A strong and well-developed inner Chest is crucial for overall chest development, upper body strength, and aesthetics. I speak from experience when I say that having a strong inner chest has defined my physique.

In this comprehensive guide, I’ll cover the 10 best inner chest exercises to target and develop these muscles. I will explain the correct starting position, execution, and variations of each exercise so you can incorporate them into your workout routine with the correct form, so that you can build a powerful, sculpted chest.

Understanding the Inner Chest

Before diving into the exercises, it’s essential to understand the anatomy of the Chest Muscles. The chest comprises two primary muscle groups: the pectoralis major and the pectoralis minor.

The pectoralis major is the fan-shaped muscle that covers the upper rib cage and collar bone. It consists of two heads: the clavicular (upper) head and the sternal (lower) head. The “inner chest” refers to the area where these muscle fibers converge near the midline of the body.

In simple terms, if you want to develop a well-defined inner chest, you need to target the central area between the two heads. By doing this, you can improve overall chest appearance and symmetry, as well as enhance upper body strength and stability.

The following workout routines will target the muscle fibers in the inner chest area, contributing to a more powerful and sculpted look.

The Importance of Developing the Inner Chest

A well-developed inner chest not only looks great, but it also contributes to functional strength and stability. By targeting the inner chest, you’ll enhance your overall chest development and create a balanced, powerful upper body.

In addition, a strong inner chest can improve posture and reduce the risk of chest and shoulder injuries. It’s an essential component of a comprehensive chest training routine that should not be overlooked. Even if you only include one or two exercises a week for your inner chest, its definitely worth making the effort to include some.

Inner Chest Workout at Home

With the right exercises and minimal equipment, you can effectively target your inner chest muscles at home. Dumbbells, resistance bands, and your body weight can be used to perform many of the exercises outlined in this guide.

We’ll provide variations and modifications to suit your home workout environment. I understand that for a lot of people, we want to work out at home for several different reasons, and that is why it is important that I provide variations for you.

Inner Chest Workout with Dumbbells

Dumbbells offer versatility and convenience for targeting the inner chest. Many of the exercises in this guide can be performed with a simple pair of dumbbells, allowing you to build strength and definition in the comfort of your own home.

As someone who loves using dumbbells myself – I believe that are the best for muscle-mind connection, and especially good for targeting the inner chest.

Inner Chest Workout at the Gym

The gym offers a wide range of equipment and machines to help you target and develop your inner chest muscles. In addition to dumbbells and resistance bands, you can also utilize cable machines, adjustable benches, and specialized chest machines to add variety to your workout routine. So, there will be plenty of exercises that are tailored to gym equipment in this guide.

10 Best Inner Chest Exercises

1. Dumbbell Hex Press

The hex press is an excellent exercise to target the inner chest, as it focuses on the contraction of the pectoral muscles near the midline of the body. I can vouch for the usefulness of this exercise as I used it myself for a few weeks, and I definitely saw the benefits.

Starting position: Lie on a flat bench with a pair of dumbbells in a neutral grip (palms facing each other). Hold the dumbbells at chest level, with the inner sides touching.

Execution: Press the dumbbells upward, maintaining constant contact between the weights. Squeeze your chest muscles at the top of the movement, then slowly lower the dumbbells to the starting position. Keep your shoulder blades retracted throughout the entire range of motion to engage your inner chest muscles effectively.

Variations: The hex press can also be performed on an incline bench to target the upper inner chest or with resistance bands for a different line of pull. You can also perform the hex press with a single dumbbell if you don’t have access to a pair of dumbbells.

2. Diamond Push-Ups

Diamond push-ups are a fantastic bodyweight exercise to target the inner chest and triceps. This is something that I do when I don’t have equipment, it can be good to pump up your inner chest while on holiday, but is equally as good as a regular exercise.

Starting position: Get into a standard push-up position with your hands close together, forming a diamond shape with your fingers and thumbs.

Execution: Lower your body toward the ground, keeping your elbows close to your sides. Push back up, maintaining the diamond hand position and squeezing your inner chest muscles at the top of the movement. Ensure your body remains in a straight line throughout the exercise, engaging your core to maintain proper form.

Variations: If standard diamond push-ups are too challenging, try performing them on your knees or with your hands elevated on a bench or step. You can also perform decline push-ups with your feet elevated on a stable surface to target the upper inner chest area.

3. Cable Crossovers

Cable crossovers are a versatile exercise that allows you to target the inner chest muscles from different angles. If you have access to the equipment, I would definitely recommend this activity as you can really feel it.

Starting position: Stand between a cable machine with pulleys set at chest height. Hold a handle in each hand, with your arms extended out to the sides and a slight bend in your elbows.

Execution: Bring your hands together in front of your body, maintaining the bend in your elbows and squeezing your chest muscles at the peak contraction. Slowly return to the starting position. Focus on the mind-muscle connection to engage the inner chest muscles effectively.

Variations: Adjust the pulley height to target different areas of the chest. High-to-low cable crossovers emphasize the lower chest, while low-to-high crossovers target the upper chest. Single-arm cable crossovers can also be performed to focus on one side at a time.

4. Incline Dumbbell Fly

The incline dumbbell fly is a great way to isolate the upper inner chest muscles while also working the entire pectoral region. This is one of those exercises that is just really effective, but you must prioritise proper form as it can be easy to injure yourself.

Starting position: Lie on an incline bench with a pair of dumbbells in each hand. Hold the dumbbells above your chest with a slight bend in your elbows and palms facing each other.

Execution: Lower the dumbbells to the sides, maintaining the bend in your elbows, until you feel a stretch in your chest muscles. Bring the dumbbells back up to the starting position, squeezing your inner chest muscles at the top of the movement.

