ᐅ Best lower chest workout - Advanced Lower Chest, Back, Biceps, Triceps, And Forearm Exercises

Making lower chest workouts more successful. All important exercises ✓ Expert tips ✓ Training plans ✓ Effective way to train your chest!

Chest training is very popular with many strength athletes. The bench press is probably the most common exercise in the gym. But few know what the lower chest workout is.

The low chest muscle, also called the pectoralis major muscle, consists of a total of three sections. In addition to the upper and middle chest, there is the lower chest, the anatomy, and the lower chest workout of which we have summarized for you in this article.

Best lower chest workout - Advanced Lower Chest, Back, Biceps, Triceps, And Forearm Exercises
lower chest muscle

With a wide chest – train your lower pectoral muscles

Lower chest workout is one of the most important disciplines for advanced and professional athletes in order to shape a well-shaped upper body. In addition to the upper chest muscles, the lower chest muscles offer a demarcation from the abdominal muscles, form a sporty profile, and create a certain resistance to injury in the arms and shoulders. So it is worthwhile to train the lower pectoral muscles for a number of reasons.

Lower chest workout – how is the lower pectoral muscle targeted?

There are many lower chest workouts, including classics from strength training as well as exercises with your own body weight and athletic disciplines such as calisthenics. In principle, the lower chest muscles are focused during training with a downward push, for example, with dips or negative bench presses. Even in certain types of pull-ups and especially in the muscle-up, stable lower chest muscles are promoted and required.

Basically, the lower pectoral muscle should be built primarily for mass and less for definition. In training, therefore, exercises with more weight and fewer repetitions are more likely to be chosen.

A good benchmark for this is eight repetitions in three to four sets. The load should be selected so high that the eight repetitions can still be performed technically clean, but there is not much room left. When it comes to rest days and regeneration time, it is important to note that the lower chest muscles are also exposed to stress during exercises that are not aimed specifically at the lower chest area. Even regular bench presses on the straight bench also challenge the lower chest muscles.

To protect the shoulders – a lower chest workout not only provides more adduction and better push with the barbell but also protects the shoulders. Because the lower pectoral muscle controls the lateral, vertical, and rotating movements of the arm, it can take a lot of load off the shoulders. This not only prevents injuries in the capsule and cuff but also improves balance.

A lower chest workout is not just a man’s job

Women in particular often shy away from pectoral muscle training for fear that the natural, feminine shape of the breast will disappear. However, that is an unfounded concern. Any man who wants an aesthetic, muscular chest will be able to confirm how much effort and discipline it takes. Regular, moderate lower chest workout will not allow men or women to achieve the body shape of a bodybuilder or competitive gymnast.

That is why women should neither underestimate nor omit the training of the lower chest out of false concern, on the contrary: By strengthening the muscle tissue, the entire chest tightens, and above all, this ensures better posture. The reduction in cup size, which is often feared by women, is a result of a very low body fat percentage as athletes have job-related. The breasts are not “trained smaller”.

This is how long it takes to train your lower chest muscles between your workout and the results
In any case, several weeks will pass before the first results of a targeted training plan are shown. The training status at the beginning of the workout is decisive, but also factors such as the type of muscle build-up (mesomorphic, endomorphic, or ectomorphic).

Unlike muscle groups that are rarely used in everyday life, such as the triceps, pectoral muscles and lower chest muscles are among the muscle groups that we subject to constant stress in everyday life. So nobody starts from scratch – in practice, this ensures that even untrained people only get the first results after a few weeks.

In fact, a special lower chest workout is only really necessary in the rarest of cases when starting training. Men in particular who are of the opinion that their lower breasts are not properly defined often complain of a general lack of muscle mass. Only with a little practice, experience and a generally better muscle tone can you really determine whether the lower chest is a weak point that needs to be addressed more than other muscle groups through targeted exercises.

A lower chest workout should also be part of the training plan because this form of workout provides an overall more balanced chest workout. The lower chest cannot be completely isolated from the upper pectoral muscle, anyway.

Aesthetics – lower chest workout is expressed aesthetically in the round and well-shaped chest, in the definition of the upper torso, and in a clear demarcation from the abdominal muscles. Whether with a flat stomach or with strong, protruding abdominal muscles, a strong lower chest optically erects the upper body, looks athletic, and looks, especially from the side, like a strong hero’s chest.

