Are you looking for a chest and tricep workout for women?
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Resistance training is one of the most effective ways to build lean muscle, develop mental strength, transform and shape your body.
When it comes to strength training, most women typically focus on their legs and glutes, and often neglect their chest and triceps.
Although legs and glutes are important, so is your upper body muscles for many reasons.
There was a time that I felt exactly the same, I thought training upper body muscles was for people like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dwayne Johnson.
But this is simply not the case, women empowerment is here to stay. There is nothing better than feeling empowered as a women to get up at 5am for a weight training session at the gym, or letting off some stream in the gym after a stressful day at work.
The benefits are countless. I am here to explain how I shifted my mindset to become more focused, leaner, mentally tougher, healthier and improve my confidence just by adding weights to my weekly workout routine at home or in the gym.
The benefits of chest workout
If you’re male or female, we all have pec muscles directly beneath the breast tissue. Just like any other muscle, our chest muscle requires stimulation and training so it doesn’t become week. Although we tend to focus on the back and shoulders to improve posture, the chest has a big part to play too. Therefore; not training your chest can have its disadvantages.
The benefits of tricep workout
Not only training your triceps improves your stability in the shoulders, it also improves your flexibility, posture and prevents risk of injury.
But what if I also told you that training your triceps would also lead to improving your confidence? Ever felt anxious at the thought of having to wear sleeveless tops, dresses or bikinis on the beach? Or even avoiding purchasing certain clothing with fear that you don’t want your arms out. You’re totally not alone. But what if I told you that by simply training your triceps, would allow you to wear whatever you want and feel super confident?!
Let me help you to Lose the anxiety and say goodbye to those pesky bingo wings, by toning and shaping your triceps for the ultimate lean arm look.
Why train multiple muscle groups vs isolated weight lifting
Isolated weight training involved using a gym equipment or body weight to target one muscle for growth. The benefits of training multiple muscle groups (aka compound training) elevates your heart rate, burns more calories and if you don’t have much time, compound training also works more muscles at a once.
3 chest and tricep workout women – No equipment
You don’t have to lift massive weights, use equipment or even go into the gym. Here’s my workout plan that includes chest & tricep activation using body weight, and burns more calories by combining both muscle groups to promote fat burn.
Diamond push ups
The diamond push ups work your chest, tricep, bicep, shoulders and core
Get into pushup position on floor.
- Make a diamond shape with hands; thumbs and index fingers touching
- Slowly push up off the floor as you would a normal push-ups
- You can do this on your knees or toes
Wide pushups
The wide push-up works your outer chest, shoulders, abs and tricep and bicep.
- Position your belly on the floor
- Option 1: Extend your legs in order to make your body straight, bend your elbows and hands on the floor, and get onto your toes
- Option 2: Keep your hands shoulder-width apart and your knees directly below your hips.
- The move your hands under your chest, and a little wider than your shoulders, keeping your spine straight
- Lower your chest towards the floor by bending your arms, straight back, squeezing glutes, and brace your core
- Don’t go any lower than your elbow joint, once you reach that point, straighten your arms by pressing back into the palm of your hands until you are to your starting point.
8 reps x3 sets is a good place to start, working up to 10 reps, then 12.
Dips
Dips work your tricep, chest and shoulders
- Place your hands on an elevated surface, such as a chair or sofa. Your fingers should be forward and your elbows to the back of the room
- Bend your knees at a 90 degrees, keeping a slight bend in your elbows, and your glutes off the chair
- Keep your back close to the chair, and slowly bend your elbows to lower yourself.
- Find a 90 degree angle at your elbows, and press out of the palm of your hand, to lift body back up. You should feel all the tension in the back of your arms, keep your shoulders relaxed so you don’t create tension in your neck
X8 reps x 3 sets
3 chest and tricep workout women – with equipment
Cable cross overs
- Stand straight, feet hip width apart, and grab the handles, one in each hand.
- Take one step forward for balance, applying your weight in the foot in front.
- Keep the cables stretched and feel the weight pressure wanting to pull you back
- Keep your back straight, brace your core and tighten your flutes.
- Pull your hands in front of your body in-line with your chest.
- Squeeze your chest muscles while bringing the hands to near touching distance of each other.
- Finally, with control, slowly bring your arms back down to the starting position.
Dumbbell bench press
- Pick up two dumbbells, lay back on the bench or mat
- Bracing your core, and Keeping your lower back firm against the bench or mat. start with both dumbbells over your chest, with your arms extended with a slight bend to protect your joints
- Ensure your feet are pressing into the floor.
- Slowly lower the dumbbells down toward your chest
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together as you lower and feel the tension in your chest
- Once the weight is sitting at chest level, push the dumbbells back up and feel the tension in your tricep and chest.
Dumbbell chest flys
- Stand straight with your feet hip width apart, bracing your core and stabilising your shoulders
- Hold your dumbbell in both hands and lift the weight over your head
- Slowly lower the weight behind your back, then pull it back up
- Keeping your tricep close to your head for maximum tension. You will also feel the pull in your chest
Chest and tricep workout for women – Conclusion
The chest and tricep muscles are an important combination to incorporate in your workout routine. The chest muscle is one of the largest muscles in your body, and by combining a chest and tricep workout together, you will burn more calories, improve functional fitness, add definition and shape to your body faster.
Top tip: Be sure to follow these instructions on stretching before and after training your muscles. Stretching means you will speed up recovery times, improve flexibility and reduce chance of injury, leading to better results from your workouts.
Top tip: To speed up weight loss, consider drinking green tea. Green tea can help speed up your metabolism to boost weight loss fast.