Should my triceps hurt after chest exercise?

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midnightsunx3
midnightsunx3 Posts: 11
edited November 2014 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm very new to this.
I'm a female
5'2
118 lbs
Yesterday I did these workouts:
Incline dumbbell press
close grip dumbbell press
Cable flyes

Immediately after my workout my triceps were sore, they still are. Could this be due to bad form? I looked at videos and copied it to the t.

Replies

  • h7463
    h7463 Posts: 626 Member
    edited November 2014
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    Hahaha....don't worry.....those exercises hit the spot, regardless of size, age, gender, especially the close grip dumbbell press... Give the triceps a day of rest and keep going!
    Check out this link for more info about exercises for specific muscle groups:

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/finder/lookup/filter/muscle/id/10/muscle/triceps
  • astrose00
    astrose00 Posts: 754 Member
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    Yes, it's natural for them to be sore since triceps are engaged during most chest exercises. I try to work biceps and chest together and triceps and back together. The reason for this is that if I work my triceps and then try to do chest (or vice versa) my muscles are so fatigued that I don't feel I do the exercises properly.

    Chest presses can be tricky. I try to flex my chest muscles as I perform them so that I know I am doing them properly. If the weights are too heavy, I find I might use my triceps and arms too much. That might be your issue. Try lowering the weight and do very slow and controlled movements and really concentrate on your pectoral muscles. Some people like to do triceps and chest on the same day so if that works for your then great. I break it up so I can make sure I am really good in terms of my form.
  • sazzyanne14
    sazzyanne14 Posts: 77 Member
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    The exercises used in chest workouts can be classified as 'push' workouts. When doing these the triceps are working in addition with your chest muscles as they are used in the push movements. So it isn't uncommon to get muscle soreness in your triceps also.

    Chest and Triceps are commonly joined together in the same workout.

    =)
  • midnightsunx3
    midnightsunx3 Posts: 11
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    Thank you for the replies! My chest isn't very sore. Is this also normal?
  • astrose00
    astrose00 Posts: 754 Member
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    FYI, my strength training workout: 5 days a week...

    Day 1: Legs (hamstrings, quads, lower back, calves)
    Day 2: Biceps and Chest
    Day 3: Shoulders and Abs
    Day 4: Triceps and Back
    Day 5: Legs (again)

    I have seen some folks do Chest on one day and Back on another since they are such large muscle groups. There are tons of sample workouts on the internet for you to try. I go to bodybuilding.com and they have tons of exercises and demonstrations.
  • h7463
    h7463 Posts: 626 Member
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    midnightsunx3 wrote: »
    Thank you for the replies! My chest isn't very sore. Is this also normal?
    It's not 'normal' when your intention is to work chest muscles, but it is not unusual for beginners. When you first start out, and this is my experience, you won't have the full range of motion in your lifts to really engage the specific muscles. You have to 'feel it out'. Later, when all bits and pieces (shoulders, arms...) are strong enough, and you can work heavier weights with perfect form, you will get sore! Take your time, watch your form, and lift safe!
  • cw106
    cw106 Posts: 952 Member
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    had exact same experience first time too.
    it gets progressively easier/ better.
  • astrose00
    astrose00 Posts: 754 Member
    edited November 2014
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    It took me a while to figure out how to hit the spot when it came to chest. The key for me was to think of my arms as just holding the bar or dumbbells. Think about the common bodybuilder pose you see when they are flexing their pectorals. I make sure I'm pushing my chest muscles up (or in, in the case of flys) as I push the weights up/in. For flys, try to keep your arms stiff and slightly bent throughout the movement. That will ensure you aren't turning it into a triceps exercise. I'd bet you were not keeping your arms stiff so your triceps did most of the work. And again, make sure the weight is not too heavy so you can really control the movement.
  • astrose00
    astrose00 Posts: 754 Member
    edited November 2014
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    The pec deck machine is a good one for isolating the chest muscles. Kinda hard to mess that up (as long as weights are not too heavy and you keep your back firmly against the back support). If there is one at your gym, give it a try and that will help you figure out what muscle groups you need to be concentrating on when you do free weight exercises.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    h7463 wrote: »
    midnightsunx3 wrote: »
    Thank you for the replies! My chest isn't very sore. Is this also normal?
    It's not 'normal' when your intention is to work chest muscles, but it is not unusual for beginners. When you first start out, and this is my experience, you won't have the full range of motion in your lifts to really engage the specific muscles. You have to 'feel it out'. Later, when all bits and pieces (shoulders, arms...) are strong enough, and you can work heavier weights with perfect form, you will get sore! Take your time, watch your form, and lift safe!

    meh- I'm never sore after I bench- but I'm a power lifter- I bench with my back.

    Full depth chest dips?

    that's a WHOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLEEEE other story of sore.

    Depends on the goals.

    And secondly- being sore isn't a good indication of a good workout or not. It's just an indication that you did something that you haven't done in a while or to that extreme. Does not mean good - or bad.
  • stevesilk
    stevesilk Posts: 204 Member
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    And it's also not unusual for your arms (read: Triceps) to fatigue before the larger muscle groups like pecs do. Being sore could be good or not so good. Give it a few days, find someone who knows about lifting and get some suggestions on form (Youtube can provide some fine examples), and keep at it!
  • JeffseekingV
    JeffseekingV Posts: 3,165 Member
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    Well the closed grip dumbbell press is actually isolating the triceps more than the chest.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
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    Your triceps are very heavily engaged in the bench press especially the close grip bench press; they are actually activated a little bit more than the pecs (EMG studies). If your goal is to get more pectoral activity take out the close-grip bench and just focus on the incline bench and flyes, possibly replace the CG bench with a decline bench. The triceps tend to takeover in a flat and CG bench press.

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