Best Chest Shoulder Triceps Workout for Muscle Mass

Best Chest Shoulder Triceps Workout for Muscle Mass

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The trio of chest shoulder triceps workout increases your muscle strength and endurance in the upper body. The chest, shoulder, and triceps is a muscle pairing as old as the bench press itself, and for good reason. The pecs might be the prime movers in most pressing exercises, but the shoulder and triceps are crucial synergistic, or secondary movers.

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 and the lower, pectorals, the inside and the outside pectorals.

Chest ( pectoralis) anatomy

The deltoid muscle of the shoulder consists of three separate sections or heads. The anterior deltoid (In front), lateral deltoid (at the side), and posterior deltoid (behind), and you need to work all three of them, along with the trapezius muscle in the upper back, to build an impressive shoulder.

Shoulder Anatomy

The triceps is a large muscle on the back of the arm. It consists of 3 parts: the medial, the lateral, and the long head. It begins just below the socket of the shoulder blade and at two distinct areas of the humerus. One of the tricep’s main responsibilities is extending the elbow joint or simply straightening the arm. 

triceps anatomy

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

Why You Should Train Chest shoulder and Triceps Together in 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 chest shoulder 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 your shoulder and 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.

Best Chest Shoulder Triceps Workout for Muscle Mass

Best Chest shoulder and Triceps Exercises

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

Best Chest Exercises

1. Push-Ups

Push-Ups is the best bodyweight calisthenics exercise to build your entire upper body, shoulders, chest, and triceps. Check how to do them correctly and blast your muscles at home or at Gym. It is used to be done to build muscle and strength in the chest, shoulders, and arms.

Push-Ups can be a real challenge if done in various forms. Intensity is the key here to Build Muscle and Strength. You can do this exercise on the floor, with or without Push-up handles. For the Beginner, push-ups must be the part of the chest and shoulder workout.

Push Ups
Muscles Involved

Primary: Lower pectoralis, Upper pectoralis.

Secondary: Shoulders, triceps.

Execution Technique
  1. Lay face down on the ground with your legs straight, and arms supporting the upper body. Keep your knees off the ground.
  2. Raise yourself off the ground straightening your elbows and your arms. But keep your elbows close to your body.
  3. Raise until your elbows are locked, and pause for a moment at the top of the movement.
  4. Now, lower your body under slow sustained motion, feeling the motion all the way down until your chest is very close to the ground.
Tips
  • Exhale while you exert.
  • For more variations, you do incline push-ups, decline ups.

2. Bench Press

Bench Press, is one of the best chest muscle-building exercises. This exercise should be the center of all your chest workouts.

Bench Press is the fundamental exercise for the upper body and should be a part of any best chest exercises regime.

That’s why, for overall chest development, the barbell press always remains on the top of the list. Must add this Chest and shoulder exercise to your workout routine.

Bench Press
Muscles Involved

Primary: Upper Pectoralis, Lower pectoralis

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, Triceps

Execution Technique
  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.
Tips
  • Keep a controlled motion and avoid jerky movements.
  • Do not bounce the weights off the chest.
  • Avoid too much arching of the back.
  • For heavyweights, use a spotter.

3. Incline Dumbbell Press

Incline Dumbbell Press Exercise is an excellent way to develop the middle and the upper pectoral muscles.

Just like the Incline Bench Press, the Incline Dumbbell press works mostly on the upper pecs, but dumbbells allow full range of motion, and therefore in some ways better than the bench press.

It adds an extra range of motion at the top for complete chest development. Also, dumbbells demand better coordination, forcing the stabilizing muscles (Triceps, shoulder) to assist as well.

Incline Dumbbell Press
Muscles Involved

Primary: Upper pectoralis.

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, triceps.

Execution Technique
  1. Lie back on an incline bench. Make sure the bench is adjusted to between 30-45 degrees on an incline.
  2. Clean the dumbbells and lift them straight overhead. Feel a good chest squeeze at the top.
  3. Lower the dumbbells and feel a good chest muscle stretch at the bottom.
  4. Hold for a second and then press the dumbbells back to the starting position.
Tips
  • Exhale whilst pushing dumbbells upwards and do in a controlled manner.
  • Set the bench at about 30-45 degrees inclined. Do not go more upright as the stress shifts more to shoulders rather than chest area.
  • Vary bench angles to hit different angles of the chest.

