Chest And Triceps Workout – Introduction
Are you looking for an excellent chest and triceps workout for strength?
Then, you’re in the right place!
According to many fitness experts, you need to go to a gym if you want to build bigger, stronger muscles.
This point of view makes a certain amount of sense because gyms have all the equipment you need to train your muscles from many different angles.
However, it’s not always practical or even necessary to go to a gym to work out.
For instance, traveling to a gym can be time-consuming, and then there is the ongoing cost of your membership.
Some gyms have restrictive opening hours too.
I mean, why DO so many of them close on public holidays?
That’s when many of us are off work and would probably enjoy a workout!
Because of all these factors, many exercisers (including me!) prefer to work out at home.
When you train at home, your gym is open 24/7/365, and you won’t have to queue to use the equipment.
With no commuting required, your workout will be more time-efficient too.
Working out at home DOES raise an important question – is it possible to build muscle and strength without joining a gym?
The answer is most definitely YES!
Your body is a brilliant feat of engineering but, despite its evident complexity, it can’t tell the difference between doing chest presses using a $20,000 machine and push-ups in your garage.
It just knows tension and work.
Providing you work hard enough and consistently, you can build muscle and strength almost anywhere using basic workout equipment.
To that end, in this article, we reveal our favorite at-home chest and tricep workout routine.
All you need is a pair of loadable dumbbells, an adjustable training bench, and enough space to do some push-ups.
The Best Chest and Triceps Workout Program
Do this workout once or twice a week as part of a split routine.
If you choose to do it twice, work out on non-consecutive days, for example, Monday and Thursday, to allow plenty of time for rest and recovery.
Before you begin your workout, spend a few minutes warming up and preparing your body for what you are about to do.
Start with 5-10 minutes of easy cardio, such as jogging or jumping rope, followed by a few dynamic mobility and flexibility exercises, focusing on your chest, shoulders, and elbows.
|
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
Recovery |
|
|
1 |
Incline dumbbell squeeze press |
3-4 |
8-10 |
90 seconds |
|
2 |
Dumbbell fly and press |
3-4 |
8-10 |
90 seconds |
|
3 |
Dumbbell Pullover |
2-3 |
10-12 |
60 seconds |
|
4 |
Push-up drop set |
2-3 |
AMRAP* |
60 seconds |
|
5 |
Dumbbell skull crusher |
2-3 |
10-12 |
60 seconds |
|
6 |
Dumbbell kickback |
2-3 |
10-12 |
60 seconds |
*AMRAP = As Many Reps as Possible. Just do as many reps as you can!
Exercise Descriptions
Get the most from this workout while minimizing your risk of injury by doing each exercise correctly.
If the exercises are new to you, start with light weights and only increase when you are confident that your form is perfect.
#1. Incline dumbbell squeeze press
Primary muscles targeted: pectoralis major, inner and upper chest, anterior deltoids, triceps
While most people’s go-to chest exercise is the barbell bench press, the dumbbell bench press is better for home lifters.
To do a barbell incline bench press, you need either a spotter or power rack because if you cannot complete a rep, you could find yourself pinned under a heavy weight.
With dumbbells, you can drop the weights down to the floor, saving yourself from injury.
How to do it:
- Set your bench to between a 30 and 45-degree angle.
- Lie on the bench with a dumbbell in each hand, pressed up to arm’s length.
- Turn your palms inward and push the dumbbells together.
- Squeezing the weights inward, bend your arms, and lower the dumbbells to your chest.
- Press the dumbbells back up to arm’s length and repeat.
- The harder you press the dumbbells together, the more effective this exercise is.
Incline Dumbbell Squeeze Press
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#2. Dumbbell chest fly and press combo
Target muscles: Mid-chest and triceps muscles
One of the downsides of training at home with only dumbbells is that you may not have the availability of sufficient weight for your workout.
Therefore, this exercise combines two of the best chest exercises so you can get a good workout using light to moderate weights.
How to do it:
- Lie on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand.
- Press the weights up to arm’s length and hold them over your chest, palms facing inward.
- With your elbows slightly bent but rigid, open your arms and lower the weights out and down so you form a T-shape.
- Squeeze the dumbbells back up and together.
- Next, bend your arms and lower the weights down to your shoulders.
- Press them back up.
- That’s one rep; keep going!
The Only Way You Should Do a Dumbbell Fly
#3. Dumbbell Pullover
Target muscles: Lower chest and lats
Dumbbell pullovers are a lat (upper back) exercise, but they also work your chest.
For this variation, use two dumbbells for more comfort and care of your shoulders.
How to do it:
- Lie on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand.
- Press the weights up to arm’s length and hold them over your chest, palms facing inward.
- Keeping your arms slightly bent but rigid, lower the weights down and overhead until your biceps brush your ears.
- Pull the weights back up and over your chest and repeat.
Dumbbell Pullover
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#4. Push-up drop set
Target muscles: Upper, mid, and lower chest muscles, triceps
Chest exercises don’t come much better or more convenient than push-ups.
This push-up drop set will finish off your chest while prepping your triceps for what comes next!
How to do it:
- Get into the push-up position with your feet resting on a knee-high bench.
- Bend your arms and lower your chest to within an inch of the floor and then push yourself back up.
- Make sure your body is straight and that you engage your core.
- Repeat until failure.
