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eLearning Series:
Your Most Popular Exercise & Fitness Questions
Learn the right way to get into
shape...
( 50 articles
in this series )
The
Best Triceps Exercises To Do
Strengthening and shaping the biceps muscles
is a relatively easy thing to do. It’s a commonly used muscle
that easily accessible and doesn’t require any strange movements
to develop. The triceps muscles, on the other hand, aren’t
used as often as the biceps and are located on the back of
the arm in a slightly tricky position to work. That’s
why many people have ‘batwings’: saggy upper arms from little
or no
use. It doesn’t have to be that way, though: trainers have
come up with a variety of movements that can be used to strengthen
and shape the triceps area so that your arms will be fit healthy
both front and back.
When you think about the arm muscles, biceps and triceps are
what typically come to mind, but there are actually two other
muscles that assist the biceps and triceps in performing work,
and allow you to move your arm through a full range of motion.
The brachialis wraps around the front of the elbow and is what
allows you to curl your arm up and down. The brachio-radialis
sits on the outside of the forearms and is what makes your
arm twist from side to side. Without these muscles it would
be impossible to perform the toning actions that allow you
to build the triceps, and luckily they can benefit from strengthening
movements for other parts of the arms. As you go through your
triceps strengthening routine, think about the underappreciated
duo of the brachialis and the brachio-radialias that allow
you to fully develop your arm strength.
One
of the best movements to develop the triceps is the triceps
dip. Find a sturdy chair or table, or any surface that is solid
and has an edge. Face away from the chair and place the heels
of the hands on the edge. Walk your feet away from you until
there is about 30 inches distance from your hands to your feet.
With the bulk of your weight concentrated on your hands, slowly
lower the body down for a count of 5 and then rise. Repeat
for 3 sets of 15 repetitions. This is one of the best ways
to work the triceps and see fast results. Since you’re using
your body’s own weight, there are no weights or accessories
to carry around. By walking your feet away, you use them solely
as a support while the triceps muscle is isolated and required
to do the bulk of the work. Thanks to this movement, your triceps
will firm up fast and be stronger than ever before.
Another
popular movement for triceps strengthening is the overhead
triceps press. Start by standing with feet about shoulder
width apart and weights held comfortably in your hands. Raise
the weights directly above your head until your arms are almost
fully extended. (Remember not to lock the elbow joint or else
you risk injury.) Slowly lower the weights behind you until
the elbow forms a 90-degree angle; raise the weights slowly.
Repeat for 3 sets of 15 repetitions. This movement also isolates
the triceps and places the burden of the effort on it. Depending
on the weight you use, you can see your triceps firm up anywhere
from 10 days to three weeks. Monitor your progress and when
you are breezing through your sets without any real struggle,
it’s time to move up to the next higher weight. Keep challenging
your muscles to build the best strength you can.
Another
weight training exercise to build the triceps is the backwards
lift. Begin by standing with feet about shoulder
width apart and holding the weights comfortably in your hands
with arms extended by your sides. Turn your palms to face behind
you and raise your arms backward as far as is comfortable.
Slowly lower back to the starting point. Repeat for 3 sets
of 15 repetitions. For an extra boost of toning, on the last
repetition of every set, raise the weight slowly and hold;
pulsing the arms up and down about a inch to really fatigue
the muscle. That little movement can have a big impact on the
ultimate shape of your triceps.
Be sure to stretch the back of your arms after working out
and if you ever feel any pain, stop and consult a trainer or
medical professional. Stay with your program three times weekly
and your arms will be looking sleek and toned in no time!
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SolveYourProblem.com : 2005
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