Gamarjoba, friends! Today I want to ask you why many people don’t go to the gym? Some make the excuse that they don’t have time, some have it too far from home, and some don’t have it at all because they live in a small village or town.
Often the reason is shame for a blurred body. In general, we have plenty of prerequisites for studying at home.
Therefore, anticipating this demand, I want to offer you something. Today we will talk about how to pump up triceps at home and in the gym, using exercise machines, dumbbells, barbells and improvised means.
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Even if you don’t have dumbbells, then two plastic bottles of different capacities (from 0.33 to 2 liters) filled with sand can perfectly replace them.
You can add water here and get about 4 kg of weight in the maximum volume.
If you want to show off in front of your friends, you can say that you are now into multibuilding.
In fact, multi-builders are precisely those who engage in strength exercises in any conditions: at home, on the street, on a tram or on a hike. In this article you will find videos and descriptions of how to perform certain triceps exercises - this is the base that you cannot do without.
Pumping up triceps in the gym
There are also a lot of exercises for pumping up the triceps. We will look at the most used and effective ones, and by doing them, you won’t need the secondary ones.
As has already been said many times in other articles, do not work on one muscle group; for example, if you only train triceps, the end result will be unattractive arms.
Qualitatively work all the muscles of the arms, from the hands to the shoulder blades. Follow the execution technique, endurance, and then success is guaranteed.
As we know from the previous article, the triceps is the triceps muscle of the shoulder. It is located on the back surface of the arm; if this muscle is well developed, when you look at it, the image of a horseshoe immediately pops up. The triceps is responsible for extending the arm at the elbow joint.
Features of triceps training
Very often, novice athletes neglect triceps exercises, because they believe that the biceps plays the main role in the volume and appearance of the arm. This is a misconception, since the mass fraction of the triceps is about 2/3 of the muscle mass of the shoulder, so its size plays a vital role in the formation of strong, beautiful arms. By focusing on the biceps and forgetting about the triceps muscle, athletes contribute to the development of inharmoniously developed arm muscles.
Triceps training should be done no more than once a week. Don't forget that many exercises for the chest muscles work well on the triceps, so create a training program so that these muscles are trained on different and distant days.
But in some cases, triceps training can be combined with chest muscle training, since the triceps are involved in all basic chest exercises, and vice versa. To increase efficiency, do triceps workouts of varying intensity: light - medium - heavy, etc. After a hard workout, rest for at least 1 week.
Close grip barbell press
Mission: pump up the upper triceps head, upper chest and front deltoids. Strength and volume also develop, and the density of the triceps itself increases.
Number of approaches: 3-4 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
Execution technique
1) Take a horizontal bench and place it under the barbell racks, adjust it so that when you lie down on it, the bar is directly above your head, preferably at eye level.
2) Sit on the bench, bend your lower back a little, make sure that the rest of the body, that is, the head, shoulders and back muscles (buttocks) are tightly pressed to the bench.
It also happens that there may be no racks for the barbell; in such cases, you will need a partner who will serve and receive the barbell.
3) We take the bar with an overhand grip. Since we are performing a triceps exercise, make the distance between your palms less than shoulder width. Width adjustment depends on: the variety of bar and your ability to hold the barbell with weight.
4) The next step is to push the barbell up until your arms are fully straightened. The bar should take a position above the neck.
5) Take a deep breath and fixate the breath, lower the barbell to the chest to the bottom.
6) As soon as the bar touches your chest, without unnecessary stops, immediately press it up.
7) After going through the most difficult part of the lift, exhale and press the barbell.
At the highest point we take a short pause, during which we need to tighten our triceps as much as possible.
9) While performing the set, pay attention to your elbows; their movement should occur along the sides and not diverge to the sides. Bend your arms in a vertical plane. Don't do the exercise too fast or too slow, do it at a moderate pace.
Some tips:
1. The triceps exercise “close grip press” should be done at the initial stage of training these muscles, this will allow you to lift maximum weight.
When pressing with a narrow grip, a heavier weight is used than in other exercises for this muscle group.
2. Control the bar, not letting it go either to the right or to the left. To get this under control, initially use a correct grip, with your palms evenly spaced from the center of the bar. You can use an EZ bar - it’s easier to control the barbell.
3. Don't pause at the bottom. By pausing, you shift the load from the triceps to the pectoral muscles. As soon as the barbell touches your chest, immediately begin pressing it up. It is forbidden to spring the barbell from the chest.
