Chest and Triceps Workout

Chest and Triceps Workout- Thursday

There are a few pro tips to keep in mind when you work out your chest and triceps

One of the most important focus of any chest press exercise is to make sure that you go about bringing the weight slowly down to your chest and then exploding up.

I will emphasize this point again- go slowly down and explode back up. There is no use in just letting gravity pull the weight down to your chest so that you can bounce it off your chest as you push up. This gives you no real engagement in your chest muscles. 

For the most dramatic muscle growth, you need to make sure that your chest muscles are engaged throughout the length of the entire set even when you are lowering the weight down to the chest. 

When you constantly apply pressure to a muscle you can more effectively work it to its maximum capacity. If you simply let the weight drop to your chest, you aren’t using your chest to support the weight as it comes down.

The breathing pattern is also critical for any weight lifting exercise but I see most people breath improperly when it comes to chest exercises. Say you are doing the bench press. As you bring the weight down, inhale and as you push the weight up, forcefully exhale. This way you will be significantly less likely to develop an injury. 

I see a way too many people that simply don’t breath at all when it comes to the bench press. They simply hold their breath until they become red in the face as they press. Over time you will likely knock yourself while pressing and end up with a massive weight falling on your body. On the other hand, you can develop a hernia as well which is also not fun for anyone.

It is also important to keep your shoulders tucked back during any pressing exercise or triceps pull downs. Bench pressing or pulldowns with a slouched back is one ticket to a massive shoulder injury. When you bench press or tricep pull down, keep your shoulder locked back and sturdy. Do not move your shoulders forward as you press or pull down.

In addition, I created a new guide on how to do a two hour a week workout that you can check out here. 

Bench press- 4 sets 8-10 reps

While laying on your back along the bench keep a slight arch in your lower back. Make sure that you are placing much of the stress on your upper back with your shoulder blades tucked in. Keep your feet firmly placed on the ground. Lift the barbell off of the rack and center it directly over your shoulders. Keep your hands about shoulder width apart as well. Slowly bring the barbell down to around where your sternum is on your chest and keep your elbows at about a 45-degree angle to your sides of your body as you do so. Forcefully push the barbell back to the peak position. For more information on how to bench press correctly click here. 

Inclined bench press- 4 sets 9-10 reps

Adjust your bench so that it is an incline. It is up to you to determine the degree of incline you want to keep your bench at but doesn’t make it too steep or else you will be primarily working your shoulders.

Again make sure that your shoulder blades are tucked back and that your hands are positioned about shoulder

length apart. As you lower the weight down make sure that your elbows are tucked to your sides. Keeping them at 90-degree angles to the sides of your body is an easy way to put too much strain on your chest and potentially cause injury. For more information on how incline bench press correctly click here. 

Cable flies- 4 sets 8-10 reps

Grab both cable handles and put one foot in front of the other. Keep your back straight but tilt forward slightly at the waist so that your torso is slightly facing downward. Let your hands spread apart as if you are opening a newspaper and let them extend back to the point where you have completely opened up your arms. Make sure that your arms aren’t rigid in doing so but rather keep your arms slightly bent at the elbows. Once your arms are extended out, press your arms together back again. For more information on how to do cable flies correctly click here. 

Tricep pulldowns- 3 sets 8-10 reps

Use the cable attachment on the tricep pulldown machine. Keep your back straight but slightly bent over at the waist and keep your shoulder rolled back with your chest out. Grab the cables with both hands and with your elbows locked in place, pull down the ropes until your arms lock out. Slowly let the cables up to the starting position. For more information on how to do tricep pull downs click here. 

Dips- 3 sets 8-10 reps

Grab the dip bar with both hands on each side and hold your body with your arms. Keep your legs tucked behind you and your chest slightly tilted forward. Slowly lower your body down while you keep your elbows tucked at your sides to the point where your triceps are about parallel to the ground. From there push your body back to the upright position. For more information on how to do dips click here.