Push Day — Workout Tracker

Chest · Shoulders · Triceps

Video credit: these exercise demos are not mine — shared with thanks to the creators who made them.

Cardio warm-up
Treadmill
10 min cardio warm-up — elevates heart rate and gets blood into the chest, shoulders, and triceps before any pressing
10 min
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%
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💫
Greco Swing — between exercises
Big slow arm circles — forward and backward — until the joints feel loose and lubricated. No count, no timer. Named after a local bodybuilder who swears by it. Do it between any two movements whenever needed.
⏱
Rest between sets — 20 seconds
Keep rest short and consistent at 20 seconds between sets. Enough to breathe, not enough to cool down.
📈
Rep range: 5–10 per set, 5 sets total
Stay in the 5–10 rep window on every set. Once you can complete all 5 sets at 10 reps, it's time to raise the weight and drop back down into the 5-rep range to build back up again. Your last set on every exercise should be a true system failure — the rep where your form gives out and you genuinely cannot complete another one.
Warm-up
Cable external rotation
Rotator cuff (infraspinatus, teres minor) — protects the shoulder joint for all pressing work
warm-up
▶ Video
  • Set the cable at elbow height. Keep your elbow pinned to your side at 90° the entire time.
  • Rotate your forearm outward — away from your body — slowly and under control.
  • This is not a strength exercise. Light weight, full range of motion only.
  • If your elbow drifts forward or back, the weight is too heavy. Reset.
  • Do both sides. Skipping this warm-up is how shoulder injuries happen.
Chest
Smith machine bench press
Pectoralis major (mid/lower), anterior deltoid, triceps — primary chest builder
5 × 10
▶ Video
  • Feet flat on the floor, slight arch in your lower back, shoulder blades pinched together and pressed into the bench.
  • Grip slightly wider than shoulder width. Wrists stacked directly over elbows at the bottom.
  • Lower the bar to your mid-chest — not your neck, not your belly. Mid-chest.
  • Drive the bar up and slightly back toward your face — that's the natural pressing arc.
  • The Smith machine handles the bar path for you — use that to focus entirely on chest contraction.
Chest press machine
Pectoralis major, anterior deltoid, triceps — safe high-volume finisher for the chest
5 × 10
▶ Video
  • Adjust the seat so the handles align with your mid-chest — not your shoulders, not your stomach.
  • Keep your back flat against the pad throughout. Don't let it peel off at the top.
  • Think about pushing your hands TOGETHER as you press — that squeezes the pecs harder.
  • Full extension at the top but don't let the weight stack rest between reps — keep tension on the chest.
  • Great exercise to go high volume after the Smith press — chest will be pre-fatigued, use it.
DB incline press
Upper pec (clavicular head), anterior deltoid — incline angle shifts emphasis to the upper chest
5 × 10
▶ Video
  • Set the bench to 30–45°. Higher than 45° starts hitting front delt more than chest.
  • Let the dumbbells travel down and slightly out — elbows at about 60–75° from your torso, not flared to 90°.
  • At the bottom, feel the upper chest stretch fully before pressing back up.
  • Dumbbells challenge your stabilizer muscles (serratus, rotator cuff) more than the Smith — that's the point.
  • If your wrists are bending backward, your grip is off. Keep wrists stacked over elbows.
Pec machine
Pectoralis major (inner & mid), serratus anterior — isolation flytype movement, peak contraction focus
5 × 10
▶ Video
  • Adjust the seat so your elbows are at shoulder height — not above, not below.
  • Keep a slight bend in the elbows and lock that angle. This is not an arm exercise.
  • Think about driving your elbows TOGETHER — imagine hugging a barrel in front of you.
  • Squeeze hard for 1–2 seconds at full contraction before releasing. That squeeze is everything on this machine.
  • Control the return — don't let the machine yank your elbows back. 2–3 seconds back.
Shoulders
Smith machine overhead press
Anterior & medial deltoid, upper trapezius, triceps — primary shoulder compound movement
5 × 10
▶ Video
  • Sit on a bench directly under the bar. Adjust the bar to chin height when seated — not too high, not too low.