Here are 8 of the best lower chest workout from our pick:

1. Pullover – lower chest workout

Trained muscle groups
Trained muscle groups

Required equipment:   Dumbbell & flat bench

Level of difficulty:   medium

Targeted muscles:

  • Anterior saw muscle (serratus anterior muscle)
  • Pectoralis major muscle
  • Broad back muscle (musculus latissimus dorsi)
  • Triceps (musculus triceps brachii)

Alternative name:  Dumbbell pullover

The dumbbell pull-over is less common in the gym. Wrong, because the exercise is an insider tip for training the front saw muscle. The saw muscle runs between the ribs below the chest muscles and gives your upper body an ideally athletic shape. In addition, the covers are very suitable for training the lats and chest muscles.

Pull Over- Here’s how!

  • Lie on your back flat on the weight bench and place your feet on the floor to stabilize your body. Your knee joints are at a 90-degree angle.
  • Tense your abdominal muscles and stretch your arms straight up with the dumbbell. Grasp the weight plate with the fingers of both hands and secure the weight by grasping the bar with your thumbs.
  • From this position, slowly move your stretched arms back over your head. Carry out the movement as far as the mobility of your shoulder joints allows.
  • Hold the position for 1-2 seconds and slowly bring your arms back up until they are almost vertical. Then start the next repetition.

Breathing Tips:

Inhalation: While discharges the dumbbell back.

Exhale: As you push the dumbbell up.

Important in the execution

Tips for optimal execution

In order to be able to use the pull-over as an exercise for the saw muscle optimally, you have to pay attention to slow and controlled execution, as the tension in the saw muscle builds up only slowly. 2-3 seconds each for lowering and pressing up are ideal. In addition, the more you lower your arms back, the more effective the exercise will be.

If you don’t have a training partner to hand you the dumbbell, there are other ways you can help yourself. To do this, place a second training bench to the right of the head section of the weight bench and place the dumbbell upright on the cushion. Now lie down on the weight bench as described above and grab the dumbbell below the upper weight plate as described above. Then bring the dumbbell to the starting position.

To prevent you from accidentally lowering the dumbbell too low and thus risking injuries, you can place one or more thick weight plates under the head section of the weight bench.

Common mistakes

Be careful not to bend your elbows while doing the exercise to help you manage the weight. Otherwise, not only does the overall load decrease, but also the load on the saw muscle. Instead, the triceps are trained more intensely.

So your arms should stay stretched throughout the sequence of movements. There is only a minimal angle between the upper and lower arm, which relieves the joints.

Modifications of the exercise

Covering with the barbell

Take a barbell in a tight overhand grip so that your hands are about 20 centimeters apart. Then lie down with your back on the weight bench and put your feet up to stabilize your upper body. The barbell is on your outstretched arms at the level of your hips.

Then stretch your arms with the dumbbell vertically upwards. From this starting position, lower your arms as far as the mobility of your shoulders allows. Hold the position briefly and bring your arms back upright.

2. Negative bench press – lower chest workout

Trained muscle groups
Required equipment:   Negative bench, barbell


Level of difficulty: 
low

Targeted muscles:

  • Pectoralis major muscle
  • Triceps (musculus triceps brachii)
  • Anterior saw muscle (serratus anterior muscle)
  • Deltoid muscle (musculus deltoideus)

Alternative name:  Decline Barbell Bench Press

The negative bench press is a very effective lower chest workout that also trains the triceps in particular and stresses the lower chest (also: musculus pectoralis major). A direct comparison of the negative bench press versus the flat bench press makes little sense with regard to the effectivity muscle building. However, in order to perform the exercise on the negative bench as effectively as possible, you should pay attention to the technique.

Negative Bench Press – Here’s How!

  • First, sit on the negative bench and fix your lower legs in the cushions provided. Then lay your upper body on the back padding so that the barbell is roughly at neck level.
  • Grasp the barbell a little more than shoulder-width in the overhand grip and tense your abdominal muscles. Make sure your wrists are under the barbell and not kinked.
  • Push the dumbbell out of its holder and push it across your chest. Slowly lower the weight. Make sure that you bring the dumbbell down exactly vertically. Your elbows remain stable and must not move up or down.
  • Stop the movement as soon as the bar is just above your chest. Hold the position briefly and push the dumbbell straight up again. To protect your elbow joints, you shouldn’t stretch your arms all the way.