4. Holding your breath while lowering the bar allows you to develop greater force and is accompanied by a strong fixation of the spine in the correct position.
5. By arching your back, you help yourself with your body to press the barbell, so - in no case should you do this! Firstly, you can damage your spine, and secondly, you reduce the load on the pumping muscles.
6. Don't use a grip that is too narrow - this will cause you to push your elbows out to the sides, which is not good. The load on the triceps is reduced and there is a chance of losing control of the barbell.
Remember: the larger the bar you work with, the wider your grip needs to be to control the balance of the barbell. It is recommended to use a short bar.
7. When you sit on the bench, make sure that the bar is above eye level, and in the starting position - strictly above your neck. In the lower position, the bar should be located at the lowest point of the chest.
Bench push-ups
Mission: pump up all three heads of the triceps, but most of all their middle. You increase the mass and thickness of your triceps.
Number of approaches: 3-4 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
Execution technique
1) We take two benches and place them parallel, the distance should be 80-90 cm. We sit on one bench, wrap our fingers around its edge, palms should be shoulder-width apart and rest against the bench, elbows facing back.
Resting on your hands, place your feet on another bench. For a more complete picture, see the photo above.
2) Straighten your arms, thereby lifting your pelvis off the bench, move it forward so that it ends up behind the bench.
To increase the load, you can use additional weight, for example, placing a disc on your hips.
3) Inhale, bend your elbows and slowly lower yourself between the benches until you feel that your triceps are well stretched.
4) At the lowest point, we fix our breathing and pull ourselves up, our arms should straighten completely. Perform push-ups without spreading your elbows to the sides; they move backwards.
5) Exhale after overcoming the most difficult section.
6) In the upper position, take a short pause, at which point you need to tense your triceps as much as possible, then proceed to the next repetition.
Some tips:
1. In addition to the triceps, this exercise uses the pectoralis major muscle and deltoids, which are maximally loaded at the initial stage when lifting. By pulling yourself up as much as possible, you place a greater load on the triceps.
2. When lifting, do not spread your elbows; spreading your elbows helps reduce the load on the muscles being pumped and transfers it to the latissimus dorsi and pectoral muscles. Also, when spreading your elbows, there is a possibility of injuring the shoulder joint.
3. While performing triceps exercises, try to keep your arms closer to your torso, and extension should occur in a vertical plane. The correct technique will allow you to maximize the load on your triceps.
4. A little trick: in the initial position, place your palms a little wider than your shoulders, this will allow you to avoid turning your elbows to the sides.
5. Direct your gaze straight, do not tilt your head down.
6. For maximum load on the triceps, fully extend your arms in the upper position, just do not fix the elbow joint.
7. When performing the full amplitude, additional weight may not be needed; your own weight will be enough to properly work out the triceps. The weight is recommended for athletes with at least a year of experience.
French bench press
Mission: to pump up the long back heads of the triceps, as well as lengthen and thicken the bottom of the triceps.
Number of approaches: 3-4 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
Execution technique
1) Lie down on a horizontal bench, firmly rest your feet on the floor. Straighten your arms completely so that they are perpendicular to the floor and ask your partner to pass the barbell.
2) This triceps exercise is recommended to be performed with a barbell with an EZ bar, but if you don’t have one, you can do it with a classic straight bar.
3) Take the bar with an overhand grip and push the barbell up.
4) We take the starting position: straighten our arms with the barbell and move them back, 45 degrees vertically towards the head.
5) In the starting position, take a deep breath and fixate your breathing. Keeping your upper arms motionless, smoothly lower the barbell to the top of your head.
6) In the lower position, we do not stop; changing the direction of movement, we raise the barbell up to its original position; while lifting, we do not exhale and do not move our elbows forward. Until the exercise is completed, the upper arms should remain motionless.
7) Only after reaching the starting position, pause for 1-2 seconds, at which point you should exhale and tense your triceps as much as possible. Then the exercise is repeated.
Some tips:
1. Choose a barbell weight that you can control. A barbell that is too heavy will not allow you to hold it at a 45-degree angle, and you will be forced to push your elbow forward as you lift. This technique with a heavy barbell has little effect.
2. The main thing in this exercise is to fix your arms at an angle of 45 degrees and fully straighten your arms at the top point.
3. Although the exercise is aimed at developing the three heads of the triceps, the peak falls on the long head of the muscle. It is clearly visible when looking at the hand from the side.
