There is no shortage of differing opinions when it comes to whether or not you can target your inner chest with at-home workouts or any kind of workout whatsoever.
Some say it’s anatomical heresy, while others disagree equally strongly. And then there are those who couch on the fence.
What has proven to be true is that the inner chest muscles will feel the impact of carefully selected exercises that work the whole chest.
By approaching these inner chest exercises at an optimal angle so that the line of pull matches the orientation of your chest fibers and selecting targeted isolation exercises, you will be firing your shots with precision to build your inner pecs.
Home workouts offer a convenient and effective way to sculpt your chest without the need for gym equipment, proving that your fitness goals can be achieved anywhere.
The 11 best at-home inner chest workouts that you are about to read now will help you do just that. What’s more, they leverage adduction movements coupled with resistance elements to maximize muscle engagement and promote balanced chest development.
Come along and explore!
1. Flat Dumbbell Bench Press
Reason for inclusion
The flat dumbbell bench press is an effective chest press for building mass over your entire pectoral muscles (pecs). The movements involved closely resemble those of your natural, everyday activities, plus using dumbbells for the bench press might be safer for your shoulders than using barbells.
All you need for this chest workout with dumbbells is a sturdy, stable bench and a pair of dumbbells.
Steps
- Grab a pair of dumbbells, one in each hand, and hold them close to your chest with elbows flared out to your sides.
- Lie down on your back on a bench that is long enough to support your head and low enough for you to press your feet on the floor while maintaining a 90-degree bend at your knees.
- Â Breathe out and engage your pectoral (chest) muscles while squeezing your abs and glutes. Press the weights up as you drive your feet onto the floor. Hold for a second.
- Slowly lower the weights back down till your elbows are below your shoulders and the weights are touching your chest.
- Repeat for 10-15 reps. When you are done, sit up first before dropping the weights.
2. Dumbbell Chest Flys
Reason for inclusion
Dumbbell flys are a great chest isolation exercise, and the rowing movements involved offset the horizontal push movements—closing and opening the door, et cetera— that everyday life subjects us to.
To do this chest workout at home, use a flat bench if an incline bench is absent or do a standing chest fly, but with resistance bands (so you don’t do a shoulder workout instead with gravity’s interference) if you prefer an upright posture.
Steps
- Steps one through three are the same as for the flat dumbbell bench press discussed above.
- Breathe in and slowly lower the weights as if to form the letter T shape, but your arms should be slightly higher than your shoulders.
- Breathe in and slowly reverse the motion to press the weights up.
- Repeat (with 2 minutes break) for 8-10 reps of three sets.
- Remember to sit up first before dropping the weights.
3. Single arm chest fly
Reason for inclusion
Single-arm chest flies are the unilateral variant of the dumbbell chest fly. Training each side of your chest muscles individually with a chest workout like the single arm chest fly has been proven to reduce and even correct muscle imbalances.
Steps:
- Grab a dumbbell with one hand and rest the other hand on your torso.
- Lie on your back on a flat, low, stable bench. Ensure your head and back are flush with the bench and your feet are pressed firmly on the floor.
- Drive your shoulders into the bench, engage your pecs, and press the weight up, but keep a soft bend in your elbow.
- Breathe in and slowly lower the dumbbell with an arc motion until it’s horizontal with your chest. This is your starting position.
- Exhale, squeeze your chest, and press the dumbbell up in an arc motion until it’s at arm’s length above you.
- Repeat the alternating arc motions for four sets of 10 reps with 2-minute breaks between each set.
4. Hex press with medicine ball
Reason for inclusion
The hex press with a medicine ball is a more refined version of the hex press as it allows your forearms to be more vertical and parallel to each other for a near-perfect-style bench press with dumbbells while still retaining the isometric motion of the traditional hex press without a medicine ball.
As a result, hex pressing with dumbbells is a much better inner pecs workout with dumbbells for beginner weightlifters and those with shoulder pain.
Steps
- Sit on the edge of a bench and lock in a light medicine between two dumbbells—one in each hand. Let the med ball be big enough to make your forearms parallel.
- Lie down on the bench on your back and let the setup (ball and dumbbells) touch your chest but without resting on it.
- Arch your back, pushing your chest upwards and letting your shoulder blades push down on the bench. This is your starting position.
- Squeeze the ball as hard as you can. Engage your pecs and press the weights up till your arms are straight at the elbows. Hold for a second.
- Slowly lower the weights but keep squeezing the ball and repeat the motion for up to 3 sets of 10 reps each.
5. Plate squeeze press
Reason for inclusion
The plate squeeze press is another inner chest exercise that uses a strong squeeze to work the pecs without relying on resistance. Beginners of inner chest workouts will find it to be a great place to start, but as you advance, use the plate squeeze press to finish out a chest workout.
Steps
- Get a pair of light plates (5 to 10 pounds is okay)
- Kneel on the ground and squeeze your abs and glutes as you press two plates together close to your chest. Let your elbows point toward the ground.
- Press the plates straight and outwards from you to straighten your arm while squeezing the plates into each other and keeping them even.
- Draw your arms back to yourself but without relaxing your exertion on the plates. Repeat the whole process until you can’t do another rep in good form.
