Can You Train Your Triceps The Day Before Chest Day? Find Out Here
There are a lot of questions that come up when you think about your workout plan and what exercises to do on each day, but few have such an immediate impact as the one we’ll be discussing today.
Can you train your triceps the day before chest day? It’s a question many fitness enthusiasts ask regularly, and the answer is a bit complicated.
In this blog post, we’ll delve into this debate by looking at the risks associated with performing these two workouts consecutively, how your body reacts to them differently based on factors like intensity level or exercise duration, and all of the related considerations that come along with deciding whether or not these two exercises should occupy back-to-back days in your weekly routine.
Can you train your triceps the day before chest day?
The short answer is…yes, you can. However, it’s not recommended because of the potential for muscle fatigue and increased risk of injury. When your triceps muscles are already tired from a previous day’s workout, they won’t be able to properly perform during chest exercises. This could lead to improper form, reduced weight levels, or even injury. When performing chest exercises, it’s best to allow 48 hours of recovery between the two workouts. This allows for the muscles to rest and rebuild themselves so that they can be ready for the next workout. If you choose to exercise your triceps on a day before chest day, make sure you decrease the intensity or weight used during the workout to reduce the chances of fatigue during chest day. If your current plan has you working your triceps before your chest, then it would be wise to change it up, so that your triceps exercises are done after chest day. Overall, it’s important to consider the long term effects of any workout program and ensure that you’re making smart decisions for your body. Can you train your triceps the day before chest day? Yes, but doing so will seriously compromise your gains and increase the chances of injury.
You can but…
Theres nothing to gain from training your triceps the day before a chest workout – you’re far more likely to experience fatigue and risk injury.
Due to the size of the triceps muscle, and the role they play in the majority of chest exercises, its not advised that you work them out so close to working your chest.
The triceps are small in comparison to other muscle groups and they need time to recover, just like any other muscle, so it’s best to allow 48 hours or even more between working them out.
Some people might be absolutely fine training their triceps the day before chest but the chance of injury is just too great.
It’s important to keep in mind that even if you can do it, it doesn’t mean it should be done. And so, if you want to make sure you maximize your gains and minimize your risk of injury, then let your triceps have an extra day to recover, before you work them again.
Allow 48 hours recovery
If you insist on training your triceps before you do a chest workout, then make sure you decrease the intensity or weight used during the workout.
This is the only way you’ll be able to reduce the chances of fatigue and injury during chest day.
At a minimum, allow 48 hours of recovery between your triceps workouts and your chest workouts. This will give your muscles time to rest and rebuild themselves so they can perform optimally the next time around.
Failure to do so may result in decreased performance and potential injury. If you’re aiming to lead a healthy lifestyle, then one of the most vital things that you must do is comprehend how your body reacts to various physical activities and create an exercise plan accordingly.
To ensure you are able to adequately recover, it is important to remember that your time frame may extend beyond the standard 48 hours; therefore, factor this into account when organizing your weekly schedule.
Fatigue
The biggest reason why you should not train your triceps the day before chest day is because it greatly increases the risk of fatigue.
When your triceps are overworked, they will be too tired to properly perform during your chest exercises. This can lead to improper form, reduced weight levels and potentially even an injury.
If they are fatigued when doing chest exercises, your arms wont be able to reach their full range of motion and you will be straining your muscles more than necessary, leading to a decrease in performance.
When weights are not properly stabilized, you can be putting yourself at risk of injury due to unnecessary strain on your joints.
Burning out your triceps muscles is not ideal as they are an essential part of a chest workout and also the majority of push exercises, so taking proper care of them is very important.
By allowing for 48 hours or more of recovery between the two workouts, you can ensure that your triceps muscles are well rested and ready to work hard during chest day.
Change program order
If your current workout plan is structured in such a way that it has you working your triceps before your chest, then it would be wise to change it up, so that your triceps exercises are done after chest day.
