This post follows the series describing how to design adequate routines for training the different body-parts. This chapter provides you with the general guidelines for proper triceps training.
The size of your arms is highly determined by your triceps, since it covers about 2/3 of the muscle mass while the biceps covers only the remaining 1/3. The triceps brachii consists of three heads: the long head (a.k.a. inner head), the lateral head (a.k.a. outer head) and the medial head. The main function of the triceps is to extend the elbow (straightening the arm). In addition, the long head of the muscle is also the responsible of bringing the arm down towards the body. For this reason, the medial and lateral heads are recruited only by movements at the elbow joint, while the long head can be recruited by movements occurring at both the elbow and shoulder joints.
Your triceps routine must include exercises for stimulating the three heads of the muscle, using both compound movements and isolation exercises. Don’t use too much exercises (2 or 3 exercises will be enough), because the triceps receives already some work when working the chest and the shoulders and since it is an explosive and small muscle, it tires quickly.
Compound exercises involving the triceps include the french press and its variations (e.g. skull crushers or lying triceps extension), the close-grip bench press (which involves also the chest and the anterior deltoid to a great extend) and parallel dips (keeping your body straight up for hitting more the triceps and less the chest). These exercises provide an overall stimulation for all the triceps heads. This also occurs with triceps pushdowns (using a straight bar, a v-bar for a more natural wrist position or a d-ring attachment for the one-arm version), but this is more an isolation exercise.
Although previous exercises stimulate the long head of the triceps to some extend, if you need additional work for this head, you can use exercises in which your arms are raised overhead, such as overhead triceps extensions (barbell, dumbbell or cable variations). Focusing on the medial head and the lateral head is probably trickier. However, you can target the medial head to some extent performing exercises that use a hammer grip, such as triceps kickbacks (one arm at a time or both arms at the same time), the dumbbell french press (one arm at a time or both arms at the same time) or rope pushdowns (pulling your hands to the side at the end of the movement for achieving a better contraction). For recruiting the lateral head you can perform exercises using a reverse grip (i.e. supinated grip, the same you use in biceps curls), such as reverse pushdowns, reverse cable overhead extensions, reverse one-arm pushdowns or the reverse french press.
Proper execution is very important when training your triceps. Perform strict movements, keeping your elbows as close together as you can, and maintaining constant tension on the muscle. In addition, use full range of motion, emphasizing the muscle contraction and achieving a good stretch during the negative part of the movement.
If you need more information for designing your triceps workout, you can read the article “Tri’d & True: Your Journey to Dubs…” by Mike Hajoway or the article “Training the Triceps!” included in the I.C.E. Training Program developed by Big Cat.
The size of your arms is highly determined by your triceps, since it covers about 2/3 of the muscle mass while the biceps covers only the remaining 1/3. The triceps brachii consists of three heads: the long head (a.k.a. inner head), the lateral head (a.k.a. outer head) and the medial head. The main function of the triceps is to extend the elbow (straightening the arm). In addition, the long head of the muscle is also the responsible of bringing the arm down towards the body. For this reason, the medial and lateral heads are recruited only by movements at the elbow joint, while the long head can be recruited by movements occurring at both the elbow and shoulder joints.
Your triceps routine must include exercises for stimulating the three heads of the muscle, using both compound movements and isolation exercises. Don’t use too much exercises (2 or 3 exercises will be enough), because the triceps receives already some work when working the chest and the shoulders and since it is an explosive and small muscle, it tires quickly.
Compound exercises involving the triceps include the french press and its variations (e.g. skull crushers or lying triceps extension), the close-grip bench press (which involves also the chest and the anterior deltoid to a great extend) and parallel dips (keeping your body straight up for hitting more the triceps and less the chest). These exercises provide an overall stimulation for all the triceps heads. This also occurs with triceps pushdowns (using a straight bar, a v-bar for a more natural wrist position or a d-ring attachment for the one-arm version), but this is more an isolation exercise.
Although previous exercises stimulate the long head of the triceps to some extend, if you need additional work for this head, you can use exercises in which your arms are raised overhead, such as overhead triceps extensions (barbell, dumbbell or cable variations). Focusing on the medial head and the lateral head is probably trickier. However, you can target the medial head to some extent performing exercises that use a hammer grip, such as triceps kickbacks (one arm at a time or both arms at the same time), the dumbbell french press (one arm at a time or both arms at the same time) or rope pushdowns (pulling your hands to the side at the end of the movement for achieving a better contraction). For recruiting the lateral head you can perform exercises using a reverse grip (i.e. supinated grip, the same you use in biceps curls), such as reverse pushdowns, reverse cable overhead extensions, reverse one-arm pushdowns or the reverse french press.
Proper execution is very important when training your triceps. Perform strict movements, keeping your elbows as close together as you can, and maintaining constant tension on the muscle. In addition, use full range of motion, emphasizing the muscle contraction and achieving a good stretch during the negative part of the movement.
If you need more information for designing your triceps workout, you can read the article “Tri’d & True: Your Journey to Dubs…” by Mike Hajoway or the article “Training the Triceps!” included in the I.C.E. Training Program developed by Big Cat.
Posts
1 comment:
Thanks for writting this
Post a Comment