6. Wide grip push-ups
Reason for inclusion
Turns out there is a push-up variation to target nearly every muscle group in the body. For the inner chest muscle, that would be the wide grip push-up. It’s a great inner chest workout without weights. The wide grip pressing motion of the push-up flexes the sternocostal head of the chest muscle, which makes up the inner chest.
Steps
- Start at the top of a push-up position with hands wider apart than your shoulders. Keep your arms and knees straight.
- Drop down to the bottom of the pushup position, keeping your body straight and taut.
- Press back up to the top of the push-up position without curving your back or sagging your hips.
- Repeat for three sets of 10 reps.
7. Chest dips
Reason for inclusion
The chest dip is a great bodyweight workout to target the inner pecs, particularly the lower region. It works like a push-up except that you press your body up in an erect stance rather than a prone one. And like push-ups, they can be done at home.
Steps
- Get two strong, stable stools or chairs of equal height and space them apart such that you can conveniently stand between them and still have space around you.
- Stand sideways between the chair handles (or stools) with your arms aligned at your sides.
- Lower yourself at the waist to grip the chairs by their handles, or press your palms on the stools with your arms straight.Â
- While gripping the chair handles tightly or pressing your palms firmly on the stool surfaces, suspend yourself in the air by bending your knees at 90 degrees and lifting your feet together off the floor behind you. At this point, your shoulders should be shrugged, your shins should be parallel with the floor, and your elbows should be bent but hugging your body. This is the starting position.
- Now, lift yourself up by pressing down on the chairs or the stools and straightening your elbows.Â
- Reverse the motion to lower yourself again. That’s one rep.
- Repeat for two sets of 10 reps or for about 3 mins.
8. Elbow squeeze shoulder press
Reason for inclusion
Combining the elbow squeeze and shoulder results in an inner chest workout without weights that target the inner chest and shoulders simultaneously with just a pair of dumbbells and the right moves. You also get to work your triceps, arms, and upper back together.
Steps
- Grab a pair of dumbbells of reasonable weight, one in each hand, and stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Stretch your arms straight to point in front of you with the dumbbells, and then make a 90-degree bend at your elbows so the dumbbells are held up parallel to each other.
- Squeeze your chest muscles and space out the dumbbells so that your upper arms make a straight line with each other while keeping the 90-degree bend in your elbows. This is the starting position.
- Draw the elbows and the forearms (upper arms) towards your midline and return to the starting position.
- Push the dumbbells up and fully extend your arms. That’s one rep.
- Return to the starting position and repeat the whole movement for up to 3 mins.
9. Valslide chest fly
Reason for inclusion
The valslide chest fly or valslide push-up is a highly demanding inner chest workout that works by requiring you to pull your arms together and away from you in a push-up position. This exercise is great at hitting the inner chest muscle but should only be attempted if you’ve gained strength with other push-up variations.
You will need valslides or a slide board or paper plates and a smooth, even floor.
Steps
- Start at the top of a high plank position with your hands straight under your shoulders and pressed firmly on valslides.
- Descend and lower your chest to the floor by sliding both arms sideways on the valslides while keeping a straight elbow.
- Reverse the motion to push yourself back up to the starting position. That’s one rep.
- Repeat the movement for 2 sets of 8 reps. Make sure you keep your back straight throughout the movement and avoid sagging your hips or trying to raise your neck to look at the front.
10. Dumbbell pullover
Reason for inclusion
Dumbbell pullovers are great for isolating the inner chest because the lower pecs are the main movers in this exercise. The movement involved also helps to greatly improve shoulder mobility. Then, too, your general stability will get a nice boost.
Steps
- Select a dumbbell of reasonable weight. Hold it with both hands and sit near the end of a bench. If you are not sure of the right weight for you, follow this tip on Healthline to find out.
- Lie flat on the bench on your back and plant your feet firmly on the floor on a stable end of the bench.
- Holding the end of the dumbbell with both hands, extend your arms straight overhead to suspend the dumbbell right over your chest. This isÂ
- Inhale, point your elbows sideways, and take your arms as far back as possible, lining up your upper arms with your ears. Keep your arms straight but not locked at this point.
- Reverse the motion to pull your arms back up to the starting position as you keep your arms straight and flare your elbows outwards.
- Repeat the motion for 8-10 reps or until fatigue sets in.
11. Decline push-up
Reason for inclusion
Decline pushups are a great lower chest workout that requires you to lift much more of your body weight than the regular push-up. Besides, decline push-ups enlist the aid of, amongst other muscles, the lower portion of the pectoralis major to supply the lifting force. The angle assumed in the decline push-up also increases muscular excitation in the lower chest.
Steps
- Get down on your hands and knees. Space your hands shoulder-width apart.
- Extend your feet (one foot at a time) and place your toes on the elevated surface.
- Straighten your body and keep your hips straight and taut as well. This is where you start.
- Lower your chest to the floor by bending your elbows until they line up with your ribcage.
- Push into the floor and straighten your elbows to raise yourself back into the starting position.
- Repeat for as many reps as you can before fatigue sets in.
Concluding thoughts
Thanks for staying till this point! Whether you are a working professional or a stay-at-home mum, you will surely find these workouts to be of great benefit to your inner chest.
B’cos, in the end, who doesn’t deserve to like the way their body looks? And with any of the at-home workouts listed above, you get to take the first steps towards that ripped look we all crave! So which one of them will it be today?
