If your body was a rock band, your triceps would be the bass player. Neither your legs, biceps, nor calves should be playing the drums, lead guitar, or roadie respectively. Not many people focus on training our triceps, but they are hard at work during almost every lift. They are also important for achieving almost any fitness goal.
Although they are often uncared for and underappreciated, your triceps can have a big impact on your physique and performance. It takes less effort to build bulkier, stronger triceps, but it does take some smart training. Below are some actions you can take to make this muscular background player more prominent.
Shut-Grip Bench Press
The flat bench press is a popular chest exercise for many lifters. If you barely grip the bar inward, it shifts the emphasis away from your chest muscles and puts more emphasis on your triceps. (1)
If you want to focus on your triceps, use a grip that is narrower than shoulder-width. This will help to increase triceps recruitment and reduce chest activation. It may also reduce pressure on your shoulder joints because they are positioned in a stronger mechanical position with less stretching. This makes the bench press more efficient for lifters who are dealing with joint pain.
How one can Do the Shut-Grip Bench Press
Position yourself on a flat bench with the barbell above your eyes. Grasp the bar with your palms down and your arms and wrists above your shoulders. Grabbing the bar too tightly will not really help your triceps much, but it could put extra strain on your wrists and elbows.
Plant each ft flat on the bottom. Bring your shoulder blades together and grip the bar firmly. Lift the bar straight up off the support pins. Decrease the bar by keeping your elbows near your body, and not flaring out to the sides. The bar should be close to your lower chest when you are doing this exercise. Before you press up to lock out your arms, pause for a second. Keep your buttocks in contact with the bench throughout the entire repetition.
Advantages of the Shut-Grip Bench Press
- This bench press variation permits the triceps to be labored with doubtlessly heavy weights, making it ideally suited for constructing triceps power.
- The general joint place of this train permits lifters to coach the bench press motion sample with lowered shoulder joint stress.
EZ-Bar Cranium Crusher
The cranium crusher is a great way to isolate your triceps while keeping your chest and shoulders from getting too involved. An EZ-bar can change your grip to be angled, while still being semi-supinated. This allows people with poor wrist mobility to still train and also reduces pressure on the wrist and elbow joints.
One of the simplest triceps exercises is the EZ-bar cranium crusher, which only needs a flat bench and an EZ-bar. This makes it a great possibility for lifters who only have access to limited equipment, such as training in a basic home gym.
How one can Do the EZ-Bar Cranium Crusher
Sit on a flat bench and hold an EZ-bar with a moderate-width, palms-down grip on the angled handles. Once you've kicked the bar up, straighten your arms so that the bar is above your head. To create the most muscle tension, your arms should be angled slightly towards your head, not completely vertical.
To do this exercise, put your feet flat on the ground and tense your abs to hold the weight in a locked-out position. To reduce the pressure on your forehead, bend your elbows. Preserve your elbows stationary whereas decreasing the burden. Keep your arms straight to lock the burden over your head.
Advantages of the EZ-Bar Cranium Crusher
- The EZ-bar reduces wrist and elbow joint pressure, making it a superb triceps train for lifters with joint ache.
- You’ll be able to enhance the depth of the train by growing the vary of movement. Decrease the burden to the bench on the high of your head as a substitute of stopping close to your brow. Whereas it will require transferring your elbows, the longer vary of movement can enhance general muscle activation.
- The EZ-Bar cranium crusher might be superset with a close-grip bench press utilizing the identical bar for a fast and efficient high-intensity approach.
Barbell Kickback
There has been a resurgence in popularity for this old-school bodybuilding method. Although it was once thought of as a high-tension triceps-builder, it fell out of favor for no legitimate reason. The triceps can endure a long time below tension using only free weights, without needing any cable stations.
The train is usually done with a slightly rounded back, but the spine is not under direct stress because the weight is supported through the arms. If your hamstrings are not very flexible, it may be uncomfortable to keep your legsbent at a low angle. You may have to try bending them at a higher angle, or do a different exercise.
How one can Do the Barbell Kickback
Position a barbell behind your back and grip it with your palms facing down. Start standing. Bend forward at the waist and allow the bar to slide down the back of your legs. Pull your elbows up close to your ribs. To complete the curl correctly, the bar needs to be close to your knees or higher calves, depending on the size of your arms and legs.
