How to pump up your triceps muscles. Exercises for pumping up the triceps

The triceps, like the blue-collar big brother, toils in obscurity in the shadow of its little brother the biceps, carrying its own load and providing assistance to the other muscles (chest and shoulders). In fact, the triceps are a larger muscle group than the biceps, and therefore, they need to be given special, “correct” attention. So how to properly pump up your triceps? Below you will find 5 main mistakes made when training triceps and, of course, new and effective ways his pumping.

#1 Not using all three heads of the triceps enough

As the name suggests, the triceps consists of three heads: long (upper inner), medial (lower inner) and lateral (outer). All three areas of the triceps always work together, so it is impossible to isolate one from the other. However, the angle of the palms changes the emphasis, loading the heads differently. Many athletes do not know how various exercises pump up their triceps and, thus, they overestimate their lateral part, underestimate their long and medial parts. Therefore, in order to properly pump up your triceps, Appropriate grips must be used.

• With a straight and neutral grip (extension on a block), the lateral parts are loaded to a greater extent.
• When the grip is reversed, the medial parts are worked more strongly. In fact, regardless of arm position, the medial heads are engaged in all triceps exercises as soon as the arms are fully extended. But in order to properly pump up the medial heads, be sure to include “pulley extensions” in your workout reverse grip".
• When the forearms are moved overhead (French presses), the long heads are loaded.

#2 Ineffective exercise order

There is no wrong order of exercises! However, it may not be effective. Changing their order can “shock” the triceps, which means pushing it to grow. For example, this is performing an isolating exercise first, after which you move on to the basic one. However, try to start most of your workouts with exercises where you can place the most stress on your triceps with the most resistance. Executing the "base" at the very beginning of your training, at the moment when you are the strongest, will allow you to properly and effectively pump up your triceps.

• Perform basic exercises first, such as barbell presses narrow grip" and "dip-ups".
• Then move on to double arm extensions with free weights.
• Finish the program with one-arm or cable exercises.
• You can change the order of exercises to overcome plateaus, but stick to this order for the majority of your triceps workouts.

#3 Paying too much attention to exercise equipment

Many athletes rely too much on various machines, including cable curls, to build their triceps. For example, bodybuilders often include 4 sets of “extensions with V-shaped handle and a rope." But these two similar exercises Stress the triceps in an almost identical way, emphasizing your laterals.

• Do compound exercises (which also work your chest and shoulders) in every triceps workout. Examples include “close-grip barbell press,” “dips,” and “ vertical push-ups on the bench."
• Do at least one triceps exercise with a curved bar or dumbbell. These could be “French bench presses with a curved bar” and “one-arm overhead extension with a dumbbell.”
• If you are doing two exercises on the block, then one should be performed with an overhand or neutral grip (to emphasize the lateral parts), and the other with a reverse grip (to emphasize the medial sides).

#4 Incorrect technique

To properly pump up the triceps and concentrate the load on it as much as possible, you need to lock your elbows in place. As soon as you begin to move your elbows forward, backward, or outward, you are transferring some of the load to your shoulders. This allows you to use more weight or do more reps, but by doing so you're making it easier on the triceps instead of targeting the triceps exclusively.

• Lock your arms in place for all reps until you reach failure. For example, when performing “block extensions”, it is enough to press them to the body and not allow them to deviate from this position.
• Once you reach the point of failure with strict form, you can loosen up your form to get through a few extra reps. This can be done by moving your elbows slightly forward during the negative part of the repetition and back during the positive part.

#5 Overtraining

Unlike other muscle groups, triceps are the most prone to overtraining. Most bodybuilders know that the triceps are larger than the biceps, so in pursuit of arm size they figure that if they do 12 sets for the biceps, it makes sense to do more sets for the larger muscle group. In addition, unlike the biceps, which only help when training the back muscles, the triceps provide indispensable support when training the chest and shoulder muscles. If you are training your chest, shoulders and triceps in different days, That Your Triple Muscle Gets a Triple Hit and probably doesn't get enough time to recover.

• Compared to other large muscles, such as the back and chest, the triceps is a small muscle. As a rule, to pump up the triceps, 12 approaches will be enough. If you're using a chest/triceps or shoulder/triceps split, consider doing even fewer sets of triceps because they've already received some load during the presses.
• Rest should be a minimum of 48 hours, and ideally 72 hours, between training your chest or shoulders and training your triceps. Use the appropriate split.

1. Engage different areas of the triceps - long, lateral and medial.
2. As a general rule, do the "base" first, then move to free weights, using two hands, and only then move on to exercises using one hand and block exercise machines.
3. Be sure to include free weights on your triceps day.
4. Lock your elbows in place until you reach muscle failure.
5. Perform no more than 12 triceps sets per workout, and always rest at least two days between the chest or shoulder workout and the triceps workout.

Triceps training program

This triceps training program can be included in your split in several ways: 1) After bench presses, i.e. after chest or shoulders 2) Set aside a day for arm training, i.e. biceps along with triceps 3) Set aside a day to train triceps alone.

NOTE: For the first and last exercises, increase the weight with each set.

Since the triceps make up 2/3 of the arm's volume, you shouldn't forget about it. Most people mainly pump their biceps, because... he is always in sight and almost immediately they try to lift up their sleeves and show him off. There won't be a big triceps and your arm will remain a straw.

Triceps is triceps shoulder The main function of this muscle is to straighten the arm elbow joint.

How to pump triceps?

For maximum development triceps, you need to train all three bundles. Basically, they train in the same way, which ultimately results in a disproportion in development.

