And it's time to pump the triceps in order to maximize the volume of the arm, which depends on the mass of this muscle group by a third.
Triceps brachii, more commonly known simply as triceps, is the triceps brachii muscle: it has a lateral, medium, and long head. Since it has one more head than the biceps, the attention paid to working it out with the help of weights will quickly make you the owner of massive arms. Of course, you should not neglect the biceps either - otherwise it will lead to a very strange looking imbalance, and you will also have nothing to do in arm wrestling competitions - but it is definitely worth including the presented triceps movements at home in your workouts.
Quickly pump up your arms: push-ups on the uneven bars with weights, bench press with a narrow grip, extension of the arms while sitting, push-ups with a narrow grip with cotton, extension of the arms on the simulator.
Do you want big hands? Focus on the triceps! One common place for anyone who lifts weights is to pump massive arms. Everyone does it for their own reasons, but if you have experience and a balanced workout, it makes things a lot easier and helps you rock anyway. Knowing why and how to pump arms is important in and of itself, however we think the information below will be helpful to anyone interested in weight training.
If you want to have big arms, it is very important to pay attention to the triceps. Many people think that the most important thing in the arms is the biceps, but this is not true, because it makes up only 1/3 of the muscles of the upper arm. The remaining 2/3 is triceps. Do you want big hands? Do these 5 exercises to pump up the triceps, including at home.
Want to push more weight? Stop training your biceps (at the very least, stop training just that). Besides the fact that triceps make up 2/3 of the mass of muscle tissue, it is often statistically the weakest muscle in the group. Use these triceps exercises at the gym to gain more mass in the right areas.
Before you dive into training programs and start jumping with dumbbells like a gorilla, you need to understand the structure of the human body and how muscles work in conjunction with one another. Basic concepts of anatomy and physiology will help you create a meaningful program for yourself, monitor form, posture and results.
Triceps consists of three heads, passing between the shoulder blade and one of the bones of the shoulder (ulna). These heads are known as lateral, medium and long.
- Lateral head - located on the outer side of the long humerus and is responsible for movements that require high intensity strength.
- The middle head is located along the shoulder, it is mainly covered by the long and lateral heads. It is predominantly responsible for slow movements of low intensity.
- The long head is the longest of the 3 heads, located mostly along the bottom of the humerus. The long head is used when sustained effort is needed or when cooperation and control of the shoulder and/or elbow joint is needed.
Here we list them from the heaviest compound movements that engage multiple muscle groups (which are natural synergists with chest pressing movements) to lighter isolation exercises that are best done in high volume towards the end of the workout to pump up the arms at the end. If your goal is the latter, get ready for serious muscle strength - triceps are more prone to it than any other muscle.
Triceps, like all other muscles in the body, consists of fast and slow fibers. Fast fibers are easier to work with and tend to be used with heavy weights for low reps. Slow fibers are harder to activate and respond to high repetitions. Preparing the slow fibers before your main workout with a few high reps will help start the growth of all fiber types.
A proven and effective method to engage both fiber types in the triceps:
Extension of the arms on the upper block - 2 sets of 20 reps (light weight)
Close grip bench press - 4 sets of 5-8 reps (heavy weight)
The best exercises for pumping triceps
We have prepared a list of the most effective movements for the mass and definition of the triceps brachii and divided them into two groups.
Extension of arms on the upper block
Grab the rope handle fixed to the top mount. The palms should face each other. Pull on the handle to lift the weight, keeping your elbows close to your torso. Keeping your torso stationary, extend your arms down and out to the sides to engage your triceps, then slowly return to the starting position. Women can perform effectively.
Close grip bench press
Lie down on a horizontal bench, grasp the bar with an overhand grip, the hands should be about 20 cm apart. Plant your feet firmly on the floor and push the barbell out with a powerful movement, then slowly lower it back so that it is directly above the sternum.
Push-ups on the uneven bars
Rest on the bars with outstretched arms and hold a light dumbbell between your feet or attach the weight to your belt. To engage your triceps, keep your torso upright. Bring your arms close to your body, bend and lower until your arms are at the correct 90-degree angle, then return to the starting position with a powerful movement. Good for triceps.
Bench push-ups for triceps
Sit on the edge of a bench with your feet on the opposite bench. Transfer the weight of the body to the hands, the palms should rest against the edge of the bench, the fingers look forward. Lower your body until your arms are at an angle of approximately 90 degrees, then return to the starting position with a powerful movement.
Push-ups with a narrow grip
Perform a standard push-up, only the palms should be narrower than the width of the shoulders. Lower yourself until your chest touches your arms, then rise until your arms are fully extended. In this way, you will perform a full range of motion and work your pecs and triceps with high efficiency.
French press with dumbbells
Lie down on a bench, take a light dumbbell in each hand, arms should be straightened vertically upwards. Keep your shoulders still and bend your elbows so that the weights drop on the sides of your head, then return your arms to the starting position.
