Chest Strength Workout - 60min Intermediate
Build serious upper body pressing power with this intermediate chest and triceps session. By combining heavy barbell compounds with high-volume isolation work, you will maximize mechanical tension and metabolic stress. This workout is designed to increase your horizontal bar strength while addressing unilateral imbalances using the handle system.
Ideal for intermediate lifters and athletes looking to improve their bench press max or build a more defined, powerful chest. It is particularly effective for those who have hit a plateau with traditional free weights.
Equipment
Workout Plan
Rest 120s between heavy barbell sets, 60-90s for handle accessories, and 45s for the final burnout movement.
Barbell Bench Press
Chest, Triceps, Abs
Lower the bar slowly to your mid-chest and use Tonal's Spotter Mode to safely push your limits.
Close Grip Barbell Bench Press
Triceps, Chest
Keep your elbows tucked close to your ribs to shift the load onto your triceps during the lockout.
Inline Chest Press
Chest, Triceps, Abs
Maintain constant tension on the cables by not letting the digital weight pull your shoulders out of position.
Bench Chest Fly
Chest, Shoulders
Open your arms wide but keep a slight bend in the elbows to feel a deep stretch in the pectorals.
Tall Kneeling Single Arm Chest Press
Chest, Triceps, Obliques
Engage your core to prevent the single-sided weight from rotating your torso during the press.
Standing Incline Press
Shoulders, Chest, Triceps
Press the handles upward at a 45-degree angle to target the upper clavicular head of the chest.
Skull Crusher
Triceps
Keep your upper arms vertical and fixed while using the handles to hinge only at the elbows.
Why this order
We start with the Barbell Bench Press to move the heaviest weight while fresh, followed by a close-grip variation to bridge the gap between chest and triceps. The middle section utilizes handles for greater range of motion and unilateral stability before finishing with high-rep isolation to drive blood flow and hypertrophy.
Want this personalized for you?
This is a template workout. Connect your Tonal and the AI coach adjusts weights to your strength scores, swaps exercises around injuries, and progresses you week over week.
Start Free with AI CoachFrequently Asked Questions
What weight should I use for the barbell movements?
Tonal will automatically suggest a weight based on your previous sets, but aim for a load where the last rep of each set is challenging while maintaining form.
How do I know if I should use Spotter Mode?
Always enable Spotter Mode for the Barbell Bench Press; it detects when you are struggling and reduces the weight so you can finish the rep safely.
Can I do this workout without a bench?
While a bench is recommended for the chest fly and press movements, you can perform many of these from the floor if necessary, though it will limit your range of motion.