An easy at home chest and triceps workout filled with 9 bodyweight or dumbbell exercises to help tone and strengthen your arms and chest.
If you’re looking for more at-home workouts, be sure to check out my 8-minute abs workout or my at-home workout for toned arms.
Exercises to work your chest and triceps
Like every other woman out there, I’m always looking for ways to “get those guns,” aka arm definition. I firmly believe that weightlifting is one of those ways. But the good news is, they don’t have to be crazy heavyweights. Consistency is key.
Why couple these two muscle groups?
Your chest and triceps are two separate muscle groups that don’t interfere or fight each other. So pairing these two muscle groups together is actually a great option. Most exercises for these two muscle groups are both push exercises, making them another great pairing.
How does strengthening these areas improve health?
There are a few major muscle groups in your body and your pecs are definitely one of them. Your pecs do so many things. They help to stabilize the shoulder joint, which in addition to improved posture also leads to better breathing. Strengthening and lengthening the chest muscles through exercises such as chest presses, chest butterflies, or push-ups will help support deeper breathing and therefore overall health. It’s amazing the effect exercise can have on our body, it’s not just about “building muscle”. It is about general strength, health and well-being.
9 exercises to tone your chest and triceps
When it comes to a chest and tricep workout, these are the exercises I have found the most beneficial. I would recommend 10-12 reps in each set and 3 sets of each exercise.
Hip bridge with chest press – Lie on your back, feet flat on the floor, knees bent, and hold weights to your chest. Squeeze your glutes as you push your pelvis toward the ceiling and come into a bridge. Keep your ribs aligned with your pelvis. Hold the bridge, press the weights to the ceiling directly above your shoulders, and then lower back down in a controlled manner. Repeat. Perform 10-12 reps.
Push-up with hand release – Start in a plank position, with your shoulders over your wrists and your core. Slowly lower your chest to the floor, keeping your elbows at a 45° angle. Once you reach the ground, lift your hands off the ground and let them hover for 1-2 seconds. Bring your hands back into the push-up position, tighten your core, and push yourself back into the high plank position. Repeat. Perform 10-12 reps.
Plank Bear backslapper – Start in a high plank position with shoulders over wrists. Slowly step your feet in until your knees are directly under your hip bones. In this position, lift your right hand off the ground and tap your left shoulder. Lay back on the floor. Now lift your left hand off the floor and tap your right shoulder. Repeat this process, keeping your core busy all the time. Perform 15 repetitions on each side.
Closed grip chess press – Start by lying on your back (either on a bench or on the floor) and hold the weights close to your chest. Once in position, take a deep breath and squeeze the dumbbell heads together so they’re touching. In one fluid motion, push the dumbbells up from your chest directly over your head until your elbows are closed at the top. Keep squeezing the dumbbells while lowering them back down in a controlled manner. Once the dumbbells touch your chest, push them back to the starting position. Repeat. Perform 10-12 repetitions.
Dumbbell Floor Press – Start by lying on your back with your knees bent 45 degrees and your feet flat on the floor. The weights start at our chest. Press the weights straight to full extension by contracting your triceps and chest. Slowly lower the weight until both elbows touch the floor, then press both dumbbells back to the starting position. Repeat. Perform 10-12 repetitions.
pectoral fly – Lay your back flat on the bench or floor with dumbbells across your chest in a neutral grip. Drive your shoulder blades back into the bench to set your shoulders. Keep your feet on the ground. Bend your elbows slightly, and then simultaneously lower the weights to your sides, moving only your shoulders. Lower the dumbbells until you feel a stretch on your chest, then raise the weights back to the starting position. Repeat. Perform 10-12 repetitions.
Tricep Dips: For this exercise you need to sit on the edge of a bench or chair and grab the edge next to your hips with your hands. Your thumbs should be next to your hips and your fingers should be pointing towards your feet. Extend your legs so your feet are about hip-width apart and your heels are touching the floor. Look straight ahead with chin up. Push forward just enough for your glutes to clear the edge of the bench or chair. Lower yourself toward the floor until your elbows are bent between 45 and 90 degrees. Control movement throughout the range of motion. Slowly push yourself back up until your arms are almost straight. Repeat. Perform 10-12 repetitions.
Side lying tricep pushup – Lie on one side and stack your shoulders, hips and feet. Bring your top hand to the mat directly in front of your bottom shoulder. The bottom hand wraps around your waist below your chest. Now, while the upper arm is doing all the work, use that arm to push yourself up, then lower yourself back onto the mat to the starting position. Repeat. Repeat on the other side. Perform 10-12 repetitions per side.
Triceps push-ups – Get into a plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders, your neck and spine are neutral, and your feet together. Lower yourself to the floor like a regular push-up, but keep your elbows at your sides and your upper arms straight back. Lower yourself until your chest reaches the floor and return to the start. Repeat. (Modification – perform exercise on knees) Perform 10-12 repetitions
DON’T MISS ANY RECIPE ->
Facebook | Twitter | PINTEREST | GOOGLE+ | BLOGLOVIN