Chest and Bicep Workout Routines (with PDF)

Developing a comprehensive workout plan is important if you want to get some serious gains. Hitting the gym without having a proper idea of which muscle group to train on a particular day is not advisable.

That is not the right way to go.

Many studies show that you should ideally train each muscle group twice a week for maximum hypertrophy ^[1]. That means you should look to train two muscle groups on the same day.

With that in mind, many people are coming up with effective training splits to pair compatible muscle groups together. And one of the most effective splits is to complete the chest and bicep workout during the same session.

A comprehensive chest-bicep workout can help you build strength and mass in your upper body. That is important for improving your performance at the gym while also enhancing your physique.

To help you out, we have developed some bicep-chest workout plans that you can follow according to your own requirements.

Chest and Bicep Workout Routines

Good chest and bicep workouts will look different for beginners, intermediate, and advanced lifters. You cannot expect a newbie at the gym to lift the same amount of weight as someone who’s been training for years.

That is why we have come up with an individual workout routine to help gym-goers with varying levels of experience.

Without further ado, let’s dive into what you need to do to get the most out of your chest and bicep day.

Chest and Bicep Workout Routine for Beginners

We will start with the simplest routine. If you don’t have a lot of experience with lifting weights or training, this one is for you.

The idea is to include straightforward exercises with simple movements to reduce the risk of injuries while helping you develop proper form and technique. At the same time, the exercises used are also good for mass gains and hypertrophy.

We start with the most effective exercise, bench pressing. According to research, starting your workouts with multi-joint exercises (like barbell bench presses) can produce superior strength gains ^[2].

It is immediately followed by the inclined variation of the same exercise, which primarily recruits muscles in the upper part of the chest, leading to more well-rounded muscle growth ^[3]. 

Other exercises include machine chest presses and flys to give you some extra volume. After that, you can move on to the dumbbell exercises.

These are pretty straightforward as well, including simple movements like hammer curls, preacher machine curls, and concentration curls.

While the volume (sets and repetitions) of each exercise is mentioned in our routine, you should adjust the weight according to your capabilities. According to research, the best way to build strength and muscle mass is to choose weights that are heavy enough so that you should struggle to complete the last reps of the set ^[4]. This is called training to failure.

• Barbell bench press: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Incline barbell bench press: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Machine chest press: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Pec deck fly: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Barbell curl : 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Hammer curl: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Preacher machine curl: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Concentration curl: 3 sets of 10-15 reps

Machine-Only Chest and Biceps Workout

If you are looking for a complete bicep-chest workout that only requires the use of gym machines, we have the perfect solution for you.

There are many advantages of using strength machines while working out. The biggest of them is safety. Machines do not require the manual coordination and balance that free weights do. As such, there is little to no risk of picking up injuries due to improper form and technique.

Moreover, machine-based workouts can be great for those who want to improve their techniques while also building strength. Since strength machines enhance the protective participation of isolated muscle groups, they are also comparatively better for injury rehabilitation compared to free-weight training ^[5].

Machines are excellent at isolating specific muscle groups to build targeted strength. They also provide controlled movement to complete the range of motion safely.

• Chest press machine: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Incline Smith machine chest press: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Cable chest press: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Pec deck fly: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Cable rope hammer curls: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Standing one-arm cable curl: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• High-cable biceps curl: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Preacher machine curl: 3 sets of 10-15 reps

Chest and Bicep Workout Routine for Intermediate Lifters

This workout routine is better suited to meet the needs of intermediate lifters. If you have started getting the hang of your training schedule and want to progress beyond a certain level, our intermediate bicep and chest workout routine might be beneficial for you.

This workout plan uses some straightforward exercises along with some more complicated variations. For example, apart from the flat and inclined presses, we have also included decline bench presses to recruit more muscle fibers in the lower part of the chest.

We have also added two normal sets of cable crossover along with one AMRAP (as many reps as possible) set to increase training volume and intensity. For the bicep workout, more complicated and difficult movements have been added.

Cable rope hammer curls and spider ez bar curls are excellent for getting those extra gains. Moreover, the inclusion of drop sets and AMRAP sets will also help you in your bodybuilding journey.

For effective muscle growth, increasing training volume and intensity over time is key ^[6]. And that is exactly the principle that we have based our intermediate workout plan on:

• Incline dumbbell bench press: 4 sets of 8 reps
• Barbell bench press: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Decline bench press: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Cable crossover: 2 sets of 10-15 reps + 1 AMRAP set
• Ez bar curl: 4 sets of 8 reps
• Preacher curl: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Cable rope hammer curls: 2 sets of 10-15 reps + 1 drop set
• Spider ez bar curl: 2 sets of 10-15 reps + 1 AMRAP set

Chest and Bicep Workout Routine for Advanced Lifters

The advanced routine increases both – training volume as well as intensity for greater strength and muscle gains. In this routine, there is equal focus on both the chest and bicep muscle groups for a more well-rounded workout experience.

The training volume is fixed according to our schedule. But you can adjust the intensity of the workout by changing weights.

Ideally, an advanced lifter should look to lift around 67-85% of his 1-Rep Maximum for maximum muscle hypertrophy ^[7]. The sets have been increased to get to the required count for each week (12-20 sets for each muscle group) for efficient muscle development ^[8].

Apart from this, advanced lifters should also focus on their techniques. For example, studies indicate that your eccentric tempo while training should be between 2-4 seconds for the best results ^[9]. Research has shown that controlled movements while working out can increase the time under tension, which in turn is highly effective for achieving hypertrophy ^[10].