Breathing Tips:

Inhale:  Take three deep breaths before each set. Then breathe in on each repetition as you lower the barbell.

Exhale:  Exhale as you push the barbell up. But avoid press breathing.

Important in the execution

Tips for optimal execution

In order to train all muscle groups as effectively as possible when doing the negative bench press, you can pull your shoulder blades together and stretch your chest out.

This increases the range of motion of the chest muscles and thus the muscle tension in the chest.

Common mistakes

Avoid the uncontrolled bouncing of the barbell from the chest, which makes it easier to push up through the resulting momentum. In addition, the repeated indentation of the chest can also lead to injuries to the internal organs.

Another common mistake is the use of the so-called monkey grip, in which the bar is not additionally enclosed with the thumb. This can cause the bar to slip away and injure you during your lower chest workout.

So use the upper grip, because this is not only safer but also has no disadvantages compared to the monkey grip in terms of the effectiveness of the exercise.

Modifications of the exercise

Negative bench press on the multi-press

If your fitness studio has a mobile negative bench, you can also do the negative bench press on the multi-press by simply placing the bench in the middle underneath. The decisive advantage is that you can do the negative bench press without a training partner to absolute muscle failure without increasing your risk of injury.

3. Bench press – lower chest workout

Trained muscle groups

Required equipment:  Flat bench, barbell

Difficulty level:  heavy

Target muscles:

  • Pectoralis major muscle
  • Triceps (triceps brachii muscle)
  • Front part of the deltoid muscle (musculus deltoideus pars clavicularis)
  • Knortle muscle (musculus anconeus)
  • Anterior saw muscle (serratus anterior muscle)

 

Alternative name:  Bench press

The bench press, together with the squat and the deadlift, is one of the three royal exercises of strength sports and is accordingly very popular with both beginners and advanced users.

However, the exercise is much more demanding than it appears from the outside. In any case, you should internalize the technique 100 percent in order to be able to really integrate the bench press into your lower chest workout.

Bench press – how it works!

  • First, position yourself on the flat bench so that you are comfortably lying on your back and the barbell is at eye level.
  • Then place your feet at a slight angle next to the weight bench, so that a right angle is created between the upper and lower legs.
  • Now grasp the dumbbell bar shoulder-width apart in the overhand grip so that your palms are facing away from you and your thumbs enclose the bar.
  • A smooth ring in the area of the knurling of the handle serves as a guide for the optimal grip width on the standardized Olympic poles. Ideally, your ring finger should be exactly on this ring.
  • Take three deep breaths, push the barbell out of its holder, and slowly lower it in a gentle arching motion towards your sternum.
  • Stop the movement just before the barbell touches your sternum.
  • Now push the weight up in a controlled manner.
  • You shouldn’t push your arms all the way down, as this puts strain on the elbow joints and works the triceps instead of the chest muscles.
  • Then do the next repetition.

Breathing Tips:

Inhalation:  During the descent

Exhale:  While pushing up the weight

Important when bench press

Learning the right technique doesn’t take days or weeks, but months. So, at least in the first few weeks, have your execution checked by an expert trainer.

Tips for optimal execution

Avoid the variant in which your legs are bent on the training bench. This is significantly less stable and not only limits your performance but also harbors a not inconsiderable risk of injury.

Many exercisers report that when they bench press, they mostly feel the shoulders and triceps, but not the chest. If you feel the same way, you should make a conscious effort to pull your shoulder blades together before each new sentence, as if you were trying to hold a banknote with them.

This small but decisive adjustment means that the shoulder muscles in particular intervene much less strongly and the chest muscles have to intervene much earlier and more strongly.

Especially when you put heavy weights on, you should look for a helper who can intervene in the event that you lose your strength. If this is not possible, you can also use the squat rack. After all, nothing is more uncomfortable than not getting the heavily loaded bar off your chest.

