The Ultimate Chest and Triceps Workout to Construct Muscle

There are numerous chest and tricep workouts available on the market, but that is the most effective one. How can I be so sure? Because this program is written to deal with each variable you could know and more.  

Anyone can write a chest and tricep workout routine. Perform the dumbbell bench press, possibly some push-ups, throw in some triceps pushdowns, and also you’re good to go.

To be fair, that might work, for a bit of bit at the very least. Nevertheless, it doesn’t address all of the concepts of proper training, nor does it come anywhere near optimizing a chest and tricep workout routine for maximal muscle growth and strength.

But, this text does. And, I’m going to walk you thru this chest and triceps workout so you’ll be able to construct some serious upper body muscle.

Table of Contents:

• Best Chest and Triceps Workout
• Programming Suggestions For Your Chest And Tricep Workout
• Why You Need Chest And Triceps Workouts
• Anatomy Of The Chest & Triceps
• Training Variables For Your Chest And Triceps Workout 
• 4 Best Chest Exercises
• 6 Best Triceps Exercises

The Best Chest And Triceps Workout

I will get into the chest and triceps workout immediately, but ensure that you stick around after as I explain some crucial programming suggestions for chest and triceps workouts, together with detailed instructions on the best way to perform each exercise.

This chest and triceps workout includes 2 sessions per week with 2-3 days of rest in between.  

Chest & Tricep Workout Session A:

Chest and Tricep Workout Session B:

Programming Suggestions For This Chest & Tricep Workout

This chest and triceps workout IS NOT a program you simply run for a few months after which move on. Actually, this basic chest and triceps workout blueprint can literally last a lifetime should you just follow these easy rules. 

For the primary couple of months, you’ll utilize basic progressive overload by either increasing the load or reps. Creating variety by altering the exercises for movement patterns and rep ranges is the important thing to repeatedly progressing in your chest and tricep workouts.

To make clear, this is definitely one in every of the explanations this chest and tricep workout adds a lot variety because it introduces you to a variety of tactics.  

3 easy alterations for your chest and triceps workout

Using the chest and tricep workouts session A for instance, I’m going to point out you 3 ways you’ll be able to proceed processing using this routine.

1) Vary the rep range on your chest and triceps workout:

The primary variable you’ll alter in your chest and triceps workout is the rep range. For instance, look how you might alter the rep range for session A after a few months of coaching or when things begin to feel stale.

• Barbell Bench Press 4 sets x 4 reps → 5×5 → 5×2
• Dips Body weight 4 sets @ RPE7 for 8+ reps → 12+
• Close Grip Bench Press 3×8-12 → 4×8-12
• Rolling Triceps Extension 3×8-12 → 3×6-8
• Chest Flies 3×8-12+ (use failure, drop sets, forced reps)
• Reverse Grip Triceps Pushdown 3×15+ (use failure, drop sets, forced reps)

2) Alter your chest and tricep workout order:

One other easy technique for changing up your chest and triceps workout is to change the order. You’ll still must keep your greater exercises up front and smaller exercises towards the back. Generally, you’ll find that there’s one movement you can’t progress on. You’d move this to the front of the road so let’s pretend every thing is improving but your dips. You’d move that to the front.

3) Use different exercises in your chest and tricep workouts:

When you get to a degree where none of that’s working, you’ll then exchange movements with the identical movement pattern. In other words, don’t replace bench press with pull-ups. Here’s a have a look at the best way to proceed utilizing this best chest and tricep workout.

• Barbell Bench Press → Dumbbell Flat Bench Press 4 sets x 4 reps
• Dips → Dips machine 4-6-8        
• Close Grip Bench Press → Close Grip Block Press 3×8-12
• Rolling Triceps Extension→ Skull Crushers 3×8-12        
• Chest Flies→ Dumbbell Chest flies 3×12-15+ (use failure, drop sets, forced reps)
• Reverse Grip Triceps Pushdown →Triceps Rope extension 3×12-15+ (use failure, drop sets, forced reps)

Why You Need A Tricep And Chest Workout

The chest and triceps are two vital muscle groups. While you most likely don’t really want us to let you know why to coach them, there are bonafide reasons it is best to understand to understand their importance.  

