Guradesh Mann’s Chest, Shoulder & Triceps Workout

Guradesh Mann, physiotherapist and fitness consultant, shares how he builds his chest, shoulders and triceps using a smart combination of warm-up drills and heavy compound movements. His focus: joint safety, full range of motion, and quality over ego lifting.

Warm-Up: Preparing the Joints & Muscles

Before starting his push session, Guradesh performs two key warm-up drills:

1. External Rotation with Band

Hold a resistance band from the middle with both hands, arms extended in front at shoulder-width. Keep your elbows fixed and pull the band outward by rotating from the shoulder. Only the elbow joint moves — the rest of the body stays stable. Perform controlled reps to activate the rotator cuff and shoulder stabilizers.

2. Serratus Punches with Dumbbells

Lie face-up on a bench holding a dumbbell in each hand, arms extended straight above your chest. Without bending the elbows, push the dumbbells up by protracting the shoulders, then let the shoulders sink back down. This activates the serratus anterior and prepares the shoulder girdle for pressing. Aim for at least 12 controlled reps.

Once warm-up is complete, Guradesh moves to his main push session with 6 primary exercises for chest, shoulders and triceps.

Main Workout: Chest, Shoulders & Triceps

Incline Chest Press – 3 Sets × 8 Reps

The incline bench is a classic for building the upper chest. Position the barbell so you can comfortably unrack it with arms extended. Lie on the incline bench with your upper chest aligned with the bar. Using a pronated grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width, unrack the bar and hold it above your chest with locked arms — this is your starting position.

Inhale as you slowly lower the bar to your upper chest. Pause briefly, then exhale as you press the bar back up using your chest muscles. Control the tempo: it should take you about twice as long to lower the weight as it does to press it up. Repeat for 3 sets of 8 reps.

Guradesh times his rest intervals between 60–90 seconds and keeps himself hydrated, sipping on water with around 30 g of glucose mixed in during workouts.

Cable Crossover – 3 Sets × 12 Reps

This exercise deeply targets the chest with constant cable tension. Stand between the pulleys with one leg slightly forward for stability. Grab the handles, arms extended out to the sides with a slight elbow bend. Pull the cables inward in a wide arc until your hands meet in front of your body.

Squeeze the chest at the midline, then return slowly to the starting position. Maintain control throughout and avoid swinging or using momentum.

Shoulder Press on Smith Machine – 1 Warm-Up Set + 3 Sets × 8 Reps

Start with 1 warm-up set of 15 reps. Sit on a bench under the Smith machine with your torso upright. Grip the bar with hands just outside shoulder-width. Unrack the bar and lower it to just below your chin or upper chest.

Press the bar upward using shoulder strength until your arms are extended, then lower under control. Focus on avoiding excessive back arching and keep your core tight throughout.

Side Lateral Raise (Sitting) – 1 Warm-Up Set + 3 Sets × 12 Reps

Begin with one warm-up set of 15 reps. Sit upright with your torso stable and core engaged. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms facing your body. With a slight bend at the elbows, raise the dumbbells out to your sides until they reach shoulder height.

Palms stay facing down, and movement happens primarily at the shoulder joint. Lower the weights slowly and avoid swinging or using momentum. This exercise isolates the lateral delts for rounder, wider shoulders.

Close Grip Bench Press – 3 Sets × 10 Reps

Lie on a flat bench and grip the bar just around shoulder-width — this close grip shifts emphasis onto the triceps. Unrack the bar and hold it straight over your chest with locked arms.

Inhale as you lower the bar slowly to your mid-chest. Pause briefly, then exhale as you press the bar back up, driving through your triceps. Lock out at the top, squeeze, then lower under control. Avoid bouncing the bar off your chest.

Overhead Dumbbell Tricep Extension (Sitting) – 3 Sets × 10 Reps

Guradesh stresses the importance of using a full range of motion for maximum tricep development. Sit upright on a bench with feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a single dumbbell with both hands and press it overhead until your arms are fully extended.

Keeping your upper arms close (or at a comfortable natural distance, depending on your shoulder mobility), lower the dumbbell in a semicircle behind your head until your forearms touch or nearly touch your biceps. This deep stretch recruits the long head of the triceps.

Use your triceps to press the dumbbell back to the starting position while exhaling. Repeat for 3 sets of 10 reps. Do not force your elbows unnaturally close if your rotator cuff is stiff — comfort and control come first.

Guradesh’s Approach to Nutrition

Guradesh follows a 6-meal-per-day meal plan focused on whole-food protein sources. His typical day includes:

• 3 meals of chicken
• 2 meals of eggs and whole eggs
• 1 meal of mutton

He also shared that he hasn’t used protein shakes for the last six months, relying entirely on natural food sources for his protein intake.

Workout Summary Table

This is the complete breakdown of Guradesh Mann’s chest, shoulder & triceps session: