Chest and Tricep Workout Routines (with PDF)

The most effective way to optimize your workout routine is to divide it into certain training splits. Such a schedule will allow you to work on two muscles every day, making the overall program more efficient.

It’s important to figure out which muscles work well together.

And when it comes to that, there’s no denying that working out your chest and tricep muscles on the same day can prove to be efficient and conducive to your workout objectives.

In this article, we’ll explore why a chest-tricep workout in the same session can be beneficial. We have also devised a comprehensive workout plan to meet the requirements of diverse fitness enthusiasts.

So, let’s get right into it!

Chest and Tricep Workout Routines

It’s easy to go wrong while planning your chest and tricep workout. Many people think that a couple of bench presses and tricep pushdowns can do the trick.

But if you really want to see some serious gains, you need to have a balanced workout with progressive overloading and periodized resistance training schedule^[1]. A well-rounded tricep-chest workout can help while also keeping you from overworking any specific area, thereby preventing injuries.

Many people make the mistake of neglecting tricep exercises, especially when paired with a large and demanding muscle group like the chest. But seeing as how your triceps are 2.5x bigger than your biceps, neglecting them could be what’s stopping you from getting the bigger physique you want ^[6].

With a well-structured plan, you can have exercises for both the muscle groups in a proportionate manner.

A good chest and tricep workout routine will differ for people with varying goals and experience at the gym. Keeping that in mind, we’ve developed the best plan for each of them:

Chest and Tricep Workout for Beginners

This workout plan is specifically designed to cater to newcomers and beginners at the gym. It places a lot of emphasis on foundational exercises targeting the two muscle groups. The routine is designed to maximize strength and muscular gains while also factoring in the limitations and starting points of people who have just begun their strength training.

According to research, including incline bench presses can effectively contribute to muscle growth in the chest area.

The exercises are pretty basic, combining the use of body weight, machines, and free weights at the gym. The movements involved are simple and do not pose any risks of injuries.

• Push-ups: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
• Incline bench press: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
• Dumbbell bench press: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
• Chest press machine: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
• Close grip bench press: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
• Cable tricep pushdown: 3 sets x 15 reps
• Cable behind head tricep extension: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
• Seated dumbbell tricep extension: 3 sets x 10-12 reps

Chest and Tricep Workout for Intermediate Lifters

Next up, we have the perfect routine to help intermediate lifters strengthen their chest and tricep muscles. This plan focuses on a mix of compound and isolation exercises to challenge the muscles a bit more.

More complicated movements like parallel bar chest dips have been added to make the overall workout more demanding. Similarly, a drop set has been added to amplify the training intensity and help lifters progress beyond their existing strength levels.

• Parallel bar chest dips: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
• Incline dumbbell bench press: 4 sets x 10-12 reps
• Barbell bench press: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
• Incline dumbbell chest flys: 4 sets x 10-12 reps
• Skull crushers: 4 sets x 10-12 reps
• Cable behind head tricep extension: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
• Cable triceps pushdown: 3 sets x 10-12 reps + 1 drop set
• Single-arm dumbbell tricep extension: 3 sets x 10-12 reps

Chest and Tricep Workout for Advanced Lifters

Finally, we have our advanced workout plan for effectively activating your chest and triceps on the same day. This workout routine adds some other exercises while also increasing the training volume by adding more sets or repetitions in certain exercises.

This workout plan is highly efficient for mass gains and includes a drop set as well as an AMRAP (as many reps as possible) set. This routine will push your muscles beyond their limit and always keep them engaged and open to growth.

• Weighted push-ups: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
• Incline dumbbell bench press: 5 sets x 8 reps
• Barbell bench press: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
• Cable crossover: 4 sets x 10-12 reps
• Skull crushers: 5 sets x 8 reps
• Cable behind head tricep extension: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
• Cable triceps pushdown: 3 sets x 10-12 reps + 1 drop set
• Cable triceps kickback: 2 sets x 10-12 reps + 1 AMRAP

To get the best results out of our workout routines, it’s recommended that you adjust your training intensity and frequency based on your requirements. Research states that you should look to train with weights as heavy as 60%-80% of your 1-Rep Maximum for efficient hypertrophy.

