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The Triceps Muscles
Allow me to tell you a little about the triceps muscles. The triceps is a three-headed muscle that is on the back of the upper arm. They are responsible for extending the elbow. Triceps are used when doing any type of pressing movement for the chest and/or shoulders
Why Should You Work Your Triceps?
If you’re working your biceps, you shouldn’t over look the other side of your arm that contains three muscles, where the biceps contain only two muscles. Muscle imbalances can cause pain and injuries. Your triceps are working throughout your day, weather you know it or not. Anytime you push something, your triceps are involved. Triceps muscles also play a part in shoulder and chest exercises. If you have weak triceps it can disable you from getting a proper chest and shoulder workout.
How Often Should You Train Your Triceps?
You can do tricep exercises up to three non-consecutive days a week. If you’re lifting heavy weights, you’ll need at least two days of rest before you should start the exercises again. It makes sense to work your triceps only once or twice a week.
5 Exercises for Triceps That Are Sure to Increase Strength & Definition
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1. Close grip bench press
This is my favorite triceps exercise, because of how great the results are. You just get ready like a regular bench press, but position your hands no wider than shoulder width. You want to keep your elbows in. At the bottom of your movement, allow the bar to come to the lower portion of your chest. At the top of your movement, the bar should be over your upper chest. Try to keep your forearms perpendicular to the floor at all times.
2. French press aka skull crushers, aka nose breakers
What ever they’re calling this tricep exercise today, they work! This exercise works your triceps from a different angle than that of a regular pressing movement. Try to use an EZ curl bar and put your hands shoulder width apart. Lower the bar with control down to your to forehead, or behind your head. Keep your elbows pointed forward.
3. Diamond Pushups or Diamond Press.
You can do theses exercises anywhere! Although, there are places I would not recommend performing these exercises, one would be a courtroom for instance. First, Kneel down on your knees and place your hands on the ground, and make a diamond shape with your hands. Your thumbs should be touching. Lift your body up so that only your toes and hands are making contact with the floor. Make sure your back is straight by tightening your core muscles. While bending your elbows, go as low as you can, and do a pushup.
The Diamond press is with a dumbbell and your hands basically form a diamon on one side of the dumbbell. I typically perform this exercise with very high reps.
4. Kickbacks
When ever I workout my triceps, I always make sure I throw some kickbacks in the routine. Put your hand and your same side knee on a bench for support. Hold a dumbbell with your opposite hand, place the same upper arm parallel to the floor, and then bend your elbow to create 90-degree angle. Keeping your upper arm secure, slowly expand your forearm back until your whole arm is parallel with the ground.
5. Cable Press Downs
Make sure your elbows are in tight and not moving. Keep your whole body still-don’t lean on the weight with your body, it takes the workload off of your triceps. Now, press the bar down locking out your arms and feeling a peak contraction in the triceps. Release and let the bar come up as far as possible without moving your elbows. To shock your muscles, you can vary your grip, change the kind of bar you use, how close you stand to the bar, or how wide your place your hands; or you can do a three-quarter movement, going from all the way up to three-quarters of the way down in order to work the lower triceps more directly.
That’s it for this one, stay tuned for more training tips and resources!
