6 exercises19 setsabout 45 mina full gym: barbells, dumbbells, cables and machines
The classic pairing: the triceps already work in every chest press, so training them directly afterwards finishes what the presses started. Two presses and a fly for the chest, then three triceps movements.
With a full gym you can open with a heavy barbell lift and finish on cables and machines, which let you push close to failure without technique being the thing that gives out.
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The workout
Bench Press4 × 8Pinch your shoulder blades together, lower the bar to mid-chest and press up and slightly back.2 min rest
Incline Dumbbell Press3 × 10Bench at about 30 degrees. Lower until your upper arms pass the line of your chest, then press up and in.90 s rest
Cable Fly3 × 12Keep a slight bend in the elbows and bring your hands together in a wide arc, squeezing the chest at the end.60 s rest
Dips3 × 10Lean forward slightly, lower until your upper arms are parallel to the floor, then press to lockout.90 s rest
Triceps Pushdown3 × 12Elbows pinned to your sides. Push down to full lockout and let the weight back up slowly.60 s rest
Overhead Triceps Extension3 × 12One dumbbell held in both hands behind your head. Keep the elbows pointing forward and extend fully.60 s rest
Muscles worked
FrontBack
Chest13
Triceps12.5
Shoulders6.5
Sets per muscle. A muscle that only assists in an exercise counts half.
How to run it
Before the first exercise, do two lighter sets of it: one at about half your working weight and one at three quarters. Rest for the time shown next to each exercise; the heavy lifts at the top need more than the smaller ones at the end.
Aim to finish each set with one or two reps left in you. If every set reaches its target easily, the session is too light. Add the smallest plate you can to the barbell lifts, and move up one pin on machines and cables once every set reaches the target.
Once or twice a week, with at least two days before you press heavy again. It pairs with a back and biceps day and a leg day in a three-day split.
If something is taken
Bench Press→Dumbbell Bench Press
Incline Dumbbell Press→Incline Bench Press
Triceps Pushdown→Skull Crusher
Overhead Triceps Extension→Close-Grip Bench Press
Keep the same number of sets. In the app you can swap an exercise for one session without changing the program.
In myreplog
It is already set up. These 6 exercises arrive in your account as a program, with the sets and reps above.
Tap, do not type. Set your weights the first time, then mark each set done as you finish it.
Records count themselves. From your second session, a lift that beats your best is marked as a personal record on the spot.
See what you trained. The session ends with this muscle map, drawn from the sets you actually did.
Logging is free for good. The first 14 days also include Pro, where a coach reviews each session and suggests the weights for the next one. No card needed.
Questions
How long does this chest and triceps workout take?
About 45 minutes. That is 19 working sets with the rests listed next to each exercise, plus five minutes to warm up.
What muscles does it work?
Mostly the chest, triceps and shoulders. The map on this page shades each muscle by the number of sets that reach it.
What equipment do I need?
A full gym: barbells, dumbbells, cables and machines.
Why train chest and triceps together?
Every pressing movement for the chest also uses the triceps. Training them on the same day means they are worked hard once and then rest, instead of being half-used on two different days.
Should I train triceps before chest?
No. Tired triceps give out before the chest does on a bench press, so the chest gets less work. Chest first, triceps after.