Basic triceps exercises

Development of all bundles

Dips

Close grip press

Emphasis on the long head (when arms are raised)

French press

Extension of arms from behind the head

Emphasis on the lateral head (side beam)

Extension of arms on a block with a rope handle

I did not list all the exercises, because... any of them fully loads all 3 heads. These or those exercises simply help to shift the emphasis to a certain part, but I repeat, all 3 beams will work. If you see a lag in the development of a certain head of your triceps, then simply focus on the appropriate exercise.

1. If you do push-ups to develop the triceps, rather than the pectorals, then keep your arms pressed as close to your body as possible and your body position should be vertical. As soon as you spread your arms to the side and bend forward, most of the load will immediately go into your chest.

2. I don’t know why this happened, but all those who chase heavy weights in the French bench press have problems with their elbows. Place this exercise second or third so that your triceps are already tired and you don’t have to work with heavy weights.

3.Only full range of motion. Extend your triceps as much as possible and contract as much as possible (extending your arm fully).

4. If you do the bench press with a narrow grip, then, just like with the parallel bars, keep your elbows pressed as close to the body as possible, and do not lower the barbell completely to your chest (leave a gap of 10 cm), but work within the amplitude. If, as with a normal bench press, you lower the barbell, touching your chest, then thanks to the chest muscles you will squeeze the barbell and then it will move by inertia, but we need to load the triceps, not the chest.

5.Triceps strong muscle and according to my observations, she loves power load in the range of 6-10 repetitions. Regularly try to progress in the load. If you can do dips with 50kg of extra weight, your triceps will look decent.

My secret set of the best triceps exercises

Of course, there are no secrets, but personally, I have not seen anyone except me do these exercises, and I have done them in many gyms.

1.French bar press.

The great Arnie loved to do this exercise. The advantage of this exercise is that here you can stretch your triceps to the maximum by diving your head behind the bar. This exercise simply gives the most powerful pumping (blood pumping).

2. French bench press in a crossover with a lower handle.

Unlike a regular French press, due to the fact that the cable is constantly pulling back, a maximum, constant load is created without dead spots and rest.

3. Bent-over arm extension in crossover.

Again, due to the cable, the peak reduction. Perfectly details the triceps, gives a completely different feeling from regular exercises, and pushes your “horseshoe” up.

How to combine triceps with other muscles?

1. An excellent option to load the triceps after training the pectoral muscles. Because the triceps works in all pressing exercises, it has already done a great job, and now two exercises are enough to finish it off. In this option, he will rest for a week before the next training session.

2.You can train after the back, so there will be more strength on one side, because the triceps are fresh, and on the other hand, in the weekly cycle he will have fewer rest days.

3.Train on a separate day with biceps. Great for advanced levels.

Try all 3 options and find the one that suits you. You shouldn't copy someone else's diagram; most likely it won't suit you, because... The speed of recovery and structural features are different for everyone.

I also advise you to read the article “how to train your hands”, there are a number of useful recommendations there.

Have you decided to take up sports seriously or just “pump up your bitsukha”? It is necessary to pay attention to each muscle separately. Only harmoniously developed muscles of the whole body can evoke admiration and recognition from others. The triceps are extremely important because they make up about 70% of the shoulder muscles and give the arms a pronounced relief from the back, even when relaxed. However, before you start training, let's remember our anatomy lessons to better understand how to pump up your triceps with maximum results.

The triceps brachii muscle, or, as doctors call it, musculus triceps brachii, plays important role in the processes of extension. It is represented by three heads, called medial, lateral and long. Thanks to the latter, the ability of joints to extend is determined. Regarding muscle motility, it is worth remembering that when the biceps flexes, the triceps muscle extends, and vice versa.

The muscle mass of each head largely depends on the genetic data of the athlete. This explains the great desire of many athletes to dilute the training program with isolating triceps exercises, which have a greater impact on one of the three components.

Approach to training

All triceps exercises are divided by professional athletes into two groups, based on the name of the part that is more tense when performed. Most triceps exercises give full load to each head at the same time. The formation of one does not take place without the development of the others.

Lateral and medial:

1. Back push-ups;
2. Extensions from behind the head;
3. French bench press;
4. Close grip bench press;
5. Extensions on the upper block.

Long:

1. Bent over extensions;
2. Lowering the barbell behind your head while sitting;
3. Extensions with dumbbells lying at an angle;
4. French head press;
5. Block pull from the back of the head.

Naturally, such diversity is necessary for harmonious development. Since we are talking about harmony, it should be said that pumping triceps and chest on the same day is undesirable. Although there is widespread belief to the contrary.

Chest exercises also work your triceps at the same time. Therefore, it should not be particularly loaded. If you decide to combine the triceps and chest, then this can be compensated for by a special technique, according to which int
The intensity of the load should be alternated in order every week: medium - weak - strong.

Can't go to the gym? To fully pump up your muscles, you can use the best triceps exercises given below at home, which can replace the lack of special exercise equipment:

1. Close grip bench press;
2. Lowering the EZ-bar behind the head while sitting;
3. Back push-ups;
4. Push-ups between chairs or on parallel bars;
5. Narrow stance push-ups.

Some triceps exercises are fairly well known and don't need much consideration. If you doubt the correctness of your technique, then you can get acquainted with the execution techniques.

Technique for performing exercises for the medial and lateral heads

Back push-ups

We rest our hands on gymnastic bench or two chairs, a bed is perfect if you study at home. Legs extended. Inhaling, we lower ourselves down until the angle at the elbows becomes straight - 90 degrees. Exhaling, we raise our body up, straightening our arms. You can increase the load using delays in the lower or upper position.

