If your chest and triceps day is getting a little boring, you are struggling to grow, or you’ve just hit a muscle growth plateau, we’ve got a killer workout for you to try! It’s packed with the best chest exercises and triceps exercises, combined with a perfect balance of pump and volume to give your upper body that “shock” to kick it into growth!

Just remember: if you are looking to build your dream physique, it can’t be chest day every day! This workout may be the perfect way to start off the week, but it works even better as part of a complete, balanced training plan. Dial in your entire training week with Vince’s other Ultimate workouts:

Monday: Ultimate Chest & Triceps
Tuesday: Ultimate Back & Biceps
Wednesday: Rest and/or steady-state cardio
Thursday: Ultimate Legs & Glutes
Friday: Ultimate Shoulders
Saturday: Ultimate Arms
Sunday: Rest, play, and meal prep

ULTIMATE CHEST & TRICEPS WORKOUT FOR MUSCLE GAINS

A. Incline dumbbell bench press 4 sets, 6-8 reps (rest 90 sec. between sets, single dropset after final set)
B. Alternating single-arm dumbbell flat bench press 4 sets, 12 reps (rest 1 min. between sets)
C. Incline cable chest fly 4 sets, 12 reps (rest 60 sec. between sets)
D. Pec deck or machine fly 4 sets 12 reps (rest 60 sec. between sets)
E. Rope triceps push-down 4 sets, 12 reps (rest 60 sec. between sets)
F. Incline EZ-bar skull crusher 4 sets, 12 reps per arm (rest 60 sec. between sets)
G. Cable single-arm cross-body extension 4 sets, 12 reps (no rest between sides or sets)

Most of the exercises should be familiar to anyone who celebrates International Chest Day on a regular basis, but here are a couple of pro tips from Vince to get the most out of every set. If you’re building up your little black book of training tips, also be sure to join our Facebook men’s group, packed with V Shred personal trainers and other dudes who geek out on this stuff every day.

Incline dumbbell bench press

Don’t flare your elbows completely out to the side on this exercise. That’s a common technique mistake that puts a lot of stress on the shoulder. Go down far enough to really feel the stretch in your chest on every rep, and then push up to feel the squeeze. Nail 6-8 no-doubt reps per set, then finish the last set by immediately lightening the weight by around 20 percent for a dropset.

Alternating single-arm dumbbell flat bench press

If you haven’t done these before, prepare yourself to be humbled! Keep the rest periods to 60 seconds on the dot, and expect to have to go far lighter than you would on a “normal” dumbbell bench.

Incline cable chest fly

Keep a soft bend in your elbows through every rep, and only lower the weight until it’s around parallel to the ground. That will keep the focus on your chest, and off of your vulnerable shoulder or elbow joints! Again, keep those rest periods strict!

Pec deck

Vince’s favorite cue here is to “lead with your elbows.” He advises, “don’t even think about what your hands are doing. Think about what your elbows are doing.” Focusing on bringing them together will help place more tension on your pecs and really burn out your chest to finish this portion of the workout.

Rope triceps push-down

Getting the most out of this staple triceps exercise is all about the set-up. “I like to take a step back away from the stack,” Vince advises. “There’s not much tension at the bottom if you’re too close. Step back, lock your elbows into place, and press your chest out as you press that weight down, squeezing your triceps at the bottom and bringing them up to right around 90 degrees on every rep.”

Incline EZ-bar skull crusher

Again, this is all about the set-up. Keep your elbows at around shoulder-width and no wider, and you’ll feel this right on your triceps without making your elbows cry mercy! Vince also performs each rep with the weight slightly behind his head to keep tension on the triceps throughout the full range of motion of the exercise.

Cable single-arm cross-body extension

This finisher will truly fry your tris! It’s simple but brutal: go straight from 12 reps on one arm to 12 reps on the other… and then back. That is one set. You WILL NOT REST before starting your next set. Go straight into the next one! Do this for all 4 sets, aiming for 12 reps for EVERY set. This will get really difficult with no rest, so you will likely need to lower your weight with each set. Go as low as you need to get in 12 reps from start to finish!

LIGHTER DOESN’T MEAN EASIER!