4. Dumbbell fly

The dumbbell fly utilizes a chest fly movement pattern to isolate the muscles of the chest, help the muscles to grow better and become stronger. It is often thought of as a classic bodybuilding movement, as the goal of the exercise is to isolate the chest for aesthetic purposes.

The dumbbell fly targets all areas of the pecs, but most significantly the inner chest.

Dumbbell Fly
Muscles Involved

Primary: Inner and upper pectoralis major.

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, triceps.

Execution Technique
  1. Lie on the flat 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
  • Perform press in a controlled manner.
  • Exhale during the concentric (muscle-shortening) part of the motion.

Best Shoulder Exercises

5. Barbell Overhead Press

Shoulder Press Exercise is the best shoulder muscle mass builder exercise. The shoulder Press remains the grand-daddy of all shoulder exercises to build big, round shoulder muscles.

Seated shoulder press has been the favorite shoulder exercise with bodybuilders as it builds muscle fast and is a power move. Performing the exercise while seated upright is a stricter version than standing and prevents cheating the weight upward using momentum generated by the legs.

Barbell Shoulder Press
Muscles Involved

Primary: Anterior deltoid.

Secondary: lateral deltoid, triceps, and upper pectoralis.

Execution Technique
  1. Sit on an exercise bench and grab a bar with an overhand grip.
  2. Bring the bar over and in front of your head, under your chin, and just above your upper chest.
  3. Now Press the bar straight up overhead until your arms are fully extended but not locked out.
  4. Slowly lower the bar back to the starting position.
Tips
  • Perform a warm-up with 50% weight for 1-2 sets.
  • Always perform the Shoulder Exercises before you perform triceps.

6. Arnold Shoulder Press

Arnold Dumbbell Shoulder Press exercise is an excellent Shoulder muscle-building exercise. Arnold’s press stands out from the crowd when it comes to the best exercise with the best range of motion for shoulder muscles.

It gives a wide range of motion as you lower the dumbbells well down in front, giving that maximum stretch other shoulder exercises lack.

Arnold Press
Muscles Involved

Primary: Anterior deltoid.

Secondary: Lateral deltoid, triceps, trapezius, upper pectoralis.

Execution Technique
  1. Stand straight, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Raise the dumbbells to shoulder position with palms facing you.
  2. Now press the dumbbells overhead just like dumbbell presses but twisting them so that palms face forwards at the top of the movement.
  3. Now lower the dumbbells in a reverse movement.
Tips
  • Inhale when you lower the weight and exhale when you lift.
  • Keep a controlled motion and avoid jerky movements.
  • Keep a strict form.
  • Do not lock your arms overhead.

7. Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Lateral Raise is the best exercise to build side deltoids. To build the middle head of the deltoid muscle, make Lateral raises a regular part of your shoulder workout. It’s a must-do exercise.

Lateral Raise
Muscles Involved

Primary: Lateral deltoid.

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, posterior deltoid, trapezius, supraspinatus.

Execution Technique
  1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and bring the weights together in front of you. The palms should be facing each other.
  2. Now bend your elbows and raise the dumbbells to your sides.
  3. Lift them to a point slightly higher than your shoulders.
  4. Now lower the dumbbells in a controlled manner back to the starting position.
Tips
  • The form is a very important part of this exercise.
  • Don’t just swing your arms. Keep controlled motion throughout the exercise.
  • Perform a warm-up with 50% weight for 1-2 sets.

8. Bent over Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Bent Over raises are an excellent exercise to isolate and work specifically on rear deltoid muscles. For complete shoulder muscle development, bent-over raises are a must-do.

This exercise hit specifically the rear shoulder head by isolating it better than any other shoulder exercise. This exercise can be performed in both a standing and a seated position. Prefer the seated version as it calls for strict movement.