Straighten your arms by urgent your arms backward. Keep your elbows pinned in place during the exercise. The bar usually ends above your tailbone, with your arms locked out. It is not unusual to feel your triceps cramping hard when the muscle tension is greatest. To reduce the load on your shoulders and avoid hitting yourself in the back of the knees with the barbell, unrack the barbell by bending your knees and hips at the same time.
Advantages of the Barbell Kickback
- The barbell kickback delivers a big muscle-building stimulus with comparatively mild weight, making it ideally suited for lifters utilizing restricted tools or these unable to elevate heavy weights.
- The triceps are put via a very long time below rigidity, particularly with an extended peak contraction, which creates a big muscle-building stimulus. (2)
- This train is one in all comparatively few isolation (single-joint) triceps workouts that may be carried out with a barbell, making it a precious addition for lifters with restricted tools.
Dumbbell Overhead Extension
Doing triceps exercises while holding your arms above your head is important for getting the most growth in your triceps muscles because of the unique position of the triceps heads in relation to the shoulder joints. When you raise your arms to work your triceps, the individual muscle heads are activated in different ways. The dumbbell overhead extension is a simple workout to do for any type of training.
The dumbbell overhead extension can be done standing with your feet together, standing in a split or staggered stance, tall kneeling, half-kneeling, seated with an unsupported back, or seated with a back support. All of these variations will work the triceps the same. The main difference is that the levels of muscle recruitment in your core and lower back vary depending on which stance you choose, so pick the one that works best for your body.
How one can Do the Dumbbell Overhead Extension
Hold a single dumbbell with both hands, placing the pinkies of each hand against the inside of the top weight plate. Prolong the dumbbell straight overhead with straight arms. To relieve pressure on your neck, bend your arms and bring your hands closer to your head. Keep your elbows pointing up as the weight hits, don't let them sink towards your shoulders.
Don't nod your head forward to get the dumbbell out of the way. To avoid hurting your neck or head, don't put too much strain on your lower back. Position yourself so that your triceps are stretched overhead, and feel the stretch in your muscles.
Advantages of the Dumbbell Overhead Extension
- The overhead extension is an environment friendly method to recruit all heads of the triceps muscle.
- Since you’re lifting with each arms, you may transfer heavier weight than coaching unilaterally (one arm at a time). This makes it a helpful train for constructing power.
- This train emphasizes the stretched place, which has been proven to enhance muscle-building. (4)
Two-Dumbbell Kickback
The two-dumbbell kickback is a more effective way to tone your body than the single-arm kickback because it engages more muscles and requires better coordination.
2-dumbbell kickbacks allow lifters to rotate their wrists during the motion for a more natural range of movement with less stress on the wrist and elbow joints.
How one can Do the Two-Dumbbell Kickback
Stand upright whereas holding a dumbbell in every hand. Bend on the waist as far as comfortably possible without bending your knees. Bend your arms so that your elbows are at a roughly 90-degree angle. Keep your elbows close to your body throughout the entire set.
Use a slow speed to reduce momentum and put your arms straight up by pushing your pinkies towards the ceiling. Your arms should be in a straight line pointing towards the wall behind you in a locked-out position. Try holding the bar with your palms facing your body, facing the wall behind you, and facing your shoulders to see which is most comfortable.
Advantages of the Two-Dumbbell Kickback
- The 2-dumbbell kickback permits vital triceps rigidity with comparatively mild weights, making it ideally suited for lifters with joint ache or restricted tools.
- This motion simulates a cable triceps pushdown while not having a cable pulley station.
Impartial-Grip Dumbbell Bench Press
Very like the close-grip bench press is a triceps-dominant model of the basic motion, the neutral-grip dumbbell bench press is a triceps-dominant variation of the usual flat dumbbell bench press.
This grip allows you to keep your elbows close to your body, which reduces stress on your shoulder joints and increases the involvement of your triceps muscles. The ability to lift relatively heavy weights is an additional perk of working out in an urgent care facility. The elbow-width, palms-down grip is a widespread default for the dumbbell bench press. This grip permits you to press as much or more weight as with a chest-focused dumbbell bench press grip, making the motion a great option for building size and strength.
How one can Do the Impartial-Grip Dumbbell Bench Press
Sit on a flat bench holding a pair of dumbbells in your thighs. While kicking the weights up into a straight-arm position above your chest, lie back down. Place your feet flat on the ground and slowly rotate your arms so that they are facing each other.
Lower the weights slowly towards your chest, keeping the burden steady. Keep your upper arms close to your sides and your elbows pointing toward your feet. Start with your arms at chest level, then press up as far as you can.