Extensions from behind the head

We accept sitting position on a chair or bench. My feet press firmly into the floor. The back should be well arched at the lower back. We hold the dumbbell above us, with the elbow straight. Taking a breath, we lower our hand behind our back. Almost immediately, together with the exhalation, we straighten it back.

When performing this, you will have to monitor the shoulder joint so that it does not move. You can hold it with your free hand. A set should be made of 10-12 cycles.

French bench press

We lie down on the bench so that our back and buttocks are pressed tightly together. We rest our feet on the floor. We hold the bar above us with a girth shoulder-width apart. As you inhale, lower the barbell to your forehead. Make sure your shoulders and elbows form a right angle. After holding this position for a short time, we exhale and lift the barbell with a slight inclination away from the head, and immediately do the next approach. You need to do 3-4 sets of 12 repetitions.

Close grip bench press

We accept supine position on a horizontal bench. Grip with a distance of 3 fists. We lower the projectile to the chest. Together with the exhalation, we begin to push the barbell up until the elbows are completely straightened. We take a breath, you can fix the position for a while, and lower the projectile again.

The weight must be selected so that the strength is enough for a maximum of 12 repetitions. We repeat the set 3-4 times. This exercise The triceps exercise is great because it engages the muscles of the chest and shoulders.

Extensions on the upper block

We stand near the machine and take the handle so that our palms face down. Elbows are pressed. As you exhale, pull the handle down to your hips. After holding for 2-3 seconds, slowly relax your hands.

This is considered to be one of the most effective triceps exercises, allowing you to fully concentrate the load on all heads. We also try to perform 3-4 sets of 10-12 repetitions.

Technique for performing exercises for the long head

Bent over extension

It is best to do the following exercise at the end of your workout. We stand on the edge of the bench, rest ourselves with our palms and bend to a horizontal position so that our back is straightened parallel to the floor. If desired, place your foot on a bench. Bend your arm so that the angle at the elbow is straight.

We inhale and, holding the air for a couple of seconds, straighten our arm using the force of one triceps muscle. We try not to use other muscles. After a short pause, smoothly return to the starting position. Make sure that the body does not move. Repeat 3 sets of 10-12 cycles.

Seated neck press

Sit down and lift the barbell up. Keep your back straight. Move your head forward slightly to avoid hitting the bar. Gradually, as you inhale, lower the barbell behind your neck and, as you exhale, slowly begin to lift it. Repeat 12 times. Number of sets – 3.

Bent dumbbell extensions

Take two dumbbells and lie on an incline bench, face up. Inhale, and then as you exhale, pull your elbows out to the sides so that your shoulder blades can come together. Secure yourself and lower your elbows back. Repeat like everyone else.

The triceps brachii muscle is a massive muscle group with serious potential for hypertrophy and increased strength. In this article we will find out which triceps exercises are the most effective and how to properly train this muscle at home and gym.

Working muscles

Any triceps exercise one way or another involves all three of its bundles:

1. Lateral.
2. Long.
3. Medial.

The more you stretch your triceps - for example, when lowering a barbell or dumbbell while performing, the more intensely the long and medial fascicles work. If the emphasis of the exercise is on constant contraction of the triceps, as in arm extensions on the upper block or, then the lateral fascicle will work more strongly.

In all multi-joint basic movements the load also falls on the front bundles deltoid muscles and pectoral muscles. Also, the abdominal muscles perform static work in almost all triceps exercises.

• Choose the right working weight and determine the range of repetitions. For massive triceps, combine both strength work (4-8 reps) and pumping (12-20 reps) into your training schedule. But remember that the exercise will not be effective if you do not feel the muscles working. You should feel your triceps contracting and stretching with each repetition.
• Gradually increase the weight of the additional weight when doing dips. This is one of the most traumatic exercises for the elbow joints. It is better to place this exercise closer to the final part of the workout and work with a relatively light weight.
• There is no need to fully straighten your elbows at the top point every time in all pressing exercises. This is a traumatic position in which the entire load falls directly on the elbow joint.
• When performing French presses, it is fundamentally important to concentrate on stretching the triceps during the negative phase of the movement (during the descent). It should be 2 or even 3 times longer than the upward movement of the projectile. The whole benefit of this exercise lies precisely in this. You won't be able to stretch the medial head of the triceps as much with other movements.
• Minimize cheating (swinging of the body) when performing arm extensions on the upper block. Rocking deprives this exercise of any meaning and removes all the stress from the triceps brachii muscle.
• Use everything available methods increasing the intensity of training. The triceps are a relatively small muscle group: if you want to see noticeable progress, you need to exhaust it full program. Doing partial reps after reaching failure, asking a partner to help you do a couple extra reps, performing multiple exercises without resting, “finishing” with a light weight after each heavy set—all of these things work great for the triceps.
• Make the most of your rest time between sets by stretching your triceps. The more flexible your muscles are, the more comfortable you will be in performing exercises through a full range of motion. It will also improve pumping and neuromuscular communication, stretch the fascia and reduce the likelihood of injury.
• Experiment with your split program. Triceps can be trained together with the chest, back, shoulders or biceps. Choose the option that suits you best, or alternate variations weekly.
• Breaks between approaches should not exceed 1-1.5 minutes. This way, the flow of blood into the working muscles will be maximum, and the muscles will not have time to cool down after intense exercise.
• If you're training your arms on a separate day, work in supersets—work your triceps first, then work your biceps. The triceps is a larger, stronger muscle that requires more heavy loads to grow. Therefore, it is advisable to first load it while you are full of energy.

