Most people starting out in body building or weight lifting often pay too much attention to the biceps. They are the glamour muscles that are most easily ‘shown off’. In actual fact, the triceps can be three times as big as the biceps when fully developed. This in itself should warrant any serious body builder to pay more attention to his triceps workout. There are three exercises that one must include in any triceps workout. These exercises truly isolate and work the triceps from multiple angles, leading to greater growth and benefits for the triceps.
3. Dips
The final exercise you should include in your triceps workout is the Dip.
Using a chair or a bench against a wall, place both hands palms down on the chair with legs facing away from the chair. Body should be upright, elbows locked and legs inclined stretching straight out. This is the starting position as shown in the diagram below.
Begin by bending your elbows and lowering your body slowly towards the chair, keeping your body and legs as straight as possible. Allow your body to be lower as much as possible.
Once the maximum point has been reach, push yourself upwards explosive by extending your elbows till they are locked again.
That is considered one repetition. Continue the same process for the required number of repetitions for your triceps workout.
1. Overhead Dumbbell Extensions
Begin your triceps workout with this exercise. Starting with any arm, grab a dumbbell and lift it into an overhead position. Extend your arm vertically and keep it straight up above your head. Palms should be facing forward whilst holding the dumbbell. With the other hand, grab hold of the opposite elbow to support the exercise arm gently.
Start the exercise by bending your arm at the elbow and lower the dumbbell slowly towards the back of your head. Induce a full range of motion by lowering the dumbbell as far back and down as possible. During this movement, keep your upper arm as straight and vertical as possible. Your other hand supporting the elbow should help. This will isolate triceps contraction in this triceps workout.
Return the dumbbell to the original position slowly without compromising the arm position again. This action of extending the elbow will force maximal contraction in the triceps.
Perform the number of repetitions and sets based on your triceps workout objective.
2. Diamond Push-Ups
The second exercise in your triceps workout is this exercise.
Adopt a 3-point starting position on the ground with both hands (palm down) and both feet together with toes on the ground. Body should be straight and weight should only be supported by hands and feet. Allow both your thumbs to touch and both your index fingers to touch whilst pressing against the floor. This should form a diamond shape with your hands.
With head up and looking forward, lower the entire body slowly towards the ground until the chest almost touches the ground slightly. Keep elbows tugged in and touching the body as much as possible. At that instance, push up from the ground vigorous until the starting position again.
That is considered one repetition. Continue the same process for the required number of repetitions in your triceps workout.
There are many other exercises that you can include in your triceps workout. The advantages of these three exercises are that they isolate triceps contraction and work the triceps from a variety of angles. This should stimulate maximal muscle growth. These three muscles need not be done in every workout, but they should be included every so often in your triceps workout program in the long term.