For the optimal load on the target muscles as well as the protection of your shoulder joints, you absolutely have to pay attention to the position of your arms. Make sure that at the end of the eccentric movement phase your elbows are at the level of your belly button and therefore always close to your upper body.

If these are at the level of the breastbone or even the shoulders, the shoulder muscles take on a large part of the load, which opens the door to joint injuries due to the unnatural loading angle. You may find the correct posture easier if you imagine trying to bend the bar forward with all your might.

The squat rack is a kind of steel cage with barbell racks and safety struts that can be locked at different heights on which the weight can be placed. Training with heavy weights is therefore safely possible even without a training partner.

Common mistakes

There are several common sources of error in the bench press due to the complexity of the exercise. The first very dangerous mistake lurks even before you have even completed the first repetition:

Powerlifters in particular swear by the so-called monkey grip, in which the thumb does not encircle the bar. But be careful: This method is only suitable for professionals because there is a risk that the bar will slip out of your grip! You can surely imagine what injuries this can lead to in the worst case. So leave it with the classic overhand grip. After all, you neither want to set a world record nor do you have the appropriate safeguards in the form of three strong helpers, as is customary in powerlifting.

The next common mistake is what is known as dripping. This means the swinging lowering of the barbell so that it is cushioned by the breastbone and can be pushed upwards more easily with the help of the counter-swing. On the one hand, this can also lead to injuries, on the other hand, by using the swing, you also reduce the effectiveness of the training.

Finally, the biggest mistake should be pointed out again: The bench press is not primarily about the severity of the weight being moved, but above all about proper technique. Avoid trying to impress someone with heavy weights if you can not yet lift them cleanly, but crooked your back. Wrong training can cause permanent damage to your body! So initially concentrate exclusively on the technology. You will notice: The training weight comes naturally over time.

Modification of the exercise

Bench press under the grip

From a technical point of view, the bench press in underhand grip works just like the classic variant. The only difference is the grip, where the palms point towards you, and the thumbs also encircle the bar.

By grasping the barbell under your grip and thus shifting the loading angle by rotating your forearm, the lower chest workout focus is placed on the long triceps head and the upper area of ​​the chest muscles.

4. Pushups – lower chest workout

 

Trained muscle groups

Required equipment:

Push-up handles, exercise mat (optional)

Level of difficulty:  medium

Targeted muscles:

  • Pectoralis major muscle
  • Triceps (musculus triceps brachii)
  • Front part of the deltoid muscle (musculus deltoideus pars clavicularis)
  • Knortle muscle (musculus anconeus) Anterior saw muscle (musculus serratus anterior)

 

Alternative name:  Push-ups

Push-ups are there by far the most popular fitness exercises and are therefore often integrated into fitness programs. Push-ups are mainly used to work your chest. However, the shoulders and triceps are also trained. A big advantage is that you don’t need any equipment and you can do it anywhere.

However, in order to train the muscles effectively, you first have to learn how to do the push-ups correctly. There is no point in setting a world record in doing push-ups if you do not train your muscles properly and risk injuries.

Pushups – that’s how it works!

  • First, kneel on the floor and then support your hands a little more than shoulder-width in front of you on the floor. Your fingers point straight forward.
  • Then stretch your legs straight back and stand on tiptoe so that your body forms a straight line from the heels over the legs, back, and head. Make sure your hands are under your chest.
  • Sink your body, now slow down until your nose almost touches the ground. Make sure that your elbows stay in position and do not turn outwards during the execution.
  • Pressures you after slowly back up until your arms almost completely by stretching and start another iteration.
  • Especially when high pressures, it is important that you put your body tension by tightening the abdominal and butt muscles. This is the only way to train the muscles as effectively as possible.

Breathing Tips:

Inhalation:  While lowering the body

Exhale:  As you push your body up, slowly but vigorously

Important for pushups

Tips for optimal execution

In order to be able to work out pushups effectively, it is important that you go down as deep as possible. But since many trainees, while problems with the wrists have, it makes sense if you push-ups on fists or with the help of push-up grips ausführst.

This has the advantage that you can train symptom-free through the position of your wrists. Another advantage of this push-up training is that you can go down even deeper while doing it, as the training on your fists or with the help of the handles increases the starting position. Due to the higher utilization of the muscle fibers in the chest, the irritation potential of push-ups for muscle building increases.