4. When performing the French press, do not place your feet on the bench - this entails loss of balance and injury.
How to stretch your triceps
Every workout should begin with thorough mobility training that prepares your joints, tissues, and nervous system for the type of training you'll be doing. Rusin likes to start any chest training session with an exercise that warms up the shoulders and upper back. From there, you'll train the chest with low and high reps to target the widest range of muscles and finish with a grueling triceps kick.
High Angle Face Pull
Sets: 4, reps: 15, rest: 60 sec.
Step 1: Install a cable pulley at head height or tie a resistance band to a power rack at the same height. If using a cable, attach the cable handle to the pulley.
Step 2: Stand up straight and, holding the rope or band with both hands, reach towards your face. Pause for a second in the fully contracted position and then return to the starting position.
Dumbbell Bench Press
Sets: 3, reps: 5-8, rest: 60 sec.
Step 1: Lie down on a flat bench holding a pair of dumbbells on your shoulders. Your palms can face your feet or your sides if that's better for your shoulders.
Step 2: Press until your elbows are fully extended, squeezing your pecs as you lift. Make sure that as you lower the weight to the bottom position, you feel a stretch in your pectoral muscles below.
Weighted push-ups
Sets: 3-4, reps: 10-15, rest: 30-45 sec.
Step 1: Get into a push-up position with your hands shoulder-width apart and your legs straight behind your back, hip-width apart. Tuck your pelvis slightly so that it is perpendicular to the floor, and tighten your buttocks and abs. Have a partner place a weight plate, chain, or sandbag on your back for added resistance.
Step 2: Lower your body to the floor, keeping your elbows close to your sides as you descend.
Step 3. When your chest is an inch above the floor, move back, spreading your shoulder blades out to the sides.
Kneeling rope press
Sets: 3-4, reps: 15-30, rest: 20-30 sec.
Step 1: Attach a rope handle to the cable station pulley. Grab the ends of the rope and kneel facing the station.
Step 2: Keeping your elbows close to your sides, extend your elbows and open your fists out to the sides at the bottom of the rep as you squeeze your triceps hard. Hold for a moment and then lower the weight. Allow your elbows to move forward slightly at the top of the movement to stretch your triceps.
Seated French press EZ-bar
Mission: pump up the posterior long head of the triceps, especially its lower part. The long head of the triceps is also detailed.
Number of approaches: 3-4 sets of 8-15 repetitions
Execution technique
1) Set the back of our bench to a vertical position, sit on the seat and place your feet firmly on the floor. You can do it simply while sitting, without a backrest.
2) Keep your back straight and bend your lower back slightly.
3) We take our EZ-bar with a narrow grip from above, by the curved parts of the bar, that is, the palms should look at each other, and make the grip between the palms less than shoulder width.
4) Push the barbell up so that the bar is above the top of your head. The body and arms should be straight and in an upright position.
Lift your chin up or place it parallel to the floor. Using all the points, you will reach the correct starting position.
5) From the starting position, take a deep breath and fixate the breath by bending the elbows and lower the bar behind the head.
6) During execution, we monitor the upper part of the arms (from the elbow to the shoulder); they must be motionless.
7) The barbell should be lowered behind the head until the triceps are fully stretched; at the end point we do not stop, but strain the triceps as much as possible and pull the barbell up to the starting position.
You should exhale only after fully straightening your arms or after passing the most difficult section.
9) At the highest point, take a short break and strain the triceps as much as possible.
Some tips:
1. Do not round your back; to do this you need to tense your lower back muscles and keep your spine in an S-shape.
2. Elbows, body, shoulders and legs should remain motionless until the end of the exercise. The only thing that moves is the elbow joint.
3. For maximum contraction of the long head of the triceps and olecranon muscle, at the top point, extend the elbow joint as much as possible.
4. The EZ bar is more practical than the straight bar, it reduces the stress on the wrists due to the palms facing each other.
5. Do not use a very heavy barbell, it leads to rounding of the back, which can lead to injury.
6. You should not do this exercise if your shoulder joints are not flexible enough.
7. During the exercise, do not push your elbows forward, there is a possibility of losing your balance.
8. If you find this exercise difficult, you can try doing it standing. This will recruit additional muscles, making it easier to hold the barbell overhead.
French press in a seated machine
Mission: pump up the long posterior head of the triceps, also allows you to visually separate the triceps from the biceps.