Lateral Bent over row
Muscles Involved

Primary: Posterior deltoid.

Secondary: Lateral deltoid, trapezius, rhomboids, infraspinatus, teres minor, teres major.

Execution Technique
  1. Sit at the end of a bench with a pair of dumbbells.
  2. Bend forward and let the dumbbells hang on your sides.
  3. Lift the dumbbells, raising them on your sides to a level slightly upper than your shoulders.
  4. Now lower the dumbbells back to your sides.
Tips
  • Your arms should be parallel to your shoulders.
  • Keep strict form to isolate the rear delts.

Best Triceps Exercises

9. Triceps Push down

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

Using the straight bar, a pronated grip (palms down) emphasizes the outer lateral head of the triceps, whereas a supinated grip (palms up) focuses effort on the inner long head. An angled V-shaped bar switches the hands into a neutral grip (thumbs up), equally targeting all three triceps heads.

Triceps Pushdown
Muscles Involved

Primary: Triceps

Secondary: Deltoid and forearm

Execution Technique
  1. Stand facing a high-pulley cable with a short straight bar attached to it. Slight bend your knees and feet should be about shoulder-width apart.
  2. Grasp the Short bar with a pronated grip (palm down) and hold the bar at chest level with your elbows tight against your sides.
  3. Keeping your elbows stationary, straighten your arms until they are fully extended.
  4. Pause at full arm extension, flex your triceps, and slowly return the bar to the starting position.
Tips
  • You can do this exercise with a rope or EZ bar attachment.
  • Standing upright with the spine straight is the standard position.

10. Lying Triceps Extension

The lying tricep extension (AKA skull crusher) is one of the best tricep-building exercises. The lying triceps extension is an overhead extension performed while lying on a flat bench and either using a flat barbell, EZ bar, dumbbell, two dumbbells.

This is an isolation exercise to build the triceps muscle group in the upper arm. A wide grip emphasizes the inner tricep (long head), whereas a narrow grip targets the outer tricep (lateral head).

Lying Triceps Extension
Muscles Involved

Primary: Triceps

Secondary: Chest, deltoid, forearm

Execution Technique
  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.

11. Dumbbell Kick Back

The tricep dumbbell kickback is a versatile and effective exercise that targets the triceps muscles. The dumbbell kickback is an isolation exercise. This means that unlike other exercises such as the push-up or bench press, the tricep kickback specifically targets the triceps muscle.

Dumbbell Kick Back
Muscles Involved

Primary: Triceps.

Secondary: Rear deltoid, latissimus dorsi.

Execution Technique
  1. Place your right knee and palm on a flat bench so that your torso is parallel with the floor.
  2. Hold a dumbbell in the left hand and keeping the left foot flat on the floor, press your left arm tight against your side with the upper arms parallel to the floor.
  3. Extend at the elbow until your arm is straight back and fully extended.
  4. Flex the triceps hard for a second, then return to the starting position.
  5. Complete all reps on the left arm and then repeat on the right arm.
Tips
  • Keep your body as still as possible, move only your forearms.  
  • Keep control of the weight as you slowly lower down the dumbbells back to the starting position.

12. Bench Dip

A bench dip is a medium-intensity exercise that uses your own bodyweight to strengthen your triceps. Bench dips are fairly simple to learn and can be done almost anywhere, making them a great exercise for home-workout.

This is one of the simple and best body exercise, must add this bodyweight triceps exercises in your workout regime.

Bench Dip
Muscles Involved

Primary: Triceps.

Secondary: Anterior Deltoid, Pectoralis Major, Latissimus Dorsi, Pectoralis Minor, Rhomboids

Execution Technique
  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. Only your heels should be on the floor and your legs should be straight. keep your knees and hips bent.
  3. Your arms should be fully extended with just 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.

FAQ

Can you train chest shoulder and Triceps together?

Yes, you can train chest shoulder, 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 shoulder and triceps when doing chest.

How Many Sets and Reps Should I Do?

For just about every exercise of the chest or shoulder or tricep, 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.

I hope you liked our chest, shoulder and triceps workout.

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