Complete Workout Guide

Arms - Triceps

Tricep Information

The triceps brachii, commonly called the triceps,  is located on the back part of your upper arm.  It is the primary responsible muscle for the extension of the elbow joint.  Triceps are personally my favorite muscle to workout.  I like the feeling after a good triceps workout, where you can’t even extend your arm all the way out because the muscle is so sore.  I love doing different triceps exercises, I don’t know why but I just love the feeling of a good tricep workout.  My triceps respond pretty well to free weight workouts, so they grow relatively fast.  An interesting thing about the triceps muscle is that it encompasses nearly 2/3rd of your upper arm, meaning if you want to get bigger arms then you will need to hit your triceps extremely hard.  Many people are under the assumption that the bicep muscle is most of the upper arm, when in reality it is the triceps that make up the vast majority of it.  Due to the fact that the arm is mainly composed of the triceps muscle, it makes it incredibly important to work out this muscle if we wish to get stronger and bigger arms.  Triceps are responsible for punches, for puling, pushing, and many other movements that make it necessary to stregethen this muscle if we wish to achieve an overall increase in strength.

Triceps Workout and Exercises

Here are some of my favorite triceps exercises, keep in mind that there are a vast many different exercises that you can do.  Some of my favorite tricep exercises include tricep dips, overhead extension, tricep kickbacks, close grip bench press, tricep cable push downs, and skull crushers.

Close Grip Bench Press

Description

-Lie down on the flat bench press.
-Place your feet flat on the floor on each side of the bench.
-Spread your thumbs out and grip the bar equally with your thumbs touching each other.
-Now tuck your thumbs in.
-Lift the bar off the rack and pick it up all the way, over your chest.
-Now lower it. Lower it to about 2-4 inches off your chest. As your doing this, keep your elbows tucked in close. Do not let your arms go out to the side because this can cause an injury.
-Now pick it back up using only your triceps.

This exercise really builds definition in your triceps, it works all three heads of the muscle and is one of the best for it.  The closer your grip on the bar, the more your triceps get worked out.  The close grip bench press also works out your chest and shoulders, which makes it a great compound lift.  I highly reccomend the close grip bench press in your tricep workout.

Recommended Amount: 3 sets of 8 reps, one-two times a week

Skull Crushers or Skull Breakers

Description

- Lie on back.
- Hold barbell in hands as shown.
- Bend elbows, lowering barbell toward forehead.
- Straighten elbows and repeat.

They call these skull crushers for a reason, it is almost like you stop the barbel right before it hits your head.  Be sure to slow the barbells descent as it approaches your head.  This exercise is great for the triceps, it is good for building huge mass on those arms.  The skull crushers are one of my favorite exercises and they are really good for building mass.  Just be careful and be sure to keep those elbows tucked in.

Recommended Amount: 3 sets of 8 reps, one-two times a week