Cardio, HIIT and full-body workouts all have their place in a well thought-out training plan, but sometimes you have to hit the weights room, especially if you're focusing on your chest and triceps. That's why we've created this chest and tricep workout, designed to pack on serious muscle.
Gyms aren't for everyone, but there's no denying that the huge amount of kit that's available in the weights room allows you to hit different muscles in your chest and triceps from a variety of angles that bodyweight workouts simply can't. That's not to say bodyweight moves aren't effective. Far from it. Below we list our best chest and tricep workouts for home and gym for you to try.
10 Best Chest and Tricep Workouts
- This Superman Chest and Arm Workout Builds a Superhero Physique
- This 'Powerbuilding' Workout Builds a Stronger Chest, With Bigger Arms to Match
- This Chest Day ‘Chipper’ Adds Slabs of Muscle to Your Pecs and Arms
- Smoke Your Chest and Arms With This 3-Move Finisher
- Pump Up Your Chest and Arms In 15 Minutes With This Smart Low-Kit Workout
- Bulk up your chest with this bodyweight 500-rep workout
- Best bodyweight workout that'll get your chest and arms pumped
- The ultimate upper-body home workout
- Use the '6-12-25 Shock Method' for Fast Muscle Growth and a Massive Pump
- Chest and triceps supersize circuit
Your Chest and Tricep Muscles, Explained
When it comes to your chest and tricep workout, angles matter. The chest, for example, is made up of three muscles, and require different movements and exercises to hit them properly. Hopefully you're starting to realise that endlessly pressing on the bench will only take your chest so far.
- Pectoralis Major: The pectoralis major makes up most of your chest muscle mass. It is large and fan shaped, and is composed of a sternocostal head and a clavicular head.
- Pectoralis Minor: The pectoralis minor lies underneath the pectoralis major. Its job is to help pull the shoulder forward and down.
- Serratus Anterior: Located at the side of the chest wall.
The same goes for your triceps. Located on the back of your upper arm, the tricep is made up of three heads: the lateral, medial and long heads. And if you want to hit all three heads then yep, you've guessed it, you're going to need to do a range of different exercises.
Why It's a Good Idea to Train Chest and Triceps Together
Your chest and triceps, along with your shoulders make up what's generally known by trainers as the 'pushing' muscles of your upper body. By training them together and alternating workouts with the 'pulling' muscles of your back and biceps (and not skipping leg day, of course), you can create a balanced workout regime that hits each body part hard, but also allows optimal time for recovery whilst you focus on other regions.
How Many Times a Week Should You Train Chest and Triceps?
The jury is out on the exact best way to spread your workouts throughout the week, with factors such as your age, experience and the amount of work you do in any given session effecting how often you should hit individual body parts. But as a good rule of thumb, training your chest and triceps every five to seven days should lead to optimal growth.
Best Chest and Triceps Workout - How It's Done
Keep an hour aside for this chest and tricep workout from PT Jeremy Scott — it'll blast your chest and triceps using a variety of methods to sear your muscle fibres.
The volume of the workout promises an immediate pump long after you've hit the showers, and the continual stress on your muscles ensures optimum growth and, crucially, noticeable muscle-gain.
When you're tackling the workout, which is inspired by bodybuilding deity Arnold Schwarzenegger, don't rush your reps. Focus on contracting the muscles being worked and controlling the movement through the entire range of motion.
The Workout
Flat dumbbell chest press
4 sets of 8-12 reps
Muscles worked: chest, triceps
How: Lay flat on a bench, your knees bent, pushing your feet into the floor. Press a pair of dumbbells into the air, locking out your elbows. Lower the bells slowly until they touch the outside of your chest, keep your elbows at 45 degree angle, pause here before explosively pressing back up. Repeat.
Incline dumbbell bench press
3 sets of 8-12 reps
Muscles worked: upper chest, front deltoids, triceps
How: Lay on a bench set at a 30-45 degree angle, holding two dumbbells locked out above your chest, slowly lower both bells over 2-4 seconds, keeping your elbows at a slight angle to your torso, until both dumbbells touch your chest, explosively press the bells back to full lockout and repeat.
Dumbbell skull crushers
3 sets of 8-12 reps
Muscles worked: triceps
How: Gripping the dumbbells, extend your arms straight up. Keeping your elbows fixed and tucked in, slowly lower the bar until it is about an inch from your forehead. Slowly extend your arms back to the starting position without locking your elbows.
Triceps rope pushdown
5 minutes non-stop
Muscles worked: triceps (lateral and medial head)
How: Attach a rope handle to the high pulley of a cable station. Bend your arms and grab the bar with a neutral grip, palms facing inwards, your hands shoulder-width apart. Tuck your upper arms next to your sides. Without moving your upper arms, push the rope down until your elbows are locked and split the rope. Slowly return to the starting position.
TRX triceps extension
3 sets 8-12 reps
Muscles worked: triceps (long head)
How: Stand facing away from the TRX with the arms extended in front of you and with an overhand grip and your weight leaning forward. Keep the body completely in a straight line from the top of your head to your feet with your core engaged. Bend at the elbows while keeping them high so your body moves forward and your fists are either side of your forehead. Push the handles away from you back to your starting position.
Floor press and press-up superset
10-1 descending ladder (10 floor presses and 10 push-ups, then 9 and 9, 8 and 8, and so on until you reach 1 rep of each)
Floor press muscles worked: chest, triceps
How: Lay flat on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Press the weights above you, locking out your elbows. Lower them slowly until your upper arms are resting on the floor at a 45 degree angle to your body, pause here before explosively pressing back up.
Press-up muscles worked: chest, triceps, core
How: Drop into a plank position, with your core tight and hands under your shoulders. Create a rigid structure from your ankles to your shoulders. Bend your elbows to slowly lower your chest to the floor. Keep your elbows at a 45-degree angle to your body as you push back up explosively.
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Ed Cooper is the former Deputy Digital Editor at Men’s Health UK, writing and editing about anything you want to know about — from tech to fitness, mental health to style, food and so much more. Ed has run the MH gauntlet, including transformations, marathons and er website re-designs. He’s awful at pub sports, though. Follow him: @EA_Cooper