1) Enhanced Aesthetics:

Let’s get the vanity out of the way in which. A well-developed chest is serious gym goals. And you would like a superb chest and triceps workout to make it occur. 

On the subject of triceps, as mentioned, they make up around 60% of your total arm’s mass. Having an underdeveloped set of triceps in comparison with your biceps will look silly PLUS, it’s unimaginable to properly fill out a shirt sleeve with small triceps. 

In other words, in case your aesthetic has any importance to you, train your chest and triceps appropriately.  

2) Pushing Is A Basic Functional Movement:

The term “functional training” gets thrown around lots to the purpose that it could possibly mean absolutely anything. Nevertheless, functional training is an actual thing, and pushing is one in every of the essential functions in human performance.

Actually, if we were to interrupt down probably the most critical movement patterns, there are only about 7 functional movements, with pushing being one in every of them.

• Pushing
• Pulling
• Hip Hinge
• Squat
• Lunge
• Rotation
• Carries

Why is that this vital? Well, your chest and triceps, along along with your anterior deltoids, are your primary muscles used for pushing power. While all of them work together to construct pushing power, their contribution will change depending on their joint angle. 

This makes training these muscles in a chest and triceps workout vital for essential human function and increases the standard of life. When you don’t have strong pectoral muscles and triceps, you’re missing out in life. 

3) Improve Pushing Power:

If you would like to go even further and improve athleticism and higher prepare yourself for all times, following an optimal training program with progressive overload is critical. In case your chest and triceps are weak, you’re not pushing anything.

Improved pushing power goes to be helpful in quite a lot of situations, including helping to enhance your lifts and increasing your athletic capabilities.

Having advanced chest strength and triceps will only aid you reach the load room and in life.

The Anatomy Of The Chest

The pectoral muscles (aka chest muscles) are two large fan-shaped muscles that sit on either side of the chest, run from the sternum, and converge towards the arm. Further, each of those muscles on the left and right side of the body has two heads: the sternal head, referred to as the lower chest, and the clavicular head, the upper chest.

The muscle fibers origin of the pectoral muscles are situated across the sternum and clavicle. The muscle fibers then run across the chest and converge to its insertion. This makes it a convergent muscle.  

Certainly one of the advantages of a convergent muscle is that the muscle fibers run at different angles and may pull at various angles. That is what gives you the flexibility to push downward, simple, and upward.

More importantly, this tells us that we want to incorporate various angles to optimally hit the upper, lower, inner, and outer areas of the chest. 

Serratus Anterior:

The serratus anterior isn’t actually a part of the chest but is heavily involved in pressing movements. Further, it greatly enhances the general aesthetics of the chest musculature.

The serratus anterior is usually referred to as “that rib muscle” because it sits on the first to eighth rib. It then wraps across the side of the body and inserts down the complete anterior length of the medial border of the scapula.

The first function of the serratus anterior is pulling the scapula forward, which helps the arms move forward. Growing your serratus anterior will give your chest that “pop” as it should make the ribs look tight and pronounced. 

What Are The Primary Chest Functions?

The pectoral muscles are one in every of the first muscles involved in actions that occur on the anterior of the upper body, including manipulation of the arms. The pectoral muscles have 3 primary jobs: flexion, adduction, and internal rotation of the humerus.

The Anatomy Of The Triceps

The triceps are three-headed muscles that sit on the back of the upper arms and make up about 60% of the overall arm mass. The three heads have different origins but come together at the identical insertion across the elbow on the humorous.

While the three heads have individual specific functions, as an entire, the triceps act as the first extensor of the elbow as a consequence of crossing the elbow joint. Because of this when the triceps contract, they pull on the arm to straighten the elbow joint and extend the arm.

Nevertheless, the triceps are literally biarticular, meaning the muscle crosses two joints. On this case, the triceps cross the elbow and the shoulder; at the very least one in every of the heads does. Listed below are the first functions of the three heads of the triceps.

• Medial Head: The medial head is situated in the course of the arm, between AND underneath the lateral head and long head. It’s the first head used for low-force extension.
• Lateral Head: Contrary to the medial head, the lateral head is liable for high power production. In other words, the lateral head won’t turn into fully activated until the triceps face numerous resistance. The lateral head is situated on the surface of the arm (why it’s called “lateral”) and is the biggest head. 
• Long Head: The long head gets its name as it’s the longest head. No surprise there, but its length comes from the incontrovertible fact that its insertion is similar because the medial head and lateral head, but its origin reaches across the shoulder. The long head is what makes the triceps biarticular. This provides it the unique responsibility of assisting in shoulder extension. 