Common mistakes

By far the most common mistake is the incomplete execution of the push-ups. As a result, the exercise cannot optimally develop its effectiveness for muscle building. Because of this, it is often mistakenly assumed that the exercise is generally not effective for a lower chest workout.

So with each repetition, make sure that you lower your upper body until your nose almost touches the floor. Relevant smartphone apps, in which each repetition is only counted as valid when you touch the display with your nose, can help you with this.

The second major faux pas is in too fast execution, which also ineffective since you train not only too hasty but also tend not deep enough to go down. Remember that both the eccentric and the concentric movement phase should each last at least 2 seconds.

Another mistake is pushing the arms fully through at the end of the concentric movement phase. To your joints to relieve and prevent injuries, you should always have a minimum angle between the upper and lower arm maintained.

Modifications of the push-ups

Push-ups on medicine balls

You can make the push-ups a little more challenging by doing them on medicine balls. To do this, you take two small medicine balls and support your hands on them. You position your feet a little higher on a stool or chair to compensate for the difference in height.

However, the technique remains the same for the implementation. The advantage of this variant is the additional activation of the stabilizing auxiliary muscles, which is due to the instability of the medicine balls.

Push-ups with additional weight

If classic push-ups are too easy for you, you can increase the level of difficulty by using additional weights, The best way to do this is with a weight vest, as the additional weight is best distributed over the body and ensures a stable posture. Alternatively, you can increase the training stimulus by positioning your feet on a chair. This shifts the center of gravity so that your chest muscles have to do more.

Separate articles are dedicated to other alternatives such as tight push-ups, women’s push-ups, and one-armed push-ups.

5. Women pushups – lower chest workout

Trained muscle groups

Required equipment:  Exercise mat (optional)

Difficulty level:  light

Target muscles:

  • Pectoralis major muscle
  • Triceps (musculus triceps brachii)
  • Front part of the deltoid muscle (musculus deltoideus pars clavicularis)
  • Knortle muscle (musculus anconeus)
  • Anterior saw muscle (serratus anterior muscle)

Alternative name:  Push-ups on your knees

The so-called women’s push-up is a variant of the classic push-up that is performed on the knees. The name is of course misleading because the exercise is no more reserved exclusively for women than the conventional push-up is for men.

The big advantage is that the execution on the knees requires less force and it makes it easier for you to build up a solid basic strength in the upper body. Women’s push-ups are therefore the ideal preparation for performing “real” push-ups.

Women’s pushups – this is how it works!

  • Kneel on the floor and support yourself with your hands. Your hands are a little more than shoulder width apart and are under your chest. Your palms are facing forward.
  • Now push your upper body forward until your thighs, back and head form a straight line.
  • Advanced practitioners can lift their feet and keep them there throughout the exercise.
  • Then lower your upper body down by bending your elbow joints. Make sure that your arms do not rotate further outwards as you perform the exercise.
  • Bend your upper body down until the tip of your nose almost touches the floor, hold this position briefly and then push yourself up again without pushing your arms through.

Breathing Tips:

Inhalation:  When lowering the upper body

Exhale:  While pushing up

Important for women’s push-ups

Tips for optimal execution

To do the women’s push-ups properly, you need to be slow and focused. This is the only way to train your muscles effectively. It is ideal if you plan at least two seconds for both the eccentric and the concentric movement phase.

In combination with a number of repetitions, which should be in the range of 15-20, you can improve the interaction of the muscles involved and thus increase your functional strength.

Common mistakes

Probably the most common mistake that can be observed when performing women’s push-ups is a poor posture of the back. Many exercisers tend to arch their backs or hunch their backs, which reduces the training load and thus the effectiveness of the training. So always make sure that your back stays straight. You can do this by additionally tensing your stomach.

Modifications of the exercise

Women’s push-ups (simplified version)

You can make the exercise a little easier by keeping your feet on the floor during the exercise and not lifting them up, as in the basic variant. However, the technique remains the same, which is why this is a good opportunity for absolute beginners to get used to the sequence of movements.

