Push A — chest emphasis
7 exercises, ~70 minutes. Heavy pressing, stretch-loaded chest.
2 min read
Accumulation block, week 1. Add one set per muscle per week to week 5.
| # | Exercise | Sets × reps | RIR | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Incline barbell press (30°) | 4 × 5–7 | 2, 2, 1, 1 | 3 min |
| 2 | Flat dumbbell press (deep) | 3 × 8–10 | 2, 1, 0 | 2.5 min |
| 3 | Cable fly (low-to-high) | 3 × 12–15 | 1, 1, 0 | 90 s |
| 4 | Seated dumbbell shoulder press | 3 × 8–10 | 2, 1, 0 | 2.5 min |
| 5 | Cable lateral raise (behind body) | 4 × 12–15 | 1, 1, 1, 0 | 75 s |
| 6 | Overhead cable triceps extension | 3 × 10–12 | 1, 1, 0 | 90 s |
| 7 | Triceps pushdown | 2 × 12–15 | 1, 0 | 75 s |
Notes
Incline barbell first, heaviest, freshest. Stops at 1 RIR rather than 0 — a loaded bar over your face is not where to find failure. Use safeties or a spotter regardless.
Flat dumbbells go deep and can reach 0 RIR. Dumbbells drop safely; the bottom stretch is the reason they are here rather than a second barbell movement.
Low-to-high cable fly. The fly loads the stretched position harder than any press can, because the resistance stays perpendicular to the arm through the whole arc. Low-to-high biases the clavicular fibres.
Four sets of laterals. Medial delts recover fast, tolerate high frequency, and are the single most under-trained muscle relative to their visual return. They get 8 direct sets a week here across two Push days.
Overhead extension before pushdown. The long head crosses the shoulder and is only stretched overhead — train it fresh, then finish the lateral and medial heads with pushdowns.
Progression across the accumulation block
| Week | Chest sets | Delt sets | Triceps sets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 7 | 5 |
| 2 | 11 | 8 | 6 |
| 3 | 12 | 9 | 6 |
| 4 | 13 | 10 | 7 |
| 5 | 14 | 11 | 7 |
Add the set to the exercise where you feel the least accumulated fatigue — usually an isolation, not the first compound.
Up next
Pull A — width emphasis
7 exercises, ~70 minutes. Vertical pulling and lat stretch.
2 min