What Is The Function Of The Triceps?

The triceps essential job is extension of the elbow joint, which extends the arm. That makes it of utmost importance to have a powerful upper arm for strength throughout a full range of motion.

And, since the long head also crosses the shoulder joint, the triceps muscles are also liable for shoulder extension and assist in stabilizing the shoulder. This includes motions just like the freestyle swim stroke, and the long head would assist in doing push-ups on rings to supply greater stability. 

Training Variable For Your Chest and Triceps Workout

When optimizing your workout, you would like to include each strength work and hypertrophy work. It doesn’t matter which one you prefer because each hypertrophy and strength will enhance the opposite. In other words, training for strength and hypertrophy will likely cause you to be greater AND stronger than should you only trained for one purpose. 

Improving your strength and creating greater muscles are literally two distinct physiological processes that occur as a consequence of resistance training. Here’s a rather more in-depth article on this exact subject that can dive deeper, but listed below are the fundamentals for now. 

1) TRAINING FOR STRENGTH:

If you find yourself training for strength, you’re essentially taking the present muscle you have got and making it “higher” or stronger. A muscle contraction occurs through a series of events that must occur. Further, a muscle consists of many individual muscle fibers that fireplace individually yet work together to build up force. 

Improving your strength will result in an improved firing rate, more efficient recruitment of muscle fibers, and higher force production. And, a stronger muscle will lift more weight which equals more volume, which implies more significant muscle growth. In other words, the stronger you’re, the more muscle-building potential you have got.

To coach for strength, barbell movements with compound movements are generally your best bet. You’ll then perform your exercises with;

• Heavy loads (>85%1RM)
• High set (4-6)
• Low reps (2-6) 

2) TRAINING FOR MUSCLE HYPERTROPHY:

However, muscle hypertrophy (or muscle growth) refers to physical, architectural changes to the muscle. This may occur through two different processes, myofibrillar hypertrophy and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.

Regardless, while there are other aspects, the primary driver of muscle hypertrophy is volume. The very best equipment for hypertrophy in your chest and tris workout goes to be dumbbells and cable pulleys.

These will allow unilateral work, higher activation for stabilization, higher isolation movements (the cable pulley will enable you to work at different angles), and are easier to establish. The exercises will include some compound movements and many isolation exercises. When performing muscle hypertrophy exercises, you’ll wish to use;

• Moderate loads (70-80% 1RM)
• Moderate sets (2-3)
• High reps (8-15+)
• Specialty sets (drop sets, burnout sets, etc)
• Variety by altering your grip and angles of resistance.

*Quick Note: The above information is a general description of coaching for strength and hypertrophy. There’s loads of overlap between the 2.

3) Ideal Training Frequency for chest and triceps workout:

Along with training for each strength and muscle hypertrophy, the opposite variable you’ll follow is training chest and triceps twice per week. When attempting to optimize neural muscular adaptation for strength and muscle growth, studies show that the optimal frequency is hitting a muscle group two times. 

Not only will this can help you use maximal volume while mitigating fatigue, nevertheless it also permits you to use a superb mixture of exercises for strength and hypertrophy of the chest and triceps. 

The 4 Best Chest Exercises

You have seen the chest and triceps workout I put together. Now all that is left is to grasp the best way to do each move, so you’ll be able to get probably the most out of those routines.

1) BARBELL BENCH PRESS:

The barbell bench press is the very best chest exercise for maximal pushing power. Pressing with a barbell will allow maximal loads, which is required for more significant neuromuscular improvements. Nevertheless, when performing the barbell bench press, it would be best to use a rather wider grip than usual. This doesn’t must be extreme; perhaps just a pair finger widths.

The explanation is that a wider grip will produce barely more activation within the chest because the elbows are farther away from the body. Further, this program will utilize two other bench press variations, so you would like your program to have as many bits of variety. 