To make your workouts more effective, you can also try broad loading ranges (differing weights and resistance levels) while lifting ^[2]. However, you shouldn’t make your workouts too light if you want to optimize your time at the gym.

Is It Good to Train the Chest and Triceps Together?

Yes, it’s common to see many gym-goers train their chest and tricep muscles together on the same day. There are many reasons that make this training split effective for healthy muscle growth and workout optimization.

Working out two compatible muscle groups during a single session has multiple advantages. Doing so promotes targeted training while allowing plenty of recovery time for each muscle. It also prevents injuries as there is no overloading on a single muscle group.

Among the many combinations of compatible muscle groups, the chest and triceps are the most popular. That’s because they form a type of push training split, which is a popular choice for most athletes because of how efficient it can be.

That’s why training them together on the same day always yields positive results.

Why Do We Train Chest and Triceps Together?

Training the chest and tricep muscles on the same day can be highly beneficial because of their synergistic and overlapping nature.

Put simply, both of these muscle groups are activated and work together in various upper-body exercises that involve pushing movements (like bench presses and push-ups). This increases the amount of stimulation received by the chest and triceps while training, resulting in highly viable workouts.

For example, a recent study demonstrated that the pectoralis major and the front delts together contribute to around 74% of the force required to complete a bench press. The triceps, however, contribute the remaining 26%, giving them some level of activation.

Moreover, the chest and triceps go very well together as one is a major muscle group while the other is a minor one. So, you can focus more on working the chest without worrying about being too exhausted to move on to the triceps.

Since both muscles are getting engaged during many of the push exercises, your time at the gym will be optimized effectively.

Should I Train the Chest or Triceps First?

You should always train your chest muscles before moving on to triceps-based exercises. That’s because the chest is a major muscle group consisting of larger muscles like the pectoralis major and minor.

In a good training split, larger muscle groups should be accompanied by a minor one. This allows fitness enthusiasts to spend their initial energy on muscles like the chest that are more demanding and involve complicated movements.

Meanwhile, the minor group, like the triceps, can be worked out toward the end of the routine. Pairing the chest and triceps together also ensures that the latter will have some level of activation, even during chest-focusing exercises like bench presses or push-ups.

By training your chest first, you are essentially distributing your energy in a proportionate and efficient manner.

That being said, you shouldn’t completely omit tricep-based exercises from your push routine. According to studies, many pressing exercises will only activate the lateral head of your tricep muscles. For growth in the long and medial heads, you will need to perform triceps isolation exercises.

Chest and Triceps Workout PDF

In this article, we have provided individual workout plans for beginners, intermediate lifters, and advanced lifters to train their chest and tricep muscles.

Following these routines can help you reach your desired fitness goals while gaining substantially in terms of muscular strength and mass.

To download the complete workout routine in PDF format, click on the button.

The PDF is downloadable and can be stored on your mobile phone or printed physically for you to take to the gym.

Don’t miss:

Back and Bicep Workout Routines
Chest and Shoulder Workout Routines
Two Body Parts a Day Workout Routine
Flat Chest Workout

Parting Words

Any good training split will consist of two synergistic muscles. And it doesn’t get any better than the chest and triceps.

Both of them are highly compatible with each other. When incorporated into a well-rounded workout program, working both muscle groups on the same day can yield very positive results.

References

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28497285/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7862765/
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31817252/
4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28834797/
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32922646/
6. https://journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/abstract/2017/10000/large_and_small_muscles_in_resistance_training__is.9.aspx
7. https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/fulltext/2020/05000/varying_the_order_of_combinations_of_single__and.8.aspx