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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.
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.
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.
If you follow the fibers and train in the same plane as these lower chest fibers 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
For a complete program to build an athletic and ripped body from head to toe (not just in your lower pecs) then head to and get the ATHLEAN-X Training System. Start training like an athlete and see how fast you can make improvements to your physique by overlooking nothing in your training.
For more videos on how to fix saggy lower pecs and the best chest exercises for building bigger pecs, be sure to subscribe to our channel here on youtube at
54 replies to "The LOWER Chest Solution (GET DEFINED PECS!)"
Me being a science major, I can only watch your videos on fitness. Bringing in anatomy and the in depth explanations of muscle contractions along with how you say it while showing us the exercise is extremely relatable. I can’t watch other youtubers or content creators because they don’t explain what you’re hitting, mainly because they don’t know themselves, but they know what exercises hit what muscle group and to me, personally, that’s not enough to help me. Like yes I can follow their workouts and exercises and probably do fine and find myself slowly improving but with the energy you put out, and the informative guides and videos helps me further than anybody else. Thanks man and keep it up
Look at Jeff Nippard, he has a good scientific approach. Cites papers and studies on fitness and workouts. Also haven’t seen any advertisement for products on his part.
Not saying this channel is bad, just wanted to add something
This man is a certified strength and conditioning Coach that’s why he is informative.
Jeremy Ethier is good too
@Ericcartman1992 well… no. Decline bench press hits your lower pec which is what brings out the definition and shape. You’ll be hitting a small muscle on decline bench but if you change the angle at which you’re performing your decline, making it less severe, you can hit your lower and mid pec together, however, it’s safer to stick with hitting lower, mid and upper pec separately. You don’t gas out as quickly and you can put up better numbers for higher reps. Fatigue can come early if you over-do it
2:38, 2:47, 3:14,
3:40 Exercise #1 THE DIP “PLUS”
5:05 Exercise #2 THE STRAIGHT BAR DIP
6:09 Exercise #3 THE JACKHAMMER PUSHDOWN (FOR CHEST!)
7:08 Exercise #4 THE STANDING CABLE LC PRESS
7:52 Exercise #5 THE KNEELING “X” PRESS
8:58 Exercise #6 THE D2 FLEXION CROSSOVER
10:00 Exercise #7 THE INCLINE TWISTING PUSHUP
11:10 Exercise #8 THE DECLINE CABLE DIP
Edit: Thank you everyone who comment and like. It bring me joy knowing I help someone out.
Thanks you. Just snap shot this.
You are a perfect example of the phrase “All superheroes don’t wear Cape”
You’re a goat thanks 🙂
Thank you
Thx
I really like the “we can” statements. It’s empowering and seems more team oriented than “I’m the best and I know what to do.”
@ViciousDredHed ?
I can!…..eat 20 doughnuts in one sitting…pretty inspiring huh
Wowwww, such a good point you made😊🎉❤
@scott 20 full donut reps?
I was looking for ways to target my lower chest, and I’ve asked many trainers for the same. But no one can tell me properly how to do that..This is the first video I have seen which actually helped me do that. Thank you❤️
I appreciate that Jeff pretends these exercises are hard for him when he demonstrates them.
its never easy no matter how strong you get
either number of reps goes way up (nice motivator) or weight lifted goes up
props to this channel
corrected many errors i was making
night and day difference in results
LOL
😂😂
I think he does it slowly so it looks like it’s hard and yes it it hard lol
It doesnt matter how jacked you are. It is always difficult.
Real talk, I have incorporated a lot of the suggestions from these videos into my workout routines. And they have all worked so far. I have even changed up my rep routine–don’t count the reps, make the reps count. Because of that, I have a better understanding of working out until failure. My last weight training day for the week was this past Thursday. I did every exercise machine/non-machine alike until I could no longer do them properly. It felt good, better contractions, improved form, made working out fun.
There’s a colossal volume of content Online these days, but yours is right up there Jeff. Extremely well demonstrated and explained 🙏
This was an awesome demo of hitting that lower chest. I’ve always had issues with that and all I had was decline press. This is good stuff.
Definitely want a shirt that says “Follow the Fibers” now. It’s honestly the best advice I’ve ever heard. Years of keeping my eye on muscle group anatomy pics, never once did it occur to me that the fibers are showing you which way to press to activate/isolate. Cheers 🍻
Same
At his last physical, it was recommended that he lose 20 pounds. The doctor followed Jeff’s advice and feels better than ever.
Is there a video of Jeff reading these comments? Thar would be hilarious 😂
Haahahahahahahaha.
Nice paraprosdokian.
Lol
hahaha good twist
I’ve been following your videos for the past two years and I love how you target muscles groups and explain how the range of motion and your form is so crucial in order to hit those smaller muscles at the same time as the larger muscles. I’m 41 and I look better than most 25 year olds just because I adopted your techniques. Love, live and eat well, what you put in is what you get out.
Cheers,
Florin Pope
I’m just starting to work out and I’ve been doing a deep dive into your videos. What an amazing help they are. It’s a life time of knowledge. Thank you
Nice video, Jeff, on a very worthwhile topic, thanks! I’ve always felt the lower pecs were important to create a muscular image, and quickly, especially on a skinny frame (which I used to have a long, long time ago!).