Number of approaches: 3-4 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
Execution technique
1) Find the desired simulator, install the desired handle (straight or bent).
2) We sit on the bench, our back is directed towards the block, our feet rest on the floor. The next step is to straighten your arms and bend them at the elbow joint behind your head, ask your partner to give the handle.
We grab the handle with a narrow grip, that is, the palms are facing the ceiling, and the distance between them is less than shoulder width.
3) Bend your lower back slightly and fix your torso in a vertical position.
Bend your arms behind your head, elbows slightly apart to the sides and pointing up, gaze directed forward - this will be your starting position.
4) Take a deep breath and fixate your breathing. We extend our arms and press the bar up, keeping our elbows motionless.
5) In the highest position, the arms should be fully extended and the handle should be above the eyebrows.
6) The next stage is to exhale and fix the arms in a straight position. Inhale and smoothly lower the handle behind your head. At the bottom point, do not stop, immediately continue the exercise.
Some tips:
1. Watch the position of your torso and back. The torso should be straight and the lower back slightly arched; the lower back muscles should not be relaxed until the end of the exercise.
As soon as these muscles are relaxed, the back will immediately round and the body will move forward, this can end in disaster - it leads to compression of the intervertebral discs, which leads to injury.
2. At the top point, fully straighten your arms - this will allow you to use the pumped muscles as much as possible, in principle, this is what we need.
3. Make sure that the upper part of the arms (from the shoulder to the elbow) assumes a vertical state as much as possible and remains in a fixed position without making various movements.
By bringing your elbows forward, you lighten the load on your triceps, so you shouldn't do this.
4. Direct your gaze straight and keep your chin level. If you lower your head, your spine will round, which can be dangerous to your health.
5. The main role in this exercise is not played by the maximum weight, but by the execution technique and the correct form of movement.
6. The French press is performed both standing and sitting, but standing is much easier due to the inclusion of additional muscles.
Press to the bottom in a block machine
Mission: pump up the lateral (side) and long heads of the triceps. Excellent for highlighting the lateral part of these muscles.
Number of approaches: 3-4 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
Execution technique
1) We hook the rope handle to the cable that passes through the upper block. We move away from the machine and grab the handle, neutral grip, that is, your palms are directed towards each other. Leg placement: straddling or parallel.
2) We tilt the body a little forward, 10-15 degrees, and also place the elbows a little forward. In this position, the cable should be taut and the hands should be at shoulder level.
3) Take a deep breath and fixate your breathing, bend your arms down, while trying to keep your elbows as close to your sides as possible.
4) We also do not move our elbows, do not move our body forward and do not squat. All parts of the body, except the elbow joint, must remain motionless.
Important point! When straightening your arms, when you see that your little fingers are below your elbows, slowly turn your hands and spread your arms to the sides so that after fully straightening your arms, your palms look at your hips.
5) At the moment when your arms are fully straightened, exhale and fix this position for a few seconds. Then proceed to the next repetition.
Some tips:
1. For a good stretch of the long head of the triceps, tilt your body forward and push your elbows in front of your body.
2. When performing the triceps exercise, do not weaken your grip and do not straighten your wrists.
3. We also extend the forearms and hands into one line.
4. At the moment of turning the hand, when the palms are directed towards the hips, the contraction of the triceps increases.
5. Do not lean your body forward and do not pull your elbows back; this makes the triceps easier to work by connecting other muscles.
Technique and types of extensions
When performing the exercise correctly, in addition to the triceps, no other muscles should be involved in the work. The only exceptions are body stabilizers that work in static conditions and the actual hands with which you hold the handle. If you feel that some other muscle group is actively working, you are doing the exercise incorrectly.
Classic extensions
This is an extension of the arms with the handle of the upper block. To begin, set the weight to 5 kg and warm up. The exercise can be performed both in a block simulator (arm extension in a crossover) and in a back simulator with an upper block (thrusts for the latissimus muscles are done there).
The handle can be different - short straight, curved, long, with which traction is performed. Extensions of the arms on the block, where the deadlift is done, make sense only when other athletes are training in the block machine.
So let's get started:
- Hang with a short, straight handle. Grab it with an overhand grip (palms down). Thumb on top, not bottom.
- The effectiveness of the load depends on the position of the elbows - the elbows should be pressed to the body. Bend your arms slightly more than 90 degrees.
