Lower pec training

[ptdanny]

What kind of lifts do you guys do to hit your lower pecs?

I recently changed it up for dips to decline bench to now decline flys/decline dumbells, decline push ups. I really try to keep my body symetrical and hit all of the parts of each muscle, so middle, upper & lower for chest. My chest has come a long way recently and has a pretty good lower chest cut, but it would always be improved, just curious on your guys ideas and lifts for the lower pecs and your beliefs on it. I've had some people tell me not to do anything decline & I don't need to get the nice lower cut and others that swear by it.

 

[RenegadeRows]

I'm not a fan of specialization. I beleive if you are training correctly, something like heavy benchh will hit all sides of the muscle.

My feelings aside, declines supposedly target your 'lower pec' so stick with those for a while.

 

[pistonpump]

dips r as good as it gets

 

[shaddow]

Mine have always lagged but they've gotten a bit more *oomph* since incorporating dips/weighted dips.

 

[grocker]

I'm with shadow and piston on this one. Eversince I started doing gironda weighted dips, my chest has grown and inch and it's starting to shape my lower pec nicely.

 

[ptdanny]

thanks guys!
ya i love the dips, the only reason i got away from them is because i felt like my tris and shoulders were still being worked too much from the weight.

I lean forward as much as possible and my chest gets most of the work, but when u have a lot of weight hanging the other muscles are going to get some major stress too. I thought they would make my tris or shoulders recover slower or be weaker for future workouts since they need to rest, but ill probably start with dips again.

how kind of reps/sets & technique do you guys usually do for dips? heavy weighted ones? really slow ones?

 

[bLacKjAck.]

I wouldn't work your lower pecs anywhere near as much as upper. Make sure the upper pecs are always dominant....looks better

Dips/Weighted Dips are king though...

 

[pistonpump]

I wouldn't work your lower pecs anywhere near as much as upper. Make sure the upper pecs are always dominant....looks better

Dips/Weighted Dips are king though...

ill second that.

 

[pantera101]

I'm not a fan of specialization. I beleive if you are training correctly, something like heavy benchh will hit all sides of the muscle.

My feelings aside, declines supposedly target your 'lower pec' so stick with those for a while.

I did flat bench for years and my upper chest is severely lagging now.I begin almost all chest wo's with inc now,and it's catching up.

I don't know what you mean by supposedly.Do only dec and your lower chest will get sore.Do only inc and your upper chest will get sore.If flat bench were all it took to get a full rounded chest,then thats what BB'rs would be doing.

And gironda dips kick ass ptdanny!!!!

 

[RenegadeRows]

I did flat bench for years and my upper chest is severely lagging now.I begin almost all chest wo's with inc now,and it's catching up.

I don't know what you mean by supposedly.Do only dec and your lower chest will get sore.Do only inc and your upper chest will get sore.If flat bench were all it took to get a full rounded chest,then thats what BB'rs would be doing.

And gironda dips kick ass ptdanny!!!!

I dunno man. When I train either decline, or incline, my whole freakin chest kills the next day. Doesn't seem to make a difference for me.

 

[Boyders]

I dunno man. When I train either decline, or incline, my whole freakin chest kills the next day. Doesn't seem to make a difference for me.

It seems to me that you don't train upper and lower chest specifically very often or you probably wouldn't get that pain, no?

 

[grocker]

I only do incline db press and weighted gironda dips but train them HST style. I'm been getting pretty good results this way eventhough I was sceptical at first. I was used to training chest twice a week with little results.

 

[RenegadeRows]

It seems to me that you don't train upper and lower chest specifically very often or you probably wouldn't get that pain, no?

I don't specify different 'parts' of that muscle no. I'm not sure if I would get that pain or not.

I like to keep it simple. I've always read 'different heads of delts' articles in M&F, and all that. Personally I just lift as heavy as I can and my body grows by itself. lol.

I suppose if I was trying to build a competition body, I would put more time into specification exercises for upper chest, tricep heads, delts, etc.

But my goal right now is to become strong and big, therefor I lift more like a powerlifter (albeit without the numbers), focusing on stuff like weighted dips, bench, squat, deads, rows, overhead press.

I've seen really skinny guys complain about 'tricep head' and 'rear delt', and do all these funny grips and variations of isolations... When in fact they should just go out and deadlift all day ... they'd be much happier with overall progress. Just my 02

 

[pantera101]

I've seen really skinny guys complain about 'tricep head' and 'rear delt', and do all these funny grips and variations of isolations... When in fact they should just go out and deadlift all day ... they'd be much happier with overall progress. Just my 02

Very true!But a disproportionately built body looks rediculous!You need the size first,but I see alot of guys who are severely lacking in rear delts,upper chest,forearms,tri's,or legs(quads,hams,and/or calves)It's like they just say screw it!I don't like training that or it doesn't respond like the others.So I'll just ignore it and the majority of people won't have a clue that my bi's are way too big for my tris and that my rounded shoulders are missing a head and that my calves are the same size they were when I was 15 and 80 lbs lighter!

 

[RenegadeRows]

Very true!But a disproportionately built body looks rediculous!You need the size first,but I see alot of guys who are severely lacking in rear delts,upper chest,forearms,tri's,or legs(quads,hams,and/or calves)It's like they just say screw it!I don't like training that or it doesn't respond like the others.So I'll just ignore it and the majority of people won't have a clue that my bi's are way too big for my tris and that my rounded shoulders are missing a head and that my calves are the same size they were when I was 15 and 80 lbs lighter!

Good point about gaining mass before shaping.

I love working a lagging bodypart, such as my triceps and back, because that is where i see the best results.