Written by Sam Coleman | Co-founder
Fact checked by Kirsten Yovino, CPT Brookbush Institute
FACT CHECKED
There are a lot of chest and tricep workouts on the market, but this is the best one. How can I be so sure? Because this program is written to address every single variable you need to know and more.
Anyone can write a chest and tricep workout routine. Perform the dumbbell bench press, maybe some push-ups, throw in some triceps pushdowns, and you’re good to go.
To be fair, that would work, for a little bit at least. However, it doesn’t address all the concepts of proper training, nor does it come anywhere close to optimizing a chest and tricep workout routine for maximal muscle growth and strength.
But, this article does. And, I'm going to walk you through this chest and triceps workout so you can build some serious upper body muscle.
Table of Contents:
- Best Chest and Triceps Workout
- Programming Tips 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'm going to get into the chest and triceps workout right away, but make sure you stick around after as I explain some crucial programming tips for chest and triceps workouts, along with detailed instructions on how 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:
| Barbell Bench Press | 4 sets | 4 reps |
| Dips Bodyweight (use band if needed) | 4 sets | RPE 7 for 8+ reps |
| Close Grip Bench Press | 3 sets | 8-12 reps |
| Rolling Triceps Extensions | 3 sets | 8-12 reps |
| Cable Chest Flies | 3 sets | 12-15+ reps (use failure, drop sets, forced reps) |
| Reverse Grip Triceps Pushdown | 3 sets | 12-15+ reps (use failure, drop sets, forced reps) |
Chest and Tricep Workout Session B:
| Weighted Dips | 4 sets | 4-6 reps |
| Dumbbell Incline Bench Press | 4 sets | 6 reps |
| Triceps Push Ups | 3 sets | RPE 7-8 |
| Dumbbell Pullovers | 3 sets | 8 reps |
| Cable Chest Flies (use different angle) | 3 sets | 12-15+ reps (use failure, drop sets, forced reps) |
| Reverse Grip Triceps Pushdown | 3 sets | 12-15+ reps (use failure, drop sets, forced reps) |
Programming Tips For This Chest & Tricep Workout
This chest and triceps workout IS NOT a program you just run for a couple of months and then move on. In fact, this basic chest and triceps workout blueprint can literally last a lifetime if you just follow these simple rules.
For the first couple of months, you will utilize basic progressive overload by either increasing the weight or reps. Creating variety by altering the exercises for movement patterns and rep ranges is the key to continually progressing in your chest and tricep workouts.
To clarify, this is actually one of the reasons this chest and tricep workout adds so much variety as it introduces you to a range of tactics.
3 easy alterations for your chest and triceps workout
Using the chest and tricep workouts session A as an example, I'm going to show you three ways you can continue processing using this routine.
1) Vary the rep range for your chest and triceps workout:
The first variable you will alter in your chest and triceps workout is the rep range. For example, look how you could alter the rep range for session A after a couple of months of training or when things begin to feel stale.
- Barbell Bench Press 4 sets x 4 reps → 5x5 → 5x2
- Dips Bodyweight 4 sets @ RPE7 for 8+ reps → 12+
- Close Grip Bench Press 3x8-12 → 4x8-12
- Rolling Triceps Extension 3x8-12 → 3x6-8
- Chest Flies 3x8-12+ (use failure, drop sets, forced reps)
- Reverse Grip Triceps Pushdown 3x15+ (use failure, drop sets, forced reps)
2) Alter your chest and tricep workout order:
Another simple technique for changing up your chest and triceps workout is to alter the order. You’ll still need to keep your bigger exercises up front and smaller exercises towards the back. Generally, you’ll find that there’s one movement that you can’t progress on. You would move this to the front of the line so let’s pretend everything is improving but your dips. You’d move that to the front.
|
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
|
Dips (Bodyweight or use Band) |
4 |
8+ @ RPE7 |
|
Barbell Bench Press |
4 |
4 |
|
Close Grip Bench Press |
3 |
8-12 |
|
Chest Flies |
3 |
8-12 |
|
Rolling Triceps Extension |
3 |
8-12 |
|
Reverse Grip Triceps Pushdown |
3 |
12-15+ |
3) Use different exercises in your chest and tricep workouts:
Once you get to a point where none of that is working, you’ll then exchange movements with the same movement pattern. In other words, do not replace bench press with pull-ups. Here's a look at how to continue 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 3x8-12
- Rolling Triceps Extension→ Skull Crushers 3x8-12
- Chest Flies→ Dumbbell Chest flies 3x12-15+ (use failure, drop sets, forced reps)
- Reverse Grip Triceps Pushdown →Triceps Rope extension 3x12-15+ (use failure, drop sets, forced reps)
Why You Need A Tricep And Chest Workout
The chest and triceps are two important muscle groups. While you probably don’t really need us to tell you why to train them, there are bonafide reasons you should understand to realize their importance.
