12 Best Chest and Triceps Workout to build Muscles

If you are looking for the best chest and tricep workout, then you have come to the right place. If you do both chest and tricep exercises at the same time, it will make your muscles bigger and stronger.

Chest and triceps muscles have been used in pressing exercises (chest press, push-ups) for as long as the exercises have been around.

The chest might be the prime movers in most pressing exercises, but the triceps are crucial synergistic, or secondary movers. Training your chest and tricep together in the same workout is something very common in today’s bodybuilding training routines.

In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about training chest and tricep at the gym and at home. 

  • Chest and Tricep anatomy
  • Best chest and tricep exercises to build strength and mass
  • How to perform them correctly
  • Chest and Tricep workout plan including sets and reps
  • Workout routine for beginner, intermediate and advanced.

Know More About Chest And Triceps Muscles

The chest muscle is also known as the pectoralis muscle, and mainly divided into the upper and the lower sections.

It’s important to train the chest with a variety of exercises to develop the upper chest and lower chest, the outside and inner pectorals.

Know More About Chest And Triceps Muscles

Triceps brachii, or simply Triceps, is a three-headed muscle opposite of the biceps and is responsible for 2/3 of upper arm mass.

It consists of 3 parts: the medial, the lateral head, and the long head. It begins just below the socket of the shoulder blade and at two distinct areas of the humerus.

This Blog contains detailed descriptions of all major exercises that focus on the chest and triceps muscles, include these exercises in your workout regime.

Why You Should Train Chest and Triceps Together in the same workout

During a compound workout, many targeted muscles work together with other Synergistic and stabilizer muscles to function.

Targeting one muscle may not fully engage these other supportive muscles, but they may be in use to some degree. So, if a workout targets one specific muscle group, the groups that work along with that muscle are also getting some work.

Training the chest and triceps together in the same workout is something that bodybuilders have been doing for decades. The reason for training those muscle groups together is very logical.

When doing a bench press, one of the target muscles is in the chest. However, there are other muscles working in this motion, such as the triceps and the muscles in the shoulders.

It’s important to let you know that we are strong believers in first training your chest before triceps during your workout routine. This is because your chest muscle will need your full energy and is most likely the heavies to train and gain in terms of muscle.

How To Train Chest and Tricep For Mass And Strength

Some people prefer to perform chest and tricep exercises and workouts for strength, while others are more interested in workouts for building muscle.

Again, the different goals for training will mostly affect how many reps, sets, and weights are done for the chest and tricep workouts.

Strength and muscle mass training have many similarities, but there are also some differences. In this chest and tricep workout, you will target both types of gains.

  • Strength training involves lifting heavy weights. Powerlifters and weightlifters routinely train with weights in the 1–5 repetition range (>85% of 1RM). Although higher rep ranges (less than 6 reps) have also been proven effective for strength gains.
  • Muscle growth training has more to do with challenging and tiring out your muscles. As long as you push your muscles close to failure. You will obtain best muscle growth in the range of 5–12 reps per set (~60–85% of 1RM).
  • For endurance, do the 15 to 20+ reps.

12 Best Chest And Triceps Exercises

So, here’s a list of a few of the best chest and triceps workouts for you to build up a strong and healthy body and muscle.

  1. Bench Press
  2. Incline Bench Press
  3. Decline Bench Press
  4. Machine Fly
  5. Parallel Bar Dip (Chest Dip)
  6. Incline Dumbbell Fly
  7. Triceps Pushdown
  8. Lying Triceps Extension
  9. Overhead Barbell Triceps Extension
  10. Bench Dip
  11. Two Arm Dumbbell Extension
  12. Diamond Push-Ups

1. Bench Press

The bench press is one of the best chest muscle-building exercises. This exercise should be the center of all your chest workouts. It is the fundamental exercise for the upper body and should be a part of any best chest and tricep workout regime.

That’s why, for overall chest and tricep development, the barbell press always remains on the top of the list.

To increase the variety, you could try:

Bench Press

How To Do It

  1. Lie flat on the bench, keeping your feet on the floor for better balance.
  2. Lift the bar off the rack and hold it at arm’s length above you.
  3. Now lower the bar under controlled motion until it touches above the chest (around the nipple area).
  4. Now raise it until your arms are nearly locked out.