Variations: Incline dumbbell flyes can be performed with resistance bands or on a decline bench to target the lower inner chest muscles. Ensure you maintain control throughout the full range of motion and avoid using too much weight to prevent injury.

5. Plate Press

The plate press is a simple yet effective exercise to target the inner chest muscles using a weight plate. It can also target the lower chest and is good for upper body strength as well. This is a compound chest exercise that is very effective.

Starting position: Stand or sit upright, holding a weight plate with both hands at chest level. Your palms should be facing each other, pressing against the sides of the plate.

Execution: Extend your arms straight out in front of your body while maintaining constant pressure on the weight plate. Squeeze your inner chest muscles at the peak contraction, then slowly return to the starting position. Keep your shoulder blades retracted and focus on the mind-muscle connection throughout the movement.

Variations: The plate press can be performed with a medicine ball, or a dumbbell held horizontally between your palms if a weight plate is not available.

6. Barbell Bench Press

The barbell bench press is a classic compound exercise that targets the entire chest area, including the inner chest muscles. This depends entirely on how you position your hands on the bar, making the barbell bench press a very versatile exercise.

Starting position: Lie on a flat bench with your feet planted firmly on the ground. Grip the barbell with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.

Execution: Lower the barbell to your mid-chest, keeping your elbows at a 45-degree angle to your body. Press the barbell back up, focusing on engaging your inner chest muscles as you push through the entire range of motion. Maintain a controlled tempo and proper form throughout the exercise.

Variations: The barbell bench press can be performed on an incline or decline bench to target different areas of the chest. You can also use a close grip to place more emphasis on the inner chest and triceps.

7. Dumbbell Bench Press

The dumbbell bench press is another compound exercise that targets the entire chest, including the inner chest muscles. This is my favourite exercise for targeting the inner chest as you can really feel it. When you have dumbbells, you can focus on a slow movement and a strong muscle-mind connection – and this has helped me to see good results.

Starting position: Lie on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward. Hold the dumbbells at chest level, with your elbows bent at a 90-degree angle.

Execution: Press the dumbbells upward, extending your arms fully. At the top of the movement, focus on squeezing your inner chest muscles. Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position, maintaining control throughout the movement.

Variations: The dumbbell bench press can be performed on an incline or decline bench to target different areas of the chest. You can also use a neutral grip (palms facing each other) to place more emphasis on the inner chest muscles

8. Incline Dumbbell Press

The incline dumbbell press targets the upper chest, including the inner pecs. Again, you might question the effectiveness of an incline press, but the muscles you target depend on how you focus on moving the weight. 

Starting position: Lie on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward. Hold the dumbbells at chest level, with your elbows bent at a 90-degree angle.

Execution: Press the dumbbells upward, extending your arms fully. At the top of the movement, focus on squeezing your inner chest muscles. Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position, maintaining control throughout the movement.

Variations: The incline dumbbell press can be performed with a neutral grip or using a barbell instead of dumbbells. You can also adjust the incline angle to target different areas of the upper chest.

9. Cable Flys

Cable flys are an excellent isolation exercise that targets the inner chest muscles. With the cable machine, it is incredibly easy to progressively overload, meaning it is easy to progress with this exercise.

Starting position: Stand between a cable machine with the pulleys set at chest height. Hold a handle in each hand, with your arms extended out to the sides and a slight bend in your elbows.

Execution: Bring your hands together in front of your body, maintaining the bend in your elbows and squeezing your chest muscles at the peak contraction. Slowly return to the starting position, focusing on the mind-muscle connection to engage the inner chest muscles effectively.

Variations: Adjust the pulley height to target different areas of the chest. High-to-low cable flys emphasize the lower chest, while low-to-high cable flys target the upper chest. Single-arm cable flys can also be performed to focus on one side at a time.

10. Chest Dips

Chest dips are a compound bodyweight exercise that targets the lower chest, including the inner chest muscles. I haven’t personally tried this exercise, but I can say that a lot of people in the fitness community find it to be very effective.

Starting position: Grasp the parallel bars of a dip station with your arms extended and your body hanging straight down.

Execution: Lower your body by bending your elbows, leaning slightly forward to emphasize the chest muscles. At the lowest point, press back up to the starting position, squeezing your inner chest muscles at the top of the movement. Keep your core engaged and maintain proper form throughout the exercise.

Variations: If you find bodyweight chest dips too challenging, use a dip assist machine or resistance bands to provide assistance. To increase the difficulty, add weight with a dip belt or by holding a dumbbell between your ankles.

Incorporating Inner Chest Exercises into Your Workout Routine

To achieve the best results, you should incorporate a variety of inner chest exercises into your workout routine. Targeting the inner chest from different angles and using various rep ranges will stimulate muscle growth and prevent plateaus.

Aim to train your chest at least once or twice a week, allowing for adequate rest and recovery between sessions. You can try to use compound exercises, targeting other chest muscles, and then your inner chest can benefit from these exercises.

But, if you really want to improve your inner chest muscles, then you should dedicate an exercise or two per week to them.

Conclusion

In conclusion, developing a strong and well-defined inner chest requires a combination of compound and isolation exercises that target the inner chest muscles from various angles.

Incorporating these 10 exercises into your workout routine, focusing on the mind-muscle connection, and maintaining proper form will help you achieve a powerful and sculpted chest.

As always, it is important to remember to stay consistent with your training, and don’t be afraid to adjust exercises or rep ranges to keep your workouts challenging and engaging. Form is the most important thing, so always prioritize this over increasing the weight.