1) Enhanced Aesthetics:
Let’s get the vanity out of the way. A well-developed chest is serious gym goals. And you need a good chest and triceps workout to make it happen.
When it comes to triceps, as mentioned, they make up around 60% of your total arm’s mass. Having an underdeveloped set of triceps compared to your biceps will look silly PLUS, it’s impossible to properly fill out a shirt sleeve with small triceps.
In other words, if 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 a lot to the point that it can mean just about anything. However, functional training is a real thing, and pushing is one of the essential functions in human performance.
In fact, if we were to break down the most critical movement patterns, there are only about 7 functional movements, with pushing being one of them.
- Pushing
- Pulling
- Hip Hinge
- Squat
- Lunge
- Rotation
- Carries
Why is this important? Well, your chest and triceps, along with your anterior deltoids, are your primary muscles used for pushing power. While they all work together to build 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 quality of life. If you don’t have strong pectoral muscles and triceps, you’re missing out in life.
3) Improve Pushing Power:
If you want to go even further and improve athleticism and better prepare yourself for life, following an optimal training program with progressive overload is critical. If your chest and triceps are weak, you’re not pushing anything.
Improved pushing power is going to be beneficial in a variety of situations, including helping to improve your lifts and increasing your athletic capabilities.
Having advanced chest strength and triceps will only help you succeed in the weight 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 these muscles on the left and right side of the body has two heads: the sternal head, known 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.
One of the benefits of a convergent muscle is that the muscle fibers run at different angles and can pull at various angles. This is what gives you the ability to push downward, straight forward, and upward.
More importantly, this tells us that we need to include various angles to optimally hit the upper, lower, inner, and outer areas of the chest.
Serratus Anterior:
The serratus anterior isn’t actually part of the chest but is heavily involved in pressing movements. Further, it greatly enhances the overall aesthetics of the chest musculature.
The serratus anterior is sometimes known as “that rib muscle” as it sits on the 1st to 8th rib. It then wraps around the side of the body and inserts down the entire anterior length of the medial border of the scapula.
The primary 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 will make the ribs look tight and pronounced.
What Are The Primary Chest Functions?
The pectoral muscles are one of the primary 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 total arm mass. The three heads have different origins but come together at the same insertion across the elbow at the humorous.
While the three heads have individual specific functions, as a whole, the triceps act as the primary extensor of the elbow due to crossing the elbow joint. This means that when the triceps contract, they pull on the arm to straighten the elbow joint and extend the arm.
However, the triceps are actually biarticular, meaning the muscle crosses two joints. In this case, the triceps cross the elbow and the shoulder; at least one of the heads does. Here are the primary functions of the three heads of the triceps.
- Medial Head: The medial head is located in the middle of the arm, between AND underneath the lateral head and long head. It is the primary head used for low-force extension.
- Lateral Head: Contrary to the medial head, the lateral head is responsible for high power production. In other words, the lateral head won’t become fully activated until the triceps face a lot of resistance. The lateral head is located on the outside of the arm (why it’s called “lateral”) and is the largest head.
- Long Head: The long head gets its name as it is the longest head. No surprise there, but its length comes from the fact that its insertion is the same as the medial head and lateral head, but its origin reaches across the shoulder. The long head is what makes the triceps biarticular. This gives it the unique responsibility of assisting in shoulder extension.
What Is The Function Of The Triceps?
The triceps main job is extension of the elbow joint, which extends the arm. That makes it of utmost importance to have a strong upper arm for strength throughout a full range of motion.
And, because the long head also crosses the shoulder joint, the triceps muscles are also responsible for shoulder extension and assist in stabilizing the shoulder. This includes motions like the freestyle swim stroke, and the long head would assist in doing push-ups on rings to provide greater stability.
Training Variable For Your Chest and Triceps Workout
When optimizing your workout, you want to include both strength work and hypertrophy work. It doesn’t matter which one you favor because both hypertrophy and strength will enhance the other. In other words, training for strength and hypertrophy will likely cause you to be bigger AND stronger than if you only trained for one purpose.
Improving your strength and creating bigger muscles are actually two distinct physiological processes that occur due to resistance training. Here’s a much more in-depth article on this exact subject that will dive deeper, but here are the basics for now.
1) TRAINING FOR STRENGTH:
When you are training for strength, you are essentially taking the current muscle you have and making it “better” or stronger. A muscle contraction occurs through a series of events that must occur. Further, a muscle is composed of many individual muscle fibers that fire individually yet work together to accumulate force.