- The position of the feet can be either on the same straight line, or one leg slightly forward and the other slightly back. Your task is to stand as stable as possible. The feet are spaced narrower than the shoulders, the distance between them is 15–20 cm, if you place them on the same straight line. In the case when one is ahead and the other behind, this distance will be less.
- The lower back is arched, the chest is straightened, the gaze is straight. We press the handle from above with our body weight, as if hanging over it. This is to ensure that you are not supporting the weight with your latissimus dorsi muscles. That's why we fix the body in this way. Due to the fact that your elbows are pressed to your body, and you are hanging over the handle, arching your lower back, you will only pump your triceps in isolation.
- From the arms bent position, lower the weight down using your triceps. The elbows should not diverge to the sides; they are always pressed to the body.
Do 10-15 warm-up repetitions while standing at an average pace. Then weigh the desired weight and work 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps, depending on your training goals.
Ladder on a block
When you come to the gym with friends, you can arrange a competition at the end of the workout - a ladder, in which everyone will do the maximum number of repetitions on the triceps on the block for several approaches. In this case, the competition begins with 50–60% of your working weight, and each subsequent approach, reduce the weight by 5–10 kg and increase the number of repetitions. Thus, by the last approach your muscles will reach complete failure.
Attention! The triceps should be well warmed up so that you don't get a strain.
And do not forget - traction during extension is undesirable. Only the triceps work.
Curved bar extension
The exercise is performed standing. To work the outer triceps, use a curved handle. With its help, you turn your hands: your right hand clockwise, and your left hand counterclockwise. In this position, the load goes more to the outer triceps bundle.
It is better to alternate extensions as follows: once a week you do the exercise with a straight handle, the next week - with a curved one. This way you can work your triceps from all sides.
You should not do arm extensions on a block twice in one week - there is no point. It doesn't matter what bar you use, only your arms work. For the back there is a pull-down of the upper block.
Other arm extension options
In addition to the usual version, there is also a single arm extension in a crossover. This machine has 2 lower blocks that can be used to simulate the dumbbell overhead press exercise.
The technique is as follows:
- Attach a horseshoe-shaped handle for one hand to the bottom block.
- Sit on the bench so that the handle with the cable from the lower block is behind your head.
- Raise your elbow up, moving your hand behind your head.
- The cable should not be pressed against your back. To prevent this from happening, move your arm back a little further than in the usual version of the dumbbell exercise.
- The movement starts from the level of the back of the head, straighten your arm. Then bend again.
Repeat the movement 10-12 times for 3 sets.
This version of the exercise may be needed if you want to do a dumbbell overhead press, but the required dumbbell is occupied. The block version of this press is not as convenient to do as with a dumbbell, but it’s worth knowing about it in any case.
Place of exercise in the program
Triceps extensions alone will not be enough to effectively work this muscle group. This is usually the final exercise in triceps day.
If you are doing a classic program, combining work on the chest muscles with triceps training, then triceps extensions are performed at the very end. First, for example, there is a basic bench press, then dumbbell flyes, parallel bars, a French press and, finally, extension of the arms on the block.
If you are combining back and triceps, you can do a heavier workout for the arm extensors, but leave the cable work for the very end of the session.
One-arm press with reverse grip
Mission: pumping the lateral and medial heads of the triceps. Also entails drawing detail and striping of the triceps.
Number of approaches: 2-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
Execution technique
1) We position ourselves sideways to the machine, the right hand should be in the same vertical plane with the upper block.
2) Place a D-shaped handle on the cable and grab it from below, that is, your palm is facing up. Step back with your left foot to ensure your arm is straight in front of your body.
3) Take the starting position: straighten your shoulders, create a slight deflection in your lower back, and straighten your back.
The arm with which you will perform the exercises should be bent and positioned as close to the right side as possible, with your forearms extended in line with the cable and facing the upper block. Pull the cable until the loads are lifted from the supports. This position is the starting point.
4) We inhale and fixate our breathing, using our muscles we pull the handle to the lower position, extending our arm at the elbow in front of the cable.
5) Extend the arm completely, then exhale and strain the triceps muscles as much as possible, remaining in this position for a few seconds.
6) Then follows a smooth bending of the arms in front of the body itself, the handle should reach chest level, the load should not touch the stops.
7) After completing the required number of repetitions on one arm, turn your other side to the machine and perform the same number on the other. Execution speed is moderate.
Some tips:
1. From the beginning to the end of the exercise, do not try to relax your abs and lower back muscles; also try to keep your spine in a state of bend and your torso in a vertical position.
