Cavernous pecs don’t come easily.
To get that depth, you’ll need to focus on developing the inner chest. And while definition of the inner chest is elusive, there are some key chest exercises and movements to take advantage of in effort of achieving this impressive aesthetic, which is the purpose of this post.
We will present the fundamentals of chest anatomy, training tips and tricks, and 10 must do inner chest exercises that will help you carve those pecs.
HOW THE CHEST WORKS
The pecs, or pectoralis major, is what we know as the chest. It is the large, fan-shaped muscle that runs horizontally from the middle of the rib cage to the humerus bone on the arm. The chest (pec major) is composed of two muscle heads, typically thought of as the upper and lower chest. These muscle heads work together to perform rotation and pushing movements, like the bench press. But let’s dive deeper into chest anatomy to better understand this:
- Sternocostal head: AKA the “lower chest”. It’s the most prominent muscle of the pecs, and the home to the inner chest. This head originates at the sternum and runs horizontally outward to the humerus. The sternal head powers the bulk of arm rotation and adduction (think hugging motions). The inner chest is technically the region of this head that is located closer to the sternum and middle of your chest as a whole. The best exercises for the inner chest are also the best exercises for overall chest development, such as the flat bench press and fly, but more on this below.
- Clavicular head: AKA the “upper chest”. It attaches to the collarbone, or clavicle, and runs downward to the humerus. It is the smaller head of the pec major, making up ~ 20% of overall chest mass. The clavicular head plays a supporting role to the lower chest, but has a greater responsibility in arm flexion (lifting the arm upward). You can target the upper chest through incline presses and different variations of cable flies.
- Pectoralis minor: This is a small muscle that lies underneath the pec major. It connects the upper ribs to the upper, front part of the shoulder blade, just under the collarbone. The main functions of the pec minor are stabilization and rotation movements of the shoulder bade. While it is active in nearly all chest exercises, this is mostly a supportive role. As such, you can’t truly isolate this muscle. However, you can increase its recruitment by performing exercises to move the shoulder blades downward, such as dips and decline presses.
- Serratus Anterior: While not part of the chest, the serratus anterior contributes to chest size and function. It consists of finger-like muscles that run upward from the ribs, along the sides of your torso to the shoulder blades. The serratus primarily acts to pull the shoulder blades forward around the back of the rib cage, and also helps to bring the arms forward or overhead. Exercises like dumbbell pullovers target the serratus, and will help to push the chest up and out.
As you can see, for solid chest development, movement matters. To really stimulate the inner chest, you’ll need to perform movements that activate the sternal head.
TRAINING THE INNER CHEST
Before we dive into the best exercises for the inner chest, here are a few factors to consider when training the chest.
Rep Range & Volume: The rep ranges of your workouts are usually determined by your own goals. Higher (8-15) reps are generally associated with hypertrophy. If you’re trying to lose chest fat or build muscle, stick with higher reps. Lower reps (1-5) are usually key for pure strength gains. That said, muscle development relies on a variety of rep ranges.
Note: there is often confusion regarding the correct rep range to achieve hypertrophy. Muscle development depends not only on repetitions, but time under tension, as well as the muscle type. For example, smaller muscles, like biceps and deltoids, don’t respond well to low reps and heavy weights. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but it’ll help prevent injury and keep your exercises productive.
Grip: Another contentious topic, grip positioning is important during the bench press. Keeping your arms slightly wider than shoulder width is perfect for overall chest development. To emphasize the inner chest, shift to a more narrow grip. This grip also relies heavily on the triceps. You’ll need to drop the weight when using this grip.
Barbell vs Dumbbell: The barbell vs dumbbell debate is old as time. In general, both contribute equally to chest muscle activation and development, but there are slight differences. You can press more weight with the barbell, as dumbbells transfer the load across nearby muscles for stabilization and overall allows for greater range of motion. Again, an ideal workout will incorporate both. For the inner chest, the barbell is the way to go for consistent development.
Progressive Overload: This is the principle of increasing resistance across sets and workouts. You can increase the weight from set to set, but keep it minimal to maintain the rep range. Note that for the exercises here, you should stick to 10-15 reps, going close to failure for each set. It’s time to add weight once you can easily get through a set.
Progressive overload applies to weight, but includes other elements such as time under tension, rest time, time to failure, and more. You can combine methods, but don’t do too much in each cycle.
10 BEST EXERCISES FOR THE INNER CHEST
The following exercises were chosen because they present the greatest benefits to both inner and overall chest development; you can’t have one without the other. Ideally you’ll find a way to incorporate most of, if not all, into your chest routine. Variety promotes gains in strength and size, and helps to prevent plateaus. The chest responds well to variety.