2. Incline Bench Press

The Incline Bench Press is a compound upper-body exercise, meaning that multiple joints and muscles contribute to the movement.

It helps build the muscles of the chest. The shoulder and tricep will be indirectly involved as well.

Incline bench press exercise focuses on the upper chest more and therefore helps build massive upper pecs.

To increase the variety, try:

Incline Bench Press

How To Do It

  1. Lie back on an incline bench. Make sure the bench is adjusted to between 30-45 degrees on an incline.
  2. Lift the bar from the rack using a shoulder-width overhand grip on the bar.
  3. Hold it over yourself with your arms locked.
  4. Bring the bar down slowly until you feel the bar on your chest. Pause slightly at this point.
  5. Raise your arms until they are nearly locked out.

Tips

  • Set a bench at about 30-45 degrees inclined.
  • Do not lower the bar to the neck. Lower the bar to the upper part of your chest on the descent.

3. Decline Bench Press

The decline press is much better than the flat bench press for building your lower chest muscles, which gives your chest a fuller, denser, more attractive look.

To do the decline bench press, you’ll need a specialized decline bench that puts the back pad at about a 15-30 degree angle. 

You could also include this exercise into your chest and triceps workout regime to train both muscles together.

You can do this exercise with a variety of grips and different equipment. 

Decline Press

How To Do It

  1. Lie on a decline bench and secure your legs at the end.
  2. Lift the bar from the rack using a shoulder-width overhand grip on the bar. Hold it over yourself with your arms locked.
  3. Bring the bar down slowly until you feel the bar on your chest. Pause slightly at this point.
  4. Move the bar back up to the starting position as you exhale. Use your chest muscles to push the bar. Hold for a second and then bring the bar down slowly again.

Tips

  • Have someone help you take the bar off the rack.
  • Keep your movements smooth and controlled.

4. Machine Fly

The machine fly is a machine exercise that primarily targets the chest.

Since the exercise is performed fully seated and supported by a back pad, it is easy to practice good posture and form while using the machine.

There are many kinds of flying machines that you can try out.

Machine Fly

How To Do It

  1. Sit on the machine, taking care to place your back flat against the pad.
  2. Grab the handles so that your palms are facing forward, keep elbows slightly bent.
  3. Press your arms together in front of your chest with a slow, controlled movement.
  4. Pause for one second once your arms are fully “closed” in front of your chest.
  5. Bring your arms slowly back to the starting position, opening your chest and keeping your posture strong and upright.

Tips

  • Your upper arms should be parallel to the ground.
  • It is important to maintain good posture during both the opening and closing phases of this exercise.

5. Parallel Bar Dip (Chest Dip)

Bar Dip is an excellent exercise to build lower chest muscles, and it also works on triceps and shoulder.

When you perform dips, you can hit the outer area of your pec muscles much easier than you would with the bench press or even push-ups.

Parallel Bar Dips (Chest Dip)

How To Do It

  1. Hold on to the parallel bars and raise yourself at arm’s length.
  2. Using your arms, lower yourself as low as possible, feeling a good stretch in your chest muscles.
  3. Press back up and feel a good chest contraction in addition to your triceps, which are obviously contracting hard now.
  4. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tips

  • A little forward body bend will hit the chest muscles harder.

6. Incline Dumbbell Fly

The incline dumbbell fly is an isolated strength exercise that targets the upper chest muscle.

Because of the incline bench position, it allows for the isolation of the harder to develop upper pec that is not achievable performing a basic flat bench fly.

To increase the variety, try experimenting with:

incline dumbbell fly

How To Do It

  1. Set an incline bench at a 30-to 45-degree angle. Lie on the bench with your feet flat on the floor.
  2. Lift your arms straight up from your shoulders and the dumbbells directly over your upper chest.
  3. Slowly lower your arms out to your sides until your wrists come to about shoulder level or slightly above
  4. Bring your arms back toward the midline of your body, focusing on using your pec muscles to draw them back together.

