Chest, Triceps

Triceps stretching

Proceed as in the picture.  Perform it only once for 10 seconds, per each side.  Lean forward while you stretch the triceps.  The feet and the rest of the body position is not really important. 

Shoulder stretching

The same as in routine 1. 

Pectorals stretching

The same as in routine 1. 

Chest / pectorals training

10th  Set of push-ups with open and normal hands position when in flat and plane body position 

Perform the first set with 8 to 10 reps, the 2nd with 6 to 8 and the last one with 4 to 6 reps.  It is practically the same as that one of the routine 1, with the variations of the described positions when you are in plane. 

Push-ups, traditional position, palms facing forward (it can be done with the fists, too)

Push-ups, Open position, supported on the fingertips 

11th  Chest and back.  Open pullover with combination of flies and chest press

The most difficult part of the video is to place yourself, help yourself always with the picture and the video; you must have the upper part of the back properly supported on the stool.  The body goes arched, the lower back goes straight, the heels supported on the ground with the legs slightly open approximately at the shoulder bones width and the knees put them bent.  

Try not to balance the trunk when performing the exercise.  Grab two dumbbells that you can comfortably hold, I actually can perform with 25 pounds (11.4 kg) dumbbells, but for illustrations purposes I have performed the exercise with 15 pounds (6.8 kg) ones.  Hold both dumbbells together, this time Do open your elbows as much as you still have a strong and comfortable grip to perform the exercise, try not to lose that angle, then, without arching the body lower your arms slowly until a little behind your head and then go up in a strict manner, without balancing nor using any other part of your body that are not your arms, this is also good for avoiding injuries.  This exercise is for the back and the chest. 

The flies.  Immediately you finish the reps for this exercise, place the dumbbells is a way that your hand palms can be facing each other, lower your arms with an angle of approximately 135 degrees and until the straight line of the arm is a little lower than being in parallel with the floor, then raise your arms in a way that gradually the dumbbells can touch each other at the highest part while you are with the arms fully extended.  In fact you will go just until almost touching the dumbbells with each other, this are the flies.  

The chest press.  Immediately you finish the reps of this exercise, perform the chest press, this one you will do it putting the dumbbells in a way that the hand palms will be facing to the front, slightly close a little bit more your elbows when going down and also lower  your arms slightly a little bit less than in comparison with the former exercise.  It is about, as well, of pretending to gather both the dumbbells once in the highest position while your arms are fully extended.  When you go down you got to try to open the elbows, as you were showing your armpits and that the dumbbells are at the middle chest level, just as for the previous exercise.  There is always the need to be strict to perform this exercise, mostly for the position in which you are at that moment. 

Once you finish performing this exercise you bring both dumbbells into your stomach, you support them on it at the same time that you lower your buttocks to the ground and then you place the dumbbells simultaneously on the ground as well. For re-starting you slightly place the dumbbells over your stomach while your buttocks are still on the ground and gradually you raise the dumbbells towards your chest while you are on your way to support your back on the stool. 

Perform 5 sets of 6 to 12 reps.  You can skip the last set of flies and chest press.  Rest from 30 to 90 seconds in between sets, the less is the best, always as that goes according to your capacities. 

Correct way to support your back on the step.

Follow this link to watch the video:  

Chest and back. Open pullover with combination of flies and chest press

12th  Gymnast dips in olimpic paralels

This exercise is optional, Do it if you have access to dips.  In this case, do not perform any of the push-ups exercises that are done on flat or plane body position, only the inclined ones. 

Start from high with both your legs facing to the front, together, with the fingertips pointing forward while you expel the air through your mouth, then go down almost until the arm is in square to the forearm, you got to try to make a balancing movement, like a pendulum, to help you going up again, this exercise is a little more cardiovascular than the other ones and it goes also in favor to your explosive strength which is very good for the muscular mass development, this even involves the abdomen.  Perform just 3 sets of 4 to 12 reps, according to your resistance, with resting periods of 30 to 45 seconds in between each of the sets.  

   

Make note than when almost getting to the highest point of the exercise you must decrease your speed to slowly finish squeezing the triceps so this be well involved in the exercise and to avoid injuries.  Hold for a second while you raise again your legs and repeat, it is needed to already have some strength, if don’t, it is going to be a little complicated being able to perform the exercise, but at least one or two reps you should do per set in order to gradually grab the necessary strength, this exercise is important for the chest development.  