• Barbell bench press: 5 sets of 5 reps
• Incline dumbbell bench press: 4 sets of 10-15 reps
• Decline bench press: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Incline dumbbell fly: 3 AMRAP sets
• Barbell curl: 5 sets of 8 reps
• Cross body hammer curl: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Negative dumbbell preacher curl: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Incline dumbbell curl: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Ez bar 28 method curls: 1 set

Chest and Bicep Superset Workout Routine

With supersets, you can enjoy more time-efficient workouts while maximizing hypertrophy. By super-setting between exercises, targeting different muscle groups (like combining chest presses with barbell curls), you are essentially allowing one muscle group to rest while the other is being worked, reducing the overall downtime between consecutive sets.

This is not only good for improving the intensity of the workout but also enhances the metabolic stress on the muscles, leading to improved muscle adaptation and growth.

To help you take advantage of this, we have developed the perfect chest-bicep superset routine for you:

• Barbell bench press supersetted with barbell curl: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Dumbbell bench press supersetted with hammer curls: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Incline dumbbell bench press supersetted with Incline dumbbell curl: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• High to low cable press supersetted with cable curl: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Cable crossover supersetted with high-cable biceps curl: 3 sets of 10-15 reps

Don’t miss:

Back and Shoulder Workout Routines
Back and Bicep Workout Routines
Chest and Back Workout Routines

Is It Good To Train Chest and Bicep Together?

Yes, training the chest and biceps together can prove to be very effective for strength and muscle gains. They form one of the most effective antagonist training splits to increase the efficiency of the workout.

Many experienced gym-goers and professional lifters train their chest and bicep muscles together to yield maximum results.

Why Do We Train Chest and Bicep Together?

Training your chest and biceps together can be very effective because of the antagonistic nature of these muscle groups. While the chest is primarily a ‘pushing’ muscle, the bicep is associated mainly with ‘pulling’ movements.

Working out your biceps after training your chest will not feel too difficult or exhaustive because of these differences. That is why combining chest and bicep muscles to form an opposing push-pull antagonist split can be highly effective.

Moreover, the chest is a larger muscle group while the biceps are relatively small (even smaller than the triceps). So, you can easily start with the chest exercises that are more demanding while keeping the bicep exercises reserved for later, ensuring well-rounded muscle development.

Should I Train the Chest or Bicep First?

You should always train your chest first because it is the larger and the more demanding muscle group out of the two. Bicep exercises feel relatively simpler and require less effort from your end.

If you start by training your bicep muscles first, you will not have the strength or energy left to dedicate enough time to developing your chest muscles. This can lead to an imbalance in muscular development.

Chest and Bicep Workout PDF

We have devised multiple chest and bicep workout plans to cater to the diverse requirements of different fitness enthusiasts.

You can download each of them from here.

The file is available in PDF format and can easily be downloaded or printed.

Don’t miss:

Chest and Tricep Workout Routines
Chest and Shoulder Workout Routines
Two Body Parts a Day Workout Routine

Final Words

The chest and bicep are two of the most important upper-body muscle groups for building strength and physique.

Combining their workouts together in the same session can be very advantageous and efficient. To help you with that, we’ve come up with the best training routines for maximum yields.

References

1. Damas, F., Phillips, S. M., Vechin, F. C., & Ugrinowitsch, C. (2015). A review of Resistance Training-Induced Changes in Skeletal muscle protein synthesis and their contribution to hypertrophy. Sports Medicine, 45(6), 801–807. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0320-0
2. Nunes, J. P., Grgic, J., Cunha, P. M., Ribeiro, A. S., Schoenfeld, B. J., De Salles, B. F., & Cyrino, E. S. (2020). What influence does resistance exercise order have on muscular strength gains and muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Sport Science, 21(2), 149–157. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2020.1733672
3. Chaves, S. F. N. (2020). Effects of horizontal and incline bench press on neuromuscular adaptations in untrained young men. PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7449336/
4. De Lacio, M. L., Vieira, J. G., Trybulski, R., De Almeida Costa Campos, Y., Santana, D., Filho, J. E., Novaes, J., Vianna, J. M., & Wilk, M. (2021). Effects of Resistance Training Performed with Different Loads in Untrained and Trained Male Adult Individuals on Maximal Strength and Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(21), 11237. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111237
5. Hoeger, W. W., Hoeger, S. A., Fawson, A. L., Hoeger, C. I. (2016). Principles and Labs for Fitness and Wellness. United States: Cengage Learning. https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/5vO5DQAAQBAJ
6. Schoenfeld, B. J., Contreras, B., Krieger, J., Grgic, J., Delcastillo, K., Belliard, R., & Alto, A. (2019). Resistance training volume enhances muscle hypertrophy but not strength in trained men. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 51(1), 94–103. https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0000000000001764
7. Fisher, J., Steele, J., Androulakis-Korakakis, P., Smith, D., Gentil, P., & Giessing, J. (2020). The strength-endurance continuum revisited:a critical commentary of the recommendation ofdifferent loading ranges for different muscular adaptations. Journal of Trainology, 9(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.17338/trainology.9.1_1
8. Baz-Valle, E., Balsalobre-Fernández, C., Alix-Fages, C., & Santos-Concejero, J. (2022). A systematic review of the effects of different resistance training volumes on muscle hypertrophy. Journal of Human Kinetics, 81, 199–210. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2022-0017
9. De Azevedo, P. H. S. M., De Oliveira, M. G., & Schoenfeld, B. J. (2022). Effect of different eccentric tempos on hypertrophy and strength of the lower limbs. Biology of Sport, 39(2), 443–449. https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2022.105335
10. Schoenfeld, B. J., Ogborn, D. I., Vigotsky, A. D., Franchi, M. V., & Krieger, J. W. (2017). Hypertrophic effects of concentric vs. eccentric muscle actions: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 31(9), 2599-2608. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000001983