The best exercises to work your triceps

The more intense your workouts, the more prerequisites for triceps growth you will create. Together with the blood into the working muscle group everything necessary for hypertrophy will be included.

However, this does not mean that arm training should last several hours, during which you will have time to do 10 or more exercise. To fully work out all 3 triceps bundles, 3-4 exercises are enough, which will take a maximum of 30 minutes. Let's look at the most effective exercises and their features.

This exercise is a basic exercise for the triceps muscles. Don't take its name too literally: the distance between your hands should be only slightly narrower than the width of your shoulders. This will ensure full contraction of the triceps and protect against discomfort in the hands, shoulders and elbows.

Throughout the entire approach, it is important to keep your elbows as close to your body as possible, then the efficiency of this exercise will increase. If you have difficulty keeping the barbell level, do the Smith press with a close grip. This will make the exercise more isolated, as it will reduce the load on the stabilizer muscles. We recommend performing this particular option during drying to reduce the risk of injury to joints and ligaments weakened by a lack of fat in the diet.

This is one of best exercises for pumping up the triceps. It allows you to focus the load on shortening the long and medial bundle, namely they set the visual “massiveness” of the hand. To do this, lower the barbell, dumbbell or handle of the block exercise machine as low as possible and take a short pause at the lowest point.

Remember that this version of the exercise is dangerous and requires good stretching, so you need to adequately assess your strength and not overdo it with working weights. Most often, the French press is done with a barbell while sitting, standing, lying on a horizontal and incline bench. All of these variations should have a place in your training program.

When performing the exercise while lying down, you can lower the barbell to the bridge of your nose or closer to the back of your head. The first option is more suitable for pumping with low weight, the second - for strength work and full stretch at the bottom point. The exercise can also be done with dumbbells - standing or sitting. There are no fundamental differences, but due to a narrower grip, you will be able to lower the dumbbell even lower and stretch the triceps more strongly. The French press from the lower block is more suitable for maximally “clogging” an already tired muscle with blood. It should be performed at the very end of arm training.

Dips

This is a multi-joint exercise in which the load is distributed between the pectoral muscles and triceps. To target the triceps brachii muscle specifically, keep your body straight throughout the entire approach. No forward bending or rounding of the spine thoracic region. Keep your elbows close to your body and do not spread them out to the sides, otherwise the entire load will shift to the lower pectoral muscles. There is no need to go as deep as possible; this will only lead to discomfort in the shoulder joints and ligaments. Lower yourself down until a right angle is formed between your forearm and top part arms, this will ensure maximum contraction of the triceps. When you can easily work out 4-5 approaches with own weight When performing at least 15 repetitions, use additional weights.

Extensions from the upper block

This isolated exercise for local processing lateral head triceps. Although this is the smallest part of the triceps, you need to devote no less time to it than the rest, since it is this that gives the “horseshoe” shape of the triceps. This exercise usually ends your arm training.

To ensure maximum blood flow to the triceps brachii muscle, work with light weights without supporting yourself with your core. The number of repetitions is at least 12. Press your elbows to your ribs throughout the entire approach. To "hook" as many muscle fibers as possible, use all the handles available in your gym and vary your grip from wide to narrow. This triceps exercise can also be done in a crossover.

Push-ups

The triceps come into play perfectly when performing with narrow setting hands This perfect exercise for home workouts. To further target the lateral triceps, point your hands with your fingers facing each other. Elbows will be directed towards different sides, but in this particular case it will only increase the peak contraction. It is also worth doing plyometric push-ups (with clapping) from time to time; they are excellent for developing explosive force your triceps.

Kickbacks

This exercise involves moving the arm back with a dumbbell (or the handle of a lower block) when the athlete himself is bent over. Kickbacks are rarely used during typing muscle mass, but they are perfect for drying in order to “burn” the triceps as much as possible and improve its relief.

Progression of loads

We figured out what exercises pump the triceps. However, no set of triceps exercises will give the desired result if you do not improve your performance at each workout.

There are several ways to do this:

1. Increasing working weights. The method is fundamentally important for basic exercises, but for isolation it is advisable to gradually increase the weight used - of course, without sacrificing technique. This is done like this: you did 3 sets of bench press with a narrow grip with a weight of 80 kg for 10 repetitions. On next training session try working with a weight of 85 kg. Most likely, you won’t be able to do 10 repetitions in all approaches, but it will come out to about 10-8-6. Continue with this weight until you can do 10-10-10. After this, increase the working weight by another 2.5-5 kg.
2. Increasing the number of repetitions. Let's say you were able to do 3 sets of strict barbell French presses for 12 reps. Weight does not play a role in this case. In your next workout, try to do 13 repetitions without compromising your technique or increasing the rest time between sets. Next time - 14, then - 15. After that, slightly increase the weight of the barbell, drop again to 12 repetitions and repeat all over again.
3. Increasing the number of approaches. When you can easily complete 3 sets of any triceps exercise, do another set. The number of repetitions and rest time remain the same. Increasing your training volume is a powerful stimulus for growth.
4. Adding new exercises. This technique is only suitable for experienced athletes. If you feel that three or four exercises are no longer enough to properly pump up your triceps, add one more exercise to your program. Start with light isolation, if this is not enough, complete the arm training French press lying down with a barbell or dips with additional weight. Painful sensations the next day provided.
5. Reducing rest time between sets. Rest 1.5 minutes between sets of close grip bench presses? Reduce this time to a minute, trying not to break the technique and not reduce the number of repetitions. It will be difficult at first, but with experience your muscles will become more resilient: you will not lose productivity using minimal rest time. The blood supply to the muscles will be much stronger.
6. Increasing the number of workouts. This option will help athletes whose arm muscles stubbornly refuse to grow. There are many reasons for stagnation, but in most cases, more frequent and intense training successfully solves the problem. Train your triceps twice a week: the first time with your chest or back, the second time with your biceps. Can you do more light workout in supersets to achieve maximum pumping. This should help you build up your arms.

