Inner chest and lower chest...

This should be an easy one....

I need to work on my inner chest. Give me some ideas.
I also need to work on my lower chest. Let's have some ideas.

I know, cable cross-overs and declines are going to be high on the list.
Here is the wrinkle:
I have shoulder problems and declines are some of the worst things I can do for my shoulder.
The other wrinkle:
My gym has very limited equipment. The cables stay out of action. We have none of that fancy equipment, so no hammer strength of any pec decks...just bread and butter stuff.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by swellin

This should be an easy one....

I need to work on my inner chest. Give me some ideas.
I also need to work on my lower chest. Let's have some ideas.

I know, cable cross-overs and declines are going to be high on the list.
Here is the wrinkle:
I have shoulder problems and declines are some of the worst things I can do for my shoulder.
The other wrinkle:
My gym has very limited equipment. The cables stay out of action. We have none of that fancy equipment, so no hammer strength of any pec decks...just bread and butter stuff.

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If cables aren't really an option, have you considered doing more flys? Try adding in decline flys as well...

and you're right, the popular answer for lower chest is going to be either decline presses or weighted dips...if you can't really do either for your shoulder...then try the flys...or have you tried DB decline presses?

just kind of thinking out loud for you...take what you can from it...and good luck

close grip bench will solve all your problems, physiologicall, decline and flat bench affect the chest the exact same way, it will also hit your inner, actually that's the wrong way to say it but for sake of argument, because you'll get a fuller contraction on top, go heavy on this, keep failure at around five reps, and your bench press will increase as well

I thought that close-grip bench press worked triceps.

it does, but it hits chest as well, same thing as dips

I try to do close grips on my tricep day. That is, when my wrists allow it. I also work it really hard. I force my elbows in on every rep, and really try and control the weight. I can do close grip reps with 275, but my elbows start spreading. I generally try and work up to that weight...or in that neighborhood and then when I can do no more...drop it back to 225 and get some more clean reps.

Oh yeah, I have been thinking about it all day, and I still can't come up with the correct term...I hated typing inner...it felt like I was talking about my heart or something...so let me have it.

Yes, I do incline flys, and can see a difference. I might give soem decline flys a try though.

stop playing with yourself and your wrist won't hurt, other than that, try dips, they work great for either tris or lower chest

This deca is keeping my need for wrist play at a minimum.
It just so happens that the last two weeks, I have been glued to this computer, and I am getting carpel tunnel syndrome. I have had to stop doing certain exercises. I can't even think about barbell curls right now...they kill me anyway. The other thing that hurts the most is close grip. I have to widen my grip just a bit to give a better, more natural angle to my wrists.

Swellin, I don't do decline bench anymore(it's what tore my shoulder up).......I have found that dips, even weighted dips, have takin over my lower development.......like scott said give them a try.

There is no "inner chest". Just pec major and minor - lower and upper. The shape of your chest is largly dependent on mom and dad...

yea i have a wierd development of my lower pectorial there is a big gap between each on the bottom. But what i do anyways is flys it burns the hell out of my pectorial the ideal way to do it is slow

Dips, preferably weighted will work tris and inner lower chest. Also decline flies, though thet primarily work the outside of you pec. Close grip bench will blast your inner and lower pecs as well as your tris! the wider your grip on bench, the more outer chest and upper. The narrower, the more lower and inner pecs. Obviously inclines do upper, declines more lower. I have never done decline presses, and you really don't need to if you do flat bench as this works your entire chest. Try varying grip widths. It is much easier and safer on you shoulders to do ALL presses at a 30 degree incline as per the new school of thought. This will make your entire pec grow. Good luck bro.

Don't do decline bench, it slowly tears away at your rotator cuffs. As for inner chest, if your gym has a pec dec, thats a surefire easy solution right there. If you only have a fly machine, stop halfway during your flies, stopping at about shoulder width and connecting again.