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Exercises

Lower chest exercises with dumbbells: decline, flat bench or floor

Published October 19, 2026

The best lower chest exercises with dumbbells are the decline dumbbell press and decline fly, because a decline bench sets your arms to push down toward your waist, the direction the lower pec fibers pull. With only a flat bench, use the flat press lowered to the bottom of the breastbone, the hex press and the pullover. With no bench, use the floor press and floor fly with tucked elbows. Two sessions a week of 9 to 10 hard sets each is enough to bring up the lower chest.

  1. Decline Dumbbell Press Chest
  2. Decline Dumbbell Fly Chest
  3. Flat Dumbbell Press Chest
  4. Dumbbell Chest Pullover Chest
  5. Decline Dumbbell Neutral-Grip Press Chest
  6. Dumbbell Hex Press Chest
  7. Dumbbell Floor Press Chest, Triceps

Decline dumbbell exercises for the lower chest

The lower fibers of your pecs run from the breastbone down toward the ribs, and they work hardest when your arms push down and in toward your waist. A decline bench puts your body at that angle, which is why these four are the most direct lower chest exercises with dumbbells. Use a 15 to 30 degree decline; steeper adds little.

Lower chest, decline press

Decline Dumbbell Press

Chest

Tilting the bench so your head sits below your hips makes you press down toward your waist, which is the direction the lower fibers of the pec pull. It is the most direct lower chest exercise with dumbbells, and the shorter range is easy on most shoulders, so it takes heavy loads well.

How to do it

  1. Set a decline bench to about 15 to 30 degrees and hook your legs under the foot pads.
  2. Hold the dumbbells on your thighs, then lie back carefully and bring them to the sides of your lower chest.
  3. Drive them up to full extension over your lower chest, with the dumbbells just short of touching.
  4. Lower for two seconds until the dumbbells sit level with the bottom of your ribcage, then drive them up again.

Cues

  • Press toward your hips, not your face
  • Feet locked under the pads
  • Lower to the bottom of the ribs

Common mistakes

  • Lowering the dumbbells to your neck or upper chest: on a decline they should come down to the bottom of your breastbone.
  • Rolling off the bench sideways to drop the dumbbells: bring them back to your chest and sit up with them, or set them down beside you at a gentle angle.

Swap for: Decline Dumbbell Neutral-Grip Press, Decline Barbell Bench Press, Machine Decline Press

Build a session with Decline Dumbbell Press

Lower chest and triceps, neutral-grip decline press

Decline Dumbbell Neutral-Grip Press

Chest

Turning your palms to face each other keeps your elbows tucked by your sides, which pushes more of the work into the lower pecs and the triceps and spares the front of the shoulder. Use it as a second decline press, or as your main one if a regular grip bothers your shoulders.

How to do it

  1. Get set on the decline, legs hooked under the pads, the dumbbells at your lower chest, palms facing in.
  2. Tuck your elbows so they travel close to your sides rather than out wide.
  3. Press both dumbbells straight up until your arms are extended over your lower chest.
  4. Lower them slowly along the same line until the handles brush the sides of your ribcage.

Cues

  • Palms face each other the whole set
  • Elbows brush your ribs
  • Handles stay parallel

Common mistakes

  • Letting the dumbbells rotate to a regular grip as you tire: keep the handles parallel from the first rep to the last.
  • Flaring the elbows to press more weight: that undoes the reason to use this grip. Drop a dumbbell size instead.

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

Build a session with Decline Dumbbell Neutral-Grip Press

Lower chest, one arm at a time

Alternating Decline Dumbbell Press

Chest

Pressing one dumbbell while the other waits at your chest doubles the time each side spends under load, and it shows you quickly whether one side is weaker. It is a good way to make a lighter pair harder on the decline.

How to do it

  1. Settle onto the decline, feet locked under the pads, with both dumbbells at the sides of your lower chest.
  2. Press the right dumbbell up until your arm is straight while the left stays down at your chest.
  3. Lower the right dumbbell back to the start under control.
  4. Press the left dumbbell up while the right waits, and keep switching until each arm has done its reps.