Training program

Any gym has everything you need for a full triceps workout. No special equipment is required. A dumbbell row, bench presses, various barbells, a set of discs and a block exercise machine for extensions can be found even in an old basement gym.

In order to load all three beams evenly and create the prerequisites for muscle growth, we recommend using the following scheme:

It will be a little more difficult to fully train your triceps at home, since the choice of exercises is reduced. All you need is a barbell, a set of discs and collapsible dumbbells. Also, home beams will not be superfluous; they are conveniently attached and do not take up much space.

You can pump up your triceps at home as follows:

While gaining muscle mass, try to constantly increase the working weight, the number of approaches and exercises. The workouts are more extensive, with a predominance of basic exercises.

An approximate variation of triceps training for mass looks like this:

During drying, workouts also change. Lower your weights, increase your rep range, and rest less between sets. Replace heavy compound exercises with more isolated variations to protect your joints and ligaments. Full workout triceps during the fat burning period looks like this:

Greetings again, dear athletes! Today I will tell you how to make your arm muscles expressive. More specifically, we will talk about how to pump up your triceps.

In the previous I said that if you want to increase the muscles of your arms, then you will need to focus on the triceps muscle. Therefore, I will try to tell you as fully as possible about pumping it up at home, in the gym and on the street.

How to pump up triceps: general characteristics and functions of the triceps muscle

The triceps (i.e. the triceps muscle) is located on back surface shoulder, as if supporting and covering the biceps from below. A well-developed triceps gives the arm a harmonious and impressive volume.

The main anatomical function of the triceps muscle is to extend the forearm. Thus, it works with every flexion and extension of the arm at the elbow joint.

The triceps has a complex muscle structure consisting of three heads connected to each other by a ligament that is attached in the elbow area. Therefore, when performing heavy exercises, the entire muscle group works.

The load on a particular bundle will depend on the technique of the exercise performed, because each head has its own attachment point near the elbow joint.

Many people are mistaken that, wanting to have developed arm muscles, they try to pump up their biceps. So, I repeat, if you want to increase the volume of your arms, you need to focus on pumping up the triceps, since these muscles are larger.

So, the triceps has three heads (see picture above):

1. External, or, as is commonly called, lateral.
2. The inner, or long head, the main place of attachment, rear end shoulder blades, so to fully engage it, you need to move your arms back.
3. The medial, or middle head, is located directly next to the elbow, and is most involved in the work when performing extension exercises. light exercises gravity. The medial head is located between the two above, which is why it is called that. The structure of the muscle is short, which is why the tendon of the medial head is longer than the others and looks like a horseshoe.

The triceps ligament is the connecting link of the bundles, and according to its genetic structure it can be short or long. If muscle tissue They are well distracted by a progressive load, which means the ligament is long. Athletes with a genetically short ligament have a peaked and sculpted muscle.

How to pump up triceps: the principle of operation of all triceps heads

I'll tell you a secret: low training intensity involves the medial head and less the external head. Because the middle part of the muscle is located closest to the elbow joint. In this position, the long part of the triceps is not involved in the work.

However, the human body is so universal that as soon as you increase the load or intensity, the external and internal heads immediately begin to engage in work.

Let's summarize: when you perform simultaneous arm extensions, all the heads of the triceps are involved in the work, and the peak component of the muscle is a genetically given shape, which is almost impossible to influence by performing exercises. But how to develop impressive triceps, you need to know some important points in training.

How to pump up triceps: phases of performance as the load increases

• The middle head is actively involved in the work during light movements and takes on the bulk of the load.
• The lateral head, or external one, comes into play when the load increases, helping the middle bundle.
• The long head turns on with the greatest reluctance at the very last moment, when the load is on muscle fibers critical. To get the most out of this head, you need to position your hand correctly.
  The long head has a completely different way of attaching to the blade than the other heads, so in order to use it at 100%, you need to take into account several features. It should also be added that it is failure to comply with these rules that leads to underdevelopment of this muscle.

To get the most out of the long head, you need to:

• Raise your arms up above your head; this effect can be achieved with the help of a French press, performed strictly from behind the head.
• A point that even professional bodybuilders know little about: when doing extensions, you need to use your shoulders. For example, perform a French bench press using starting position, keeping the shoulders at a slight angle, and not, as is customary, returning to the level of the nose.
• Always keep your arms close to your body: this activates the long head, when the athlete opens his elbows, the load shifts to the outer head.
• Supination of the hand involuntarily places emphasis on the long head; naturally, pronation involves more of the outer head of the triceps.

How to pump up your triceps: how to protect yourself from injuries when pumping up your triceps?

Remember: when performing specialized exercises for the triceps muscle of the arm, you cannot be free. There is no need to engage other muscles through various jerking and throwing movements to make the exercise easier.

Why? Because involved , which works to break. Therefore, all of the above imaginary auxiliary movements can lead to injury. This is why it is recommended to first perform basic exercise and only then move on to isolating movements, when the body is prepared and the ligaments and .

