Hey what's up guys, Sean Nalewanyj here, SeanNal.com, BodyTransformationTruth.com, and in this video
I’ll be showing you the two best lower chest exercises that you can use if you do want
to specifically emphasize the lower regions of the pec muscle.
Now keep in mind that any time you perform any basic pressing or fly motion, your entire
pec muscle is going to be activated, and so it’s actually not possible to “isolate”
the lower pecs, but by using the exercises that I’ll be showing you, you can shift
a bit more emphasis there.
Ultimately this is very straightforward and it’s just a matter of modifying the angle
that you perform your pressing and your fly exercises at, and when it comes to the lower
chest you’ll want to put your focus on decline variations.
The lowest fibers of the pec run at upward angles of anywhere from about 30-45 degrees,
and so by using a decline angle you’ll place the line of pull of the resistance at that
same angle which is going to help you recruit the lower areas of the chest to a higher degree.
Now the truth is that for most lifters, trying to specifically build lower chest muscle won’t
really be necessary because it’ll just happen automatically as a result of your overall
chest training plan, but I do get a ton of questions about this, with people asking me
how to hit various areas of the pec and so I did want to cover this in a video regardless.
So, the top 2 exercises to get the most effective lower pec workout possible.
Lower pec exercise #1 is the decline dumbbell press.
Now not only is this the single most effective lower chest exercise there is, but it’s
actually one of the most effective chest exercises just in general and I often put it as the
primary lift in a lot of the chest workouts that I design for people.
A decline barbell press can also be used, but I’m obviously a big fan of the dumbbell
press variations as I’ve talked about many times before, because the range of motion
on the chest is larger, the movement is more natural, and it’s also an iso-lateral lift
so you won’t end up with strength imbalances from side to side.
The proper form here is basically the same as any other standard dumbbell press, except
that you’ll be performing the exercise on a decline bench angled at about 30 degrees
and your legs and feet will be hooked under the pads.
If you want to maximize pec recruitment then make sure to retract your shoulder blades
slightly and to focus on pushing through your elbows rather than your hands.
And you can also take some of the pressure off of your shoulder joints by slightly tucking
your elbows in towards your sides.
And lower pec exercise #2 is a decline cable fly.
A decline dumbbell fly is an option here as well, but cables are superior for fly movements
because of the constant tension that they give you and you should be able to feel a
noticeable difference when you compare the two fly variations.
So after your compound decline pressing exercise, you can finish off your lower pec workout
with an isolated fly exercise to train your chest using a different movement pattern and
to get some additional volume in.
The most practical way to perform a decline cable fly is from a standing position in between
a cable stand like you see here, with the key being that you want to position the cables
high up on the machine and then pull the resistance from a high-to-low angle, because again, that's
going to place the line of pull in line with the direction that the lower pec fibers run.
Make sure to place one foot forward for better balance and stability, keep a slight bend
in your elbows, and then just press the cables in a downward motion as if you were trying
to wrap your arms around a large tree or a column, and you really want to focus on emphasizing
control here, rather than using a fast and explosive motion like you would on your compound
pressing exercises.
And another effective option when it comes todecline flys that you can try out is to
move a decline bench in between the cable stand and then perform the exercise from a
lying position.
This is a pretty uncommon exercise to see but if you can get this setup in place, I
actually prefer this to the standing variation because I find that it helps you get an even
stronger contraction in your pecs.
So, when it comes to a complete lower pec workout that’s really all you're going to
need, a decline dumbbell press and a decline cable fly done standing or laying on a bench.
You can do 3-4 sets per lift, and use 5-7 reps on your presses and 8-10 reps on your
flys.
If you do prefer decline barbell presses for whatever reason then they’re still an acceptable
option or if you just want to add them in as part of your overall plan that’s fine,
and if you only have access to dumbbells then decline dumbbell flys are fine too.
Now some of you might also be wondering about wide-grip dips for training the lower chest,
but as I’ve covered in a previous video I’m really not a big fan of them.
Now I’m sure that statement alone probably just earned this video some dislikes, but
truth is that dips are a very common cause of shoulder and elbow injuries when you go
heavy on themor just when you do them over the long term, and even though they do train
your lower chest, in my opinion I just don’t feel like the risk/reward is worth it since
you can easily maximize your gains just by using regular presses and flys.
And I’ll link the wide grip dip video that I did before in the description box below
if you want to check it out.
So thanks for watching this video, I hope you found these tips helpful.
For more useful training advice along with science-based nutrition and supplementation
tips to maximize your muscle building and your fat burning progress, you can check out
my complete “Body Transformation Blueprint” System over at BodyTransformationTruth.com
by clicking here or using the link in the description box below.
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And you can also check out out my official blog over at SeanNal.com for all of my latest
articles, tips and other updates.
Talk to you again soon.