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Exercises

Exercises for lower chest: decline presses, dips and downward flys

Published October 29, 2026

The lower chest is the bottom fibers of the pec, and they work hardest when your arms press or sweep down and forward. The best exercises are the decline barbell or dumbbell press, chest dips with a forward lean, the high-to-low cable fly and the decline machine press; at home, incline push-ups with your hands on a bench or box do the same job. Do 6 to 10 hard sets a week of these on top of your flat or incline pressing, stop 1 to 2 reps short of failure, and add weight or reps every week the sets get easier.

  1. Decline Barbell Bench Press Chest
  2. Chest Dip Chest, Triceps
  3. High-to-Low Cable Fly Chest
  4. Decline Dumbbell Press Chest
  5. Machine Decline Press Chest
  6. Incline Push-Up Chest

Decline presses for load

A 15 to 30 degree decline lines the press up with the lower fibers and lets you handle real weight. Use one of these as the first lift of the day when the lower chest is the priority.

Lower chest, heavy decline press

Decline Barbell Bench Press

Chest

The heaviest press you can aim at the lower chest. The decline shortens the bar path and takes some stress off the front of the shoulder, so most people press as much or more here than on a flat bench.

How to do it

  1. Hook your legs under the pads of a decline bench and lie back with the bar over your eyes.
  2. Grip it a bit outside shoulder width and unrack it with locked arms.
  3. Bring the bar down to the base of your chest, just under the nipple line.
  4. Press it back up over your shoulders and lock out.

Cues

  • Bar to the bottom of your chest
  • Legs locked under the pads
  • Have a spotter hand you the bar

Common mistakes

  • Unracking alone on a decline: the bar sits behind you at an awkward angle, so get a hand-off.
  • Lowering to your upper chest: on a decline the bar path ends lower.

Swap for: Decline Dumbbell Press, Machine Decline Press, Chest Dip

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Lower chest, dumbbell decline press

Decline Dumbbell Press

Chest

Dumbbells let each arm travel a little deeper than a bar and find its own path, which suits lifters whose shoulders dislike the barbell. It is also the easier decline press to start on if you have never used a decline bench.

How to do it

  1. Hook your feet under the pads of a decline bench and bring the dumbbells to your shoulders as you lie back.
  2. Set your shoulder blades back and hold the dumbbells over your lower chest.
  3. Lower until each elbow bends to about 90 degrees, with your upper arms about 45 degrees from your torso.
  4. Press up and slightly together until your arms are straight.

Cues

  • Feet locked in
  • Press straight up over your lower chest
  • Elbows at 45

Common mistakes

  • Starting with straight arms at the top from a lying position: have the dumbbells handed to you or sit up with them first.
  • Going heavy because the range is short: it is still a press, so keep the same effort target as your flat press.

Swap for: Flat Dumbbell Press, Decline Barbell Bench Press, Chest Dip

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Lower chest and triceps, neutral-grip press

Decline Dumbbell Neutral-Grip Press

Chest

Turning the palms to face each other keeps the elbows tucked, so it is the decline press to pick when wide-elbow pressing pinches the shoulder. The triceps help more, so expect to use a little less weight.

How to do it

  1. Hook your feet under the pad of a decline bench and lie back with the dumbbells at your lower chest, palms turned in.
  2. Keep your elbows tucked by your sides and your shoulder blades pulled down.
  3. Drive both dumbbells up above your lower chest until your arms are straight.
  4. Lower them under control to the sides of your lower ribs and repeat.

Cues

  • Palms face each other
  • Elbows close
  • Press toward your hips slightly

Common mistakes

  • Letting the dumbbells crash down on the descent: lower for two seconds.
  • Flaring into a wide press: keep the neutral grip and tucked elbows that make this a triceps press.

Swap for: Decline Dumbbell Press, Close-Grip Bench Press, Machine Decline Press

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Lower chest, machine press

Machine Decline Press

Chest

A fixed path means you can push close to failure safely without a spotter. Good as a second press after a free-weight decline lift, or as the main lift when you train alone.

How to do it

  1. Set the seat so the handles start just below the middle of your chest.
  2. Sit with your feet planted and take the handles palms down, elbows a little below shoulder height.
  3. Drive the handles out and slightly down until your arms are almost straight.
  4. Bring them back under control until your hands reach the bottom of your chest, then repeat.

Cues

  • Press down and away
  • Elbows tucked about 45 degrees
  • Full stretch at the chest

Common mistakes

  • Locking the elbows hard at the end of each rep: stop just short and keep the chest working.
  • Rushing the return: take two seconds to bring the handles back.