We also need to warn you that 50% of injuries occur due to heavy weights when performing French presses and cheating (self-deception). Therefore, be extremely careful when training your triceps, especially when performing isolation exercises.

To prevent injury and effectively work your triceps, you need to do two things consistently. First, always do multi-joint exercises like parallel bars and presses first.

Secondly, only after the base it is necessary to begin specialization: this will help to better load the unaffected muscle fibers, and due to fatigue you will not be able to train with maximum weights, which will prevent injuries.

So, let's move closer to practice. In this article we will talk to you about how to pump up your triceps at home and in the gym, using exercise machines, dumbbells, barbells and improvised means. Even if you don’t have dumbbells, then two can perfectly replace them. plastic bottles various capacities (from 0.33 to 2 liters), filled with sand or water.

We will look at the most commonly used and effective triceps exercises. However, I want to note that when performing these exercises, you will not need secondary ones.

As has been said many times in other articles, do not work on one muscle group, for example, if you only pump the triceps, then the end result will not be the same. beautiful hands. Qualitatively work all the muscles of the arms, from the hands to the shoulder blades. Follow the execution technique, endurance, and then success is guaranteed.

Also, don’t focus only on your arms, because there are also muscles in other parts of the body that require pumping. In general, develop your body comprehensively. This will guarantee you a beautiful, sculpted body and protection from various diseases, will help . To do this, do special training !

How to pump up your triceps: let's start with pumping them up in the gym

​Classic barbell press with a narrow grip.

​ Target: pump up top part triceps heads, upper chest and front deltoids. Strength and volume also develop, and the density of the triceps itself increases.
Number of approaches:
​ Technique:

• To pump up the triceps, take horizontal bench and place it under the barbell racks, adjust it so that when you lie down on it, the bar is directly above your head, preferably at eye level.
• Sit on a bench, bend a little at the waist, make sure that the rest of the body, that is, the head, shoulders and posterior muscles(buttocks) were pressed tightly to the bench.
• We take the bar with an overhand grip. Since we are performing a triceps exercise, make the distance between your palms less than shoulder width. Width adjustment depends on: the variety of bar and your ability to hold the barbell with weight.
• The next step is to push the barbell up until your arms are fully straightened. The bar should take a position above the neck.
• We take a deep breath and fixate the breath, lower the barbell to the chest to the bottom.
• As soon as the bar touches your chest, without unnecessary stops, immediately press it up.
• After going through the most difficult part of the lift, exhale and push the barbell.
• At the highest point we take a short pause, during which we need to tighten our triceps as much as possible.
• While performing the set, pay attention to your elbows; their movement should occur along the sides and not diverge to the sides. Bend your arms in a vertical plane. Don't do the exercise too fast or too slow, do it at a moderate pace.

• The triceps exercise “close grip press” should be done at the initial stage of training these muscles, this will allow you to lift Weight Limit. When pressing with a narrow grip, the most heavy weight than in other exercises for this muscle group.
• To effectively pump up your triceps, control the bar, not letting it go either to the right or to the left. To get this under control, at the initial stage take correct grip, with palms equally spaced from the center of the bar. You can use an EZ bar - it’s easier to control the barbell.
• Don't pause at the bottom. By pausing, you shift the load from the triceps to the pectoral muscles. As soon as the barbell touches your chest, immediately begin pressing it up. It is forbidden to spring the barbell from the chest.
• Holding your breath while lowering the bar allows you to develop greater force and is accompanied by a strong fixation of the spine in the correct position.
• By arching your back, you help yourself with your body to press the barbell, so - in no case should you do this! Firstly, you can damage your spine, and secondly, you reduce the load on the pumping muscles.
• Don't use a grip that is too narrow - this will cause you to push your elbows out to the sides, which is not good. The load on the triceps is reduced and there is a chance of losing control of the barbell. Remember: the larger the bar you work with, the wider your grip needs to be to control the balance of the barbell. It is recommended to use a short bar.
• When you sit on the bench, make sure that the bar is above eye level, and in the starting position - strictly above your neck. In the lower position, the bar should be located at the lowest point of the chest.

Push-ups from a bench.

​ Goal: pump all three heads of the triceps, but most of all their middle. You increase the mass and thickness of your triceps.
Number of approaches: 3-4 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
​ Technique:

• To pump up the triceps with push-ups from a bench, take two benches and place them parallel, the distance should be 80-90 cm. We sit on one bench, wrap our fingers around its edge, palms should be shoulder-width apart and rest against the bench, elbows facing back. Resting on your hands, place your feet on another bench. For a more complete picture, see the photo above.
• Straighten your arms, thereby lifting your pelvis off the bench, move it forward so that it ends up behind the bench. To increase the load, you can use additional weight, for example, placing a disc on your hips.
• We inhale, bend our elbows and slowly lower ourselves between the benches until you feel that your triceps are well stretched.
• At the lowest point, we fix our breathing and pull ourselves up, our arms should straighten completely. Perform push-ups without spreading your elbows to the sides; they move backwards.
• Exhale after overcoming the most difficult section.
• In the upper position, take a short pause, at which point you need to tense your triceps as much as possible, then proceed to the next repetition.

