Workout 11: Chest & Triceps
Chest Exercises
1. Flat Bench Press
Caution: In order to protect yourself, it is best to have a spotter help you.
- Start by lying back on a flat bench. Use an overhand grip that is wider than your shoulder-width to lift the bar from the rack. Hold it directly above you with your arms fully extended.
- Inhale and begin lowering the bar toward your chest until your elbow creates a 90° angle.
- After a brief pause, push the bar back to the starting position as you exhale. Focus on using your chest muscles to push up the bar.
- Lock your arms and squeeze your chest in the contracted position at the top of the motion. Hold for a second and then slowly begin lowering the bar.
2. Decline Bench Press
Caution: In order to protect yourself, it is best to have a spotter help you.
- Start by securing your legs under the brace at the bottom of the decline bench and lie down.
- Using an overhand medium-width grip, lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over your chest with your arms full extended. Your arms should be perpendicular to the ground.
- As you inhale, lower the bar toward your chest until your elbows reach a 90° angle.
- Pause for a second, then use your chest muscles to push the bar back up to the starting position as you exhale. Lock your arms and squeeze your chest in at the contracted position. Hold for a second and then start to lower the bar down slowly.
3. Flat Bench Dumbbell Fly
- Pick up the dumbbells, one in each hand, with your palms facing inward. Sit down on a flat bench and rest the dumbbells on your thighs.
- Before lying down, lift the dumbbells in front of you at shoulder-width keeping your palms facing each other. To get into position, lie back and keep the dumbbells close to your chest.
- When you’re ready, press the dumbbells out and above you so that your arms are fully extended.
- Slightly retract your shoulder blades, unlock your elbows, and slowly lower the dumbbells laterally to create a wide arc while maintaining the angle at your elbow. You should feel stretch in your chest.
- Once the dumbbells reach your chest level, reverse the movement while trying not to let the dumbbells touch.
4. Cable Fly
- Find a cable tower and set both pulleys at shoulder-height.
- Grab the handles, and bring the two handles together by contracting the chest, as if you were hugging a tree. Keep your arms very slightly bent, without further bending your elbow as you bring your arms together. Your arms should not bend as you do the movement, but they should be very slightly bent throughout.
- Slowly reverse the movement back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Tricep Exercises
1. Skull Crusher
- Lie back on a flat or slightly inclined bench. Using an overhand grip, grasp the innermost grips on the EZ bar. Hold it with your elbows tucked in and your arms perpendicular to the ground.
- Keeping your upper arms stationary, lower the bar by unlocking your elbows to a flexed position. Pause once the bar is directly above your forehead.
- Reverse the bar back to the starting position by extending your elbows while flexing your tricep.
2. Dip
- Hold your body above the bars with your arms fully extended and nearly locked into the starting position.
- Inhale and slowly lower yourself downward. Your torso should remain upright and your elbows should stay close to your body to help to better work your triceps. Lower yourself until a 90° angle is created between your upper arms and forearms.
- Exhale and push your torso back up using your triceps (feeling a slight stretch in your shoulders) to bring your body back to the starting position.
3. Diamond Push-up
- Start by lying on the floor face down with your hands closer than shoulder-width apart. Hold your torso up at arm’s length.
- Lower yourself until your chest almost touches the floor.
- Using your triceps, press your upper body back up and squeeze your chest.
4. Tricep Rope Pulldown
- Secure a rope attachment to the high pulley at its highest position. Stand in front of the pulley, hinge at your hips, and grab the rope with your palms facing each other.
- Keep your elbows close to your torso, while using your triceps to pull the rope downwards toward the outside of your thighs. At the most contracted point of the motion, your arms should be fully extended and perpendicular to the ground. Your forearms should be the only part moving.
- After reaching the contracted position, slowly bring the rope up to the starting point.