Swap for: Decline Dumbbell Press, Decline Barbell Bench Press, Machine Chest Dip

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Dips and push-ups

Pushing down from above the body is the same angle as a decline press, which is why dips are the classic lower chest builder. Lean forward and let the elbows drift out a little to keep the work on the chest. Incline push-ups are the no-equipment version.

Lower chest and triceps, bodyweight press

Chest Dip

Chest, Triceps

Pressing your body up from below the bars is the most direct lower chest movement there is, and it needs only parallel bars or two sturdy chairs. Once 12 clean reps are easy, hang weight from a belt.

How to do it

  1. Grip parallel bars and step or jump up until your arms are straight and you are holding yourself above the bars.
  2. Lean your chest slightly forward with your legs under you or a little behind.
  3. Bend your elbows to sink down until your upper arms are about level with the bars.
  4. Press back up to straight arms and lock out.

Cues

  • Shoulders down, chest proud
  • Slight forward lean
  • Lock out every rep

Common mistakes

  • Sinking so deep your shoulders ache: stop when your upper arms reach the level of the bars.
  • Swinging your legs to get up: keep them still and end the set when you need momentum.

Swap for: Machine Chest Dip, Incline Push-Up, Decline Barbell Bench Press

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Lower chest, assisted dip pattern

Machine Chest Dip

Chest, Triceps

Gives you the dip angle at a load you choose, so you can train the movement before you can do bodyweight dips, or keep going after your bodyweight sets run out.

How to do it

  1. Set the seat so the handles sit around the bottom of your ribs when you grip them, and sit down.
  2. Take the handles, sit tall with your chest up and shoulders back, and let your elbows bend and drift back.
  3. Push the handles down until your arms are nearly straight beside your hips.
  4. Let them rise slowly until your elbows are bent past 90 degrees and your chest stretches, then push again.

Cues

  • Chest leans over the handles
  • Push down and slightly in
  • Slow on the way up

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging as the handles rise: keep your shoulders down and your chest up the whole set.
  • Bouncing out of the bottom: pause for a moment where your chest is stretched.

Swap for: Chest Dip, Machine Decline Press, Decline Dumbbell Press

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Lower chest, bodyweight press

Incline Push-Up

Chest

With your hands on a bench or box, your arms push down and forward relative to your body, which is the push-up that works the lower chest. Lower the surface over the weeks to make it harder.

How to do it

  1. Put your hands on a bench, box or counter, a little wider than shoulder width.
  2. Walk your feet back until your body is a straight line from head to heels.
  3. Lower your chest to the edge, elbows angled about 45 degrees from your sides.
  4. Press back up until your arms are straight.

Cues

  • Body like a plank
  • Elbows at about 45 degrees
  • Higher surface, easier rep

Common mistakes

  • Hips sagging toward the floor: squeeze your glutes and brace as if you were about to be poked in the stomach.
  • Flaring the elbows straight out: tuck them back at about 45 degrees.

Swap for: Kneeling Push-Up, Close-Grip Push-Up, Bench Dip

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Flys that sweep down

Flys train the pec without the triceps taking over. Bringing the hands down toward the hips, from a high cable or on a decline bench, keeps the tension on the lower fibers through the whole rep.

Lower chest, cable fly

High-to-Low Cable Fly

Chest

The cable pulls from above, so the pec works hardest exactly as your hands finish low in front of your hips. It is the best finisher for the lower fibers after your pressing is done.

How to do it

  1. Pin both pulleys at their highest notch, grab both handles and step forward to the middle with one foot in front of the other.
  2. Lean your torso slightly forward and let your arms open out to the sides and up, elbows soft, until you feel a stretch across your chest.
  3. Sweep the handles down and together in a big arc until they meet in front of your hips.
  4. Pause for a second with your chest squeezed, then let the cables pull your arms back open along the same path.

Cues

  • Hug a wide tree
  • Hands finish at belt height
  • Same elbow bend all set

Common mistakes

  • Bending the elbows more as you pull, which turns the fly into a press: lock the elbow angle in and lighten the stack.
  • Letting the stack slam between reps: stop the return when your hands are just behind your shoulders and keep tension on.

Swap for: Cable Fly, Single-Arm Cable Fly, Flat-Bench Cable Fly

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Lower chest, dumbbell fly

Decline Dumbbell Fly

Chest

The fly version for people with dumbbells and a decline bench but no cable station. Keep the weight moderate and take the stretch slowly at the bottom.

How to do it

  1. Hook your feet in on a decline bench and lie back, arms spread wide with the dumbbells and a slight bend in your elbows.
  2. Sweep both arms up and in until the dumbbells meet over your lower chest.
  3. Hold the squeeze for a second at the top.
  4. Let them travel back out slowly, keeping the elbow bend, until your upper arms line up with your torso.