6. Butterfly exercise – lower chest workout

Trained muscle groups

Required equipment:  Butterfly device. Cable pull or dumbbells

Level of difficulty:  low to medium

Targeted muscles:

  • Pectoralis major muscle
  • Front part of the deltoid muscle (musculus deltoidus pars clavicularis)

Alternative name:  Flying, Chest Fly, Butterfly on the cable pull

Even if the focus of chest muscle training is more on exercises like the bench press, it is often isolation exercises that give your chest the finishing touches. The butterfly exercise is one of the classics for the chest muscles and is characterized by its particular efficiency,

The great advantage of the exercise, which is performed either on a device, on a cable pull or with two dumbbells, is that the chest is largely isolated and the available range of motion is fully used. This allows you to push the last muscle fiber that has not been sufficiently stimulated by the bench press to its limits.

Butterfly exercise – this is how it works!

  • Adjust the seat height so that you can hold the handles of the device at a height where your arms are exactly parallel to the floor and thus form an exact line with your chest muscles.
  • Sit straight on the device, press your buttocks and back firmly into the cushion of the backrest and grab the handles of the butterfly machine; keep a slight angle in the elbow joint.
  • Stabilize your body with your legs on the floor and slowly bring your arms together in front of your chest.
  • As soon as your hands' touch, hold the position for a second or two.
  • Then slowly spread your arms apart again.

Breathing Tips:

Inhale:  As your arms slowly separate

Exhale:  while bringing your arms together in front of your chest

Important for the butterfly exercise

Tips for optimal execution

So that your chest muscles really benefit from this exercise, avoid supporting the sequence of movements with the triceps and thus distorting it. This exercise shouldn’t work the triceps, For an optimal load pattern, the aforementioned minimum angle in the elbow joint must be maintained throughout the entire process. If you can’t do this, you should reduce your training weight,

In order to have tension on the chest muscles right from the start, it helps if you pull your shoulder blades together and stretch your chest out before starting the exercise, Hold this position until the last repetition of the set.

Common mistakes

In addition to the fully stretched arms, which is very bad for the joints, the most common mistake, as is so often the case, is to help with the upper body and gain momentum, Avoid this mistake by actively making sure that your back is stuck to the backrest throughout the set.

Modifications of the butterfly exercise

Butterfly exercise on the cable pulley

The advantage of the execution on the cable pull is that you enjoy more freedom of movement, as the mechanics of the butterfly machine do not restrict you. This allows you to train your chest muscles even more precisely, especially since you can regulate the local muscle tension much better.

The sequence of movements is exactly the same, which means that all of the rules mentioned above also apply. However, it is important that you adjust the cable pull exactly to your height. To do this, lock the pulleys so that your arms are parallel to the floor when you hold the grips with your arms outstretched.

Butterfly exercise with dumbbells

Take two dumbbells in an overhand grip and lie down with your back on a flat bench. Now stretch both arms vertically upwards and hold both dumbbells parallel in the hammer grip next to each other. Now, with your elbows slightly bent, lower the dumbbells as far as you can.

Then bring it back up so that your hands almost meet in front of your chest. The advantage of this modification lies in the maximum freedom of movement that you enjoy by using the dumbbells.

7. Dumbbell Bench Press – lower chest workout

Trained muscle groups

Required equipment:  Flat bench, dumbbells

Level of difficulty:  medium

Targeted muscles:

  • Anconeus muscle (musculus anconeus)
  • Triceps (musculus triceps brachii)
  • Pectoralis major muscle
  • Front part of the deltoid muscle (musculus deltoideus pars clavicularis)
  • Anterior saw muscle (serratus anterior muscle)

 

Alternative name:  Dumbell, Bench Press

Contrary to popular belief, in a direct comparison of the dumbbell bench press vs. the barbell bench press, this exercise is the more effective and at the same time safer exercise for the chest muscles.

This is mainly due to the fact that you can move each arm separately and your wrists are also in a natural position. This makes it much easier to exercise ergonomically and to relieve the ligaments, tendons and joints.

With this extended range of motion, you can significantly reduce the weight of the dumbbell bench press and still achieve the same results as with the barbell bench press. Incidentally, this also works without a training partner, because if you should ever lose your strength, you can simply drop the dumbbells in an emergency.