  • Grip slightly wider than shoulder width. Wrists stacked over elbows — no bending back under the bar.
  • Press straight up to full extension. The Smith locks the bar path so you can focus on pushing through the middle of your palm.
  • Lower the bar to chin/upper chest level — no lower. You don't need to touch your traps.
  • Keep your core braced and your lower back neutral throughout. Don't let your ribs flare or arch hard.
DB Shoulder Press
Anterior & medial deltoid, triceps — 10 lb each hand; free weights challenge stability that the Smith can't
5 × 10
▶ Video
  • Sit upright on a bench with back support. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height, palms facing forward.
  • Press both dumbbells up and slightly together — they should nearly touch at the top but don't clank them together.
  • Full lockout at the top, then lower with control back to shoulder height. Don't let them drop.
  • Keep your core tight and ribs down — don't arch your lower back to get the weight up. If you are arching, the weight is too heavy.
  • This follows the Smith press — your delts are already warmed up. Focus on clean range of motion over weight.
DB lateral raise
Medial deltoid (side delt) — the exercise most responsible for shoulder width
5 × 10
▶ Video
  • Slight bend in the elbows — lock that angle. Stand tall or have a very slight forward lean.
  • Lead with your ELBOWS, not your hands. Your pinky should be slightly higher than your thumb at the top.
  • Raise to just above shoulder height — going higher brings the traps in and reduces delt activation.
  • Lower slowly — 3 seconds down. The eccentric on laterals is where growth happens.
  • No swinging or momentum. If you can't control it, drop the weight.
DB shrugs
Upper trapezius, levator scapulae — neck and upper back thickness, shoulder girdle stability
5 × 10
▶ Video
  • Stand tall, dumbbells at sides with a neutral grip — shoulders back, not rolled forward.
  • Shrug STRAIGHT UP — not forward, not in a rolling circle. Just straight up.
  • Hold 2 full seconds at the top. That pause is the whole point — don't skip it.
  • Lower slowly (2–3 seconds) for full trap stretch at the bottom.
  • No momentum. If you're bouncing the weight up, it's too heavy.
Triceps
Tricep rope pushdown
Lateral & medial tricep heads — the "horseshoe" shape, rope flare hits all three heads at lockout
5 × 10
▶ Video
  • Stand close to the cable. Elbows pinned to your sides — they don't move at all during the rep.
  • At the bottom, flare the rope ends OUT and DOWN — that final split is what activates all three tricep heads fully.
  • Squeeze hard at lockout for 1 second before allowing the return.
  • Control the weight back to 90° — don't let it fly up past your elbows.
  • Slight forward lean is fine; swinging your whole upper body is not.
Overhead DB extension
Long tricep head (the biggest head) — overhead position provides the deep stretch that other tricep moves can't reach
5 × 10
▶ Video
  • Sit on a bench with back support. Hold one dumbbell with both hands cupped under the top plate.
  • Start with the dumbbell directly overhead, elbows pointing straight up — not flaring outward.
  • Lower the dumbbell behind your head by bending only at the elbows. Upper arms stay still.
  • Feel the deep stretch in the long head at the bottom — that's the money position. Don't rush through it.
  • Press back up to full lockout. Fully extend at the top every single rep.
Tricep dips
All three tricep heads, anterior deltoid, lower pec — bodyweight compound finisher
5 × 10
▶ Video
  • Stay upright — torso as vertical as possible. Leaning forward shifts the work to your chest instead of triceps.
  • Elbows track backward, not flaring out to the sides.
  • Lower until your upper arms are parallel to the floor — no deeper needed for tricep focus.
  • Press through your palms to full lockout at the top. Squeeze the triceps hard at the top.
  • This is a finisher — you're already fatigued. If you can't keep form, stop the set there.
Cool down
Treadmill
5 min cool down — easy pace
5 min
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Notes
Session notes
Changes made, how you felt, things to remember
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Push Day — Workout Log

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