The upper, lower, outer and inner pectorals must all be proportionate to have an impressive chest. If you've found that your lower chest is lagging, there are exercises to help sculpt the pectorals you want to have.
Decline Bench Press
Lay back on the bench with your shins braced against the pads. Grab the bar with your normal grip, a little wider than shoulder-width. Lower the bar to your upper stomach, then press it up. In order to gain the most mass, do between eight and 12 reps for three sets. Decline bench presses will isolate your lower pectorals.
Decline Bench Flyes
Decline bench flyes work to isolate your lower chest much as the decline bench press does. Lay back with a pair of dumbbells, and press them straight up into the air. Hold them with your palms facing inward towards each other. Keep a slight bend in your elbow, but only move at your shoulders as you lower the dumbbells out to your sides. Feel a stretch in your chest before bringing the dumbbells back together over your body. By doing flyes on a decline bench, you remove your shoulders from the exercise, placing as much stress as possible on your lower chest. Keep the reps in the bodybuilding range for this isolation exercise.
Low Cable Flyes
To perform low cable flyes, you'll need both stacks at a cable station. Attach single-grip handles to the top of each stack. Keep a slight bend in your elbows. Instead of bringing your hands together in front of you, as you would for normal cable flyes, bring them together about a foot away from your thighs. This will involve your lats--your large upper-back muscles--in the exercise, but it will remove your shoulders and upper chest so that you can build balanced pectorals.
Chest Dips
Most people perform dips with an upright posture as a tricep exercise. However, if you lean slightly forward, you can intensely activate your lower pecs. Stand between the parallel dip bars and press yourself up on them. Bend your knees so your feet won't touch the floor. Lower yourself until your elbows create a 90-degree angle, then press yourself back up until your arms are straight. Lean as far forward as you need in order to feel the exercise in your lower chest. To add weight to this exercise, put on a weight belt and hang plates from it, or grip a dumbbell between your ankles.
References
- "Ultimate Bodybuilding"; Joe Weider; 1989
- "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding"; Arnold Schwarzenegger; 1998
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