1. Close Grip Push-Up
The push-up tops this list because it is the foundation of chest development. And the close grip is the best push-up for the inner chest. While it won’t give you anywhere near the gains of free weights, it will teach you perfect form, provides a solid base, and can be done anywhere. You may be surprised how many push-ups you can’t do.
We also love this move for women as it is one of the top breast lifting exercises. Ladies, include this in your routine for firmer, perkier breasts!
How to do close grip push ups:
- Assume the push up position, but bring your hands together about 2” apart; you can drop your knees to the ground for support or to rest.
- Keep your back straight and lower your chest a few inches above your hands.
- Push your chest back up to the starting position by contracting the inner chest and triceps.
- Repeat.
Related: Bodyweight Exercises for Chest Development
2. Bench Press
The bench press is the ideal free-weight exercise for overall chest development. It acts heavily on the sternal head, which is what we want for the inner chest. While the bench press doesn’t act directly on the inner chest, it develops the strength that supports the exercises that do. You can also include this move in a home chest workout by switching to dumbbells and using the floor in place of a bench.
How to do bench presses:
- Lie on your back on a flat bench and grab the bar with your hands slightly more than shoulder width apart, palms forward and thumb wrapped around the bar.
- Unrack the bar and slowly lower the it about 3-4 inches from middle of your chest; do not let the bar touch your chest.
- Contract your chest to push the bar back to the start position.
- Repeat and rerack at the end of the set.
Note: You should rotate between barbell and dumbbell bench press, as both are good to do for your inner chest. Barbells will allow for greater loads (generally speaking), which is great for development, but dumbbells allow for a greater range of motion and thus increased stretching and contraction tension.
Related:
3. Cable Fly
Cable flys are the best exercises for really focusing tension on the inner chest. Cable exercises provide constant tension, meaning the muscle stays stimulated throughout the entire range of motion. Finally, through the cable machine you can explore a variety of exercises that may add value to your routine.
How to do cable flys:
- Set up: Select the weight and adjust the cable handles slightly lower than shoulder width. Stand in the middle of the rack and step forward so your arms are pulled back, but bent forward slightly at the elbow.
- Start by pressing your arms together, maintaining the bend. It’s important to really focus on squeezing the inside of the pecs.
- Stop when your hands meet in front of you but maintain tension on the pecs.
- Slowly return your arms to your sides; you’ll still feel a bit of a stretch while resting between reps.
4. Dumbbell Fly
Another foundational exercise – everyone should know how to perform the dumbbell fly. The dumbbell fly takes advantage of arm rotation to really hit the inner chest. Keep in mind you’ll be working against gravity with this one. You’ll find this move included in our back and chest workout as it provides some serious pec gains!
How to do dumbbell flys:
- Find a good position on the bench with your feet planted and shoulders engaged with the bench and lie back with weights held against your chest.
- Extend your arms outward with elbows pointing downward and lower arms angled slightly up toward the sky.
- Maintain this position and push the arms together above the chest in a wide arc.
- Peak tension is at the top of the lift as the weights come together so be sure to maintain tension throughout.
- Lower the weights back toward the ground; stop when the elbows are just slightly lower than the bench.
Note:
- For an extra challenge – add a resistance band that passes under you back and wraps at the thumbs while holding the dumbbells.
- You can also change up the emphasis, targeting the bottom of your lower-inner chest, by adding a little wrist/forearm rotation as you come to the top of the fly (rotating your wrists in).
5. Close Grip Bench Press
The close grip bench press is another foundational movement that does work to the inner chest, as well as the triceps. This is a good place to start if you struggle with other exercises, or only have a barbell. Remember to decrease the weight for this, probably 30% than your normal flat bench weight
How to do close grip bench press:
- Similar to a flat bench, lie on your back under the bar and grab the bar with a neutral grip.
- The difference: bring your hands together on the bar, about 6” apart, or just above and outside the nipples.
- Unrack the bar and slowly lower it toward your chest until your hands are just a couple inches above your chest; keep your elbow to your sides and pointing forward about 45-70 degrees.
- Push the bar back up until your arms fully extend; concentrate on keeping tension on your inner chest.
- Repeat.
6. Hex Press
Similar to the close grip bench press, the hex press takes advantage of dumbbells and transfers tension differently. What really makes this exercise special is that you will be pressing the dumbbells together the entire time, which is great for muscle activation and the inner chest. Basically, it adds another element of contraction.
How to do hex presses:
- Lie flat on a bench with two dumbbells, similar to a dumbbell press.
- Keep both weights pressed against each other right on top of the middle of the chest (hex-shaped dumbbells make this a bit easier, hence the name).
- While pushing the weights in, squeeze the inner chest and push the weights straight up.
- You’ll want to maintain a lot of tension on the inner chest.
- Slowly draw the weights back down to the chest; don’t bounce them off the chest or rest too long here.
