building up all the muscle groups.
To increase your chest strength and size, keep this in mind.
Exercises to Strengthen Your Lower Chest
Your pecs make up a large part of your chest, specifically your pectoralis major or minor. Although the pec major is often viewed as having these three areas, it doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s not a lower chest muscle waiting for the right move. You’ll be able to engage your entire muscle group with chest exercises, and you can also train the rest of your pectorals while you work on the lower part.
Pushup
This classic allows you to train your chest with your body weight. Do not rush through the reps. Instead, focus on your core and glutes and increase your time under tension by emphasizing eccentric (or lowering) portions of the movement.
Dumbbell Floor Press
Although the barbell bench press is the most popular chest exercise, you should include other options, such as the floor press, in your routine. By reducing the range, you’ll be able to give your shoulders some rest. Additionally, starting each rep at a dead stop will increase your pressing power and help you lock out at the finish.
Cable Fly
Many fly variations will test your chest to do horizontal adduction of your arm. You can use a cable machine, bands, or a cross-over cable machine to do this exercise. Instead, concentrate on tightening your chest at each rep.
Stance Change Cable Fly
To get the most out of this movement, you should be able to work from the ground in a kneeling position. This requires that your cable machine or exercise ball is at least shoulder height. You will be challenged more by your core, and the anti-rotation challenge it brings.
T-Bench Glute Bridge Fly
Fly variations take a cue from dumbbell floor presses by restricting your range of motion. This protects your shoulders and allows for heavier weight. You can also challenge your core and legs by using the glute bridge position.