Tips

  • Ensure you maintain some tension in your abs and don’t allow your lower back to excessive arch.

7. Triceps Pushdown

The triceps Press down is the best exercise for the triceps. The cable provides a uniform resistance throughout the movement, unlike barbell or dumbbell exercises, where the resistance varies during the help.

It can be performed with different grip positions and using different angles and attachments. 

  • Reverse grip
  • Single-arm push down
  • V-grip,
  • Rope attachment,
  • Long bar……. get creative!
Triceps Pushdown

How To Do It

  1. Stand facing a high-pulley cable with a short straight bar attached to it.
  2. Slight bend your knees and feet should be about shoulder-width apart.
  3. Grasp the Short bar with a pronated grip (palm down) and hold the bar at chest level with your elbows tight against your sides.
  4. Keeping your elbows stationary, straighten your arms until they are fully extended.
  5. Pause at full arm extension, flex your triceps, and slowly return the bar to the starting position.

Tips

  • Standing upright with the spine straight is the standard position.
Know More: Cable Arm Exercises To Build Bigger Biceps and Triceps

8. Lying Triceps Extension

The lying tricep extension is one of the most effective tricep-building exercises.

This exercise can be performed while lying on a flat bench using a flat barbell, EZ bar, dumbbell, or two dumbbells.

Lying Triceps Extension

How To Do It

  1. Lie on a flat bench with your feet on the floor.
  2. Hold a barbell at full arm extension over your chest.
  3. Keeping your upper arms stationary, slowly lower your lower arms to bring the bar down to your forehead, then push it back up.
  4. Do not lock your elbows out, and repeat for desired reps.

Tips

  • Keep the movement in your shoulders to a minimum. Most of the movement should be in your elbows.
  • This exercise should be done slowly and carefully under good control.

9. Overhead Barbell Triceps Extension

The Overhead Tricep Extension, is a relatively simple yet effective isolation exercise for the development of the triceps.

It works all three heads (long head, the lateral head, and the medial head) of the muscle, it especially targets the long head of the triceps.

There are many ways to do this exercise:

Overhead Barbell Triceps Extension

How To Do It

  1. Sit on a low-back bench and extend a barbell overhead, holding it with a shoulder-width grip.
  2. Keep your upper arms right beside your head.
  3. Slowly lower the bar behind your head until your elbows form 90-degree angles, then lift it back to full arm extension.
  4. Repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.

Tips

  • Keep your body and upper arms still. Only your forearms should move.
  • Do not lock out your elbows at the top of the extension.
  • Using the EZ bar instead of a standard barbell can be easier on your wrists.

10. Bench Dip

The Bench Dips Exercise is one of the basic and best body weight exercises mainly targets the triceps, it also hits your chest and anterior deltoid, or the front part of your shoulder.

Elevating the feet brings more chest and shoulder into the movement. It also allows for extra weight on the hips.

Bench Dip with Elevated Legs

How To Do It

  1. Place your hands on the side of a flat bench so that your body is perpendicular to the bench when you place your feet out in front of you.
  2. Sit on one bench and place your feet on the edge of the other bench so that your legs are suspended between the two.
  3. Your arms should be fully extended with your palms on the bench.
  4. Bend your elbows to lower your body down until your elbows reach 90 degrees.
  5. Now extend your arms to lift your body back to the starting position, flexing your triceps hard at the top.

Tips

  • Really squeeze the triceps at the top of the movement to get the most out of this exercise.
  • Do not dip down too low as it places unnecessary strain on the shoulder joints.
Know More: Tricep Dips At Home For Beginner For Bigger Arms

11. Two Arm Dumbbell Extension

The seated dumbbell tricep extension is one of the best exercises for isolating the muscles of the triceps.

Overhead extension exercises are particularly useful in targeting the long head of the triceps muscle. Having a larger and denser long head will give you an overall appearance of a larger tricep.

Two Arm Dumbbell Extension

How To Do It

  1. Sit on a flat bench, grab a dumbbell with both hands
  2. Lift the dumbbell until your arms are fully extended with palms facing the roof and elbows pointing forward.
  3. Bend at the elbows and squeeze your triceps, slowly lower the dumbbell behind your head.
  4. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat the desired number of sets and reps.

