intermediate55 min

Gym Push Day A

Chest-led push session. Flat press, incline work, shoulder finishing volume, and tricep isolation. Day 1 of the Gym PPL Program.

Muscle Groups

chestshoulderstriceps

Equipment

dumbbellsbenchbarbell bench optional

Overview

Chest
  1. 1
    Flat Bench Press
    4 × 6-8 repsbarbell optionalbench

    Use the barbell bench if it's free. If not, a heavy dumbbell press works just as well. Keep your shoulder blades pinched, feet driving into the floor.

  2. 2
    Incline Dumbbell Press
    3 × 10-12 repsbarbell optionalbench

    Set the bench to 30-45 degrees. Keep your elbows at about 60 degrees from your torso, not flared out wide.

  3. 3
    Dumbbell Fly
    3 × 12-15 repsdumbbellsbench

    Flat bench. Keep a soft bend in your elbows throughout. Lower slowly and stop when you feel a chest stretch. Don't force extra range.

Shoulders
  1. 4
    Dumbbell Shoulder Press
    3 × 10-12 repsdumbbells

    Seated or standing. Press straight up and lock out at the top. Don't let your lower back overarch.

  2. 5
    Lateral Raise
    4 × 15-20 repsdumbbells

    Go lighter than you think. Lead with your elbows, stop at shoulder height, lower over 3 seconds. These should burn.

Arms
  1. 6
    Dumbbell Skull Crusher
    3 × 12 repsdumbbellsbench

    Lie flat on the bench. Lower the dumbbells toward your temples with elbows pointing straight up. Press back to lockout.

  2. 7
    Tricep Dip
    3 × 10-12 repsbench

    Use a bench behind you or parallel bars if available. Keep elbows tracking straight back, not flaring out to the sides.

Round 1 / 1
0 / 23
Rest
1m 30s
Nowchest

Flat Bench Press

6-8 reps (set 1 of 4)

Use the barbell bench if it's free. If not, a heavy dumbbell press works just as well. Keep your shoulder blades pinched, feet driving into the floor.

1

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Gym Push Day A

Monday. The week starts here. This session is chest-led: your heaviest pressing comes first when your strength is freshest, and everything else builds on top.

The flat press is the anchor. Barbell bench or dumbbells, the goal is the same. Get tight, stay controlled, and don't rush the descent.

How to approach this

Flat press first. If the barbell bench is taken, grab the heaviest dumbbells you can press for 6 clean reps and get to work. Don't wait around.

The incline is not a chest day afterthought. Upper chest is the difference between a full chest and a flat one. Treat these sets with the same focus as the flat press.

Lateral raises are a finisher, not filler. Four sets of 15-20 with a controlled tempo will light your side delts up. Go lighter than your ego wants.

Skull crushers with dumbbells. Using two dumbbells independently lets each arm work through its own path. Keep the elbows pointing straight up and don't let them drift forward.

Rest times

90 seconds is the default between sets. Use the controls in the tracker to adjust. Heavy compound sets can go up to 2 minutes. Accessory work can drop to 60 seconds.

Tags

pushchestshoulderstricepsgymgym-ppl-program