Chest and Tricep Dumbbell Workout Routines

Strength training should be an integral part of our everyday lives, even if we are not able to hit the gym regularly.

Not only is it good for maintaining current fitness levels, but also for improving the quality of life and health of an individual during old age [1].

Many people believe that it’s not possible to get effective strength and muscular gains while working out at home, especially for muscle groups like the chest and triceps that require more activation.

But that’s really not the case. According to research, people working out in their home gyms during the COVID-19 pandemic actually managed to maintain or improve their exercise levels [2].

So, what’s stopping you, the lack of equipment and exercise machines?

Thankfully, we have the perfect solution for that – dumbbells, the most easily accessible form of free weights.

You can get the most effective chest and tricep workout with dumbbells in the same session by following our well-structured routine.

Chest and Tricep Dumbbell Workout Routine

Chest and Tricep Workout with Dumbbells

Pairing your chest and tricep into a single training split can prove to be very effective. That’s because both these muscle groups are involved in the pushing movement.

So, when you are performing exercises that target the chest, the triceps act as accessory muscles to assist with the movement. The overlapping nature of the workout, therefore, ensures that you are experiencing maximum gains while improving your muscular endurance.

With an effective chest and tricep dumbbell workout plan, you can build strength and muscle mass without having to use any other gym equipment.

Our fool-proof routine starts with 3 sets of traditional push-ups. The exercise is good for activating the chest as well as core muscles. 

We then move on to dumbbell bench presses, which is a great exercise for targeting the chest as well as tricep muscles.

Another variation of the exercise that we have included is the inclined bench press. This places more emphasis on the upper pecs with greater involvement of the shoulder muscles, giving more well-rounded muscle development.

Lastly, we have included chest flies in the routine as it is an isolation exercise that targets the outer as well as most of the major muscles of the chest region.

From there, we move on to the tricep exercises. If you’re wondering if the placement of chest exercises before tricep exercises is intentional, it is.

According to research, exercises performed during the beginning of the workout session lead to greater strength gains compared to exercises performed toward the end of the training routine [3].

That’s why triceps isolation exercises, like dumbbell extensions and kickbacks, are placed at the end of the workout plan. Chest muscles are bigger and require more activation to get bigger and stronger. As such, it’s always best to work them out before moving on to the smaller muscle groups.

Here is the complete routine for you:

Chest and Tricep Workout with Dumbbells

  • Push-ups: 3 sets x 10-15 reps
  • Incline dumbbell bench press: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
  • Dumbbell bench press: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
  • Dumbbell chest flys: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
  • Lying dumbbell triceps extension: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
  • Single-arm dumbbell tricep extension: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
  • Dumbbell triceps kickback: 3 sets x 10-12 reps

Chest and Tricep Dumbbell Superset Workout Routine

For the most optimal results, including supersets in your workout routine, can be pretty effective. While it may be more challenging than a traditional training session, the results will be very impressive.

In supersets, you move from one exercise to another without taking any breaks in between. This increases the overall training intensity that you will be experiencing.

Apart from that, your workout will also become very time-efficient. While that may not look like an advantage, it really is.

According to research, shorter exercise sessions with the same level of intensity can lead to significant muscle, cardiac, and other health gains[4]. Another study gained conclusive evidence that including supersets while training upper-body muscles can improve the efficiency of workouts by a decent margin [5].

In this workout routine, we’ll be working with two similar muscle groups. So, the exercise intensity will be greater and your muscles will get exhausted sooner. So, it’s important to adjust the weights according to what feels right.

Chest and Tricep Dumbbell Superset Workout Routine

  • Parallel bar dips: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Dumbbell bench press: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Close grip dumbbell bench press: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Incline dumbbell bench press supersetted with lying dumbbell extension: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Floor press supersetted with dumbbell extension: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Dumbbell chest flys supersetted with dumbbell kickbacks: 3 sets of 10-15 reps

Don’t miss:

Chest and Back Dumbbell Workout Routines
Chest and Back Workout Routines
Chest and Tricep Workout Routines
Chest and Shoulder Workout Routines

Final Words

In this article, we walked you through a holistic workout plan that included the most effective chest and tricep exercises with dumbbells.

The plan that we have developed is great for increasing your strength as well as muscle mass. At the same time, the exercises are simple and convenient and can easily be performed at home without requiring the supervision of a trainer.

Following this dumbbell-based workout plan is a great way to build your chest and tricep muscles.

References

  1. https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/how-can-strength-training-build-healthier-bodies-we-age
  2. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.570567/full
  3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22292516/
  4. https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/abstract/2022/10000/metabolic_profile_of_reciprocal_supersets_in.6.aspx
  5. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/24/4897