3 Triceps Training Tips

When looking to obtain bigger arms, most people start always with their biceps. What they fail to realize is that the triceps actually constitutes ¾ of the arm size and that only by developing bigger triceps will they fill up those t-shirt sleeves they’ve been wanting. Secondly, strong triceps will aid you in a stronger bench and military press. As the secondary prime mover on both those exercises it’s important to have strong, functional and aesthetic triceps.

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1. Choose multi-joint exercises that you can load more weight on –

It’s easy to just go up to a cable pulley machine and attach a rope or D-handle and perform some reps of cable extensions, but what you want to do is develop strong and big triceps. In order to do so, choose exercises that the triceps will have the heaviest load on. For example, exercises such as: weighted dips or dips weighted machine, skullcrushers, close grip bench presses and overhand dumbbell or barbell extensions. These are exercises you can definitely go heavier and will target all three heads of the triceps. These movements should be the base foundation to your triceps training. Try and keep your rep range (after a proper triceps warm-up) of about 6 to highest 10 reps. This will focus on strength and size.

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2. Choose different exercises for different heads –

The triceps is compromised of three muscle heads; lateral, medial and long. Even though all triceps exercises will always target all three heads, certain exercises will put a bit more emphasis on each head. For example, when your hands are parallel to each other (palms facing each other) and you attach a rope attachment for rope extensions on pulley, you will be adding slightly more focus to the lateral head (outside portion) of your triceps. When you position yourself with your elbows facing up (like a skullcrusher) than the tendency is more emphasis on the long head. Switching the angles from workout to workout while maintaining Point 1 above you will be able to develop three dimensional triceps.

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3. Allow for the stretch to occur –

One of the biggest mistakes I see many do is allowing the eccentric (the lengthening portion of the exercise) portion of the movement go to waste. Control the entire movement and allow for the triceps to get a full stretch with whatever exercise you are doing. You might want to choose a lighter weight as you will notice that controlling the eccentric portion of the movement is not easy. Allow for that full stretch of the triceps to occur and than extend the elbow and get a full contraction of the triceps

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Example Routine

Exercise 1 – Close Grip Bench Press

4 Sets – 12-10-8-6 Reps

Exercise 2 – Incline Bench SkullCrushers

4Sets – 10-10-8-8

Exercise 3 – Rope Extensions on High Cable Pulley

4Sets – 10 Reps

Exercise 4 – Bodyweight Dips Superset with Bodyweight Close Grip PushUps

3 Sets – Failure on Both

#triceps