2. Do not bend your wrist until the end of the exercise, but keep everything in one line: hand and forearm.
3. The elbow of the hand performing the exercise should be kept as close to the side of the body as possible. If you abduct your elbow, the load shifts to another muscle group.
4. This exercise can also be performed with both hands.
Extension of arms on a block (Crossover)
A fairly common, convenient and effective exercise that is suitable for both women and men. This exercise has several options. The technique is as follows:
- Stand facing the machine, grab the handle of the block so that your hands look down and your elbows are pressed to your body.
- Inhale, straighten your elbows so that they do not come off the body, and exhale at the end point.
There are several types of handles to perform this exercise on the Crossover. It is best to use a rope as this will allow maximum use of all muscle heads and prevent extension at the wrists. In this case, you need to keep your arms parallel to each other; to maximize the inclusion of the medial head at the end point, you can add wrist supination. To maximally load the lower triceps, perform three-quarter movements.
Another variation of arm extension on the upper block can be a change in the position of the hand. In this case, you need to grab the handle with your palms facing up. This will allow you to add forearm muscles to work:
- Extensor carpi radialis brevis;
- Extensor digitorum;
- Extensor carpi ulnaris;
- Extensor carpi radialis longus;
- Elbow muscle.
You can perform arm extensions in Crossover separately. There is also a special handle for this. The technique is the same. To get acquainted with it, we offer the video below.
Extension of the arm with a dumbbell from behind the head
Mission: pump up the top and middle of all three heads, draw the top of the triceps.
Number of approaches: 3-4 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
Execution technique
1) We sit on a bench, placing our feet firmly on the floor. Then we take the dumbbell in the right hand, or in the left, it doesn’t matter, straighten your back.
2) Then raise the dumbbell up to a vertical position. We bend the elbow joint and thereby place the dumbbell behind the head. The grip should be neutral, that is, the palm is directed forward, the little finger is in the upper position.
3) Starting position: the elbow of the hand with which the exercise will be performed should be directed upward, the torso position should be vertical, the lower back should be slightly curved, the chin should be parallel to the floor.
4) Have you accepted the starting position? Now take a deep breath and hold your breath, using your triceps muscles to lift the dumbbell. Do not forget that movement should be carried out only in the elbow joint, the rest of the body is motionless.
5) As soon as the dumbbell reaches the top point and the arm reaches a vertical position, hold for 1-2 seconds and, exhaling, tighten your triceps as much as possible.
6) At the final stage, we bend the arm, without relaxing the triceps, and smoothly return the dumbbell to its original position. A short pause and perform the next repetition.
7) Having done the required amount on one hand, transfer the dumbbell to the other and perform the same number of repetitions.
Some tips:
1. Keep your back straight, do not twist it. This causes you to lean your torso forward, which puts a lot of pressure on the spinal discs and shoulder joint. Follow the technique until the end of the set.
2. Keep the upper part of your arm, which is the space from the shoulder to the elbow, in a vertical position, do not shift it, otherwise the effectiveness of this exercise will not be as significant, and displacement also causes a greater load on the elbow, which is not good.
3. Do not straighten your arm until the elbow joints lock.
4. Can be performed both sitting and standing (it will make it easier to keep the torso in an upright position).
Bent over arm extension with dumbbell
Mission: will allow you to express the relief of the triceps, pump up all three heads, mostly the lower part.
Number of approaches: 2-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
Execution technique
1) Find a bench, stand sideways to it and rest your left palm and the same knee on it. We place the right leg a little back, this is necessary so that the body takes a horizontal position.
The supporting arm is located perpendicular to the bench and should be in a straightened state. You can also not use your knee to push, but simply spread your legs apart, but you must ensure that your back is arched in the lower back and your body is parallel to the floor.
2) Grab a dumbbell, the grip is neutral, that is, your palms are directed towards the body, tense your muscles, bending your arm, raising your elbow just above your back, maybe at the level of your back.
In this position, the elbow joint should be at a right angle, your forearms should be strictly perpendicular to the floor, and the dumbbell should hang freely.
3) Take a deep breath and fixate your breathing, strain your triceps muscles and try to straighten your arm, while keeping the top of your working arm motionless.
4) At the highest point, the arm should be straightened and in line with the body or slightly higher.
5) Also at the top point, exhale and tension the triceps to the maximum. Keeping your upper arm stationary, slowly lower the dumbbell to the starting position.
