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4 effective inner chest exercises to boost up your pecs

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Man with strong chest and triceps
Norbert Buduczki / Unsplash

Building a sculpted physique starts with a solid chest day routine and an understanding of the different muscles that make up the chest. Your chest muscles are made up of several muscles, known as the Pectoralis major, Pectoralis minor, Subclavis, and Serratus anterior muscle. The most dominant muscles in the chest are the two Pectoralis muscles, which are commonly referred to by gymgoers as the “pecs”.

If you’re looking to boost up your pecs, it’s essential to choose a diverse selection of exercises that hit every part of the pec muscles — including the inner pecs (which are often forgotten). As part of your updated chest day routine, give these X inner chest exercises a try.

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Why do inner chest exercises

Man doing dumbbell chest press
Alesia Kozik / Pexels

Selecting exercises that target muscles in your inner chest can help you build strength, increase muscle size, and enhance muscle definition. In general, working out every portion of your chest muscles is important. The chest muscles are important for everyday activities such as pushing activities, as well as sports like swimming. Building muscle mass in your upper body can also help you maintain good posture, improve heart health, and control blood sugar levels.

4 best inner chest exercises to add to your routine

Dumbbell bench press

Slatan / Shutterstock

Are all the barbells taken at the gym? Don’t fret — it’s still easy to get a great inner chest workout in. Instead of using a barbell, opt for a flat dumbbell bench press that can help you develop stability and strength in your inner pec muscles. Here’s how to get set up to do a dumbbell bench press:

  1. Start with a flat bench, taking a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip. Use a weight that is challenging for you, but also is doable to do an entire set.
  2. Place the ends of the dumbbells into your hip crease while seated on the bench then lie back with the weights, holding them close to your chest.
  3. Inhale and press the dumbbells up. When the handles are at the same height as your chest, slowly lower the dumbbells down.
  4. Contract chest muscles and repeat, pushing dumbbells back up to the starting position. Make sure your feet remain flat on the floor during the entire exercise.

Incline bench press

incline chest press
Bojan656 / Shutterstock

The incline bench press is a classic gym exercise that will never go out of style. Putting your bench to an incline setting allows you to have a longer range of motion during the exercise and targets the muscles on the inside of your chest. This exercise is also great for chest workouts of any intensity, as it can be adjusted to your current fitness level. Here’s how to do the incline bench press:

  1. Start by setting your bench to the desired level of incline. Lay down on the bench with your feet flat on the floor.
  2. Grab the barbell tightly with both your hands, placing each hand slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  3. Hold the bar over your chest, removing it from the barbell rack.
  4. Begin to lower down the bar and then push it back up. Remain focused and keep your pectoral muscles engaged throughout the entire movement.
  5. Continue for as many reps/sets as you’d like (usually 10-12 reps, 3 to 4 sets is a good range to aim for). Re-rack the barbell when finished.

High-to-low cable flyes

cable fly
Male athlete training chest muscles, doing cable fly exercise, achieving goal Motortion Films / Shutterstock

High-to-low cable flyes are a simple exercise to learn and can be done at nearly any gym that has a cable set. Flyes are great to add to your rotation of inner chest exercises, especially if you’re looking to change it up from your traditional barbell and dumbbell exercises. Here’s how to get started with high-to-low cable flyes:

  1. Begin on a cable crossover machine and set each of the two pulleys at the highest possible setting.
  2. Attach handles to the attachment clip on both sides. Set the weight stack to your desired weight.
  3. Grab both handles with a neutral grip and step slightly forward from the cable stack. Keep arms open, and pecs stretched.
  4. Push the handles forward with a slight bend in your elbows then bring the handles back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for desired reps/sets.

Floor flyes

A fit asian man in a gray sweater does dumbbell floor flys on a black mat. Chest workout at his home gym. MDV Edwards / Shutterstock

Performing flyes on the floor adds more stability to your chest exercises and is a great option to keep things interesting and hit your pecs differently. There is also a reduced risk of injury with this exercise, making it a solid choice for beginners as well. To do this exercise, you’ll need to:

  1. Start on the floor with two dumbbells held above your shoulders. Lower weights in an arching motion towards the ground.
  2. When your elbows hit the floor, pause briefly before squeezing your dumbbells back together.
  3. The dumbbells should not touch the floor. Stop them a few inches short of when you’d hit the floor.
  4. Continue for the desired amount of reps/sets.
Emily Caldwell
Emily Caldwell
Contributor
Emily is a Features Writer at The Manual, where she specializes in food, beverage, and travel content. She focuses on weaving…
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