Today's Target Muscles — Push Day (Chest + Triceps)
Upper Pec (Clavicular)
Primary — Incline Press
Mid/Lower Pec (Sternal)
Primary — Cable Fly
Triceps Lateral Head
Primary — Pushdown
Triceps Long Head
Primary — Overhead Ext.
Anterior Deltoid
Secondary — Press + Fly
Serratus + Core
Stabilisers — All sets
Warm-up
Standard warm-up completed before the session — light cardio plus a few bodyweight or band reps for shoulders before loading the bench.
✓ Done
Session Log · 25 June
1
Incline Dumbbell Press (30°)
4 sets · 10kg → 12kg → 12kg → 14kg · Near failure sets 2 & 3, true failure set 4
Primary:
Upper Pec (Clavicular)Anterior Deltoid
Secondary:
Triceps (lockout)Serratus AnteriorCore
Sets logged — Time-based method (40–60s window)
| Set | Weight | Reps | Time | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 kg | 15 | ~60s | Not failure — solid opener, comfortable rep range |
| 2 | 12 kg | 14 | ~60s | Near failure ✓ — right at the top of the time window |
| 3 | 12 kg | 13 | ~60s | Near failure again ✓ — confirms 12kg as the right working weight |
| 4 | 14 kg | 9.5 | ~55s | True failure ✓ — clean progressive jump, textbook finishing set |
Form Analysis
Bench Angle — 30°
I looked into the bench angle question directly, and 30° is exactly right — research comparing different incline angles found upper-pec activation peaks right around 30°, with everything above 45° starting to shift the load onto the front shoulder instead. No change needed here at all.
Bottom of the Rep — Don't Touch the Chest
My note from watching the video: stop the dumbbells just short of the chest rather than letting them rest there. Stopping early keeps the upper pec under continuous tension through the whole rep instead of handing the load off to the shoulder joint at the very bottom — small change, real difference in what muscle is actually doing the work.
Tempo — Slow on the Way Up
The press up should be controlled, not fast. A quick, momentum-driven press up gets the weight there but recruits less muscle than a slower, deliberate one — more time under tension on the way up is more stimulus for the same weight.
Wrist Alignment
One extra thing worth keeping an eye on, not flagged as an issue today: keep the wrists stacked directly above the elbows through the press rather than letting them bend back under load. Nothing in the video suggested this is happening, but it's a common low-grade issue on incline presses worth watching as the weight climbs.
Coach Manmeet: "This is correct — the only two things I want to see tightened are stopping a touch short at the bottom and slowing down the way up. Everything else about today's incline press, including the bench angle itself, is exactly right."
2
Cable Chest Flies (High-to-Low Arc)
4 sets · 7.5kg → 10kg → 10kg → 10kg/side · Deliberate pacing sets 1–2, failure (with partials) sets 3–4
Primary:
Mid/Lower Pec (Sternal)
Secondary:
Anterior DeltoidPectoralis MinorCore
Sets logged — Time-based method (40–60s window)
| Set | Weight | Reps | Time | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7.5kg/side | 15 | ~60s | Hard, not failure — solid opener |
| 2 | 10kg/side | 10 | ~50s | Hard, not failure — deliberate pacing for sets 3–4 as planned |
| 3 | 10kg/side | 8 full + 2 partial | ~55s | Failure ✓ — partial reps counted correctly |
| 4 | 10kg/side | 7 full + 3 partial | ~57s | Failure again ✓ — strong finish |
Form Analysis
Handle / Clamp Position
Confirmed correct — the way you're gripping and starting the movement is right.
Movement Path — Wide Arc, Not a Press
This is the one to fix. A chest fly should bring the hands together in a wide, rounded arc — not a forward press. Every technique source I checked says the same thing: keep a slight, constant bend in the elbows and let the hands travel in a circle in front of the chest, like you're hugging a barrel, rather than punching straight forward. Open the chest up and lead with a wider arc — that's the fix.
Elbow Bend
Keep that slight elbow bend constant through the whole rep — not locked straight, not heavily bent. This is what lets the pecs do the work instead of the triceps or shoulders taking over.
Peak Contraction — Add a Pause
One extra thing worth adding: a 1-second pause at the point where the hands come together, squeezing the chest before reversing. That pause is where a lot of the actual contraction happens — right now the reps likely flow straight through that point without holding it.
Coach Manmeet: "Clamp position is right, but you need to open your chest more and bring the movement through more of a rounded arc rather than pressing straight forward. Fix that arc shape and this exercise gets noticeably more effective for the same weight."
3
Tricep Pushdown
4 sets · 12.5kg → 15kg → 15kg → 17.5kg · Failure sets 3 & 4, near-failure set 2
Primary:
Triceps Lateral Head
Secondary:
Triceps Medial HeadForearm Flexors (grip)
Sets logged — Time-based method (40–60s window)
| Set | Weight | Reps | Time | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12.5kg | 17 | ~60s | Not failure — solid opener |
| 2 | 15kg | 14.5 | ~60s | Close to failure ✓ — right at the top of the window |
| 3 | 15kg | 12.5 | ~55s | Failure ✓ |
| 4 | 17.5kg | 9 full + 1 partial | ~50s | Total failure ✓ — excellent progressive jump and finish |
Form Analysis
Overall Execution
Confirmed correct — well executed throughout the whole exercise. Nothing here needs fixing.
Elbow Position
Worth confirming explicitly since it's the most common pushdown mistake: elbows should stay pinned to the sides and not drift forward as the weight goes up — that's exactly what's happening in the video, which is why this is the cleanest exercise on today's sheet.
Full Lockout
Full extension at the bottom of every rep, without hyperextending the elbow — also confirmed correct.
Coach Manmeet: "Tricep pushdown form is correct, you executed it very well — this is the one exercise today I have nothing to add to. Keep doing exactly this."
4
Overhead Tricep Extension
4 sets · 10kg → 12kg → 12kg → 12kg · Failure sets 3 & 4, near-failure set 2
Primary:
Triceps Long Head
Secondary:
Triceps Lateral/Medial HeadShoulder StabilisersCore
Sets logged — Time-based method (40–60s window)
| Set | Weight | Reps | Time | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10kg | 15 | ~60s | Not failure — solid opener |
| 2 | 12kg | ~10 | ~50s | Near failure ✓ (logged as "kinda failure" — close enough to count) |
| 3 | 12kg | 7 full + 1 partial | ~50s | Failure ✓ |
| 4 | 12kg | ~8 | ~50s | Failure again ✓ — same weight held since the failure point was already found |
Form Analysis
Elbow / Hand Position — Closer to the Head
This is the fix, and it's a well-documented one: every source I checked on this exercise says the same thing — elbows should stay close to the head and ears, pointed forward rather than flared out to the sides. Flared elbows turn part of the load over to the shoulder and reduce how much the triceps long head actually gets worked. Pulling the hands and elbows in tighter to the head is exactly the change to make.
Upper Arm Stationary
The upper arms should stay still — only the forearms move as the weight lowers and raises. Once the elbows are pulled in tighter per the note above, this should naturally follow.
Everything Else
Aside from the elbow position, the rest of this exercise is correct.
Coach Manmeet: "Hands should be closer to your head on this one — everything else is correct. Pull the elbows in tighter and this becomes a noticeably more isolated tricep movement."