Dumbbell Bench Press – Here’s How

  • Take two dumbbells in a neutral hammer grip and sit at the foot of the flat bench.
  • Place your legs slightly outward to the right and left of the bench and position the dumbbells upright on your knees. The weight plates rest on your muscles.
  • Now lean back and pull your knees at the same time so that they follow the movement of your upper body and the dumbbells are lifted up.
  • During this movement, you stabilize the dumbbells with your arms and bring them to the starting position at the level of your chest.
  • At the same time, set up your legs to the side of the bench to provide additional stability.
  • In this starting position, your upper arms are rotated almost 90 degrees outwards so that your elbows are just below the shoulder joint.
  • Make sure that your elbows are not at the same height as the shoulder joint, as this would put an unnatural strain on the shoulder.
  • Your forearms are in a vertical position and your wrists are rotated inwards by about 45 degrees, as this gives you the best possible pull on the chest muscles.
  • From this basic position, push the dumbbells slowly and vertically upwards. Stop the movement just before your elbow joints are fully extended.
  • Then slowly lower the dumbbells again until your upper arms are almost parallel to the floor.

Breathing Tips:

Inhalation:  When lowering the dumbbells

Exhale:  As you push the dumbbells up

Important for the dumbbell bench press

Tips for optimal execution

In the dumbbell bench press, the technique for optimal utilization of the chest muscles is particularly important. Therefore, make sure that you consciously contract your shoulder blades and hold this position throughout the entire set. In this way, you achieve that your chest muscles can use their entire range of motion and the fibers are stressed over their entire length.

Also make sure that a slightly hollow back forms in the area of ​​your lower back, which changes the angle of inclination of your upper body, and the chest can be trained more effectively.

Common mistakes

Recreational athletes often overdo it with the hollow back, so that even the bottom lifts off and the upper body forms an arch. This technique, also known as bridge, is widespread in powerlifting to achieve maximum performance, but it is by no means healthy for your spine. So make sure that the hollow back only falls out slightly and that your bottom lies on the weight bench during the entire sequence of movements.

Other big mistakes in the dumbbell bench press are, as is so often the case, on the one hand extending the elbows and on the other hand tilting the forearms inward during the movement, The additional strain on the elbow joints is problematic. Accordingly, your forearms should always be exactly vertical.

Modification of the dumbbell bench press

Dumbbell bench press with twisting

The only thing that differentiates this variation from the classic dumbbell bench press is that you twist your wrists as you move, When pushing up, you turn your wrists inward and bring them together so that the dumbbells are parallel to each other at the highest point of the concentric movement phase. While lowering, you move the dumbbells apart again and return to the starting position.

This modification puts additional stress on the inner area of ​​the chest muscles near the sternum, which cannot be stressed in this way by normal exercise.

8. Flying – lower chest workout

Trained muscle groups

Required equipment:  Flat bench, dumbbells

Level of difficulty:  medium

Targeted muscles:

  • Pectoralis major muscle
  • Front part of the deltoid muscle (musculus deltoideus pars clavicularis)
  • Anterior saw muscle (serratus anterior muscle)
  • Knortle muscle (musculus anconeus)

 

Alternative name:  Dumbell Flies

Flying with the dumbbell is the most effective isolation exercise that trains the chest muscle, Since the load intensity can be controlled very well thanks to the high degree of freedom of movement and you get a good feeling for the muscle tension, the exercise should not be missing on your training plan, However, to use the exercise as effectively as possible, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

Flying – Here’s how!

  • Take two dumbbells in a neutral hammer grip and lie down with your back on the weight bench.
  • Raise the dumbbells with your arms outstretched. Be careful not to push your elbows all the way in.
  • Stabilize your upper body by bending your knees to a 90-degree angle and placing your feet on the floor.
  • Make sure that you form a slightly hollow back so that your lower back does not touch the padding of the weight bench.
  • From this basic position, lower your arms to the side. As soon as the dumbbells are level with your shoulders, stop the movement.
  • Hold the position briefly and then bring the dumbbells back up. Here it is important that you only go up until the dumbbells are perpendicular to your shoulders.
  • Bringing the dumbbells together completely makes no sense, as the strain on the chest muscles decreases the closer the dumbbells get closer.