6) Perform the exercise without various jerks and pushes. After completing the required number of repetitions to the right, switch to the other hand.
Some tips:
1. Take the correct position with your body; if your shoulders are positioned higher than your hips, the amplitude will be reduced - this will not allow you to maximally load the triceps muscles.
2. Correct execution technique leads to efficiency. Don't forget to hold your breath to hold your body.
3. Don't use dumbbells that are too heavy.
4. Do not turn your body, lifting your shoulder up - this curves the spine and takes the load off the triceps.
Biceps workout
As for the biceps, for its maximum hypertrophy it is advisable to use alternating arm curls from two main positions: when the shoulder is in line with the body and when the shoulder is retracted posteriorly relative to the body. I’ll explain why this is so: alternating curls give clearer mental control over the muscle being worked and allow you to concentrate 100% on working the biceps on both sides. Changing the position of the shoulder relative to the body ensures a shift in emphasis from the short head of the biceps (shoulders pressed to the body) to the long head (shoulder retracted posteriorly). It is important to understand that in each variant the entire muscle contracts, as a whole, only the degree of involvement of the muscle bundles in the movement changes.
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Standing dumbbell curls
- The starting position is standing, the best option is to press your back and elbows against a fixed support, eliminating rocking movements of the body. Forearms supinated, dumbbells in hands. The forearm is located in line with the wrist.
- The arm is bent at the elbow joint to an angle of 100 degrees, that is, not completely (ideally, you should bend your arm until you feel maximum tension in the biceps). If you bring the dumbbell to the shoulder joint, you will thereby remove some of the load from the working muscle and lose a bit of the efficiency of the movement.
The most effective mode of performing the exercise: under control and slowly extend the working arm at the elbow, without allowing the biceps to completely relax, perform the specified number of repetitions with the working limb, then move on to working the second arm.
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Alternate bending with dumbbells while sitting at an angle of 45 degrees
Optimal IP - sitting on a bench, back at an angle of 45 degrees. Hands with dumbbells hang freely at the sides of the body. The position of the hands coincides with that described above in paragraph 1. The essence of the exercise is to bend the arm at the elbow joint, without additional movement of the shoulder. The technique of the movement itself is the same as described above.
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Simultaneous barbell curl
- I.P. corresponds to what is described in paragraph 1. The barbell is fixed with lowered hands, at hip level, grip shoulder-width apart. The bar can be used either curved or Olympic; EZ, of course, is preferable, as it allows you to work more comfortably and, accordingly, better concentrate on the work of the target muscles.
- We bend our arms at the elbow joints under control to an angle of approximately 100 degrees, fix ourselves at the point of maximum tension of the biceps, and under control return the barbell to its original position.
Simple triceps workout at home
They usually start with a light warm-up to prepare the body for further stress. We spend 5 to 10 minutes on it.
Next is the easiest exercise. It looks like this.
- We do flexion and extension of the arms while lying down. But one feature should be taken into account: we place our hands as close to each other as possible to form a triangle. On the count of “one” you need to lower yourself, while pressing your hands as close to the body as possible, on the count of “two” we rise. When we practice, we try at the top point fix the position so that the triceps work to their maximum potential. In addition, we move the body slightly forward.
- The next exercise will be called a reverse push-up. We will need a bench or any other piece of furniture similar to it.
For example, a chair and a bed. It is desirable that they be of the same level. You need to rest your hands on the headboard of the bed and put your feet on a chair. We place our hands approximately shoulder-width apart. We begin to bend and straighten them at the elbows. The body must be kept straight. At the extreme points the position must be fixed.
In other variations, you can find this exercise without lifting your legs onto a chair. The easiest way to do push-ups is if you bend your knees. This is a level that even a beginner can master. Try to squat as deeply as possible.
A more difficult position is with extended legs. And if you raise them to an elevation, then this will be the most labor-intensive option.
If this exercise seems very easy for you, then without any problems you can put any weight on your feet, even a suitcase with nails.
- Let's not move far from our units and we will do exercises called Hannibal push-ups. Ideally, it is performed on a wall bars, but you can get by with simpler means at hand. We rest our hands on the headboard of the bed, placing them as narrowly as possible. We keep our body straight and try to get as low as possible. Then we return to the starting position with outstretched arms. When performing any exercise, we try to bend and straighten the arm at the elbow as much as possible. Do you feel your triceps working?
