If you are looking for the best workout plan to train your chest and triceps effectively and maximize muscle growth, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, I’ve shared an ultimate 8-week chest and triceps workout routine (with PDF) that will allow you to train in an organized way and help you build strength and size.
Whether you’re a beginner or intermediate, male or female, if you want to bolster your pecs and tris and build an aesthetic upper body, follow this program for a few months, and I believe you’ll see decent results over time.
3 Reasons to Train Triceps and Chest Together
Training chest and triceps together is common among bodybuilders because of the following reasons:
1. Chest and Triceps Both Work During the Pressing Movements
The chest and triceps work during the various push movements, such as bench presses, push-ups, and dips. It makes your workout convenient, time-efficient, and effective.
2. A Combination of Large and Small Muscle Group
A well-balanced bodybuilding training split involves performing one large and one small muscle group together for an effective workout session. This training approach allows you to hit every muscle group effectively two times a week, which helps maximize muscle growth.1 Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2016;46(11):1689-1697. doi:10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8 – Sports Medicine (Auckland)
3. Good for Muscle Balance Training Split
Training the chest and triceps allows you to create a well-structured weekly workout routine that involves performing pecs and triceps workout on Monday, back and biceps on Tuesday, and legs and shoulder (superset) on Wednesday. It will allow you to train your entire body in three days. And if you train six times a week, you can hit your whole body twice weekly.
Chest and Triceps Muscle Building Exercises
| Chest | Triceps |
|---|---|
| Flat Bench Press | Close Grip Bench Press |
| Incline Bench Press | EZ Bar Skull Crusher |
| Seated Pec Deck Fly | Incline French Press |
| Decline Cable Fly | Rope Pushdown |
| Bench Supported Cable Fly | One-arm OH Cable Extension |
| Dumbbell Pullover | Triceps Kickback |
| Bar Dips | Upright Dips |
| Standard Push-ups | Triangle Push-ups |
| Upward Cable Fly | Chair Dips |
8-Week Chest and Triceps Workout Routine to Build Mass
Features of the program:
- It included various exercises, from compound and isolation to bilateral and unilateral.
- It focuses on strength (heavyweight and few rep sets) and hypertrophy (light to moderate weight and high rep sets).
- This program contains different rep-set methods, such as drop set and superset.
- It will help build a dense chest and burly triceps.
You can follow this workout schedule to train your triceps and chest together.
- Monday – Chest and Triceps
- Tuesday – Back and Biceps
- Wednesday – Legs and Shoulder (Superset)
- Thursday – Chest and Triceps
- Friday – Back and Biceps
- Saturday – Superset Legs and Shoulder
- Sunday – OFF
Those who train chest and triceps twice a week can do medium to high rep sets on one day and heavyweight sets on the other day. The combination of heavy and moderate weight sets helps promote strength and hypertrophy.
However, if you train three days a week, split the above routine into two weeks and perform a combination of higher and fewer reps sets on the same day.
Examples of warm-up exercises to do before lifting heavy:
It is best to do 10-15 minutes of warm-up exercises to increase your heart rate and prepare your muscles for intense resistance exercises. Below are a couple of 10-minute warm-up sessions for chest and triceps workouts:
Warm-up 1
- 2-3 minute Upper Body Foam Rolling
- 3-5 minutes of Treadmill Jog
- 10-15 Banded Pull Aparts
- 8-10 Dive Bomber Pushups
- 15-20 Pec Deck Fly with minimal weight
- 15-20 Bench Presses (as a warm-up set)
Warm-up 2
- 3-5 minutes Treadmill
- 10-15 Inverted Row
- 8-10 Dive Bomber Pushups
- 10-15 Superman Pull
- 8-10 Dive Bomber Pushups
- 15-20 Bench Presses (as a warm-up set)
First and Fifth Week
Chest and Triceps Day 1 – Hypertrophy Sets (10-20 reps)
