Have you ever asked yourself, why is that most bodybuilders and fitness coaches perform chest and triceps workouts together? It’s because most chest exercises activate your triceps too.
Whether you’re doing a bench press, incline press, chest dip, or chest flies, your triceps act as a secondary mover. That is the reason you don’t see powerlifters or bodybuilders with huge chests that don’t have triceps to match.
Moreover, while doing chest exercises, you will exhaust triceps muscles to some degree. This means you don’t have to do tons of sets and reps to stimulate muscle hypertrophy. This dynamic duo works in perfect harmony, and when trained together, can skyrocket your upper body strength, size, and definition.
In this blog, you have listed some of the best chest triceps workouts crafted by Speediance experts. Get ready to push your limits, challenge your muscles, and unlock a new level of upper-body dominance.
How Do Chest and Triceps Muscles Work Together
To understand how the chest and triceps muscles work together, it’s important to understand the anatomy of these muscles.
Chest Muscles
Your chest has three major muscles, the pectoralis major, the pectoralis minor, and the serratus anterior. The pectoralis major is the largest muscle in the chest that reaches from your armpit to your collarbone and down to your lower chest area.
The pectoralis minor is also a part of your upper chest area but it is located just underneath the pectoralis major around the ribs. You need this muscle to help pull the shoulder forward and down.
The Serratus Anterior is a thin muscle located at the side of your chest wall. It covers eight or nine of your upper ribs.
Triceps Muscles
The triceps are a group of muscles that are located at the back of the upper arm. For those of you who don’t know, the triceps are larger than your biceps and make up most of your arms. The triceps consist of three different muscles, a long head, a lateral head, and a medial head.
The long head is the largest triceps muscle that runs down right at the back of your arms. The lateral head is the outer part of the triceps muscles. Lastly, the medial head is the triceps muscle that is located at the lower end of the upper arm.
How Do They Work Together?
The one thing that ties the chest and triceps is the “Push Movement.” Most chest workouts involve a push movement, a movement pattern that involves extending your limbs away from your body. And, the primary function of the triceps is to straighten the arm.
So for every chest workout that involves a push movement, you’re also engaging your triceps. In simple words, the chest initiates the pushing motion, while the triceps provide the final push to complete the reps.
Why Train Chest and Triceps Together
Chest and triceps workouts not only help train two muscle groups at the same time but also provide a strong foundation for numerous daily activities and athletic endeavors.
- Improved Upper Body Strength- By doing chest and triceps workouts together, you enhance your ability to do other upper body exercises like pushing, pulling and lifting,
- Faster Triceps Muscle Gain- When doing chest workouts, you’re also activating your triceps. This leads to faster muscle gain without doing tons of triceps exercises.
- Improve Posture- Chest triceps workouts contribute to better posture by supporting the shoulder girdle and upper back.
- Improve Daily Functional Strength- Having a strong chest and triceps helps you perform daily activities like carrying, pushing, throwing, and lifting with ease.
- Time Management - Combining chest and triceps workouts into a single session saves time without compromising results. This allows for more focused training and better utilization of gym time.
The Best Chest and Triceps Workouts for Building Muscle
Exercise 1 - Push-up Rotation
How to do:
1.Perform a pushup first.
2.Then raise a hand up toward the ceiling.
3.Rotate your spine.
Exercise 2 - Dual Handle Bench Press
How to do:
1.Set cable machine attach mounts at floor position.
2.Attach the Handles to the mounts.
3.Setup Bench with handles to be at mid chest position.
4.Lying on bench with handles griped slightly wider than shoulder width.
5.Cablest to be on outside of arms, palms facing away from you. (parellel grip).
6.Lower Lower handles ensuring that hands stay over elbows.
7.Feel stretch across chest, hold the stretch and push bar back to top position.
Exercise 3 - Dual Handle Standing Incline Press
How to do:
1.Set machine attach mounts at slightly lower than chest height position.
2.Attach the Handles to the mounts.
3.Standing with feet slightly staggered, grip handles with elbows behind you.
4.Cables to be on top of arms, palms facing down. (parellel grip).
5.Brace Core and push hands away from you, finishing at eye level.
6.Return to start position making sure hands stay in line with elbows.
Exercise 4 - Dual Handle Standing Cable Fly
How to do:
1.Set machine attach mounts at chest height position.
2.Attach the handles to the mounts.
3.Standing with feet slightly staggered, grip handles with elbows behind you.
4.Cables to be on top of arms, holding handles palms towards each other. (neutral grip)
5.With elbows slightly bent, swing arms out away from body in arc.
6.Keep elbows pointed backwards through full movement.
7.Feel stretch across chest, hold the stretch and push bar back to top position.
Exercise 5 - Barbell Triceps Push Down
How to do:
1.Set machine attach mounts at high position.
2.Attach the barbell to the mounts.
3.Grip Barbell with an overhand grip and slightly wider than hip width.
4.Keeping elbows fixed by your sides, and wrists curled down.
5.Push barbell down towards thighs. Squeeze at bottom position.
6.Then slowly contol the lift.
Exercise 6 - Standing Triceps Pushdown
How to do:
1.Set machine attach mount at high position.
2.Attach the rope to the mount.
3.Grip rope with both hands. Slightly lean forward from hips.
4.Keeping elbows fixed by your sides, and wrists curled down.
5.Push rope down and outwards towards thighs. Squeeze at bottom position.
6.Then slowly contol the lift.
Exercise 7 -Chest Stretch
How to do
1.Place one forearm against machine so that elbow is slightly lower than shoulder.
2.Keeping chest up, walk body forward to slowly feel the stretch across chest.
3.Concentrate on the breathing and allowing a deeper stretch with each breath out.
How Often To Do Chest Triceps Workout
There is no exact answer to how often you should exercise your chest and triceps because it depends on a lot of factors such as your age, experience, gym sessions in a week, and the type of exercise you do.
But as a good rule of thumb, here at Speediance, we recommend a chest and triceps workout at least 2 times a week with proper rest and recovery for optimal growth. Hitting the chest and triceps once a week is best for people who want to maintain their current body shape.
So if you do a chest triceps workout on Monday, plan to hit the gym again on Thursday or Friday. For faster results change exercises every week or two. You can employ different grip positions, angles, and exercise selections in each session.
Pro Tips for Serious Gainers
Chest and triceps workout is a powerful combination for building upper body strength and size. But you’ll need to constantly challenge your body. Never stick to one weight, set, and repetition, slightly increase the weight, and adjust the set and repetitions in every session. However, don’t forget to prioritize proper form in every exercise.
Incorporate time under tension (TUT) in every exercise. Keeping your muscles under tension for an extended time can help break down more muscle fibers, which leads to greater repair and growth.
Lastly, consistency is key. While these tips can accelerate your gains, it's essential to combine them with a balanced diet, adequate rest, and patience.
Are you ready to take your chest and triceps workout to the next level? Join the Speediance community today. Let's build that impressive upper body together!