Tips

  • Perform the exercise using a slow and controlled movement.
  • Keep the head in a fairly neutral position.

12. Diamond Push-Ups

Diamond Push Ups, also known as triangle push-ups, are a more advanced variation of the classic push-up.

If you’re looking for a good body weight movement to train and work your triceps and chest, then diamond push-ups are it.

Diamond Push Ups

How To Do It

  1. Get on the floor with your hands together under your chest. Position your index fingers and thumbs, so they’re touching, forming a diamond shape.
  2. Now extend your arms so that your body is elevated and forms a straight line from your head to your feet.
  3. Lower your chest towards your hands, ensuring you don’t flare your elbows out to the sides and keeping your back flat.
  4. Stop just before your chest touches the floor, then push back up to the starting position.

Tips

  • Keep your body straight and rigid.
  • To make the diamond push-up easier, perform it on your knees.
Read More : Best Tricep Workout At Home Without Equipment For Bigger Arms

Sets And Reps For Chest And Tricep Workout

Of course, the number of sets and reps will be determined based on your fitness journey, but here is a great starting point:

Sets

  • Beginners: ~10 sets per week.
  • Intermediate: ~15 sets per week.
  • Advanced: ~20 sets per week.

Reps

  • 6-8 reps with heavy load
  • 8-15 reps with moderate load
  • 15-20+ with light load

It is perfectly acceptable to combine heavy weight with low reps and light weight with high reps within the same session, as we will do the workout.

This will provide you with results from both sides, thereby increasing both your strength and muscle mass.

Sets and Reps You Do For Chest And Tricep Exercise?

Do you remember that the triceps are involved in most chest exercises?

If you were to do 10-20 sets for the chest each week, you would not also need 10-20 sets for the triceps because the tricep would already receive a lot of secondary volume while training the chest.

If your goal is to achieve both strength and muscle growth, I would begin with some heavier sets with low reps (around 5 reps/set) in the bench press, and then go up a little higher in reps (6–20 Reps/set) in the last 2-3 exercises.

For the triceps, you do 2 to 3 sets (6–20 Reps/set) of isolated triceps exercises.

How To Schedule A Chest and Tricep Workout

There are numerous different workout splits you can use that involve having a “chest and tricep day.”” However, they would all fall into one of two categories.

  1. A body part split: Workout routines that train related muscle groups on separate days.
  2. A Push Pull Legs split: Workout routines that train related muscle groups on the same day.

Let’s look at some examples of each and see which one is best for you.

Execute This With Any Program

You can use this with any other program you have.

To give you an idea of how this workout can fit into various programs, I wanted to give you a rough estimate of how often you could do it without interfering with other workouts.

You could probably do it two times a week without interfering with other workouts.

Body Part Routine Split:

If you have a 4 or 5 day body part split:

  • Day 1: Back and Bicep Workout
  • Day 2: Chest and Tricep Workout
  • Day 3: Legs and Shoulder Workout
  • Day 4: Back and Bicep Workout
  • Day 5: Chest and Tricep Workout

Push Pull Legs Routine Split:

You could do a 5 or 6 day PPL split:

5 Days Workout Plan:

6-Day Workout Plan:

  • Day 1: Push Day (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps Workout)
  • Day 2: Pull Day (Back and Bicep, Rear Delt Workout)
  • Day 3: Leg Day (Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Core Workout)
  • Day 4: Rest
  • Day 5: Push Day
  • Day 6: Pull Day
  • Day 7: Leg Day
  • Day 8: Rest
    — Repeat

Chest and Tricep Workout Routine For Beginner

It’s time to share a workout routine with you. It is a beginner’s level chest and tricep workout.

Below you will find an easy-to-understand workout routine for beginners. This workout program consists of the primary chest movements and will help you out with getting a good base of muscle mass and strength.

Make sure you choose weight loads that bring about failure within the rep ranges listed to make this a real mass-builder.