Standing tricep extension
Stand up straight, lift the dumbbell over your head, keep your hand close to your ear. Keep your shoulder still, bend your arm so that the dumbbell is behind your head, then straighten your elbow and return your arm to a vertical position.
Block pull from behind the head
Here we again need a simulator with cables, but this time stand with your back to the mount. Grasp the handles, palms should look at each other, move away from the simulator to lift the weight. Hands should be wound behind the head, elbows are tense, straighten them as if with both hands a soccer ball, then return to the starting position. The exercise is highly effective.
Arm extension with elastic band
The second version of the exercise:
Grab the elastic band with one hand behind your head, hold the other end of the tape with the other hand behind your back, press your hand to the body. Keep the shoulder of the upper arm motionless, straighten the elbow, overcoming the tension of the tape.
Top 5 exercises for massive triceps
There are many exercises that work the triceps, and many of them involve a wide range of muscles in the arm. There are, however, some that target almost exclusively the triceps and give the best results.
Although this article focuses primarily on the top five free weight triceps exercises, there are some that require the participation of machines. Remember that you can vary the basic triceps exercises and use the appropriate machines or weights, provided you understand the structure and function of the muscle groups involved.
Best Triceps Exercises: #1 - Weighted Bar Dips
The muscle becomes stronger if the burden increases. Its main source is additional weight. Bench push-ups mostly use your own body weight, however, to increase the load on the muscles, you can put extra weight on your hips.
Use two benches, place them at a distance of about one and a half meters from each other. Sit on one bench, put your heels on the opposite; adjust the distance between the benches depending on your height. Place your palms on the bench you are sitting on and slide forward, supporting yourself with your hands. Now slowly lower yourself until your arms are bent at a 90 degree angle. Freeze and push yourself up until your arms are fully extended.
Best Triceps Exercises: #2 - Close Grip Bench Press
In this bench press, the elbows should be kept close to the body, and the arms should not be wider than 30 cm from each other - the grip should not be wider than the shoulders. The close grip bench press focuses on the triceps muscle group, although the mechanics of the bench press also involve working the pecs as well as the biceps muscle group.
Take the bar off the rack, start with your arms fully extended and slowly lower the weight to your lower chest, keeping your elbows close to your body. As soon as you touch your chest, return the barbell to its original position with your arms fully extended.
Effective Triceps Exercises: #3 - Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press
This position equally distributes the load between the triceps. For this exercise, it is important to use a bench with adjustable parts to support your back. Take a dumbbell with a suitable weight and hold it with both hands. Lift the weight from behind your head.
Holding the dumbbell, gently lower it behind your head. Lower the weight so that it is flush with the bottom of the back of your head - don't let it pull you back too much to avoid straining your triceps during the exercise. Raise the dumbbell over your head again until your arms are fully extended and repeat.
Best Triceps Exercises: #4 - Close Grip Diamond Pushups
We talk a lot about how loads will make your muscles grow. If you want your muscles to increase in volume, they will have to work. You need to give them many tasks, from different angles and in different ways. It may seem a little unconventional, but this method will really push your triceps to their limits.
Place your hands under your chest in a push-up position, but place your palms side by side so that their index fingers and thumbs touch and form a diamond shape. Perform 10 push-ups in this way. In order to clap between push-ups, you have to push off with enough force to leave the floor high enough to clap your hands and then return to diamond shape.
Best Triceps Exercises: #5 - Overhead Rope Extension
This exercise can be performed on many machines. When using them, try to pick up the weight so that you can complete 10 exercises relatively easily, but still feel a burning sensation in the triceps. This movement requires a little more attention to form than the others. As you pull the cable, it is important that your elbows stay close to your sides and your back is straight.
If you spread your arms or somehow bend your back, part of the load will go to it and to the shoulders, which means that the exercise will not bring much benefit to the triceps.
Triceps training programs
For a beginner
- Close grip bench press - 3 sets of 10 reps
- Weighted bench presses - 2 sets of 12 reps
Intermediate level
- Close grip bench press - 3 sets of 8 reps
- Diamond push-ups from the bench - 3 sets of 12/10/8 reps
- Seated Dumbbell French Press - 2 sets of 12 reps
- Block pull in the simulator - 2 sets of 12 reps
For advanced
- Block pull in the simulator - 2 sets of 15 reps
- Close grip bench press - 3 sets of 6 reps
- Seated Dumbbell French Press - 2 sets of 8 reps
- Weighted dropset - 2 dropsets - perform to failure, then reduce the weight and do as many reps as you can to failure
- Push-ups with a narrow grip with cotton - 2 sets to failure
Add these best tricep volume exercises to your workout routine and you'll see results. When training to increase triceps muscle volume, remember that it is important to get enough nutrients and protein to support your body.