Cues

  • Waiting arm stays loaded
  • Hips stay square on the bench
  • Count reps per arm

Common mistakes

  • Letting the waiting dumbbell rest on your chest: hold it just above the chest so the muscle keeps working.
  • Twisting your torso toward the pressing arm: keep both shoulder blades pinned to the pad.

Swap for: Decline Dumbbell Press, Alternating Dumbbell Bench Press, Single-Arm Dumbbell Floor Press

Build a session with Alternating Decline Dumbbell Press

Lower chest, decline fly

Decline Dumbbell Fly

Chest

On a decline the arc of a fly ends down toward your waist, so the lower pecs take the stretch and the squeeze with no help from the triceps. A moderate pair is plenty, and it pairs well with a decline press in the same session.

How to do it

  1. Settle onto the decline, legs hooked in, and press two dumbbells up over your lower chest, palms turned in.
  2. Unlock your elbows a little and keep that angle fixed.
  3. Open your arms out wide in an arc until the dumbbells are level with your torso and your chest is stretched.
  4. Squeeze them back up the same arc until they almost meet over your lower chest.

Cues

  • Elbow angle never changes
  • Stretch, pause, squeeze
  • Finish over the bottom of the chest

Common mistakes

  • Turning the fly into a press by bending the elbows on the way up: lighten the pair until the arc stays wide.
  • Dropping too deep with heavy dumbbells: stop at the level of the bench where your shoulders still feel comfortable.

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

Build a session with Decline Dumbbell Fly

Flat bench moves that still hit the lower chest

No decline setting on your bench is not a problem. A flat press already works the lower chest heavily, and you can bias it further by lowering the dumbbells to the bottom of the breastbone, tucking the elbows, and finishing flies over the lower chest. The pullover adds a long stretch of the lower fibers that presses cannot match.

Middle and lower chest, flat press

Flat Dumbbell Press

Chest

A flat press already works the lower half of the chest a great deal, because the sternal fibers of the pec are the largest part of the muscle. If your bench does not decline, this is the press that does the most for your lower chest, especially with the dumbbells lowered to the bottom of your breastbone.

How to do it

  1. Sit at the end of a flat bench with the dumbbells standing on your thighs, then lie back and bring them to your chest.
  2. Plant your feet and pull your shoulder blades together and down into the bench.
  3. Drive the dumbbells to full extension, ending over the middle of your chest.
  4. Lower them toward the lower part of your chest, elbows about 45 degrees from your sides, and press again.

Cues

  • Lower to the bottom of the breastbone
  • Shoulder blades tucked
  • Wrists over elbows

Common mistakes

  • Lowering to the top of the chest with the elbows flared: aim lower and tuck the elbows to shift work to the lower pecs.
  • Losing your back position by the last reps: reset the shoulder blades before every set.

Swap for: Decline Dumbbell Press, Dumbbell Floor Press, Barbell Bench Press

Build a session with Flat Dumbbell Press

Inner and lower chest, squeeze press

Dumbbell Hex Press

Chest

Pressing the two dumbbells into each other the whole time makes your pecs work to pull your arms inward while you press, so the chest stays tight from top to bottom. Lowering it to the bottom of the sternum keeps the emphasis low, and it is a strong finisher with a light pair.

How to do it

  1. Lie on a flat bench holding two dumbbells together over your chest, palms facing in and the handles touching.
  2. Squeeze them hard against each other and keep that pressure on for the entire set.
  3. Lower them as one unit to the bottom of your breastbone, elbows tucked close to your sides.
  4. Press them back up while you keep squeezing them together.

Cues

  • Crush the dumbbells together
  • Touch down low on the chest
  • Slow all the way

Common mistakes

  • Letting the dumbbells drift apart halfway down: the squeeze is the exercise. Use a lighter pair if they separate.
  • Rushing the reps: a hex press works best with a slow two-second lowering.

