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The 8 Best Exercises for Defined Lower Pecs

Raise the bar with your training.

Check out the best exercises for defined lower pecs and add them into your training.

These training tips and movements have been chosen and explained by Jeff Cavaliere.

Best Exercises for Defined Lower Pecs

“The lower chest line is something that many guys struggle to develop.  In this video, I’m going to show you how to get defined lower pecs by hitting the bottom most portion of your pec muscles with the right exercise selection.  In fact, I’m breaking out 8 exercises that will help you to hit your lower chest more effectively than ever before.”

Classic Decline Bench Press

“I start by showing you the classic decline bench press and explain why this exercise is a little better at developing your lower pecs than the flat or incline variation.  It all has to do with the position of your arms in relation to your torso when doing the movement.  You will see that when you sit up after finishing a set of decline bench press that your arms are not angled perpendicular to your body but downward.”

Best Exercises for Defined Lower PecsSource: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

The Anatomy of the Chest

“The anatomy of the chest explains why this is the preferred angle for attacking the bottom of your chest.  The pectoralis major is broken up into two main sections (the clavicular or upper and the sternal or lower).  In the sternal area of your chest however you have an additional head of the pecs called the abdominal head.  This is the lowermost portion of the pecs and angle from bottom to top heading towards your humerus.”

Chest Fibres

“If you follow the fibres and train in the same plane as these lower chest fibres then you will more effectively allow them to be activated and recruited during your chest exercises.  Knowing this, we can select chest movements that are better able to hit this lower chest than what you might currently be doing.  If your chest workouts consist of simply dips or decline bench press to hit your lower pecs or worse, you avoid these exercises all together, then you are going to benefit from trying some of these out.”

The Classic Dip

“First, we revisit the classic dip exercise (which is again a great way to hit the lower chest) and make it even better by including a plus push at the end of every rep.  This extra scapular protraction allows you to hit the serratus anterior muscle as well, which ties in perfectly with the function of the chest and helps to stablize your shoulder during the exercise as well.”

Straight Bar Dip

“Next, we can do a straight bar dip to hit the bottom pecs.  Because you have to angle your entire body more forward during this exercise to keep yourself balanced over the bar, you automatically wind up placing your arms in the proper position to effectively target the lower chest more.  The additional internal rotation of the arms during the exercise helps to get a better contraction on the chest at the top of every rep.”

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc

D2 Flexion Pattern / Kneeling Cable Crossover

“From here, you can get more adduction into the exercises you are doing for your lower chest by performing either the D2 flexion pattern with a band or the kneeling x crossovers.  Both of these allow you to train with either one arm at a time or both and help you to build a better mind muscle connection with the working muscles.  This carries over to help you get better muscle development and a defined lower chest in the long run.”

The Rest of the Exercises

“There are many other exercises that I show for getting a sculpted lower chest including some home options that don’t require any equipment at all.  The bottom line is, if you want to work the bottom of your chest and want to get rid of flat or saggy pecs then you have to start selecting the right exercises for this area.”

“Here I have shown you 8 exercises but you don’t have to do them all.  Pick a couple and add them to your chest training and you will see a difference in no time.”

Video – Best Exercises for Defined Lower Pecs

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Muscles of the Chest

The chest is a large, muscular area of the body that lies on the anterior surface of the rib cage. It extends from the suprasternal notch to the xiphoid process and contains eight ribs.

The sternum or breastbone extends downward from just below the neck to between the fifth and sixth ribs. The internal intercostals muscles lie between each pair of ribs as well as between each rib and its neighbours above and below; these muscles are arranged so that they aid in respiration by enlarging or narrowing parts of their cavities during inhalation or exhalation respectively.

Best Exercises for Defined Lower Pecs – Serratus Anterior

The serratus anterior muscle is located on the side of your ribcage, and it inserts into your upper arm. This muscle helps you lift your shoulders and move them forward, as well as rotate them inward. When you’re lifting weights or doing pushups, this muscle is at work! It’s also involved in breathing deeply (by helping to expand your chest).

Best Exercises for Defined Lower Pecs – Pectoralis Major and Pectoralis Minor

The pectoralis major and pectoralis minor are small but incredibly important muscles that attach to the front of the humerus and sternum (breastbone), respectively. They’re responsible for moving your arm forward and down.

The pecs also pull your arms back when you flex them, as you do when doing a pushup.

Best Exercises for Defined Lower Pecs – Subclavius

The subclavius muscle is located beneath the clavicle, or collarbone. The subclavius moves the clavicle downwards and forward towards the sternum. It also moves with other muscles to pull your shoulder blade forward when you raise your arm.

Coracoclavicular (conoid and trapezoid) Ligaments

The coracoclavicular (conoid and trapezoid) ligaments connect the clavicle to the coracoid process of the scapula. The conoid ligament is a continuation of the trapezoid ligament, which attaches to the tip of the acromion and forms a sling with these two structures. This sling acts to stabilize your shoulder joint as it helps support some weight from your arm.

Conclusion – Best Exercises for Defined Lower Pecs

We have done an overview of the muscles in the chest. We also looked at their origin and insertion points, as well as their action. It is important to know this information so that when training we can work on specific areas of our body and make sure everything is working correctly!

Use the exercises above to build your lower chest.

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