- You can do push-ups on one arm. That is, this is a completely standard body position, only one hand is placed behind the back or pressed to the side. Your feet can be placed on some kind of platform or stand to make the task more difficult.
- There is another option for push-ups - on the edge of the fist. The hardest thing to do is if you lock your hands.
- After we have worked with our weight, it is advisable to find objects that you will use as weights. Ideally, this should be a collapsible dumbbell weighing about 20 kg. If you don’t have dumbbells, then you can get by with a 16 kg weight. As a last resort, take a regular backpack, a briefcase with a heavy load, or a 5-liter bottle of water. We will do dumbbell presses or overhead weights. We take our power unit and hold it behind our head with slightly bent arms. And we begin to bend and straighten our arms. If the weight of your load seems insignificant to you, increase the number of repetitions. You can work with each hand individually.
Pumping the triceps on the horizontal bar or on the uneven bars
In my opinion, this is a job for people who are more physically prepared.
Let's start with the simplest. We approach the bar, take ourselves high enough and try to give the body a straight line with a slight slope. We begin to do push-ups. This will give us the opportunity to warm up the ligaments.
On the next approach, we take it a little lower. The closer to the ground we do push-ups, the more difficult this complex will be. Accordingly, load and efficiency increase.
One arm pull-ups. The highlight of this exercise is that we do pull-ups in any style: either jerkily or very slowly. The main thing is to lower yourself very smoothly, using the full strength of this muscle as much as possible.
Next comes the reverse push-up on the bar. We stand with our back to her, and then, grasping with our palms, we bend and straighten our arms at the elbows.
The bar should be at the level of your shoulders and your body lifts off the ground when performed correctly. In fact, you swing in the air by bending and straightening your arms. It is important to perform this exercise quite sharply.
Now we do straight push-ups on the bar. This is a very difficult exercise, because you will not only have to keep your body balanced at an angle, but also bend and straighten your elbows.
If you have a ladder like a wall bars in your arsenal, then you can bend down lower and do push-ups with a narrow grip. The elbows should be pressed as close to the body as possible.
The most effective exercises will be when working with parallel bars. In this case, push-ups on uneven bars have proven themselves to be excellent. Try to press your elbows as close to your body as possible. You can make it more difficult by trying to keep your body parallel to the ground.
Of course, there is no point in doing everything here. Choose 3 or 4 exercises from this complex and work with them during one workout. In general, if you systematically do at least some of these exercises, you will quickly turn your triceps into beautiful muscles.
The best exercises for chest and triceps
The best chest exercises
1. Push-ups
Some may consider the push-up to be old-fashioned, but it is incredible for not only chest strength, but for functional strength throughout the body.
Unlike the bench press, the push-up allows your shoulder blades to move freely as they are not pinned down by the bench. This adds a component of dynamic stability to the back of the body that pure isolation movements like cable crossovers can't do, and helps build a more functional chest and upper back.
Most guys treat push-ups as a finishing exercise, doing lots of reps to burn out their chest, but it's best to make them a priority. You'll get more out of your push-ups if you load them with chains, sandbags, or a weight plate and do sets of 5-15.
Dumbbells, bench press
This favorite technique for all lifters allows for a full range of motion in the shoulders for maximum chest extension. It's great for building muscle, but the fact that the dumbbell press also allows for natural wrist rotation is key for long-term growth and injury prevention.
Unlike the barbell press, your joints can move in the path that suits them, rather than the one predetermined by the barbell your arms are attached to. Dumbbells are also great for establishing neuromuscular connections. That is, your ability to concentrate on the muscles you are working in order to better activate them.
You can take advantage of these benefits while bench pressing, at a slight incline of 10-20 degrees (place a plate or two under the leg of the bench), or at an incline of up to 45 degrees.
Bench press
This is a standard, upper body strength meter. This exercise should be the foundation of any advanced lifting program if you make a couple of modifications (and can do it without shoulder pain).
“The mistake people make is they sit on the same flat bench with the same grip on the same barbell every time,” Rusin says. -You need some variety with the bench press to maintain your chest growth and avoid overuse injuries. Modest angles work wonders to increase tension in the upper and lower rib cage.”
Change your grip from time to time. Most people will be comfortable with a slightly narrow grip. Think about where your grip is stronger and move it an inch on each hand. Rusin says that newbies should change the nuances of their work every month. Advanced lifters can change them every week.