• In addition to the fact that this exercise allows you to pump up the triceps, it also uses the large pectoral muscle and deltas, which are maximally loaded at the initial stage during ascent. By pulling yourself up as much as possible, you place a greater load on the triceps.
• When lifting, do not spread your elbows; spreading your elbows helps reduce the load on the pumped muscles and transfer it to the muscles. latissimus muscles back and pectoral muscles. Also, when spreading your elbows, there is a risk of injury. shoulder joint.
• When performing triceps exercises, try to keep your arms closer to your torso, and extension should occur in a vertical plane. Correct technique will allow maximum load on the triceps
• A little trick: in the initial position, place your palms slightly wider than your shoulders, this will allow you to avoid turning your elbows to the sides.
• Direct your gaze straight, do not tilt your head down.
• For maximum load on the triceps, fully extend your arms in the upper position, just do not lock the elbow joint.
• When performing the full amplitude, additional weight may not be needed; it will be enough own weight for high-quality triceps training. The weight is recommended for athletes with at least a year of experience.

French bench press with barbell.

​ Target: pump up the long back heads of the triceps, as well as lengthen and thicken the bottom of the triceps.
Number of approaches: 3-4 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
​ Technique:

• To pump up your triceps with this exercise, lie down on a horizontal bench and firmly press your feet into the floor. Straighten your arms completely so that they are perpendicular to the floor and ask your partner to pass the barbell.
• It is recommended to perform this triceps exercise with a barbell with an EZ bar, but if you don’t have one, you can do it with a classic straight bar.
• Take the bar with an overhand grip and push the barbell up.
• We take the starting position: straighten our arms with the barbell and move them back, 45 degrees vertically towards the head.
• In the starting position, take a deep breath and fixate your breathing. Keep your upper arms motionless smooth movement lower the barbell to the top of your head.
• We don’t stop in the lower position; changing the direction of movement, we raise the barbell up to its original position; while lifting, we don’t exhale and don’t push our elbows forward. Until the exercise is completed, the upper arms should remain motionless.
• Only after reaching the starting position, pause for 1-2 seconds, at which point you should exhale and tense your triceps as much as possible. Then the exercise is repeated.

​ Tips for doing the exercise:

• Choose a barbell weight that you can control. A barbell that is too heavy will not allow you to hold it at a 45-degree angle, and you will be forced to push your elbow forward as you lift. This technique with a heavy barbell has little effect.
• The main thing in this exercise is to fix your arms at an angle of 45 degrees and fully straighten your arms at the top point.
• Although the exercise is aimed at developing the three heads of the triceps, the peak falls on the long head of the muscle. It is clearly visible when looking at the hand from the side.
• When performing the French press, do not place your feet on the bench - this entails loss of balance and injury.

Seated French press EZ-bar.

​ Goal: pump up the posterior long head of the triceps, especially its lower part. The long head of the triceps is also detailed.
Number of approaches: 3-4 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
​ Technique:

• We set the back of our bench to a vertical position, sit on the seat and place a good emphasis on the floor with our feet. You can do it simply while sitting, without a backrest.
• Keep your back straight and bend your lower back slightly.
• We take our EZ-bar with a narrow overhand grip, by the curved parts of the bar, that is, the palms should face each other, and make the grip between the palms less than shoulder width.
• Push the barbell up so that the bar is above the top of your head. The body and arms should be straight and in a vertical position. Lift your chin up or place it parallel to the floor. Using all the points, you will reach the correct starting position.
• From the starting position, we take a deep breath and fix our breathing by bending our elbows and lower the bar behind our head.
• During execution, we monitor the upper part of the arms (from the elbow to the shoulder); they must be motionless.
• The barbell should be lowered behind the head until the triceps are fully stretched; at the end point we do not stop, but strain the triceps as much as possible and pull the barbell up to the starting position.
• You should exhale only after fully straightening your arms or after passing the most difficult section.
• At the highest point, we take a short break and strain our triceps as much as possible.

​ Tips for doing the exercise:

• To effectively pump up your triceps, do not round your back; to do this, you need to tense your lower back muscles and keep your spine in an S-shape.
• The elbows, body, shoulders and legs should remain motionless until the end of the exercise. The only thing that moves is the elbow joint.
• For maximum contraction of the long head of the triceps and olecranon muscle, at the top point, extend the elbow joint as much as possible.
• The EZ bar is more practical than the straight bar and reduces stress on the wrists by turning your palms towards each other.
• Do not use a very heavy barbell; it will cause your back to round, which can lead to injury.
• You should not do this exercise if your shoulder joints are not flexible enough.
• While performing the exercise, do not lean your elbows forward; there is a possibility of losing your balance.
• If you find this exercise difficult, you can try doing it standing. This will enable extra muscles, which will make it easier to hold the barbell above your head.

French press in a seated machine.

​ Goal: pumping up the long posterior head of the triceps, also allows you to visually separate the triceps from the biceps.
Number of approaches: 3-4 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
​ Technique:

• To pump up the triceps with a French press in a sitting machine, we find the right simulator, install the desired handle (straight or bent).
• We sit on the bench, our back is directed towards the block, our feet rest on the floor. The next step is to straighten your arms and bend them at the elbow joint behind your head, ask your partner to give the handle. We grab the handle with a narrow grip, that is, the palms are facing the ceiling, and the distance between them is less than shoulder width.
• Bend a little at the lower back and fix your torso in a vertical position. Bend your arms behind your head, elbows slightly apart to the sides and pointing up, gaze directed forward - this will be your starting position.
• We take a deep breath and fixate our breathing. We extend our arms and press the bar up, keeping our elbows motionless.
• In the highest position, the arms should be fully extended and the handle should be above the eyebrows.
• The next stage is to exhale and fix the arms in a straight position. Inhale and smoothly lower the handle behind your head. At the bottom point, do not stop, immediately continue the exercise.