2) DUMBBELL INCLINE BENCH PRESS:

To focus on the clavicular head during your chest and tricep workout, you’ll want to incorporate an incline dumbbell press. At the identical time, so as to add variety, you’ll use dumbbells for a rather different stimulus. 

Ideally, you should have access to an adjustable bench, allowing more variety in your bench angle. Regardless, since the dumbbell would require more activation for stabilization, any angle goes to work.

To optimize the incline dumbbell bench press, it would be best to bring the dumbbells a bit higher on the chest toward the clavicle and push up a bit narrower. 

3) DUMBBELL PULLOVER:

The dumbbell pullover gets its fame from its use by a number of the top weightlifters and bodybuilders of all time. People like:

• Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Ronnie Coleman
• Dorian Yates

Actually, that is one in every of the old fashioned movements you’d see throughout the “golden age” of bodybuilding. Unfortunately, it’s not as common today because….well because people just don’t know. But now you do, and you could do them in your chest and triceps workout. 

The dumbbell pullover works by lying flat on a bench and lifting a dumbbell over your head. Keeping a slight bend within the arms, you’ll let the dumbbell drift backward behind your head. Doing so goes to create an enormous stretch of the pectorals as a consequence of the acute shoulder flexion.

Once the dumbbell is all the way in which behind your head, you’re going to pull the dumbbell back over to its original position. When doing so, use a mind-muscle connection to contract your pecs and deal with bringing your elbows forward. 

Certainly one of the first muscles used is the serratus anterior, which can help round out your chest constructing exercises.

4) CABLE PULLEY CHEST FLIES (EVERY ANGLE):

Together with the dumbbell pull-overs, chest flies are one in every of the few single-joint exercises to coach the chest, and it’s just about the one other single-joint exercise you’ll need included in your chest and triceps workout. Nevertheless, we prefer to use the cable pulley for chest flies because you’ll be able to work the pecs from literally every angle.    

Horizontal, 45-degree decline, 60-degree incline…mainly every direction. This is essential because the chest muscle’s anatomy is designed to tug in every order making it crucial to incorporate this variation in your chest training.

Further, since you’re not using a heavy object or must support anything, these are your best bet to work to failure and beyond. Cable chest flies work great as your primary chest hypertrophy exercise. Further, you’ll be able to work either side at the identical time or unilaterally. There’s a ton of variation here.

No matter what angle you’re using, the essential setup is similar. Set the cable to the peak of your alternative. Next, you’re going to grab each handles (or a single handle) and stand out of line with the machine, so that you’re barely in front. That is to permit full tension throughout the complete range of motion and create a greater pulling angle. Below is the grip you’ll use.

• Mid-level: Neutral grip
• Downward pulls: Overhand grip
• Upward pulls: Underhand grip

Next, you should utilize a staggered or neutral stance, but a staggered stance generally allows more stability and heavier loads. Stick your primary leg out so there’s a few foot length between your back leg. Let your arms extend out, keeping a minimal amount of bend in your elbow.  

Last, you’re going to bring your hands together and provides them a tough contraction. The extent of the pulley will dictate where your arms meet. To know where it is best to pull, take a moment to note the road of the pulley when your arms are prolonged outwards. You would like to pull in a straight line following the cable. 

Again, change the angle each time. Or you might even use different angles each session. This offers you some freedom so as to add variety to your sessions. Take a have a look at our Best Cable Chest Exercises for some inspiration.

The 6 Best Tricep Exercises

While most individuals robotically consider isolation movements for the triceps, we follow science and include 3 different compound exercises to coach the triceps muscle.

But don’t worry, there are still isolation movements to incorporate in your chest and triceps training. Listed below are the most effective exercises to shape some beastly horseshoes on the back of your arms. You possibly can’t go unsuitable including these in your chest and triceps workout.

1) TRICEPS DIP:

Dips are vital movement in anyone’s chest and tri workout. Using dips in your pushing program goes to extend strength and muscle mass while improving overall athleticism. 

Due are so great as they can help you load the triceps along with your entire body weight. That’s numerous mass that the triceps must move, meaning they’ll see high levels of activation. Nevertheless, we would like to do them the precise technique to get the very best levels of activation. Subsequently, you’ll wish to perform vertical dips as studies have shown this variation to get the very best activation level.