The link for this exercise is this:

Gymnast dips in olimpic paralels

Triceps / arm training

13th  Triceps, hard dips in bench or similar

It is almost the same exercise than “Triceps dips” of routine 1.  The thing that changes is the legs position, which you must have elevated and laying over a surface of similar height to the bench on which you have your hands supported. 

The legs must be supported on the heels only and with the knees slightly bent, if you extend them thoroughly you run the risk of getting yourself hurt, mostly when you’re going down.  Try always to keep the arms and trunk position as in the routine 1. 

 

Perform 5 sets of 6 to 15 reps each, according to your endurance.  Rest from 30 to 45 seconds in between sets. 

Triceps, hard dips in bench or similar.  Starting position.   

Triceps, hard dips in bench or similar.  Final position

14th  Triceps, dumbbell behind the neck, stood up or sat down

If it is sat down, you have to sit down well straight with all of your back supported on the back of the chair and that this do not over pass the upper part of your back so it won’t hinder the exercise locomotion.   The hand that you are not using you can put it on your waist to help balance and level your body, you hold the dumbbell behind the neck with the nails pointing towards the head, and the elbow goes closed all along the exercise.  Go down until the arm is square to the forearm and go up until the arm is semi-hyper-extended and hold the position from 1 to 2 seconds. 

If it is stood up, the back always goes straight, Split your feet at the width of your shoulder bones, you can do it with a foot slightly ahead the other one for the balance, the feet that is behind must be the one of the same side as the hand you are using.  Be careful of not trembling your body since this version is a little more compromising than its sat down version.  Perform 5 sets of 8 to 12 reps per side and do not rest in between sets since an arm is working out while the another one is resting.   

Triceps, dumbbell by behind the neck, stood up or sat down.  Starting position.  

Triceps, dumbbell by behind the neck, stood up or sat down.  Final position. 

15th Traversed in parallels (Optional) 

This exercise is optional, depending on the access to Olimpic parallels that you have, sometimes they are found in certain parks.  If this is the case, perform 3 round trips if you are able to resist the whole journey, if not, your safety is first, you can let go when you feel like it.  

This exercise is intended for the triceps but it can also involve somewhat the trapezium if you shrink a little bit your shoulders when displacing.

  

Climb up the parallels anyway you can, at some point you will have to simulate the lifting that you perform when making dips (aforementioned), if not, use a stool or something similar.  Once in the initial position, but with the triceps in tension, displace yourself moving one hand at the time. 

If you are capable of coming back as well, what you have to do is to lean all your body and weight into one only side of the parallels and then return to the position in which you have one hand on each side, just that this time as if you were ready to move into the opposite direction, you must perform it with little bumps and precision, you must descend a little bit when you had finally performed the change of hands, a little bit as when you perform the dips exercise and you go back to having the arms semi-hyper-extended with the same technique. When you throw all your body and weight to one side only, lean a little forward when you have both hands on the same side, to favor a little bit the balance and inertia in the position swapping.   

Do not perform too long steps to avoid losing the balance and to not compromising the safety of the exercise.

 

As always, if you are not capable of performing safely this exercise, it would be better to skip it. 

When you let go, do it carefully so you won’t hurt your armpits nor your mouth when descending.  Perform the exercise at your own speed.  Rest in between 30 and 60 seconds in between sets, always, as on the rest of the exercises, the less you rest is better as long as you are always capable of performing the next set properly.  

Here is the link of the video of this exercise, so you can improve the effects of the illustration: 

Traversed in parallels

16th  French press triceps in handrails or parallels

This exercise is optional, perform it if you have access to any of both.  If this is the case perform 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps.

  

Somebody of 1.80m (5’11’’) height is placed at approximately one meter (3 feet) of distance and at the parallels level, the highest should be the person’s chest level when standing up.  

Hold the bar, with prone grip (explained in the routine 1), close your elbows and when you go down the hands must be at the upper part of your head level.  The starting position is with your arms full extended, go a couple of steps backwards so you can get a good lever, not so behind that you’re no longer on a comfortable position neither so ahead that the bar would be at your chest level when going down.  You must have both your feet together and on tiptoes, lower slowly until the arm is in square or the hands are just at a little bit at the beginning of the head, for the front.  Slowly go back up again to avoid injuries in the elbows, your elbows must be always closed to also get a better concentration and effectiveness of the exercise.  Once you’re up you must hold the position for one or two seconds to maximize your triceps contraction.  Rest from 30 to 45 seconds in between sets. 

Starting position

Final position