Swap for: Incline Dumbbell Squeeze Press, Decline Dumbbell Neutral-Grip Press, Svend Press

Build a session with Dumbbell Hex Press

Middle and lower chest, flat fly

Dumbbell Chest Fly

Chest

A flat fly gives the whole chest a deep stretch, and if you finish each rep with your hands over the bottom of your breastbone instead of over your face, you bias the lower fibers. Use it when you have no decline bench, or alongside a decline press.

How to do it

  1. Lie back on a flat bench, two dumbbells held straight over your lower chest, palms turned toward each other.
  2. Soften your elbows and keep them at that angle.
  3. Spread your arms along a wide arc so the dumbbells reach about chest level and you feel the stretch.
  4. Close them along the same arc, finishing over the bottom of your chest.

Cues

  • Finish low over the chest
  • Big arc, fixed elbows
  • Slow into the stretch

Common mistakes

  • Finishing the rep over your face: bring the dumbbells together over your lower chest instead.
  • Using a pair so heavy that the bottom of the arc hurts your shoulders: the fly works best light and slow.

Swap for: Decline Dumbbell Fly, Dumbbell Floor Fly, Pec Deck Fly

Build a session with Dumbbell Chest Fly

Lower chest and lats, pullover

Dumbbell Chest Pullover

Chest

Bringing a dumbbell from behind your head back over your chest pulls your arm down and forward, which is a job the lower pecs share with the lats. It loads the lower chest in a long stretch that no press reaches and needs just one dumbbell.

How to do it

  1. Lie across a flat bench, upper back on it and hips low, or lie flat on the floor, knees bent.
  2. Hold one dumbbell over your chest with both hands cupping the top end, elbows soft.
  3. Let it travel back behind your head along an arc until your upper arms reach the level of your ears.
  4. Pull it back up and over your chest, thinking of squeezing your chest down toward your hips.

Cues

  • Ribs down the whole set
  • Fixed elbows
  • Squeeze the chest toward the hips

Common mistakes

  • Arching your back to get more range: brace your abs and stop the arc where your ribs start to flare.
  • Turning it into a triceps extension by bending the elbows: lighten the dumbbell and lock the angle.

Swap for: Dumbbell Lat Pullover, Kettlebell Pullover, Decline Dumbbell Fly

Build a session with Dumbbell Chest Pullover

Lower chest exercises with dumbbells and no bench

On the floor, your elbows stop at the ground, so the range is short but the shoulders stay comfortable. Keep the elbows tucked and the dumbbells over the lower half of your chest and these three cover the lower pecs at home.

Middle and lower chest, floor press

Dumbbell Floor Press

Chest, Triceps

With no bench, the floor press is the press you can do at home, and the floor stops your elbows at a comfortable depth. Bring the dumbbells to the lower half of your chest with your elbows tucked and the lower fibers do most of the work.

How to do it

  1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat, holding the dumbbells at the lower part of your chest.
  2. Rest your upper arms on the floor at about 30 to 45 degrees from your body.
  3. Drive the dumbbells up to locked-out arms over your lower chest.
  4. Come down until the backs of your arms meet the floor, pause for a moment, then press again.

Cues

  • Elbows tucked, not wide
  • Pause on the floor
  • Press over the lower chest

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing the arms off the floor: let them settle for a beat every rep.
  • Pressing back toward your face: drive the dumbbells straight up over the lower chest.

Swap for: Single-Arm Dumbbell Floor Press, Flat Dumbbell Press, Floor Press

Build a session with Dumbbell Floor Press

Lower chest and core, one-arm floor press

Single-Arm Dumbbell Floor Press

Chest

Pressing one dumbbell from the floor makes your trunk resist twisting, and you can load one side with both hands on the handle to get into position. It is how you make a single heavy dumbbell into a hard lower-chest set at home.