There are 7 exercises total in this workout: 4 for the chest and 3 for the triceps. The rest periods are all pretty short, so even though it’s 7 exercises, the entire workout should take 45 minutes to an hour to complete. As fatigue builds, you might need to rest as much as 2 minutes or more between exercises, so plan for an hour!

Just don’t forget to get in a solid warmup and/or do some warmup sets for each exercise first! Never jump into any lift with stiff and cold muscles.

Another thing Vince always does before hitting the gym to ensure he is making the most out of every workout is pound some SCULPT NATION PRE about 20-30 minutes before training. The ingredients in a pre can be especially helpful on a pump-chasing workout like this one!

BUILD YOUR CHEST IN THE GYM AND THE KITCHEN

Of course, this workout isn’t everything Vince is doing to grow his chest. He has to eat and supplement for his goals! If nutrition is what’s been blocking your gains, you can find out how to eat for your bulking goals using the macro calculator in the V Shred app for iOS or Android. You can even jump fully onboard the gains train by having one of our expert trainers build you a personalized custom meal plan to help you grow bigger, faster!  

If you are serious about putting on muscle mass you have to put just as much thought into what you do AFTER your workout as you do in the gym! And no, that doesn’t just end with your traditional post-workout protein shake (although that’s a great idea, of course).

Your body needs specific nutrients to recover after working out. POST WORKOUT by Sculpt Nation has them, in science-backed doses! It is jam-packed with amino acids and the other essential nutrients your body needs for rapid recovery to keep your body primed to build muscle, burn fat, and get stronger after every single workout.

If you are serious about putting on size and are looking for a new full body program, check out Vince’s best-selling CLEAN BULK program.  

The post The Ultimate Workout for a Bigger Chest & Triceps appeared first on V Shred.

Maybe your chest routine is getting a little boring, or you aren’t growing and want to give your pecs a little “shock” to see if you can bust past a plateau – – if so, you will want to keep reading! 

We have a great workout for you today, and you don’t need any elaborate equipment or machines.

All you need is some dumbbells and an adjustable bench! 

We will be using a variety of rep ranges and several different training methods such as supersets and even some bodyweight exercises — so you can hit all areas of the chest and promote as much chest growth as possible.

We know .. DB’s only means no barbell bench press.

Just because the barbell bench press is the “gold standard” for chest day doesn’t mean it’s the only way to build better pecs!

We love the barbell bench press as much as the next guy (or gal) — and it’s hard to pass up all those fancy plated chest machines and cables for things like flys. But for those times when you don’t have access to a lot of gym equipment or just want a change up your chest routine — dumbbells are really great for chest day! 

Not to mention, dumbbells may be an even better option for many people because they are said to be safer for your shoulders!

Some people even claim that they are better for getting that mind-muscle connected needed to activate the pec muscle!

Whether it’s by choice or because they’re all you’ve got, dumbbells are an excellent choice for times when you want to  directly hit your chest!

The DB workout we have for you is just 7 exercises. None of them are complicated or fancy — but they work! 

We will be starting with an incline superset, then dropping the bench down for a flat superset before moving to a stand-alone exercise, and then finishing with another superset on the ground!

These 7 exercises are simple, but if you use proper form and follow our form tips, it is a great workout! 

Again, all you need are some DB’s and a bench! Let’s go! 

7 EXERCISE DUMBBELL CHEST WORKOUT

EXERCISE 1 & 2
Superset: Incline DB Press // Incline DB Fly

** You will do these two exercises back-to-back with NO rest between exercises.  Once you have completed both exercises, you will rest for 1-minute and repeat until the prescribed number of sets is complete.

** Rep range lowers with each set. If you have heavier DB’s and can, attempt to go up in weight with each set. 

(1) Incline DB Press
Equipment: Moderate to heavy DB’s. An adjustable bench set at an incline.

Sets:  3

Reps: 15, 12, and  8. 

Technique Tips: Roll your shoulders back. Don’t flare your elbows out super wide as you go down. Bring them down to about a 45-degree angle and then go down until your arms are at around 90-degrees and then press up, squeeze through your chest, and do not rest at the top! Keep constant slow and controlled tension at all times!

Rest: None! Go straight into exercise 2. 

