Can You Do Triceps After Shoulder Day? (Solved!)

There are multiple factors which determine how effective your workouts are.

Common ones being:

• Number of sets & reps
• Rest time between sets
• Amount of weight you lift

One of the less common ones, however, is the order in which you train different muscle groups throughout the week.

So, in this article, we discuss whether you can train triceps after shoulder day.

We look at the pros and cons of doing so, as well as looking at other muscle groups that you may want to work out after a heavy shoulder workout.

Ready?

Let’s get to it.

Can You Do Triceps After Shoulder Day?

You can do triceps after shoulder day but you need to consider some reasons why it may not be the most optimal way of training.

Firstly, your triceps and shoulders are both ‘push’ muscles. This means they work in a similar way so are often trained on the same day.

(Or with some recovery time between each workout.)

Also, your triceps activate in many shoulder exercises, like the overhead press.

This means that after shoulder day, your triceps might be fatigued and will need some time to rest before you work them again. 

Benefits of Doing Triceps After Shoulder Day

You Can Work Two Push Muscles On Consecutive Days 

If you want to focus on developing your ‘push’ muscles, then doing triceps after shoulder day can be an effective way to train.

As your triceps and shoulders are both ‘push’ muscles, you can make some solid progress in building pushing strength by working these muscles back-to-back.

They Work Together In Several Movements

Your triceps and shoulders work together in many exercises that target your shoulders. This can make your shoulder workout a great ‘warm up’ for your tricep workout the following day.

If your triceps have done some work on shoulder day, then they’ll already be somewhat fatigued which helps with any pre-exhaustion training you do.

This approach to training can help you get the most out of your tricep workout.

Drawbacks of Doing Triceps After Shoulder Day

Muscle Fatigue

While your triceps being fatigued after shoulder day can benefit you, it can also cause some issues if you’re not careful.

Your triceps play a pretty big role in some shoulder exercises.

If they’ve worked too hard on shoulder day, they may be too tired to perform to their best on triceps day resulting in a less effective workout.

Muscle fatigue can negatively impact your training so it’s important to be aware of it and be in-tune with your body before deciding whether to do triceps after shoulders.

Should You Do Triceps After Shoulder Day?

Whether or not you train in this way depends on your personal preferences and fitness goals.

If your triceps are fresh after shoulder day, then sure, perhaps it would work well for you.

But if they’re sore and you think it would negatively impact your workout, then perhaps you shouldn’t train in this way.

Is It Better To Do Shoulders After Triceps Day?

It’s probably less effective to do your shoulders after triceps day.

This is because your shoulders are a larger muscle group and your shoulder exercises will likely involve heavier weights than your tricep exercises.

If you were to do shoulders after triceps, then you may not be able to lift as much in your shoulder exercises which can slow progression.

Is It Safe To Do Triceps After Shoulder Day?

Training your triceps after shoulder day is safe for most people.

But to minimize your injury risk, you need to ensure that your triceps are injury-free and have recovered enough from shoulder day before you attempt it.

Other Muscle Groups To Train After Shoulder Day

Back

Training your back after shoulder day is perfect for those training in a PPL format (push, pull, legs).

Your back will still be fresh after you’ve trained your shoulders, so you can still have an effective back workout while your shoulders recover.

Biceps

Doing biceps after shoulder day is another way to order your workouts if you’re following a PPL split.

(Since your biceps are ‘pull’ muscles.)

Chest

While this may not be the best way to train, many people love training their chest after shoulder day.

The big downside here is that your shoulders are needed to initiate some movements, like bench press. So if they’re sore from shoulder day, you might not be able to lift as much.