What many people don’t realise is that the triceps make up 70% of your arm width, so any one hoping to build big arms should focus on triceps just as much as biceps.
Triceps need to be worked from different angles to really develop them.
Here are the top exercises for the triceps muscle
Lying Triceps Extensions
Lie down on a bench with your head just at the end.
Hold a barbell with an overhand grip up in front of your face.
Without moving the position of your elbows lower the bar to just behind your head. Press the weight back up to the starting position again.
Variations include using an EZ bar or using a solitary dumbbell held at one end.
Triceps Presses
Hold a barbell above your head either with you standing or sitting down, slowly lower the bar to behind your head and from there push back up to the starting position again with control.
Variations include using a special EZ bar that you hold with a more wrist friendly grip.
Close Grip Bench Press
This is like the bench press except your hands are holding the bar close together. This works your triceps instead of your chest.
Hold the bar with your hands close together on it. Press the weight up using your triceps muscles. Slowly lower the weight back down again to the start.
Dumbbell Kick Backs
Stand with one leg rested on a bench and your hand holding the edge of the bench. Bend at the waist and with the free hand hold a dumbbell with your arm raised up to your side. Keeping your elbows stationary, contract your triceps muscle and press the weight back until your arm is straight.
Remember not to move your elbow from your side at any point during the movement.
Hold the weight at the top of the movement and give your triceps a squeeze and lower the weight again while all the time keeping your arm up and to your side.
Lat Machine Pressdowns
Hold the lat machine bar with an overhand grip about chest level, press the bar down as far as possible while keeping your body straight so as not to cheat on the exercise by using your body weight. Let the bar up slowly to chest level again and start the next rep.
Variations include different grips on the bar or using a rope ties to the the cable instead of a bar.
