Chest and tricep workout for big gains and fat burn

Looking for a chest and tricep workout that will not only build maximum strength, but also burn fat? You’re in the right place.

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Cardio has its place in the world of fat loss, but what if I told you that you could not only build muscle mass, but also achieve your fat loss goals to get rid of those love handles.  

This guide will cover all you need to know about enhancing your chest and tricep workout to build strength, size and loose that stubborn belly fat. 

Weight training vs. Cardio 

It’s important to remember that a cardio workout will burn more calories than a weight training workout. However, when lifting weights, your metabolism is higher for a longer period of time after you’ve finished your weight lifting vs a cardio workout. 

Another option to consider, to achieve your fat loss goals and build muscle size is super setting your workout. Super setting your workout will intensify your routine, work more muscle groups and increase muscle activation for greater results. Because you remove the rest in between sets, your heart rate increases and you apply more tension to the muscles. Leading to bigger muscles and increasing your metabolism, resulting in fat loss.

We will cover off superset routines further in this article. 

Why is the metabolism important for gaining muscle 

Boosting your metabolism during exercise will maximise your results. When weightlifting, you are building lean muscle mass and burning more calories after your workout while you rest. For greater results, consider super setting your workout to lift your heart rate, for maximum impact to tone muscles and reduce fat. 

How is your chest made up 

It’s important to know how your chest is made up so you know what muscles to work for a bigger chest. 

Your ‘Pecs’ or ‘chest muscles’ are formally called the pectoral muscles. They are made up of two large muscles that sit either side of your chest. 

Clavicular: This is referred to as the ‘upper chest’ This is the smaller part of the chest muscle. 

Sternal Head: This is referred to as the ‘lower chest’ which makes up a large proportion of the pectoral muscle. 

How to effectively work your chest muscle 

There are different types of angles you can include in your workout to ensure you hit the whole chest to grow in size faster.

Flat workout: Using a flat bench, complete with two dumbbells or a barbell. 

Decline workout: Angle the bench downwards, so your feet are higher than your head. This works your lower chest. 

Incline workout: Elevating your bench upwards 40-60 degrees, so you are leaning back slightly, using two dumbbells or a barbell. This works your upper chest. 

By including all three workouts in your routine, will work multiple muscle groups to burn more fat and muscle mass.  

Weight vs. Quality 

We’ve been told for years that the more weight you press, the bigger your muscles will grow. This isn’t always the case, it’s important to consider quality over quantity to increase size.

Ensuring your technique is spot on, before adding more weight is important, as if you lift weights that are too heavy, you will be straining your joints rather than your muscles. This could lead to injury and no muscle gains, meaning that it’s a total waste of your time and effort. 

Here is the muscles your body works when completing your chest workout. Its key to pay attention to how your body feels when completing this move, as it will tell you if your muscles are working or the weights are too heavy and your joints are overcompensating. For example, when completing a bench press: when the bar is near the chest, you are using your anterior delts, midway of the exercise you are using the side of your chest, and as you raise the bar further, you should feel the tension in your chest and triceps. 

What does a good week look like for chest and tricep workout ? 

You should complete your resistance training routine 2-4 times a week for maximum strength gains. 

Monday: Chest and Triceps workout 
Tuesday: Rest 
Wednesday: Back and Shoulders workout  
Thursday: Bicep, Legs & Glutes workout 
Friday:  rest 
Saturday: Super set workout  
Sunday: Rest (Or core) & Meal prep for the week 

Workout exercises for chest 

How to effectively work your tricep

Although training both biceps and triceps is key for bigger arms, in fact, the tricep accounts for 55% of the overall arm muscle. So, if you want bigger arms, you need to train your tricep. 

To enable you to train your tricep effectively, you need to know how it’s made up so you can work the different muscle groups for maximum muscle mass. The 3 muscle heads are;

Long Head: The long head of the triceps is the largest part of your triceps and runs down the back of your arm. You can work this muscle with the overhead dumbbell extension. 

Medial Head: The medial head of the triceps is found in the middle of the back portion of the upper arm. You can achieve this my competing the overhead tricep bar extension. 

Lateral Head: The lateral head of the triceps is found on the outer side. You can target this muscle using the tricep dumbbell kick back. 

Tricep exercises

Here are some more tricep exercises that you can add to your routine. 

Common mistakes with chest and tricep workouts

Not activating all parts of the chest or tricep

When you don’t activate all 3 muscles of the tricep, or the upper and lower chest, you risk not seeing any results. Focus on one exercise for each muscle to gain size. 

Bad form

Focus on quality over quantity, and concentrate on good technique to recruit more muscles.  Arching your back can be a sign that your weights are too heavy and you’re relying on your joints rather than muscles. This will not only cause injury, but it will waste your time. 

Not stretching

Not stretching, a lack of stretching or incorrectly stretching can lead to shortening the muscle and it becoming tight. This can result in slowing down the recovery process, or even injury. See here for how stretch your triceps effectively.

Lack or protein

A good quality protein powder will help promote muscle growth and maintain muscle mass.

Superset chest and tricep workout routine 

Super-setting means training one muscle, while the other is resting. By combining both isolated exercises below, you won’t only gain muscle mass, you will also achieve that overall ripped definition. 

To perform the superset, you need to perform 3 sets of 8-12 reps for each of the chest and triceps exercises below. Perform the tricep exercise immediately after the chest, with no rest. Then rest for 1-2 minutes, before performing the next set.

E.g perform 8-12 flat dumbell presses, followed immediately by 8-12 skull crushers, then rest 1-2 minutes. Repeat 2 more times before moving on to exercise 2.

 Exercise 1:

Chest: Flat dumbbell bench press

Tricep: Skull crushers

Exercise 2:

Chest: Incline dumbbell bench press

Triceps: Dumbbell kick backs

Exercise 3:

Chest: Cable or dumbbell flys 

Triceps: Medium grip push-ups 

Exercise moves for chest and tricep workout

In a rush and don’t have time for a full chest and tricep workout? Here’s 3 moves that will work both the chest and tricep in one go.

Perform 3 sets of 10 -15 reps for each exercise below, with 30-60 seconds rest. The minimal rest will increase time under tension and intensity to build muscle tone and gain size fast.

If you a looking for a killer back workout to perform at home or while away, without equipment, take a look here.