Basically, these are all variations on a dip theme, but I’m wondering if you favour the straight bar version over the parallel/classic version? I know it’s harder to perform, and it takes the emphasis off the triceps and stacks it neatly on the lower pec fibers (poor little things!), so I’m guessing you will say “why yes (you idiot, it is!)”.
yo Jeff I want to thank you so much for your time, insight, and intelligence! you heart fully share and educate the world with your break down exercises and workouts, down to individual muscle groups, and body parts. by isolating and creating programs that are mostly unique, healthy, less damaging and calisthenically beneficial! I love that you offer so much education and still also non upselling your paid programs for additional benefits. YOUR DOING THE WORLD A HUGE BENEFIT AND WE APPRECIATE YOU AND Your HARD WORK! please keep this invaluable content coming! and maybe offer more isolated physical therapy based workouts based on common injuries, which is why and how I found you. as a person who’s recovered 5 times now from physical therapy and multiple surgeries, atrophied limbs…from ground zero, into better beneficial isolated workouts.
all love brother! keep it up please!
When I started I was 280 pounds I’ve been eating right and working out for a month and a half now and have lost 23 pounds already I tried doing the dips just like described in this video and man am I surprised at how well it worked I could feel it with in my first set I’m a little sore today but not in a bad way I can just tell I really got a good work out in the lower chest I will definitely be doing more thanks for the great advice
Great work keep going dude, we all brothers out here
Have you been working out with the primary goal of losing weight? What have you been eating? What workouts do you do? Asking for advice, certainly not to critique.
@Brian King my goal is weight loss and muscle building at first I cut all alcohol soda energy/sport drinks gave my self about a week to adjust to that then started cutting portions once I got used to that I ate more plant based and protein stayed away from tv dinners and fast food for exercise I’d start with 20 min cardio short cool off then cycle basic bench presses curls rows lat pull downs once I did that for a few weeks I move to more advanced stuff in down to 237 now my goal is 210 by the first week of june weight loss has really slowed down these last 2 weeks but you can really see some nice muscle structure now
@Jason Scott You should look into fasting. It’s essentially a way to dip into the bodies natural fat using energy mode. If you find portion sizes increasing or resisting an urge to eat more you’ll also find it reduces ghrelin which is the hunger hormone. Working out increases it – this is why most of the time you see someone trying to lose weight by dieting and intense working out alone end up relapsing to their old state and giving in, It’s mostly chemical reactions and stuff that are possible to willpower through a few times but each time you do that use up dopamine resources and such so eventually you will deplete and not be able to resist without seriously affecting mood and such. in-fact on those shows that follow people doing just this most have a 100% failure rate. Fasting has an almost 100% success rate. You’ll want to start easy and do a lot of research before diving in if you do, there are pro’s and con’s and things to look out for safety wise. It also helps with muscle gain due to growth hormone and BDNF spike and such so if combined with what you’re doing already you’ll have a great time.
@First Name Last Name I did a water fast for 5 days to heal my gut. It healed my gut but everything else was horrible. I was hungry all the time, lazy and it was so hard to work out at all. Also the weight loss wasn’t good enough, it was mostly water weight due to lack of salt and little bit fat. One thing was good though: It was easier to get back on track with eating habits. I ate a lot cleaner afterwards and healthy foods tasted better. So I’d advice to fast not for the weight loss, but for healing and to transition to a healthy diet long term. Also talk to your doctor first and check up other possibilities.
Thank you for making this video. I am 51 and have issues with my rotator cuffs. I’ve torn both 4 times each and have limited strength in my shoulders. I am in excellent physical shape because of my training with light weights. The only loose skin/body fat that has been an issue for me is in this targeted area. Other than that, I am at 17% body fat.
The exercises you show are going to be a great help to me. I am positive I’ll be able to do 3 of them without issue with my shoulders.
I work in a physical therapy office and I used the black band after seeing this video. And wow that is the only time I’ve truly felt a good pump on the outer edge of my chest. I’ve dealt with a flabby chest even at my most fit and I feel as though lighter weight, higher quality reps is what has been helping me recently with my chest and my legs as well
If you are looking for an exercise to target your lower chest to help get the definition you’re looking for; check out this video here => https://youtu.be/Opctf0dkpVw
jeff would you rather have two shelby super cars ultimate aerodynamics twin turbos OR fourteen lotus exige cup 430s?
@Wes ;;h;h;;
@Wes ,b
I’m 59 and skinny, any advice for older people. I’m trying to put muscle everywhere, but my chest, and arms need the most work. I’ve watched lots of your videos on this, but hoping you have specific advice to help me out. I’m already working hard, and have no problem with that. I do have pain in my lower Back, and right shoulder, but I can push through the pain. Thanks
He gets a decent amount of hate from a lot of the other fitness guys because when you pump out as much content as Jeff, and take small clips from different videos and use them out of context, you can find contradictions. But he really does know what he’s talking about. He is incredibly creative and extremely proficient at explaining/teaching. Good on you Jeff – great work soldier. 💪🏼
Brilliant Video…i’m recovering from a bicep injuring atm so i’m limited to what excercises i can train until fully healed. Training 10+ years and I’ve struggled to get that “defined curve on the lower side chest” and your video has explained in detail what i’ve been doing wrong. So thankyou! Just tried the one arm chest pulldown using resistance bands and straight after i can feel the lower side of my chest “pumped” and feel that this particular excercise has really isolated the area of the chest that i’ve been struggling to grow . Thanks again Jeff for the knowledge. appreciate it 🙏🏽