Chest Athletic Workout - 45min Advanced
This advanced athletic session focuses on high-threshold motor unit recruitment by combining heavy barbell compounds with high-velocity unilateral movements. You will build raw pressing power and shoulder stability through a hierarchy of chest-dominant exercises and specialized triceps finishers. It is designed to bridge the gap between pure strength and explosive athletic performance.
This session is for experienced lifters and athletes who want to improve their horizontal pressing power and core-to-extremity force transfer. It is ideal for football players, MMA athletes, or anyone targeting advanced chest and triceps development.
Equipment
Workout Plan
Rest 90-120s between heavy compound barbell sets, 60s for handle accessories, and 45s for triceps isolation finishers.
Barbell Bench Press
Chest, Triceps, Abs
Enable Spotter mode and concentrate on explosive concentric speed off the chest.
Close Grip Barbell Bench Press
Triceps, Chest
Tuck your elbows to your ribs to shift the load onto the triceps using Tonal's digital weight.
Inline Chest Press
Chest, Triceps, Abs
Use the handle cables to guide a path toward your upper chest and pause at the top.
Single Arm Bench Press
Chest, Triceps, Obliques
Brace your core to prevent the single cable from rotating your body off the bench.
Triceps Extension
Triceps
Pull the rope ends apart at the bottom to maximize the peak contraction in your triceps.
Overhead Triceps Extension
Triceps
Keep your upper arms locked beside your ears as you extend the rope toward the ceiling.
Why this order
The workout begins with heavy barbell compounds to maximize mechanical tension while your CNS is fresh. We then move into handle-based unilateral and isolation work to address stability and hypertrophy before finishing with high-rep rope work to flush the muscles with blood. Exercises are grouped by accessory to minimize setup time and maintain a high heart rate.
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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 dynamic weight modes should I use for the barbell press?
For the lead Barbell Bench Press, use 'Chains' mode to increase the resistance as you reach full extension, which mimics athletic power requirements.
How do I handle the stability challenge of the Single Arm Bench Press?
Keep your feet planted firmly on the floor and engage your glutes; Tonal's digital weight provides a constant pull that will challenge your anti-rotation capabilities.
Should I change the weight for the finisher sets?
Tonal will likely suggest a weight based on your previous sets, but aim for a weight that allows you to reach technical failure by the 15th rep on triceps extensions.
Can I perform this workout more than once a week?
Given the high CNS load of the barbell work, it is recommended to allow at least 72 hours of recovery before repeating this specific chest-heavy session.