How to do it

  1. Lie on your back, knees bent, one dumbbell held at the side of your lower chest and the other arm on the floor.
  2. Brace your abs and drive the dumbbell straight up to a locked arm.
  3. Lower it until your upper arm rests on the floor, elbow tucked toward your side.
  4. Do all reps on one side, then switch.

Cues

  • Hips stay flat
  • Elbow tucked toward your ribs
  • Free arm presses into the floor

Common mistakes

  • Rolling toward the working side as the set gets hard: press the free arm into the floor to stay level.
  • Letting the dumbbell drift over your face: keep it over the lower chest.

Swap for: Dumbbell Floor Press, Alternating Decline Dumbbell Press, Landmine Chest Press

Build a session with Single-Arm Dumbbell Floor Press

Lower chest, floor fly

Dumbbell Floor Fly

Chest

The floor stops your arms at a safe depth, so the floor fly works the stretch of a fly without a bench and without the risk of dropping too deep. Finish each rep with your hands over your lower chest and it covers the lower fibers in a home session.

How to do it

  1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and two dumbbells held over your lower chest, palms turned in.
  2. Unlock the elbows a little and hold that angle.
  3. Open your arms out wide until the backs of your upper arms touch the floor.
  4. Squeeze the dumbbells back up along a wide arc until they almost meet over your lower chest.

Cues

  • Upper arms kiss the floor
  • No bounce at the bottom
  • Hands meet low

Common mistakes

  • Bending the elbows into a press on the way up: hold the angle and go lighter.
  • Dropping your arms onto the floor: lower them softly and start the next rep from a still position.

Swap for: Dumbbell Chest Fly, Decline Dumbbell Fly, Single-Arm Band Chest Fly

Build a session with Dumbbell Floor Fly

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. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

You have a decline bench

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets19 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentDecline Bench, Dumbbells, Flat Bench

You train in a gym or own an adjustable bench that declines, and you want a lower-chest focus without dropping the rest of your chest work.

With a real decline, the session can lead with the most direct lower-chest press and load it heavy at 1 to 2 reps in reserve, then follow with a flat press so the rest of the chest still gets trained. The decline fly finishes Session A at 0 to 1 reps in reserve because it is light and safe to push. Session B uses the neutral-grip decline press and the alternating version so the same muscle gets a different stimulus. A has 10 working sets and B has 9.

Session A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Decline Dumbbell Press1 warm-up set firstLower to the bottom of the ribs. 4 × 6–10 2 2:30 min
Flat Dumbbell PressTuck the elbows. 3 × 8–12 1 2 min
Decline Dumbbell FlyFixed elbows. Pause in the stretch. 3 × 12–15 1 1 min

Open Session A in the session builder

Session B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Decline Dumbbell Neutral-Grip Press1 warm-up set firstPalms in, elbows brush the ribs. 3 × 8–12 1 2 min
Alternating Decline Dumbbell PressReps per arm. Waiting arm stays up. 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Dumbbell Chest PulloverAcross the bench. Ribs down. 3 × 10–15 1 1 min

Open Session B in the session builder

How to run it
Do Session A and Session B on two separate days a week, at the start of your chest or push day. Keep any incline work you already do; these plans add lower-chest emphasis, not a whole chest program.
How to progress
When every set of the decline press reaches the top of its range at the target reps in reserve, move up one dumbbell size. On the fly and alternating press, add reps until you reach the top of the range before going heavier.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

A flat bench and no decline

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets19 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Flat Bench

Your bench only goes flat or incline, so the decline exercises are out, and you want the lower chest to get more work anyway.

Without a decline, the lower chest gets its emphasis from technique: the flat press lowers to the bottom of the breastbone, the hex press keeps the elbows tucked and the chest squeezing, and the fly finishes over the lower chest. The pullover covers the stretched position that a decline fly would. The flat press stays at 1 to 2 reps in reserve so you can add weight; the other three go to 0 or 1. Session A has 10 sets and Session B has 9.