- Next, lower your feet to the floor and immediately pump out more push-ups.
- Keep going until you are unable to continue.
- Finally, bend your legs and rest your knees on the floor.
- Push out one more set of reps to failure.
- Rest for a moment and then repeat the entire three-exercise sequence.
- Don’t be surprised to find you can’t do anywhere near as many push-ups; your chest muscles will likely be exhausted.
Push-Up Drop Set Variations
#5. Dumbbell skull crusher
Target muscles: Triceps
When you do this exercise with a barbell, it’s all too easy to hit yourself on the head, which is where it gets its name.
However, you are much less likely to have an accident with dumbbells, so this is a safer alternative to barbell skull crushers.
As an added advantage, using dumbbells means you can move your elbows through a full range of motion, increasing triceps engagement in the process.
How to do it:
- Lie on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand.
- Press the weights up to arm’s length and hold them over your chest, palms facing inward.
- Keeping your upper arms vertical and stationary, bend your arms and lower the dumbbells down to the side of your head.
- Extend your elbows and repeat.
- Take care NOT to turn this into a pressing exercise; the only joint that should move is your elbows.
Dumbbell Skull Crushers
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#6. Dumbbell kickback
Target muscles: Triceps
Your final exercise is the dumbbell tricep kickbacks.
For many exercisers, your tricep muscle is what determines your overhead press strength.
The triceps brachii is comprised of three heads:
- the long head of the triceps
- lateral head
- medial head
Besides the humble push-up, one of the best tricep exercises you can do is the dumbbell kickback.
This is because it isolates all 3 heads of the triceps muscle and will wring the last bit of energy from the backs of your upper arms.
Don’t use a heavy weight for this exercise.
Instead, go light and slow to maximize triceps engagement.
If you have to swing the weight up, you will not get the best results.
How to do it:
- With a dumbbell in one hand, lean forward and place your other hand on your bench for support.
- Your torso should be parallel to the floor.
- Bend your arm and pull your elbow up into your ribs.
- Without swinging, extend your arm and press the dumbbell back toward your hip until your elbow is straight.
- Bend your arm back to 90 degrees and repeat.
- Do the same number of reps on each arm.
Dumbbell Kickbacks
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Chest and Triceps Training FAQ
Here are our answers to some of the most common chest and triceps training questions:
Q1: Are push-ups and dips enough to build a bigger, more muscular chest?
You bet!
While using dumbbells means you’ll have a wider choice of exercises, you can build a great chest using just the standard push-up and dips.
You can use many different push-up variations, and dips are also very effective for building chest and triceps size and strength.
Are you not convinced?
Then check out the upper body muscle development of most male gymnasts.
They don’t do ANY weightlifting!
Training Day With Olympic Gymnast Jake Dalton – (No Weights!)
Q2: Don’t I need barbell bench presses to build a bigger chest?
While the regular bench press is a good chest exercise, it’s not compulsory.
In fact, for some exercisers, using dumbbells is better.
When you do dumbbell bench presses, you have to control two weights instead of one and move your arms through a broader range of motion, which could mean greater muscle engagement, balance, and growth.
You won’t use such heavy weights, but that’s a small price to pay for a more effective and potentially safer workout.
The barbell bench press is a great exercise, but using dumbbells is not a poor alternative, either.
Q3: How often should I train my chest?
You can train your chest anywhere between once and three times a week, depending on the type of training you do.
Training different muscle groups on separate days will work well once or twice a week if you follow a split routine.
But, if you do full-body workouts, training every muscle group each time you exercise, you can work your chest three times a week, albeit with fewer chest exercises per session.
Remember, though, that you need to balance your training with rest and recovery.
Doing more chest workouts could mean worse results if you don’t allow enough muscle repair and growth time.
Q4: How many exercises should I do for my chest?
In simple terms, you can do anywhere from one effective exercise to a lot!
If you only train your chest once a week, 4-5 exercises are a good range to target.
But, if you train your chest three times a week, 1-3 exercises per workout should be enough.
Rather than see how many different exercises you can do for your chest, try and determine how few you need to achieve your workout goals.
Finding the minimum effective dose of training you need can save you a lot of time and minimize potential injuries.
And remember, your chest is only one of several essential muscle groups, so make sure you pay equal attention to all of them.
Over-emphasizing your chest could lead to muscular imbalances and injuries.
Q5: Do I have to use isolation exercises to train my triceps?
Your triceps are involved in all chest and shoulder press exercises.
As such, you may not need to train them using isolation exercises like triceps pushdowns and kickbacks.
If you are happy with your triceps size and strength, try skipping the isolation exercises and see if you need them.
If your triceps continue to grow without isolation exercises, there is no need to put them back into your workouts.
But if you feel your triceps need some extra attention, a couple of isolation exercises after your chest or shoulder workout will probably be helpful.
No Equipment Chest, Triceps & Abs Workout
Chest and Triceps Workout for Strength – Wrapping Up
You don’t need to hit the gym to build a strong chest and triceps.
Instead, you can get a great workout at home using nothing other than a pair of dumbbells and an adjustable bench.
Or, you could even do bodyweight or resistance band exercises.
You certainly DON’T need to do barbell bench presses or use a chest press machine or cable crossover to build picture-perfect pecs.
Try our chest and triceps workout to discover just how effective home workouts can be!