Breathing Tips:

Inhalation:  While lowering the dumbbells

Exhale:  Exhale slowly and continuously while pushing up

Important for flyers

Tips for optimal execution

In order to achieve the optimal stretch and thus the maximum possible load in the chest, you should pull your shoulder blades together throughout the entire exercise, as if you wanted to pinch something in between. In this way, you can ensure that the muscle fibers involved are under tension for as long as possible.

Since the flies are an isolation exercise for the chest, you should concentrate primarily on a slow and clean execution and give weight to a subordinate role. Ideally, both lowering and then pushing up the dumbbells each takes at least 2-3 seconds,

If you want to stimulate the inner area of ​​your chest muscles, which attach to the sternum, you can turn the dumbbells slightly inwards while pushing up,

Common mistakes

The biggest mistake is if the angle between the upper arm and forearm is too small or too large, For example, if you fully straighten your arms, this leads to incorrect stress on the joints, which can lead to injuries. If you bend your arms too much, on the other hand, the strain on the chest muscles decreases. So make sure that your arms are only slightly bent.

Too much flexion is also an indicator of too heavy a training weight. Accordingly, only use weights that you can move neatly 8-12 times,

The momentum Get is the third major error that you may be running at the exercise. Here, too, you are not only depriving yourself of the training effect but also increasing the risk of injury.

Modifications of the exercise

Flying on the cable pull

In order to perform flies for the chest on the cable pull, you slide the flat bench under the frame of the cable pull and attach the pulleys of the device to the lowest position. Take the handles of the cable pull also in the neutral hammer grip, lie with your back on the weight bench, and perform the exercise with the technique described above.

Flying without a weight bench

If you want to do flies for the chest at home without a weight bench, that is also possible. To do this, use the dumbbells as described above and lie down with your back on the floor. You can increase the training comfort and the range of motion of your arms by lying down with your shoulder blades on a relatively firm pillow.

Chest press as an introduction of lower chest workout  – If you start fitness training as a beginner, you can first use the chest press as an alternative to bench press. However, guided exercises on machines are inferior to free exercises, as the range of motion is strictly specified. So try to switch to free weights as soon as possible!

FAQ

How is the lower breast made up anatomically?

The large pectoral muscle covers your entire chest area and is therefore responsible for the external appearance, While the muscle fibers of the upper chest begin at the collarbone, the lower chest originates at the sternum, Both muscle groups end at the humerus.

The lower breast is the name given to the lower muscle fibers of the large pectoral muscle.

Interesting:  The shape of the entire chest muscles is genetically determined. You can therefore not change these specifically through a lower chest workout.

How often and how intensely the lower chest workout?

So that you train your chest extensively, you should put together your chest muscle training with exercises for the upper, middle, and lower chest workout.

Since the lower chest is not a separate muscle, it is the lower section of the large pectoral muscle; you are always training the entire chest with each exercise.

However, there are exercises that you can use to stimulate individual sections of the chest more intensely, The best way to do your lower chest workout is with dips and negative exercises.

How can you do a lower chest workout?

Whenever you train your chest muscles, you automatically use your lower chest muscles. However, you can use exercises such as dips or negative push-ups to target your lower chest muscles even more specific and thus train better.

How do you get more pecs?

You can use various exercises to get a well-formed chest. It’s best to choose a combination of upper, middle, and lower chest workouts. For example, a chest workout might consist of incline bench presses, normal bench presses, and dips.

How do you train the chest muscles without equipment?

You can also build up your chest without equipment. Pushups and dips are two very effective bodyweight exercises.

With this tip, you will train the upper chest more effectively!

The following exercises are recommended for the upper chest:

  • Dips (especially Arnold dips)
  • Negative bench press
  • Negative flyers

Avoid stretching your arms completely after each rep, as this puts a lot of strain on your shoulders. The best way to do dips is in front of a mirror. So you can perfectly control your execution.

Arnold dips, in particular, are very good for your lower chest workout. As a compound exercise, they also work your triceps and front shoulders.

You can also easily do your lower chest workout at home with dips, You can simply rest your arms on a bed or chair. Or you can do push-ups in which you position your arms at the level of the belly button.