Doing this will help you maximize the amount of time your triceps have to recover and will allow them to work more optimally during chest day.
By taking this approach, you can reduce your risk of fatigue and injury, while still getting great results from your workouts.
You should be looking to change your fitness routine regularly to ensure your muscles don’t become accustomed to the same movements.
If you dont rotate your exercise plan, then you can be limiting the progress that you make and ultimately missing out on the results that could be achieved.
Plus your workouts will get boring very quickly if you are doing the same thing over and over again.
Related: Why do I only feel bicep curls in one arm?
Push exercises
The other way to make sure you get the most out of your triceps is to make sure that all other push exercises are done after chest day too.
It is important to give your triceps adequate rest between workouts, but it is also important to ensure that the other muscles involved in pushing motions receive proper recovery time too.
This means that if you are doing shoulder presses, lateral raises or anything else involving pushing movements, then make sure you do them after chest day.
By doing this, you can ensure that your triceps and other muscles involved in pushing motions are well rested before they have to work hard again.
This will reduce the risk of fatigue and injury while still giving you great results from your workouts.
Simply picking random exercises and throwing them into your routine without paying attention to the order in which you do them can be counter-productive and potentially even dangerous.
Im not saying you are picking exercises at random, but if you do find yourself in that situation, then its important to think about the order in which you are doing them.
Train triceps after chest
The best way to get the most out of your chest routine and tricep muscles is to ensure that you train your triceps seperately after chest day.
This will give them ample time to rest and recover before being worked hard again, ensuring that they are well rested for the next workout.
By doing this, you can reduce your risk of fatigue and injury while still getting great results from your workouts.
After your chest day, it is highly advantageous to do a lower body routine the following day. This will give you triceps that are fully recovered and ready to be used 48 hours after their prior workout!
Maybe even try using lighter weights or higher reps to really focus on tricep muscle endurance so you have the foundation for your chest day.
Plus, if you train your triceps after your chest, you will be able to give them a better dedicated workout, as they are only used as a secondary muscle during chest day.
So you will be able to have a more effective workout for them, leading to better results and improved overall performance.
Compromise gains
If you insist on working your triceps the day before your chest day, you are seriously compromising the gains that could be achieved.
The triceps will already be tired going into the chest exercises, which will lead to a lower weight level and improper form.
Some people suggest that working triceps the day before chest exercises can help “work them into” chest movements.
While this may provide a slight advantage, it is not recommended due to the risk of injury and muscle fatigue.
I personally think that the best approach is to work your triceps after your chest day and allow 48 hours of rest between the two workouts.
This ensures that your triceps will be well rested and ready to go when it comes time for chest day.
If you have been working out your triceps the day before your chest, why not try switching things up and see the difference it makes? You may be pleasantly surprised.
Increase chances of injury
One of the main reasons its not recommended to work your triceps the day before chest is because it can increase your chances of injury.
If you don’t allow your triceps to fully recover from their previous workout, they won’t be able to carry out the exercises for chest day correctly.
This could lead to improper form, reduced weight levels, or even injury in the most severe situations.
The best way to reduce the risk of injury and maximize your gains is to allow 48 hours of rest between your tricep workouts and chest day.
This will ensure that all muscles involved in pushing movements have time to fully recover before being worked hard again.
Related: Why do I feel bicep curls in my glutes?
Final thoughts…
To sum it up, can you train your triceps the day before chest day? The short answer is… yes, you can. However, it’s not recommended due to the potential for muscle fatigue and increased risk of injury.
When your triceps muscles are already tired from a previous day’s workout, they won’t be able to properly perform during chest exercises.
The best way to get the most out of your chest routine and tricep muscles is to ensure that you train your triceps seperately after chest day, allowing for 48 hours of recovery between two workouts.
This will give them ample time to rest and recover before being worked hard again, ensuring that they are well rested for the next workout.
Have you ever trained your triceps the day before you do your chest workout? Let me know in the comments below!
