By Jason
Updated: June 30, 2023
6 minutes
Doing lower chest push-ups at home is very possible yet the results are more effective than other body exercises that require sophisticated fitness equipment. All you need to do is support yourself on a wall, a wooden box, or a stability ball and start doing lower chest exercises.
The best push-ups for lower chest fitness experts recommend include elevated and inclined push-ups. Exercising lower pec pushups regularly will strengthen your upper body, improve body posture appearance, increase body stability, and tone the chest.
In this article, we’ll show you which push-ups target the lower chest and explain step by step how to do the workouts at home.
What is a Push-up for the Lower Chest?
Image courtesy of National Library of Medicine
Push-ups for the lower chest are push-ups that target the muscles at the lower portion of the chest. These push-up exercises can either be practiced at home or in a fitness gym . Unlike the standard push-ups that require lifting a larger percentage of the body weight, these exercises aim at inducing specific active movements to the lower chest muscle fibers.
When working on the lower chest muscles, you should aim for the pectoralis major muscle. This thick, fan-shaped, and large muscle also called “pecs” lies underneath the breast tissue. If you intend to build your lower chest, target push-ups that will work on the pectoralis major muscle.
All the muscle fibers in this region realign to come together and insert into the lower chest through the front of the upper arms. Therefore, how you build lower chest muscles will depend on the angle at which you place your arms in relation to the body.
Exercising different lower pec push-ups at least three times a day will work on each strain of muscle and help build the pectoralis region as a whole.
Benefits of Lower Chest Push-ups Exercises
If you admire physique bodies, you’ll definitely want to build your lower chest. Whereas exercises targeting the lower chest will help improve the cardiovascular system, most fitness gurus will perform these exercises to strengthen and develop an aesthetically pleasing physique.
Why are the lower chest press-ups important?
1. Lower chest press-ups increase muscular endurance and strength
Great chest press-up exercises will help build chest muscle endurance. Body endurance is the body’s ability to produce low levels of force within a specified period of time. If you want to increase lower chest muscle endurance and strength, you’ll have to practice a variation of push-ups in every session.
2. They improve body balanced
As you balance your upper body when performing push-ups for lower pecs on an elevated surface, you improve body stability. They also help increase chest muscle mass and overall body balance.
3. Lower chest press -ups help develop a pleasing chest physique
Among the best lower chest workout push-up that will help you develop a good chest physique is the inclined push-up. Studies have proven to do chest muscle thickens the muscles. If you want a pleasing chest physique to start practicing push-up exercises that work on the pectoralis area.
4. Lower chest exercises reduce the risk of injury
According to the National Library of Medicine , loading shoulders, wrist joints, and elbows and then tweaking with unified movements stabilizes the interconnected upper chest limbs and muscles thus reducing injury risks. By strengthening chest muscles through push-ups, you also reduce shoulder joint injury risk.
5. They increased overall body fitness and health
As you work hard on your chest to improve stability and increase muscle mass, you also improve overall body fitness and health. Press-ups improve cardiovascular health, raise metabolism rate, and help burn more fat. Feeling athletic, strong, and balanced should always be at the core when performing pushups for the lower chest.
Push-Ups That Target the Lower Chest to Perform at Home
Not every push-up will work specifically on your lower chest. Generally, press-ups target the triceps (arms muscles), pectoralis major (chest), and scapular stabilizing muscles (shoulders). The below push-up exercises will target your chest muscles if you follow the outlined steps.
1. Incline Push-Up
Incline push-up exercise is an elevated variation of the traditional push-up. It involves placing the arms straight on a raised surface such as a wooden box, table, or bench and pushing the body away from the surface. This exercise targets the pectoralis minor and major.
As you engage the chest muscles with incline push-ups, you also work the triceps and scapular muscles.
How to do incline push-ups
Step 1. Stand facing the raised surface and place the hands on the edge of the surface with the shoulders width apart. Now straighten the arms and don’t lock your elbows.
Step 2. Straighten the body then align the arms and feet with the body. Straighten the back and legs until they form a straight line.
Step 3. To work on the chest muscles, engage the muscles. Now bend the elbows and slowly lower the chest towards the surface edge and inhale while maintaining the elbows close to your body.
Step 4. With the body rigidly straight, pause for at least 3 seconds at the bottom, then push the body back until the arms are straight. Remember not to raise the buttocks, or sag the hips. As you push back, exhale.
Step 5. Repeat the movements 8 – 12 times.
2. Clapping Push-Up
Image courtesy of Medical News Today
Performing clapping push-ups exercises will strengthen and tone your upper body, stabilize the shoulders more, body awareness, and grow pectorals, deltoids, and triceps muscles. If you’ve never tried this push-up, you’ll first need to improve confidence in your upper limb strength .
As you do clapping push-ups, you develop strong and quick thrusting motion which is necessary if you need a speedy punching power.
All you need to perform clap press-ups is your body weight and an exercise mat (optional).
How to do clapping push-ups
Step 1. Begin with a standard push-up and keep your hands slightly apart compared to the shoulder width.
Step 2. Start bending the elbows and lowering your chest to the ground. As you lower the body, contract the abdomen while still maintaining a straight line from the ankles to the head. Lower the body until the chest nearly touches the ground.
Step 3. Pause at the bottom for like 2 seconds then explode your body upwards and with the palms beneath the chest, clap your hands together immediately once. Then, return to the ground. Repeat the clap-up exercise and keep increasing your rate.
3. Feet Elevated Push-Up
Image courtesy of Men’s Health
Feet-elevated push-ups are harder compared to standard push-ups. As the name denotes, the feet have to be raised to align the body at a parallel angle with the floor. Pulling the body up when doing feet elevated push-ups strains the shoulder muscles.
How to do feet-elevated push-ups
Step 1. While on standard push-up style, place the hands 36 inches apart, and ensure the torso is at arm’s length.
Step 2. Lift your feet and place them on top of a bench with the toes on the edge. To work on your chest muscles harder, elevate the bench higher.
Step 3. While inhaling, lower your body slowly till your chest almost touches the ground.
Step 4. Using the chest muscles, pull up the upper body while exhaling and pressing the chest to the starting position. Repeat the exercise.
4. Reverse Grip Push-Ups
Reverse grip push-ups strengthen shoulder joints and build up pectoralis muscles, and triceps. This at-home lower chest push-up is performed with the figures facing the feet. The muscles you’ll work by practicing reverse grip push-ups are pectoralis major and minor, triceps, biceps, and deltoid major and minor.
How to do reverse grip push-ups
Step 1. Be in a standard push-up starting position then lower your body to the ground.
Step 2. With your hands slightly wider apart than your shoulders and the palms flat on the ground, rotate the palms to face toward the feet.
Step 3. Extend the legs until the body is in a plank position, tighten and engage the pectoralis area then slowly lower the upper body while breathing in.
Step 4. Pause slightly at the bottom and start pushing up the body. Breathe out as you push up your body. Repeat the exercise regularly.
Conclusion
Lower chest muscles are good for the body in a number of ways. Practicing feet-elevated push-ups, inclined push-ups or the reverse grip push-up will grow your lower chest muscles. If you combine these exercises in every session and practice at least thrice a week, you’ll develop a strong and stable upper body.
And if you love martial arts, you’ll develop speedy and powerful punches.
For your general body health, incorporate lower chest press-ups in your fitness routine .