Cues

  • Arc up over the lower chest
  • Slight elbow bend, fixed
  • Slow on the way out

Common mistakes

  • Letting the dumbbells drop fast at the bottom: control the stretch.
  • Going so heavy the arms bend into a press: keep it light and in higher reps.

Swap for: High-to-Low Cable Fly, Dumbbell Chest Fly, Pec Deck Fly

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Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in.

Session 1

Lower chest lagging, full gym, two chest days

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets19 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Decline Bench, Dip Bar, Cable Crossover +2

You already train chest twice a week in a gym and the bottom edge of your pecs is behind the rest.

Each day leads with a decline press while you are fresh, then adds a dip or machine press and a downward fly, for 10 lower chest sets on day 1 and 9 on day 2. Keep one flat or incline press elsewhere in the week so the rest of the chest is still trained.

Day 1: Decline barbell and dips
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Decline Barbell Bench Press2 warm-up sets first 4 × 5–8 2 3 min
Chest DipLean forward. 3 × 6–12 1 2 min
High-to-Low Cable Fly 3 × 10–15 1 75 s

Open Day 1: Decline barbell and dips in the session builder

Day 2: Dumbbells and machine
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Decline Dumbbell Press1 warm-up set first 3 × 8–12 2 2:30 min
Machine Decline Press 3 × 10–12 1 90 s
Decline Dumbbell Fly 3 × 10–15 1 75 s

Open Day 2: Dumbbells and machine in the session builder

How to run it
Run Day 1 and Day 2 on your two existing chest days, at least 48 hours apart. Your other pressing can follow these lifts or go on a separate upper day.
How to progress
Stay on a weight until you hit the top of each rep range on every set with 1 to 2 reps left, then add 2.5 to 5 lb to the presses or one step on the machine and cable. Dips get a belt and plate once 12 bodyweight reps leave 1 in reserve.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

At home with a dip station or two chairs

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets21 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentDip Bar

You train at home with no bench or cables, but you have parallel bars, a dip station or two solid chairs you can push between.

Dips and incline push-ups are the only no-equipment movements that really load the lower chest, so this plan does both three times a week for 7 sets per session. Supersetting them keeps each session under 20 minutes.

Dips and incline push-ups
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
A1 Chest DipLean forward. 4 × 5–12 2 90 s
A2 Incline Push-UpHands on a box, sofa arm or table. 3 × 10–20 2 90 s
How to run it
Add it to the end of any three home sessions, or do it on its own on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
How to progress
Add one rep per set each week until the dips reach 12 at 1 rep in reserve, then slow the lowering to 3 seconds or hold a backpack with weight in it. For incline push-ups, move to a lower surface when you reach 20 reps.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Bar dips and wide pressing bother your shoulders

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets24 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentDecline Bench, Dumbbells, Decline Chest Press, Dip Machine +1

Deep bar dips or flared barbell pressing make the front of your shoulder ache, but you still want to bring up the lower chest.

Every lift here controls the depth or keeps the elbows tucked: a neutral-grip decline press, the machine decline press, assisted machine dips you can stop short and a cable fly. That is 12 sets in one session, done twice a week.

Lower chest, controlled range
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Decline Dumbbell Neutral-Grip Press1 warm-up set first 3 × 8–12 2 2 min
Machine Decline Press 3 × 10–15 2 90 s
Machine Chest Dip 3 × 10–15 2 90 s
High-to-Low Cable Fly 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Do it on your two chest days in place of your usual barbell work. Stop each rep where the shoulder still feels solid rather than chasing the deepest stretch.
How to progress
Add reps first, then load. Once all sets hit the top of the range at 2 reps in reserve, take the next weight up and drop back to the bottom of the range.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

Do dips work the lower chest?

Yes. Dips are one of the best lower chest exercises because you press down from above the body. Lean your torso forward and let your elbows flare slightly; staying upright shifts more of the work to the triceps.

What push-up works the lower chest?

The incline push-up, with your hands raised on a bench, box or table. Raising the feet instead (a decline push-up) does the opposite and shifts work toward the upper chest.

Should I train upper or lower chest first?

Train whichever is weaker first, while you are fresh. For most people that is the upper chest, so the lower chest lifts go second. If the lower chest is the one behind, lead with a decline press as in the plans above.

How do I get defined pecs?

Two things: build the muscle with 10 to 20 hard chest sets a week across flat, incline and decline angles, and lower your body fat enough to see the edges. The fat over the chest comes off with overall fat loss, not from chest exercises, but the muscle these exercises add is what shows once it does.

How many lower chest exercises should I do?

One or two per session is plenty: a press or dip plus a fly. The lower fibers also work on every flat press, so 6 to 10 extra sets a week is enough for most people.