Improving your strength will lead to 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 means more significant muscle growth. In other words, the stronger you are, the more muscle-building potential you have.
To train 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:
On the other hand, muscle hypertrophy (or muscle growth) refers to physical, architectural changes to the muscle. This can happen through two different processes, myofibrillar hypertrophy and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.
Regardless, while there are other factors, the number one driver of muscle hypertrophy is volume. The best equipment for hypertrophy in your chest and tris workout is going to be dumbbells and cable pulleys.
These will allow unilateral work, higher activation for stabilization, better isolation movements (the cable pulley will enable you to work at different angles), and are easier to set up. The exercises will include some compound movements and plenty of isolation exercises. When performing muscle hypertrophy exercises, you’ll want 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 training for strength and hypertrophy. There is plenty of overlap between the two.
3) Ideal Training Frequency for chest and triceps workout:
In addition to training for both strength and muscle hypertrophy, the other variable you will follow is training chest and triceps twice a week. When trying 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 allow you to use maximal volume while mitigating fatigue, but it also allows you to use a good mixture of exercises for strength and hypertrophy of the chest and triceps.
The 4 Best Chest Exercises
You've seen the chest and triceps workout I put together. Now all that's left is to understand how to do each move, so you can get the most out of these routines.
1) BARBELL BENCH PRESS:
The barbell bench press is the absolute best chest exercise for maximal pushing power. Pressing with a barbell will allow maximal loads, which is required for more significant neuromuscular improvements. However, when performing the barbell bench press, you will want to use a slightly wider grip than usual. This does not need to be extreme; perhaps just a couple finger widths.
The reason is that a wider grip will produce slightly more activation in the chest as the elbows are farther away from the body. Further, this program will utilize two other bench press variations, so you want your program to have as many bits of variety.
2) DUMBBELL INCLINE BENCH PRESS:
To target the clavicular head during your chest and tricep workout, you’ll want to include an incline dumbbell press. At the same time, to add variety, you’ll use dumbbells for a slightly different stimulus.
Ideally, you will have access to an adjustable bench, allowing more variety in your bench angle. Regardless, because the dumbbell will require more activation for stabilization, any angle is going to work.
To optimize the incline dumbbell bench press, you will want 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 some of the top weightlifters and bodybuilders of all time. People like:
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Ronnie Coleman
- Dorian Yates
In fact, this is one of the old school movements you would see during 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 need to 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 in the arms, you will let the dumbbell drift backward behind your head. Doing so is going to create a massive stretch of the pectorals due to the extreme shoulder flexion.
Once the dumbbell is all the way behind your head, you are going to pull the dumbbell back over to its original position. When doing so, use a mind-muscle connection to contract your pecs and focus on bringing your elbows forward.
One of the primary muscles used is the serratus anterior, which will help round out your chest building exercises.
4) CABLE PULLEY CHEST FLIES (EVERY ANGLE):
Along with the dumbbell pull-overs, chest flies are one of the few single-joint exercises to train the chest, and it’s pretty much the only other single-joint exercise you’ll need included in your chest and triceps workout. However, we like to use the cable pulley for chest flies because you can work the pecs from literally every angle.
Horizontal, 45-degree decline, 60-degree incline...basically every direction. This is key as the chest muscle’s anatomy is designed to pull in every order making it crucial to include this variation in your chest training.
Further, because you’re not using a heavy object or need to 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 can work both sides at the same time or unilaterally. There is a ton of variation here.
Regardless of what angle you are using, the basic setup is the same. Set the cable to the height of your choice. Next, you’re going to grab both handles (or a single handle) and stand out of line with the machine, so you’re slightly in front. This is to allow full tension throughout the entire range of motion and create a better pulling angle. Below is the grip you will use.
- Mid-level: Neutral grip
- Downward pulls: Overhand grip
- Upward pulls: Underhand grip
Next, you can use a staggered or neutral stance, but a staggered stance generally allows more stability and heavier loads. Stick your primary leg out so there’s about a 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 give them a hard contraction. The level of the pulley will dictate where your arms meet. To know where you should pull, take a moment to notice the line of the pulley when your arms are extended outwards. You want to pull in a straight line following the cable.
Again, change the angle every time. Or you could even use different angles each session. This will give you some freedom to add variety to your sessions. Take a look at our Best Cable Chest Exercises for some inspiration.
The 6 Best Tricep Exercises
While most people automatically think of isolation movements for the triceps, we follow science and include 3 different compound exercises to train the triceps muscle.