To perform these, your body goes to remain relatively vertical the complete movement. Only leaning barely forward to permit yourself to return down. Further, you would like to keep your elbows tucked into the body.  

2) TRIANGLE PUSH UPS:

One other unbelievable exercise for chest and tricep day, rivaling the #1 triceps exercise, is the triangle push-up. Actually, the #1 spot goes forwards and backwards between these and dips, depending on the study.

This study showed that each the long head and lateral head of the triceps (study) had the very best activation out of 8 exercises. Subsequently, as an alternative of arguing over which one is healthier, just do each of them!  

Triangle push-ups work as they bring about the arms close enough in order that the hands touch. This creates a significantly greater range of motion on the elbow while also decreasing the contribution of the pectoral muscles.

The pectorals are recruited more because the elbows exit from the body and create greater horizontal abduction. As we’re virtually eliminating this, the triceps are worked to a much higher degree. 

3) CLOSE GRIP BENCH PRESS:

The close grip bench press is probably the greatest pressing exercises, making it easy to go as heavy as you would like or allowing you to maintain it light and rep out.

The close grip bench press works similarly to triangle push-ups in that as a consequence of your hands being closer together, you should have to perform a greater range of motion when letting the bar down.

Whenever you perform the close-grip bench press, you’ll wish to use a supinated grip. Studies have shown that performing the close-grip bench press with a pronated grip does indeed activate the triceps to the next degree, BUT it decreases activity within the pectorals. Nevertheless, when using a supinated grip, you’ll increase the activity of the pectorals while maintaining the identical higher activity of the triceps. 

4) ROLLING DUMBBELL EXTENSIONS:

Rolling dumbbell extensions are the primary isolation movement on this list of best triceps exercises. Nevertheless, this isolation movement doesn’t mean you won’t be moving numerous weight.

In reality, while we call the rolling dumbbell extension an isolation exercise, this movement occurs at two joints: elbow extension and shoulder extension. The aim of allowing shoulder extension is to permit body momentum to maneuver more weight. 

As you lie on a bench, you’ll hold two dumbbells directly over your body with arms prolonged. Next, let the dumbbells come down by bending the elbow in the identical manner as a skull crushers. When you hit full flexion of the elbow joint, you then allow your arms to rotate behind your head.

The triceps will get tighter as you return. When the triceps can’t return anymore, you’ll power your arms up in order that the elbows go vertical. You’ll then let the momentum you simply created explode into elbow extension; thus, allowing you to make use of a heavier weight.

5) TRICEPS PUSHDOWN:

Just like the cable puller chest flies, the triceps pushdown will be done with a variety of implements. Some variations include;

• Reverse-grip
• Rope Triceps Pushdown
• V-Handle Pushdown
• Straight Bar Pushdown

Subsequently you’re going to rotate through various variations in your workout. You possibly can do that per session or per thirty days. The essential objective is using variety and pushing to failure by utilizing either drops sets or assisted reps.

6) TRICEPS KICKBACKS:

Triceps kickbacks are a main example of the way you don’t need numerous weight for a practical exercise. Resulting from the mechanical drawback, you’re in during this movement, you shall be forced to make use of a lower load.

Don’t let this turn you off. When you’ll be able to put your ego aside and pick up some small dumbbells, you’ll unlock probably the greatest pure isolation exercises for the triceps.

That is such an amazing movement because before you even begin the exercise, you have to use an isometric contraction to maintain your arm from falling as you lean over. As we have now discussed above, that is akin to shoulder extension through which your long head plays a pivotal row.  

Further, as a consequence of the motion, no other muscle can add force. While the opposite movements are unbelievable, even things like cable triceps extensions, you’re still going to recruit different muscles. Nevertheless, you get no help with triceps kickback.  

These are great to make use of at the top of a session to make use of to coach to failure. 

That is It! The Best Chest And Triceps Workout Routine!

You simply learned the most effective gym chest and tris program you can follow, together with programming suggestions and the best way to do the most effective chest and tricep exercises. This is all you could add serious muscle mass to your chest and triceps and construct insane pushing power. 

Further, you learned the best way to use progressive overload and alter training variables to make progress perpetually. Now, it’s as much as you to place within the work in your chest and triceps workout.  We are able to’t try this for you but we all know you have that covered.

Now go train!