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Break |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incline DB Bench Press | 4 | 16, 14, 12, 10 | 2-min |
| Seated Peck Deck Fly | 4 | 16, 14, 12, 10 | 90-sec |
| Decline Cable Fly | 3 | 15, 12, 10 | 2-min |
| Parallel Bar Dips | 3 | Till Failure | 90-sec |
| EZ Bar Skull Crusher | 3 | 20, 16, 12 | 90-sec |
| One-arm Overhead Triceps Extension | 2 | 15/arm | 30-sec |
Triceps and Chest Day 2 – Heavyweight Sets (6-10 reps)
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Break |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat Barbell Bench Press | 4 | 10, 8, 6, 4 | 2-3 min |
| Incline Hammer Strength Chest Press | 4 | 10, 8, 6, 6 | 2-3 min |
| Dumbbell Pullover | 3 | 10, 8, 6 | 2-3 min |
| Rope/V-Bar Pushdown | 3 | 10, 8, 6 | 2-3 min |
| Weighted Bench Dips | 3 | 10, 8, 6 | 2-3 min |
Second and Sixth Week
Monday – High Rep Sets
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Break |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incline DB Bench Press | 4 | 16, 14, 12, 10 | 2-min |
| Seated Peck Deck Fly | 4 | 16, 14, 12, 10 | 90-sec |
| Cable Crossover | 3 | 15, 12, 10 | 2-min |
| Triangle Push-ups | 3 | Till Failure | 90-sec |
| Dumbbell French Press | 3 | 20, 16, 12 | 90-sec |
| One-arm Overhead Triceps Extension | 3 | 15/arm | 30-sec |
Thursday – Strength Focus Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Break |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat Barbell Bench Press | 4 | 10, 8, 6, 4 | 2-3 min |
| Incline Hammer Strength Chest Press | 4 | 10, 8, 6, 6 | 2-3 min |
| Dumbbell Pullover | 3 | 10, 8, 6 | 2-3 min |
| Rope/V-Bar Pushdown | 3 | 10, 8, 6 | 2-3 min |
| Weighted Bench Dips | 3 | 10, 8, 6 | 2-3 min |
Third and Seventh Week
Monday – Drop Set Focus
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Break |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incline Barbell Bench Press | 4 | 16, 14, 12, 10 | 2-min |
| Seated Peck Deck Fly (Drop Set) | 3 | 3 subsets till failure | 2-min |
| Cable Crossover (Drop Set) | 3 | 3 subsets till failure | 2-min |
| Dumbbell French Press | 3 | 20, 16, 12 | 90-sec |
| Rope Pushdown (Drop Set) | 2 | 3 subsets till failure | 2-min |
Instructions:
- Drop sets training involves performing multiple sub-sets within a set. It involves lifting heavy in the first subset and decreasing weight as you move to the second and third.
- In this routine, perform three rounds of three subsets. Each subset involves performing multiple reps till failure. It would be best to do ten reps in the first subset.
Thursday – Strength Focused
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Break |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat Barbell Bench Press | 4 | 10, 8, 6, 4 | 2-3 min |
| Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 4 | 10, 8, 6, 6 | 2-3 min |
| Weighted Bar Dips | 3 | Till Failure | 2-3 min |
| 1-arm Overhead Cable Extension | 3 | 15/arm | 2-3 min |
Fourth and Eighth Week
Monday – Triceps and Chest Superset Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Break |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seated Peck Deck Fly + Close Grip Bench Press | 3 | 10-15 | 1-min |
| High to Low Cable Fly + DB French Press | 3 | 10-15 | 1-min |
| Pullover + 1-arm OH Triceps Extension | 3 | 10-15 | 1-min |
| Low to High Cable Fly + Triceps Kickback | 3 | 10-15 | 1-min |
Note: Superset involves performing two exercises in a row with no rest between them.
Thursday – Weight Focused
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Break |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat Barbell Bench Press | 4 | 10, 8, 6, 6 | 2-3 min |
| Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 4 | 10, 8, 6, 6 | 2-3 min |
| Weighted Bar Dips | 3 | Till Failure | 2-3 min |
| Skull Crusher | 3 | 15/arm | 2-3 min |
Download The Chest and Tricep Workout Plan PDF
Related Workout Programs:
- 8 Week Arm and Shoulder Workout Routine
- 8 Week Chest and Back Workout Plan
- The Best Legs and Abs Workout
- Leg and Shoulder Workout Program
References
- 1Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2016;46(11):1689-1697. doi:10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8 – Sports Medicine (Auckland)
