Many would deem chest day as their favorite training day and one they, in fact, look forward to weekly. A chest day training session for most is typically a workout that one certainly wouldn’t want to miss.
It’s also a training day that one wouldn’t usually want to rush through as they’re chasing a bigger bench press or working their way up the dumbbell rack with each set of presses, requiring ample rest time.
But let’s say you’re in a hurry, have hit a plateau, or simply want to up the intensity – this 30-minute workout is perfect for you.
We are not looking to move around weight even close to your one rep max in this workout, rather we’re aiming to get a quick warm-up and six exercises in, utilizing barbells, dumbbells, cables, and bodyweight exercises, as well as supersets and drop sets throughout.
Remember, a superset simply means performing two exercises back to back with no rest in between the performance of the two exercises, rather rest for the prescribed amount of time at the end of the superset.
A drop set means performing a set using less weight right after your initial set of an exercise for as many reps as possible. Multiple drop sets involve repeating this technique, continuing to lower the weight and performing repetitions to failure.
The volume of repetitions and limited rest periods make this workout intense, give you a great pump, and will leave you feeling sore in the days to come! Mentally prepare yourself and give this workout a go whenever your next International Chest Day (also referred to as Monday by some), rolls around.
Begin with a quick warm-up
Perform 2-3 sets of 15-20 reps of the above exercises, banded pull apart and dumbbell external rotations. The goal here is to prep the necessary structures and muscles so that you can perform this chest workout safely and effectively.
Now, on to your workout
1a. Wide stance pushups – 3 sets of 15-20 reps
1b. Close stance pushups – 3 sets to failure
Rest: 30-45 seconds between sets
After completing your warm-up, start this chest workout off with a challenging bodyweight superset. Perform 15-20 wide stance pushups and then immediately perform as many close stance pushups as you can.
2. Flat Barbell Bench Press – 4 sets of 8-10 reps performing 1 dropset/set
Rest: 60-90s between sets
Do not let your ego get the best of you here. Do your best to stick to your prescribed rest periods and adjust weights as needed. You have no set rep goal or a set amount to strip the weight when completing your drop set, but ideally, you’re dropping the weight roughly 20 lbs.
3a. Incline Dumbbell Press – 3 sets of 8-10 reps
3b. High Cable Flyes – 3 sets of 10-12 reps
3c. Flat Bench Hex/Squeeze Press – 3 sets of 12-15 reps
Rest 60-90 seconds between sets
Finish your 30-minute chest workout off with this killer tri set consisting of an upper chest, lower chest, and inner chest focused exercise. The hex/squeeze press is a great finisher, teaching you to really squeeze and activate the pectoral muscles while keeping them under constant tension throughout the movement. Perform these 3 exercises back to back to back before resting. Try stretching your pecs in between rounds to continue to perform efficiently under fatigue.