(2) Incline DB Fly
Equipment: DB’s that are about ½ the weight you used for the press. An adjustable bench set at an incline.

Sets:  3

Reps: 15, 12, and  8. 

Technique Tips: Keep a soft bend in your elbow. Rotate your arms slightly inward and slowly lower at a little bit of an angle. Get a big stretch and then raise back to the starting position and squeeze your pecs together. Do not rest at the top! Keep constant slow and controlled tension at all times! 

Rest: One minute

EXERCISE 3 & 4
Superset: Flat DB Press // Flat DB Fly

** You will do these two exercises back-to-back with NO rest between exercises. Once you have completed both exercises, you will rest for 1-minute and repeat until the prescribed number of sets is complete.

** Rep range lowers with each set. If you have heavier DB’s and can, attempt to go up in weight with each set. 

** Because we are lowering the bench to flat, you can likely lift heavier weight with this superset than the previous superset. If you have heavier weights, use them. 

(3) Flat DB Press
Equipment: Moderate to heavy DB’s. A flat bench. 

Sets:  3

Reps: 15, 12, and  8. 

Technique Tips: Roll your shoulders back and press your shoulders down. Bring elbows down to about a 45-degree angle and then go down until your arms are at around 90-degrees and then press up, squeeze through your chest, and do not rest or lockout at the top! Keep constant slow and controlled tension at all times!

Rest: None! Go straight into exercise 4. 

(4) Flat DB Fly

Equipment: DB’s that are about ½ the weight you used for the press. A flat bench.

Sets:  3

Reps: 15, 12, and  8. 

Technique Tips: Keep a soft bend in your elbow. Lower slowly until you get a big stretch, and then raise back to the starting position and squeeze your pecs together. Do not rest at the top! Keep constant slow and controlled tension at all times! 

Rest: One minute. 

EXERCISE 5
Squeeze Press

** This exercise is done stand alone–the only non-super-set in today’s workout. 

Equipment: Lighter DB’s. A flat bench. 

Sets:  3

Reps: 15, 12, and  8. 

Technique Tips: Kick the weight back and lay on your back. Hold the DB’s together and press straight up from your chest. Squeeze the DB’s together throughout the entire movement. Slowly return to the starting position. Do not rest and repeat for the prescribed number of reps. Squeeze from start to finish keeping tension on the muscle the entire time! 

Rest: One minute between each set. 

EXERCISE 6 & 7
Superset: DB Floor Press // Bodyweight Push-Ups

** You will do these two exercises back-to-back with NO rest between exercises. Once you have completed both exercises, you will rest for 1-minute and repeat until the prescribed number of sets is complete.

** Rep range lowers with each set for the 1st exercise. If you have heavier DB’s and can, attempt to go up in weight with each set. 

(6) DB Floor Press
** This exercise works the chest differently from a regular flat bench press. Your chest never gets into a super “stretched” position,  so you hit the muscle a little differently than it’s used to. 

** You will likely be able to push more weight with this style of press. 

Equipment:  Heavy DB’s. A small space on the floor and a mat if you want to use one. 

Sets:  3

Reps: 15, 12, and  8. 

Technique Tips:  Lay on the ground with your back firmly on the floor and your knees bent. Press DB’s up with your palms facing forward. Squeeze your chest. Lower your arms down slowly until your triceps touch the ground, then press back up.

Rest: None! Go straight into exercise 7. 

(7) Bodyweight Push-Ups
Equipment: None

Sets:  3

Reps: 15

Technique Tips: Hands just outside shoulder with. Elbows go down at an angle (do not flare them out.) Keep shoulders rolled back. 

Rest: One minute. 

As you see, this is a very basic workout. The only exercise you maybe haven’t done before now is the Floor Press.

Don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s not effective. The basics are what some of the people with the best physique in the world use .. because they work! 

You don’t need to do all the crazy stuff you see people doing on social media. 

Stick to the basics like in this workout, push hard, and you will see results!

BUT DO NOT FORGET….

You can workout everyday and hit your chest multiple times a week — but you will never grow if your nutrition isn’t in check. 

You have to know what macros YOUR BODY needs to reach your goals.

We have a free macro calculator and body type quiz you can take to help you out with all of that!

CLICK HERE to take it FOR FREE! 

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