Chest
July 28 - Chest
Updated Jul 28, 2026 04:59 PM
Goal / main win: build upper-chest size, then get strong clean flat-dumbbell volume without turning today into another core or arm session.
Main win: 3 incline sets + 3 flat-dumbbell sets + 3 controlled pec-fly sets.
Rules today
- No direct core today. You trained decline crunches and dead bugs yesterday; let your trunk recover.
- Leave 1–2 clean reps in reserve. No grinders or shoulder-dump reps.
- Rest about 2 minutes on presses and 60–90 seconds on flys.
- Chest comes first. Triceps are optional because you trained shoulders and arms on July 25.
- If the incline station is unavailable, use the plate-loaded incline machine and record whether the weight is total or per side.
Warm-up
- 3–5 minutes easy treadmill or bike.
- 10 slow arm circles each direction and 10 scapular push-ups.
- Do 1–2 light incline ramp sets before the working sets; do not log them.
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Assisted Barbell Incline Chest Press ✅ — START HERE / Upper-Chest Priority
How: chest high, shoulder blades back, elbows slightly tucked, and lower under control. Press without shrugging or letting the shoulders roll forward.
Target today: 3 working sets. Aim for 85 × 10, then 95 × 6–8, then use 85–95 × 8–10 based on how set 2 feels.
Progress goal: beat the previous 95 × 5 with at least 6 clean reps. If 95 feels unstable, repeat 85 cleanly instead of forcing it.
| Set | Prev Weight | Weight | Prev Reps | Reps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 85 | 85 | 10 | 10 |
| 2 | 95 | 95 | 5 | 10 |
| 3 | 85 | 95 | 10 | 5 |
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Flat Dumbbell Chest Press ✅ — Clean Volume After Incline
How: tuck shoulder blades, keep elbows around 45°, lower under control, and press smoothly without banging the dumbbells together.
Target today: start with 40 × 10. Then use 45s for 8–10 clean reps. Only touch the 50s if the 45s move extremely well; today is not another 50-pound rep test.
Progress goal: build repeatable volume at 45 after incline. Do not compare this with the fresh 50 × 3 from July 21.
Note: 40lbs weights were being used by someone else. Tried 45s but dropping the weight to 35 as it was difficult
| Set | Prev Weight | Weight | Prev Reps | Reps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 40 | 45 | 10 | 5 |
| 2 | 45 | 35 | 10 | 10 |
| 3 | 50 | 35 | 3 | 10 |
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Machine Pec Fly ✅ — Controlled Chest Squeeze
How: shoulders down, slight elbow bend, controlled stretch, then squeeze the chest for one second. Stop before the front delts take over.
Target today: 3 sets × 10–12. Use 100–105 for the first two sets. Try 110 × 10 only if the stretch and shoulder position stay clean.
Progress goal: earn 11–12 clean reps at 105 or re-establish 110 × 10 with better control.
Note: First set I did 6 reps of 100 and 4 reps of 85
| Set | Prev Weight | Weight | Prev Reps | Reps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 | 100 | 10 | 6 |
| 2 | 105 | 85 | 10 | 10 |
| 3 | 105 | 85 | 10 | 10 |
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Overhead Cable Triceps Extension — Optional
Why optional: your presses already train triceps, and Shoulders + Arms was only three days ago. Do this only if the main chest work is finished and your elbows feel good.
Setup: cable set to the bottom. Face away from the stack, rope behind your head, elbows high-ish and mostly fixed. Extend overhead without arching your lower back.
Target today: 2 sets × 10–15 at 45–50 with a controlled stretch. A third set is optional.
| Set | Prev Weight | Weight | Prev Reps | Reps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50 | 45 | 10 | 12 |
| 2 | 45 | 45 | 10 | 10 |
| 3 | 45 | 40 | 10 | 12 |
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No Core Today
You completed decline crunches and dead bugs yesterday. Skip direct core today; bracing during the presses is enough. Resume direct core after at least one recovery day.
If short on time
1. Assisted Incline Chest Press — 3 working sets 2. Flat Dumbbell Chest Press — 3 working sets 3. Machine Pec Fly — 2 controlled sets
Cut triceps first. Completing the three chest movements is a successful session.
Sources: July 21 - Chest + Core · July 06 - Chest · July 27 - Legs + Core