Advantages of the Impartial-Grip Dumbbell Bench Press
- This dumbbell press variation permits the usage of pretty heavy weights with lowered joint pressure.
- The distinctive hand place makes the neutral-grip dumbbell bench press one of many few dumbbell workouts to soundly and effectively prepare the triceps with heavy weight.
- The train is efficient for lifters who can not carry out the flat dumbbell bench press as a result of shoulder or elbow joint ache.
Neutral-Grip Dumbbell Bench Press
The neutral-grip dumbbell bench press is a variation of the dumbbell bench press that is triceps-dominant.
The neutral grip position keeps the elbows close to the body, which reduces stress on the shoulder joint and increases the involvement of the triceps muscles. The position also allows for the use of relatively heavy weights. The movement is an excellent option for many people who wish to press as much weight as possible, making it a great choice for building both size and strength.
How to Do the Neutral-Grip Dumbbell Bench Press
You will need a flat bench and a pair of dumbbells for this exercise. Sit on the bench and hold the dumbbells on your thighs. Relax your body while keeping the weights in a straight-arm position above your chest. Start by planting your feet flat on the ground and slowly rotating your hands until they are facing each other.
Keep the weight stable and lower the dumbbells towards the outside of your chest. Move your upper arms so that they are parallel to your ribs and point your elbows towards your feet. Press your hands up to chest level, then press them straight up until your arms are locked.
Benefits of the Neutral-Grip Dumbbell Bench Press
- This dumbbell press variation allows the use of fairly heavy weights with reduced joint strain.
- The unique hand position makes the neutral-grip dumbbell bench press one of the few dumbbell exercises to safely and efficiently train the triceps with heavy weight.
- The exercise is effective for lifters who cannot perform the flat dumbbell bench press due to shoulder or elbow joint pain.
Single-Arm Skull Crusher
The main difference between this exercise and the barbell or EZ-bar skull crusher is that it is performed using one arm at a time. This focus on one side at a time allows lifters to work on fixing any discrepancies and imbalances in muscle development between the two sides.
The single-arm skull crusher helps alleviate wrist discomfort by allowing lifters to rotate their wrists during the movement.
How to Do the Single-Arm Skull Crusher
Start by lying on the ground with one dumbbell held above your chest with your arm fully extended. Use either hand to hold the triceps of the working arm gently. This can increase the mind-muscle connection and improve growth. (6)
Slowly lower the dumbbell towards your ear on the same side of your body. Keep your elbow pointing upwards, and do not let it move. After your arm has reached its farthest point of extension, change direction and lock your arm in place.
Benefits of the Single-Arm Skull Crusher
- This exercise allows extremely focused training on the triceps of each arm.
- The single-arm skull crusher delivers a significant muscle-building stimulus with relatively light weight.
- The unilateral performance allows lifters to address common muscle imbalances between arms.
How Often Should You Train the Triceps
If you overwork your triceps by either doing too much volume or too often, you may start to experience joint pain or tendonitis. Triceps training should be programmed taking into account that the triceps are mostly worked during chest and shoulder exercises.
You can build size and strength in your triceps by training them one to two days per week with five to ten sets of one to three exercises. When creating a triceps workout, you will need to consider factors such as the overall details of your training program, including the exercises you choose, how intense you train, and how much volume you do (total sets and reps).
If you want to focus on training your triceps, you should reduce the number of times you press exercises for your chest and shoulders per week. You should also reduce the number of repetitions you do for those exercises. This will help reduce the amount of stress on the triceps muscle and related joints. Training your triceps and biceps in the same workout is highly effective, especially when using alternating sets or supersets. This has been shown to improve power and strength while reducing overall fatigue. (9)
How to Progress Your Triceps Training
You can approach triceps workouts in the same way you would any other body part. Work out regularly and increase how much you work out gradually over time, doing more repetitions or lifting more weight. Your goal and the exercises you are doing will determine how much volume or load you increase.
Isolation exercises, such as the two-dumbbell kickback or single-arm pushdown, generally don't allow for very heavy weights to be used because proper technique becomes difficult to maintain. Increasing the volume of your workouts is typically more effective for those types of exercises.
Compound exercises like the close-grip bench press and dip are more efficient than single-joint exercises because they allow you to work up to heavier loads without sacrificing form.
How to Warm-Up Your Triceps
Prepping the triceps for a workout by warming them up is important because it helps get the muscle ready for the stimulous it's about to receive. The routine is also focused on preparing the elbow joints, as they will be used extensively in each exercise.