But don’t worry, there are still isolation movements to include in your chest and triceps training. Here are the best exercises to shape some beastly horseshoes on the back of your arms. You can't go wrong including these in your chest and triceps workout.
1) TRICEPS DIP:
Dips are a must-have movement in anyone’s chest and tri workout. Using dips in your pushing program is going to increase strength and muscle mass while improving overall athleticism.
Due are so great as they allow you to load the triceps with your entire body weight. That’s a lot of mass that the triceps must move, meaning they will see high levels of activation. However, we want to do them the right way to get the highest levels of activation. Therefore, you will want to perform vertical dips as studies have shown this variation to get the highest activation level.
To perform these, your body is going to stay relatively vertical the entire movement. Only leaning slightly forward to allow yourself to come down. Further, you want to keep your elbows tucked into the body.
2) TRIANGLE PUSH UPS:
Another fantastic exercise for chest and tricep day, rivaling the #1 triceps exercise, is the triangle push-up. In fact, the #1 spot goes back and forth between these and dips, depending on the study.
This study showed that both the long head and lateral head of the triceps (study) had the highest activation out of 8 exercises. Therefore, instead of arguing over which one is better, just do both of them!
Triangle push-ups work as they bring the arms close enough so that the hands touch. This creates a significantly greater range of motion at the elbow while also decreasing the contribution of the pectoral muscles.
The pectorals are recruited more as the elbows go out from the body and create greater horizontal abduction. As we are virtually eliminating this, the triceps are worked to a much higher degree.
3) CLOSE GRIP BENCH PRESS:
The close grip bench press is one of the best pressing exercises, making it easy to go as heavy as you want or allowing you to keep it light and rep out.
The close grip bench press works similarly to triangle push-ups in that due to your hands being closer together, you will have to perform a greater range of motion when letting the bar down.
When you perform the close-grip bench press, you’ll want 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 a higher degree, BUT it decreases activity in the pectorals. However, when using a supinated grip, you will increase the activity of the pectorals while maintaining the same higher activity of the triceps.
4) ROLLING DUMBBELL EXTENSIONS:
Rolling dumbbell extensions are the first isolation movement on this list of best triceps exercises. However, this isolation movement doesn’t mean you won’t be moving a lot of 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 purpose of allowing shoulder extension is to allow body momentum to move more weight.
As you lie on a bench, you will hold two dumbbells directly over your body with arms extended. Next, let the dumbbells come down by bending the elbow in the same manner as a skull crushers. Once 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 go back. When the triceps can’t go back anymore, you will power your arms up so that the elbows go vertical. You will then let the momentum you just created explode into elbow extension; thus, allowing you to use a heavier weight.
5) TRICEPS PUSHDOWN:
Like the cable puller chest flies, the triceps pushdown can be done with a range of implements. Some variations include;
- Reverse-grip
- Rope Triceps Pushdown
- V-Handle Pushdown
- Straight Bar Pushdown
Therefore you are going to rotate through various variations in your workout. You can do this per session or per month. The main objective is using variety and pushing to failure by using either drops sets or assisted reps.
6) TRICEPS KICKBACKS:
Triceps kickbacks are a prime example of how you don’t need a lot of weight for a practical exercise. Due to the mechanical disadvantage, you’re in during this movement, you will be forced to use a lower load.
Don’t let this turn you off. When you can put your ego aside and pick up some small dumbbells, you’ll unlock one of the best pure isolation exercises for the triceps.
This is such a great movement because before you even begin the exercise, you must use an isometric contraction to keep your arm from falling as you lean over. As we have discussed above, this is akin to shoulder extension in which your long head plays a pivotal row.
Further, due to the motion, no other muscle can add force. While the other movements are fantastic, even things like cable triceps extensions, you’re still going to recruit different muscles. However, you get no help with triceps kickback.
These are great to use at the end of a session to use to train to failure.
That's It! The Best Chest And Triceps Workout Routine!
You just learned the best gym chest and tris program that you can follow, along with programming tips and how to do the best chest and tricep exercises. This is all you need to add serious muscle mass to your chest and triceps and build insane pushing power.
Further, you learned how to use progressive overload and alter training variables to make progress forever. Now, it’s up to you to put in the work in your chest and triceps workout. We can’t do that for you but we know you've got that covered.
Now go train!
Don't forget to use these 10 Best Chest Stretches For Before And After Workouts. And if you're looking for another awesome workout to try, check out our Ultimate Chest And Bicep Workout!
Prepare to maximize your gains with our exclusive 12-week hypertrophy training program. Choose between a 4 or 5 day training split and gain 2-12 pounds of muscle over 90 days...
Sam Coleman
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