Session A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Flat Dumbbell Press1 warm-up set firstLower to the bottom of the breastbone. 4 × 6–10 2 2:30 min
Dumbbell Hex PressSqueeze the dumbbells together. 3 × 10–15 1 90 s
Dumbbell Chest FlyFinish over the lower chest. 3 × 12–15 1 1 min

Open Session A in the session builder

Session B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Flat Dumbbell Press1 warm-up set firstElbows about 45 degrees. 3 × 8–12 1 2 min
Dumbbell Chest PulloverSqueeze the chest toward the hips. 3 × 10–15 0 1 min
Dumbbell Hex PressThree seconds down. 3 × 12–15 1 1 min

Open Session B in the session builder

How to run it
Run both sessions each week with at least two days between them. They work as the chest part of an upper-body or push day.
How to progress
Add reps until every set hits the top of its range at the target reps in reserve, then move up one dumbbell step. On the hex press, a slower three-second lowering is the first way to make it harder.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Dumbbells on the floor, no bench

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets18 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells

You have dumbbells at home and nothing to lie on but the floor or a mat.

Every exercise here starts from the floor, which limits the range, so the sets stay in higher rep ranges and close to failure to make a short range count. The two-arm floor press leads both sessions, the one-arm version lets a single heavier dumbbell do more work, and the floor fly and pullover add the stretch without any bench. Presses stop at 1 rep in reserve and flies at 0 to 1. Each session is 9 working sets.

Session A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dumbbell Floor PressElbows tucked. Pause on the floor. 3 × 10–20 1 90 s
Dumbbell Floor FlyHands meet over the lower chest. 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
Dumbbell Chest PulloverOn the floor, knees bent. 3 × 12–20 1 1 min

Open Session A in the session builder

Session B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Single-Arm Dumbbell Floor PressReps per arm. Free arm pressing the floor. 3 × 8–15 1 90 s
Dumbbell Floor PressThree seconds down. 3 × 10–20 1 90 s
Dumbbell Floor FlyLast set to failure. 3 × 12–20 0 1 min

Open Session B in the session builder

How to run it
Do the two sessions on two non-consecutive days. A thick mat or folded towel under your upper back makes the floor press more comfortable.
How to progress
Push each set toward the top of its range at the target reps in reserve. Once a pair stops being hard at 20 reps, slow the lowering to three seconds and pause for two seconds with your arms on the floor before you look for heavier dumbbells.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What is the best lower chest exercise with dumbbells?

The decline dumbbell press. The decline sets your arms to push toward your waist, which lines up with the lower fibers of the pec, and dumbbells let you lower deep and load it heavily. If you have no decline bench, the flat dumbbell press lowered to the bottom of your breastbone is the next best.

Does the dumbbell press work the lower chest?

Yes. A flat dumbbell press works the sternal fibers, which make up the largest part of the chest and include the lower portion. Lowering the dumbbells to the bottom of your breastbone with your elbows at about 45 degrees shifts a bit more of the work toward the lower fibers.

What dumbbell chest exercises can I do without a bench?

The floor press, the one-arm floor press, the floor fly and the pullover lying on the floor. Keep your elbows tucked and the dumbbells over the lower half of your chest. The floor shortens the range, so use higher reps and get close to failure.

How do I work the lower chest without weights?

Use dips with your torso leaning forward and incline push-ups with your hands on a bench or counter, both of which push your arms down toward your waist. The bodyweight chest exercises page has the full list.

Can you target the lower chest on its own?

Partly. You cannot isolate one part of the pec completely, but the angle you press or fly at changes which fibers do the most work. Decline angles and pressing toward your waist favor the lower fibers, while incline angles favor the upper ones.

How many sets for lower chest a week?

Count your lower-chest sets as part of your total chest volume of about 10 to 20 hard sets a week. If the lower chest is a priority, give about half of those sets to decline, low-finishing or pullover work, as the plans here do.

What angle should a decline bench be for lower chest?

About 15 to 30 degrees below flat. That is enough to shift the work toward the lower pecs. Going steeper shortens the range and adds little, and it makes getting into and out of the bench with dumbbells harder.