The chest and triceps are two muscles that frequently work together in many exercises such as bench presses and pushups. Whenever training these muscles together, it is necessary to consider which exercises you plan to include in your routine and which muscle needs the most work. Because the chest is the larger muscle, it will usually be trained first in your workout. However, if your triceps are lagging behind, then training them first might be a more effective option.
Compound Exercises
Compound exercises are movements involving multiple joints and muscle groups. The bench press is the most common exercise that targets both the chest and the triceps. If your goal is to improve your maximum bench press, then it should always be performed first in your routine when you are fresh. Training your triceps prior to bench press can result in a decrease in the amount of weight you are able to press.
Priority Principle
Prioritize your workouts by training your weaker muscle first when you are fresh. Training triceps first in your workout routine is acceptable, as long as your chest is not the weaker muscle area. If your triceps are strong and well developed, and your chest lags behind, train your chest first in your routine and triceps second. The Priority Principle allows you to focus your energy to the muscle group that needs the most work, notes Arnold Schwarzenegger, author of "The Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding."
Chest/Triceps Workout
Begin your workout with a compound exercise such as barbell bench press or dumbbell bench press. Complete at least one warmup set of 10 to 12 repetitions, and three to four working sets in which muscle fatigue is reached between six and 10 repetitions. Perform three sets of eight to 12 repetitions for the incline bench press, cable cross-over, overhead triceps extension with a dumbbell, dumbbell kickbacks and triceps press down with rope attachment.
Triceps/Chest Workout
Complete three to four sets of close-grip bench press for six to 10 repetitions. Perform close-grip bench press by placing your hand shoulder-width apart or slightly less and keep elbows tucked into your sides. Follow close-grip bench press with three sets of eight to 12 repetitions of the following exercises: EZ curl overhead triceps extension, triceps dips, dumbbell chest press, incline dumbbell fly and close-grip pushups. Because your triceps are fatigued, you may notice a decrease in repetitions or weight lifted for your chest exercises.
Alternating Chest/Triceps
Alternating between chest and triceps exercises can help keep the two muscles balanced. Begin with four sets of six to 10 repetitions of bench press and close-grip bench press. Perform three sets of eight to 12 repetitions of incline dumbbell press, overhead triceps extension with a weight plate, flat dumbbell flys and reverse triceps press downs. Every four to eight weeks change the exercise order -- or the exercises used in your workouts -- to continue achieving strength gains, suggests ExRx.net.
References
- ExRx.net; Restimulating Progress By Changing Exercises
- "Encyclopedia Of Modern Bodybuilding"; Arnold Schwarzenegger;1985
- "Strength Training Anatomy"; Frederic Delavier; 2001
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