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Strong arms are essential for almost every upper body movement you perform on a daily basis, and your triceps are frequently the ones who do the heavy lifting. You use your triceps muscles every time you push something, whether it’s an open door, a stroller, a lawnmower, or an iron barbell.
Strength is important, and for many people, having toned arms is as important as having strong arms. The triceps has three distinct heads, as indicated by its name: the long head, the lateral head, and the medial head. The long head is the largest of the three heads. Every one of these heads contracts during triceps exercises, but some moves target specific parts of the triceps more intensely than others. The most effective method of developing strong, firm triceps is to select exercises that target all of the muscle fibers from all directions.
Best Tricep Workout Tips
Before discussing what exercises are most effective, let’s dispense with a few basic pointers: Don’t forget to warm up those muscles before you start on the harder exercises. For a beginner, stick with machines before moving on to free weights.
You can never do too many reps of bicep curls or overhead presses. But when it comes to building muscle, keep going till failure! Adding other arm movements, such as lateral raises and pushups, will also help develop the muscle and burn calories. Don’t skip supersets and try to save time by doing a full body workout on one day.
One of the three heads in your upper arm is the lateral head, which is located on top of your tricep and is the largest of the three. If you’re concentrating on this area, incorporate exercises that require you to keep your arms by your sides, such as an overhead grip, into your routine.
Best Tricep Workouts
As previously stated, beginners should begin their training on the machine before progressing to the bench. Also, pushing yourself to the limit with your triceps isn’t necessarily a bad thing, so keep going when you start to feel the burn.
We’re focused on triceps for this article, but these workouts below are also some of the best chest and tricep workouts you can do.
Close-Grip Bench Press
This exercise will help you work on your chest and core simultaneously. To execute the exercise, do the following: Grab a barbell with an overhand grip. Hold your index fingers over the outside edge of the knurling, then perform the following moves:
- Curl up the bar and hold for three to five seconds
- Lower your chest and shoulder blade to the floor
- Push through your elbow joint until you feel tension in your triceps
Create a slight arch in your back to allow for a small amount of space between your lower back and the bench. It’s important to have a full arm extension when you’re holding the bar in front of you. You should keep your arms straight and your elbows bent at 45-degree angles on both sides of your body.
For this exercise, perform the first set with an empty bar to warm up, and then begin working with a bar that is five to eight pounds less than you can lift. The goal is to complete as many reps as possible with the lighter weight. Then add weight as needed to make it challenging, but never so heavy that you can’t lift it at all. Take an easy set off for recovery, then begin the next set by performing as many reps as you can with the heavier weight. You may have to increase the weight of each set until you complete as many reps as possible.
Sets are a form of repetition. They are an excellent way to learn about the way muscles move, but they don’t really improve muscle endurance. 3-4 Reps are short sets of repetitions and can be done anywhere from 2-10 times. 6-8 Reps is a more intense version of 3-4 Reps, and it involves doing sets of 8 repetitions at a time.
Cable Rope Tricep Pushdown
When performing this exercise, be careful not to overdo it with the weights if you want to target the triceps.
Here’s how it’s done: Using a rope, connect the high pulley of the cable station. Take an overhand grip on the handle and keep your arms bent and hands shoulder-width apart until you have the handle in your grasp. Maintain a tucked-in position with your upper arms toward your sides.
Using a barbell squat, push the bar back toward the wall, keeping your lower back and glutes as tight as possible.
Return to the starting position and repeat. Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Rest: a minute after each set.
Tricep Dips
Here’s another tricep exercise for the more seasoned men. Those with weak shoulders should avoid it because it requires full body weight. Begin with 2 sets of 8-10 reps and gradually increase the number of sets and reps. Now:
Lie on the parallel bars, torso parallel to the floor. Bend your knees and cross your ankles while staying in place. Lower your body until your shoulder joints are below your elbows. Reverse the movement until your elbows are almost locked.
Repeat.
We suggest you do two sets, 8-10 reps each and rest for a minute between sets
Single Arm Overhead Extension
You’re probably already doing something similar, so learning the proper triceps extension shouldn’t be difficult. To avoid injury, keep your body balanced and sit up straight.
Lift your arm slightly behind your head, elbow bent. Extend your elbow to straighten your arm. Finish the set with 10 reps of each arm.
Push-Ups
The classic push-up strengthens your core, chest, and triceps. It’s one of the easiest bicep and tricep workouts you can do. Consider bringing a weight vest to add to the intensity. Excuse us while we demonstrate a familiar exercise:
Prop yourself up on your hands and toes, keeping your core tight and your body straight.
Bring your chest to the ground.
Bench Dips
Using EMG data, we can conclude that the triceps are heavily engaged during bench dips. What can you do to make this calisthenics exercise even more effective? By increasing the weight of the load!
Aim for 3 sets of 8-12 reps, either in the middle or at the end of your workout. This exercise may not be the best choice if you are extremely tired, as your shoulders may end up rounding forward.
Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension
It’s important to make sure your triceps workout includes exercises that work those muscles. This will help your upper arms look better than they really are! The Dumbbell Overhead Tricep Extension is one of the best tricep workouts with dumbbells.
Luckily, you have options! You can go with one arm or two, with one or two sets, and you can even go heavy and do some forced reps.
Do 3 sets of 8-10 repetitions of extensions in the second half of your workout, following heavier movements.
Make sure to spend a little time working the eccentric (the bottom portion of the lift) as you lower the weight. You’ll get a stronger contraction in the muscle and a much better stretch for the muscle when you get to that point.
Rope Pushdowns
If you don’t have a cable machine, you can also use a resistance band. Ideally, the rope should be spread out at the bottom of the movement in order to really fire up the triceps muscle.
A loose knot should be tied in the cord halfway between the top of the doorway and the wall to keep it from moving. Now, by extending your triceps, pull the rope down and hold it for 2 seconds, repeat. Keep your elbows from locking out. During this portion of the exercise, take a deep breath in and out.
Taking it slow, slowly extend your forearms back up until they are parallel to the floor. During this portion of the exercise, take deep breaths.
Continue until you have completed the desired number of reps.
Final Thoughts
The triceps are the muscles you use to raise your arm, but there are other muscles that contribute to your arm raising. The main ones are the pecs and the deltoids.
The pecs are used to raise the shoulder blades, which in turn, raise the arms. The deltoids are used to pull the arm forward.
The point is that you shouldn’t neglect your triceps. We know that they are not the largest muscle group, but they are one of the most important ones. Not only will they help you look more toned and fit, but they also make your upper arms more defined.
Just like any other muscle, they require exercises and proper form.
