A simple at home Chest and Triceps Workout filled with 9 exercises using bodyweight or dummbells that will 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 Ab Workout or my At Home Toned Arm Workout.
Exercises to Work Your Chest and Triceps
Like any 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 it doesn’t have to be crazy heavy weights. Consistency is key.
Why Pair These Two Muscle Groups?
Your chest and tricep are two separate muscle groups that do not impede or fight against each other. So, it’s actually a great option to pair these two muscle groups together. Most of the exercises for these two muscle groups are both push exercises, making it another great pairing.
How Does Strengthing these Areas Improve Health?
There are a couple of main muscle groups in your body and your pectoralis is definitely one of them. Your pecs do so many things. They help to stabilize the shoulder joint which leads to better breathing in addition to improving posture. Strengthening and lengthening your chest muscles through exercises like the chest press, chest butterflys or pushups helps to support deeper breathing and therefore overall health. It’s amazing what effect exercises can have on our body, it’s not just about “building muscle.” It’s about overall strength, health and wellness.
9 Exercises to Tone Your Chest & Triceps
When it comes to a chest and tricep workout these are the exercises that I have found to be most beneficial. I’d recommend 10-12 reps in each set and performing 3 sets of each exercise.
Hip Bridge with Chest Press – Lying on your back with feet flat on the ground, knees bent and holding weights by your chest. Squeeze your glutes as you push your pelvis toward the ceiling, coming into a bridge. Keep your ribs aligned with your pelvis. Holding the bridge, press the weights to the ceiling directly above your shoulders, then lower back down with control. Repeat. Perform 15 reps.
Hand Release Pushup – Starting in a plank position, with the shoulders over your wrists and core engaged. Slowly lower chest down all the way to the ground, keep your elbows at a 45° angle. Once you reach the bottom, lift your hands off the ground and hover them for 1-2 seconds. Place your hands back in pushup position, engage your core and push yourself back up to high plank position. Repeat. Perform 10-12 reps.
Plank Bear Shoulder Taps – Start in a high plank position with shoulders over wrists. Slowly walk your feet in until your knees are directly under your hip bones. While in this position, lift your right hand off the ground and tap your left shoulder. Place back on the ground. Now, lift your left hand off the ground and tap your right shoulder. Repeat this process, keeping your core engaged the entire time. Perform 15 reps on each side.
Closed Grip Chess Press – Start by lying on your back (either on a bench or the floor) and keep the weights close to your chest. Once you are in position, take a deep breath, push the dumbbell heads together so they are touching. In one fluid movement, press the dumbbells up from the chest to directly above your head until your elbows are locked at the top. Continue to push the dumbbells together while lowering back down them under control. Once the dumbbells touch your chest, push them back to the starting position. Repeat. Perform 15 reps.
Dumbbell Floor Press – Start by lying on your back with knees bent at 45 degrees and feet flat on the ground. Weights will start at our chest. Press the weights straight up 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 15 reps.
Chest Fly – Lay your back flat on the bench or floor with dumbbells above 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, then lower the weights down to the sides in unison, moving only at the shoulders. Lower dumbells down until you feel a stretch on your chest and raise the weights back up to the starting position. Repeat. Perform 10 reps.
Tricep Dips: For this exercise, you’ll need to sit on the edge of a bench or chair, grip the edge next to your hips with your hands. Your thumbs should be next to your hips points out and your fingers should be pointed at your feet. Extend your legs so your feet are about hip-width apart, with the heels touching the ground. Looking straight ahead with your chin up. Slide forward just far enough that your glutes clear the edge of the bench or chair. Lower yourself down towards the ground until your elbows are bent between 45 and 90 degrees. Control the movement throughout the range of motion. Push yourself back up slowly until your arms are almost straight. Repeat. Perform 10 reps.
Side Lying Tricep Pushup – Lie down on one side stacking your shoulders, hips, and feet. Bring top hand to the mat directly in front of your bottom shoulder. The bottom hand will be wrapped around your waist below your chest. Now, with the top arm doing all the work, press yourself up with that arm and then lower to the mat back to starting position. Repeat. Repeat on the other side. Perform 10 reps per side.
Tricep Pushups – Get into a plank position with your hands directly below shoulders, your neck and spine neutral, and your feet together. Lower yourself to the ground like a regular pushup, but keep your elbows pinned to your sides and your upper arms straight back. Lower down until your chest reaches the floor and return to start. Repeat. (modification – perform exercise on knees) Perform 10 reps
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This is not a recipe!
True, but it is a recipe for fitness. 🙂