- Repeat.
7. Cable Fly (high to low)
This variation of the basic cable fly adds a bit more shoulder and lower chest, while still emphasizing the inner chest – or in other words, the lower-inner chest. Stagger your feet and lean forward slightly for a bit more stability and power generation.
How to cable flys high to low:
- Set up: adjust the cable handles at or near the top of the cable towers and step forward slightly ahead of the towers.
- Engage the inner chest and push your arms downward toward your navel; keep your arms angled slightly at the elbow.
- Stop when the handles are about to make contact in front of you (it’s not crucial that they do). Maintain tension on the inner and lower chest.
- Return the handles back up to the start.
- Repeat.
8. Single Arm (isolateral) Cable Fly
Yet another variation of the fly, this truly is a distinct exercise and requires practice. Isolateral movements allow you to focus on weaknesses that persist on one side of the body. You also get to perfect your range of motion. This exercise can be done from an upright standing position, bent over standing position, or with a bench set up next to the cable machine in a lying position.
How to single arm cable flys:
- Position a bench laterally to the pulley set on the lowest position.
- Lie on the bench with a cable in one hand pulled away from the cable machine. If you don’t feel a good stretch in your chest from the starting position, stop and reposition the bench a little further away from the pulley tower.
- Push the cable inward so your arm is straight up over your chest with your palm facing in.
- Return to the start position and repeat.
Related: Best Cable Chest Exercises
9. Dumbbell Pullover
Great for both chest and back, the dumbbell pullover activates much of the chest from a slightly unusual angle, while preserving arm rotation so you’re still hitting inner chest. Overall, you can think of this one as an upper-inner chest exercise.
How to do dumbbell pullovers:
- Lie across a bench perpendicular to it, with your legs planted firmly and your shoulders on the bench with your head hanging over.
- Hold a dumbbell above your chest between your hands and extend your arms up.
- Slowly bring the weight backward over your head and stop when your arms are parallel to the bench.
- Bring the weight up and forward while squeezing your pecs and your lats
- return the weight to the starting position.
- Repeat.
10. Svend Press
Similar to the hex press but with a plate, and usually performed standing upright (but can be done from a seated or incline bench position). You can also use a dumbbell, as seen in the pic above. This exercise is great for burnouts/conditioning or finishing movements.
How to do plate presses:
- Standing, or upright on your knees, squeeze a plate (light) in between your hands at the middle of the chest.
- While squeezing the plate, extend your arms outward completely and don’t let them drop.
- Return your arms back to your chest.
- Repeat (good luck!).
BEST INNER CHEST WORKOUT
Here is a workout that will remind you why you love chest day. You can do this up to twice per week. This should be part of your building/conditioning phase. Keep your rests to ~2 minutes. You can add in exercises for the triceps as you like.
Note: Always stretch and warm up with light or bodyweight
- Flat Bench Press 3 sets x 8-12 reps
- Cable Fly 5 sets x 12 reps
- Hex Press 4 sets x 6-10 reps (can sub with close grip bench)
- Dips 4 sets to failure
- Close push-ups 4 sets x 40 sec, 30 sec, 20 sec, 10 sec (rest 30 sec in between)
Related: The Ultimate Chest & Tricep Workout
BEST AT HOME WORKOUT FOR INNER CHEST
- Banded Close Push-Ups 4 sets x 15 reps
- Push-Up Grab Bag: 3 sets x 10 reps – in a single set you’ll do 10 of each w/o stopping – close, normal, wide, normal, close; rest 1 minute in between
- Decline Push-Ups (elevate feet ~20”) 3 sets x 45 seconds
STRETCHES AND WARM-UPS
Stretching and warming up before any workout is a must to avoid injury and get the most from your workout. You can do both at once with active, or dynamic, stretching. You don’t need to spend more than a few minutes, and don’t over-stretch.
Some good stretches before a chest workout are:
- Band pull aparts
- Band up and overs
- Bent arm wall stretch
- About the head chest stretch
These are dynamic stretches, so you will be moving in and out of the stretch, not holding the stretch for extended time.
When warming up, less is more.
Warm up/ramp up sets: It’s also a good idea to do a few warm up sets of a given exercise, keeping the weight low and working up to your working weight.
Related: 10 Best Chest Stretches
PARTING THOUGHTS
As mentioned a few times here, the inner chest is not something you can hit separately and call it a day. To get the inner chest developed, you’ll be working the whole chest. This is key, so beware of overtraining. Here are a few things to remember from this post:
- Focus on flat bench and a fly variation to really develop the inner chest and sternocostal head.
- Incorporate upper chest and triceps workouts to avoid overtraining, and maximize overall chest development.
- Perform both high and low volume workouts to maximize power, hypertrophy, and adaptation.
- Work the chest 1-2 times per week.
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