Everyone wants a big chest — we blame Arnold Schwarzenegger for this, at least partially. So when four-time Mr. Olympia winner Jay Cutler talks about the most important factors for lower chest growth, we listen.
From Cutler’s perspective, it’s not about this bench press variation or that one. On Jul. 27, 2024, Cutler explained on social media that specific chest exercises are less important than having low body fat when it comes to displaying the lower chest.
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Lower Chest Development & Body Fat
“If you want to bring in that nice line underneath your pecs, you have to stay on a great diet,” Cutler said. “That’s how you show definition of the lower chest.”
- He’s right; science tells us that people store body fat in different areas depending on factors like biological sex. Men typically follow what’s called an “android” style of fat distribution, which includes a propensity to accumulate fat in the torso and upper body. (1)
What does Cutler mean, exactly, by a “great diet”? He may not necessarily be referring to a bodybuilder’s contest prep — you don’t need to get down to single-digit body fat to illustrate your lower pecs — but is emphasizing the importance of maintaining a calorie deficit in order to lose excess body fat.
Lower Chest Bodybuilding Exercises: What Works?
When it comes to bodybuilding, your choices in the kitchen matter just as much (if not more) than what you do in the weight room. However, that doesn’t mean the design or style of your chest workouts don’t matter.
Cutler, though, doesn’t subscribe to the common bodybuilding mantra of using different bench press variations to isolate different parts of the chest.
- “For lower pec development, a lot of people think you have to do the decline bench,” Cutler said. “But your basic pressing movements and flyes are fine, too, if the decline bench hurts your shoulders.”
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Once again, Cutler is on the money. You might “feel” your lower chest working more during the decline bench press, but that might just be because that specific bench angle reduces the stress placed upon your shoulders.
- One study from 2020 looking at five different bench press angles showed that the lower chest region was activated to the greatest degree during the flat bench press. (2)
Your Takeaway: If you feel like your lower chest development is lacking, you may simply be carrying too much body fat in that area.
Decline pressing exercises can be useful if they’re comfortable for you and allow you to establish a mind-muscle connection with your lower pecs, but Cutler cautions against relying solely on your workout routine to make your lower chest “pop.”
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References
- Blouin K, Veilleux A, Luu-The V, Tchernof A. Androgen metabolism in adipose tissue: recent advances. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2009 Mar 25;301(1-2):97-103. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2008.10.035. Epub 2008 Nov 5. PMID: 19022338.
- Rodríguez-Ridao D, Antequera-Vique JA, Martín-Fuentes I, Muyor JM. Effect of Five Bench Inclinations on the Electromyographic Activity of the Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoid, and Triceps Brachii during the Bench Press Exercise. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Oct 8;17(19):7339. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17197339. PMID: 33049982; PMCID: PMC7579505.
