Tricep Workouts

Imagine having a perfectly toned and beefy body, with the exception of well-built triceps? Quite embarrassing, right! While you have worked vigorously to develop well-toned biceps and chest, triceps just cannot be left behind. Well-built triceps add to the overall appearance and personality of a person. So, why discount the triceps and decrease the persona? Tricep muscles constitute 2/3 of the arm. As such, working on them becomes essential to increase the arm size and strength. By working on your tricep muscles, you would be building a muscular upper body, thereby assisting both the chest and shoulder as well. Given here is a triad of exercises that will effectively help you achieve those toned and well-developed tricep muscles. Read on further to know them.

 

 

Dips are the basic workouts for building triceps. Apart from working on the triceps, dips make a great workout exercise for chest and shoulders too. Place your hands on a pair of parallel bars, such that the palms are facing each other. Straighten your arms and support yourself between the bars. Gradually lower your arms while lowering your body between the bars till the elbows reach a 90 degrees angle. Hold this position for a second and push up to the start position locking your arms at the top.

 

Just as the name suggests, these are bench presses with a narrower grip as opposed to the standard bench presses. While working heavily on the triceps, close grip bench presses work on the chest and shoulders as well. Lie flat on the bench press with your feet flat on the ground on either side of the bench. Grab the barbell such that your index fingers are no farther than six inches. Straighten your arms and lift the barbell off the rack. Lower the barbell so that the weight falls on the mid-chest section, just before it touches your pectorals. Push the barbell upward till you reach the starting position and feel the pressure in your triceps. Do not completely straighten your elbows. However, squeeze your triceps during the contraction.

 

A variation of the regular push ups, this exercise effectively works on the triceps. Lie flat on the ground facing downwards. Position your palms flat on the floor with the index fingers and thumbs touching each other. The closer the hands, the more effective the tricep workout will be. Keep your torso and legs in a straight line and start pushing yourself up supporting your upper body with your arms. For a better balance, keep your feet at shoulder width distance. Lower your body till your chest is one inch above the floor. Hold the pose for about a second and push up back to the initial position.

 

To work on the large inner head of the tricep muscle, try out the French presses. It is advised to take help from a qualified trainer so that you do not injure yourself, while doing this exercise. Lie flat on a flat bench with your feet on either side of the bench at shoulder width distance. With the help of your trainer, grab a barbell with both your hands placed at a little less than shoulder width. Push up the barbell until it reaches the arm length right above your shoulders. Using only your forearms, bend the barbell in an arc motion landing it above your forehead at an inch distance. Your arms will now form an upside down “V” shape. Push up the barbell back to the start position in the same arc motion using your triceps.

 

Grab a dumbbell in one hand and stand straight with your feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bend forward. Raise your arm straight above your head holding the dumbbell. Bend the arm to form a 90 degrees angle. This is the starting position. Bend your elbow behind your back to bring down the dumbbell. Bring back your elbow to the initial position and repeat 10 times. Switch the dumbbell to the other hand and repeat another 10 times. Carry out three sets of tricep curls.