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A chest and tricep workout is one of the combinations for the push-pull-leg split. The workout focuses on pushing movements and engages the chest, triceps, and shoulders (anterior and lateral delts).
Usually, chest and tricep workouts are a combination of isolation and compound exercises. The idea is to work on multiple muscle groups at the same time and then again, isolate each muscle group and work them against more resistance.
Here is a sample chest and tricep workout
As mentioned, this workout consists of exercises that focus on the chest, triceps, and the shoulders.
Some of the most popular exercises found in chest and tricep workouts are:
- Barbell bench press
- Incline dumbbell press
- Cable flys
- Tricep pushdown
- Close-grip bench press
- Skull-crushers
- Push-ups
- Dips
Here are some of the tips that you should keep in mind before starting the chest and tricep exercises:
Always warm up
It’s important to activate the muscle fibers before lifting weights. This helps with preventing injuries and muscle pulls.
Choose suitable weights
The idea is to work your way up the weight ladder. Hence, you should choose a suitable weight that your muscles can handle. Ideally, you should be able to do at least six reps with the weight.
Focus on progressive overload
Start with a lighter weight and continue to add weight as you become stronger. This won’t happen overnight and you’ll need to be patient for the muscles to become stronger.
Use a full range of motion
The best way to force muscle fibers to grow and become stronger is by using the full range of motion while controlling the weight. Avoid jerking the weight while pushing it upward or bringing it lower.
Give yourself rest
It’s best to give your muscle groups a recovery period of at least 48 hours before working on them again. If you don’t give the muscle fibers the time to repair themselves, you won’t be able to add muscle to your physique.
Chest and triceps workout at home
The exercises listed above are a part of the chest and tricep dumbbell workout or barbell workout (or both). Basically, these exercises will require you to have access to certain machines and free-weights.
However, there are certain exercises that you can do at home as a part of the chest and tricep workout.
- Push-ups
- Close-grip push-ups
- Close-grip dips
- Tricep dips
- Chest flyes: using a pair of dumbbell or heavy water bottles
- Overhead tricep extension: using a pair of dumbbell or heavy water bottles
All chest and tricep exercises are suitable regardless of whether you’re searching for chest and tricep workouts for women or chest and tricep workouts for men.
Benefits of a chest and tricep workout
The following are certain important benefits of chest and tricep exercises that you must be aware of:
Increased upper body strength
The chest and tricep workout targets half of the upper body muscle groups. As a result, it directly contributes to improving upper body strength.
Improvement in posture
A strong chest along with triceps helps with preventing slouching by keeping the shoulders backwards.
Improvement in athletic performance
A strong upper body helps with the power required to improve athletic performance, especially in some sports such as football, basketball, and boxing.
Better everyday functionality
The chest and tricep workout focuses on improving push movements. As a result, it helps with improving the muscles involved in everyday functions such as carrying objects or pushing doors.
Increased calorie burning
Resistance training is linked to burning extra calories since the body needs to generate extra energy for the effort required for doing the exercises.
Enhances upper body appearance
A well-developed chest and triceps are extremely important for upper body appearance. It helps with enhancing the overall physique.
It’s recommended that you do chest and triceps on the same day since most chest exercises engage the triceps to some extent. Therefore, the muscles are already activated. It’s better to use that activation to your advantage and add some hard sets to the routine.