If you get less than 10 reps on the exercises, don’t worry because the next time you complete this workout you will know what to expect and be mentally and physically stronger.

  1. Bench Press: 4 sets of 8-12 reps.
  2. Dumbbell Pullover: 4 sets of 10-12 reps.
  3. Dumbbell Fly: 3 sets of 8-10 reps.
  4. Triceps Pushdown: 4 sets of 8-10 reps.
  5. Lying Triceps Extension: 4 sets of 8-10 reps.

Workout Routine For Intermediate/Advanced

We’ve got some effective workouts routine for intermediate and advanced, which include the exercises, sets, reps, so you can keep making progress.

Before you get into your working sets, make sure to warm-up with at least two lighter sets, pyramiding up in weight from 30 to 50-60% of your one-rep max. Keep the working sets to no higher than 80-85% of your one-rep max.

Train to failure for each set and allow at least 3-4 days of rest in between workouts for the same muscle group.

  1. Bench Press : 4 sets of 8-10 reps.
  2. Incline Bench Press: 4 sets of 10-12 reps.
  3. Decline Bench Press: 3 sets of 8-10 reps.
  4. Dumbbell Fly3 sets of 8-10 reps.
  5. Triceps Extension: 4 sets of 8-10 reps.
  6. Triceps Pushdown: 4 sets of 10-12 reps.
  7. Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension3 sets of 8-10 reps.

Chest and Tricep Superset Workout Plan

 A superset is doing two different exercises without enough rest in between.

The workout includes supersets, which means you’ll do two exercises for the same muscle group back-to-back, then rest and repeat one or more times.

You’ll use enough weight that you can only complete 8 to 12 repetitions per set.

  1. Incline Bench Press: 4 sets of 8-12 reps, superset with,
    • Incline Tricep Extension: 4 sets of 6-8 reps.
  2. Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 sets of 10-12 reps, superset with,
    • Triceps Pushdown: 3 sets of 8-10 reps.
  3. Machine Fly: 3 sets of 8-12 reps, superset with,
    • Two Arm Dumbbell Extension: 3 sets of 6-8 reps.

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Chest And Tricep Training

Can you train chest and triceps together?

Yes, you can train the chest and triceps together in your workout regime. It’s actually preferred by many fitness gurus and bodybuilders to train them together, since you are already working the triceps when doing chest.

How Many Sets and Reps Should I Do?

For just about every exercise of chest or triceps, 3–4 work sets (the real work you do, not warm-up sets) is a good choice. But rep ranges fluctuate. You can go as low as 5 reps on heavy presses, and up to 15–30 reps for accessory work.

Is Chest And Tricep A Good Workout?

Yes, you can train chest and tricep together in your workout regime to gain mass. It’s actually preferred by many fitness gurus and bodybuilders to train them together, since you are already working the tricep when doing chest.

Which Exercises Should I Perform To Train My Chest And Triceps?

Weight-lifting exercises like the bench press, push-up, and dip are great for developing chest and triceps strength.

Conclusion

You have already been introduced to the best chest and tricep exercises for building muscle mass and strength. Please ensure you do these exercises correctly, as that will have a big impact on your progress.

You have also been shown three types of chest and tricep workout routines.

Depending on your preference, you can try out one of these and then let us know how it has worked for you.

Thanks for reading, enjoy your Workout

STAY FIT, LIVE A HAPPY AND HEALTHY LIFE

References

  1. Int J Exerc Sci. 2020 Aug 1;13(6):859-872. Effects of Horizontal and Incline Bench Press on Neuromuscular Adaptations in Untrained Young Men.
  2. Strength and Conditioning Journal: October 2017 – Volume 39 – Issue 5 – p 33-35. Large and Small Muscles in Resistance Training: Is It Time for a Better Definition?
  3. J Strength Cond Res. 2020 May;34(5):1254-1263. Varying the Order of Combinations of Single- And Multi-Joint Exercises Differentially Affects Resistance Training Adaptations.
  4. J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2018, 3(2), 28. Triceps Brachii Muscle Strength and Architectural Adaptations with Resistance Training Exercises at Short or Long

Chest and Tricep Workout for Strength and Mass

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