Chest General Fitness Workout - 60min Intermediate
This intermediate session focuses on building a powerful chest and defined triceps using a proven compound-to-isolation progression. You will start with heavy pressing to maximize motor unit recruitment before moving into focused isolation work to fully fatigue the muscle fibers. By utilizing Tonals constant tension you will achieve a level of muscle engagement that traditional dumbbells cannot match.
This workout is designed for intermediate lifters who want to improve their pushing strength and upper body aesthetics. It is particularly effective for those looking to break through bench press plateaus or athletes in sports requiring upper body explosiveness.
Equipment
Workout Plan
Rest 90-120s between heavy compound sets, 60-75s between accessories, and 45s for the final burnout sets.
Bench Press
Chest, Triceps, Abs
Drive your shoulder blades into the bench and explode against Tonals digital resistance.
Inline Chest Press
Chest, Triceps, Abs
Maintain a steady tempo to let the digital weight challenge your chest through the entire arc.
Single Arm Bench Press
Chest, Triceps, Obliques
Use your non-working hand to feel your core resisting the offset pull of the Tonal cable.
Bench Chest Fly
Chest, Shoulders
Stop the handles when they are level with your chest to keep tension on the muscles and not the joints.
Skull Crusher
Triceps
Focus on keeping the cables parallel as you lower the handles toward your head.
Why this order
We begin with the Bench Press to move the most weight while fresh followed by the Inline Chest Press to ensure balanced development across the upper pectoral. Single-arm work is introduced to correct imbalances and challenge stability concluding with high-rep isolation movements to maximize metabolic stress in the triceps.
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
How do I choose the right starting weight?
Tonal will suggest a starting weight based on your initial assessment. For the compound presses aim for a weight where you feel you could perform 1 or 2 more reps at the end of the set.
Should I use any of the Tonal dynamic weight modes?
For the Bench Press and Skull Crushers enabling Eccentric mode can help build strength by adding weight during the lowering phase of each rep.
How often should I do this workout?
For general fitness perform this session twice a week with at least 48 hours of rest between chest days to allow for optimal muscle recovery.