Tips for doing the exercise:

• Watch the position of your torso and back. The torso should be straight and the lower back slightly arched; the lower back muscles should not be relaxed until the end of the exercise. As soon as these muscles are relaxed, the back will immediately round and the body will move forward, this can end in disaster - it leads to compression of the intervertebral discs, which leads to injury.
• At the top point, fully straighten your arms - this will allow you to use the pumped muscles as much as possible, in principle, this is what we need.
• Make sure that the upper part of the arms (from the shoulder to the elbow) assumes a vertical state as much as possible and remains in a fixed position without making various movements.
• Direct your gaze straight and keep your chin level. If you lower your head, your spine will round, which can be dangerous to your health.
• The main role in this exercise is not played by the maximum weight, but by the technique of execution and the correct form of movement.
• The French press is performed both standing and sitting, but standing is much easier due to the inclusion of additional muscles.

Press to the bottom in a block machine.

​ Goal: pump the lateral (side) and long heads of the triceps. Excellent for highlighting the lateral part of these muscles.
Number of approaches: 3-4 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
​ Technique:

• To effectively pump up the triceps, we attach a rope handle to a cable that passes through upper block. We move away from the simulator and grab the handle, neutral grip, that is, your palms are directed towards each other. Leg placement: straddling or parallel.
• We tilt the body a little forward, 10-15 degrees, and also place the elbows a little forward. In this position, the cable should be taut and the hands should be at shoulder level.
• We take a deep breath and fixate our breathing, bend our arms down, while trying to keep our elbows as close to our sides as possible.
• We also do not move our elbows, do not lean our body forward and do not squat. All parts of the body, except the elbow joint, must remain motionless. Important point! When extending your arms, when you see that your little fingers are below your elbows, slowly turn your hands and spread your arms to the sides so that after fully straightening your arms, your palms look at your hips.
• At the moment when your arms are fully straightened, exhale and fix this position for a few seconds. Then proceed to the next repetition.

​ Tips for doing the exercise:

• For a good stretch of the long head of the triceps, tilt your body forward and push your elbows in front of your body.
• When performing the triceps exercise, do not loosen your grip and do not straighten your wrists.
• We also draw out the forearms and hands in one line.
• At the moment of turning the hand, when the palms are directed towards the hips, the contraction of the triceps increases.
• Do not lean your body forward and do not pull your elbows back; this makes the triceps easier to work by connecting other muscles.

​ Extension of arms with a dumbbell from behind the head.

​ Goal: pump the top and middle of all three heads, draw the top of the triceps.
Number of approaches: 3-4 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
​ Technique:

• We sit on a bench, placing our feet firmly on the floor. Then we take the dumbbell in right hand, you can do it to the left, it doesn’t matter, straighten your back.
• Then raise the dumbbell up to a vertical position. We bend the elbow joint and thereby place the dumbbell behind the head. The grip should be neutral, that is, the palm is directed forward, the little finger is in the upper position.
• Starting position: the elbow of the hand with which the exercise will be performed should be directed upward, the torso position should be vertical, the lower back should be slightly curved, the chin should be parallel to the floor.
• Have you accepted the starting position? Now take a deep breath and hold your breath, using your triceps muscles to lift the dumbbell. Do not forget that movement should be carried out only in the elbow joint, the rest of the body is motionless.
• As soon as the dumbbell reaches the top point and the arm reaches a vertical position, hold for 1-2 seconds and, while exhaling, tighten your triceps as much as possible.
• At the final stage, we bend the arm, without relaxing the triceps, and smoothly return the dumbbell to its original position. A short pause and perform the next repetition.
• Having done the required amount on one hand, transfer the dumbbell to the other and perform the same number of repetitions.

​ Tips for doing the exercise:

• To properly pump up your triceps, keep your back straight and do not twist it. This causes you to lean your torso forward, which puts a lot of pressure on your discs. and shoulder joint. Follow the technique until the end of the set.
• Keep the upper part of your arm, which is the space from the shoulder to the elbow, in a vertical position, do not shift it, otherwise the effectiveness of this exercise will not be as significant, and displacement also causes a greater load on the elbow, which is not good.
• Do not straighten your arm until your elbow joints lock.
• Can be performed both sitting and standing (it will make it easier to hold the torso in an upright position).

Bent over arm extension with a dumbbell.

​ Goal: will allow you to express the relief of the triceps, pump up all three heads, mostly the lower part.
Number of approaches: 2-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
​ Technique:

• So, how to pump up your triceps with this exercise. We find a bench, stand sideways to it and rest our left palm and the same knee on it. Right leg we place it a little back, this is necessary so that the body takes a horizontal position. The supporting arm is located perpendicular to the bench and should be in a straightened state. You can also not use your knee to push, but simply spread your legs apart, but you must ensure that your back is arched in the lower back and your body is parallel to the floor.
• We grab a dumbbell, the grip is neutral, that is, your palms are directed towards the body, tense your muscles, bending your arm, raising your elbow slightly above your back, maybe at the level of your back. In this position, the elbow joint should be at a right angle, your forearms should be strictly perpendicular to the floor, and the dumbbell should hang freely.
• Take a deep breath and fixate your breathing, strain your triceps muscles and try to straighten your arm, while keeping the top of your working arm motionless.
• At the highest point, the arm should be straight and in line with the body or slightly higher.
• Also at the top point you exhale and tense the triceps to the maximum. Keeping your upper arm stationary, slowly lower the dumbbell to the starting position.
• Perform the exercise without various jerks and pushes. After completing the required number of repetitions to the right, switch to the other hand.

​ Tips for doing the exercise:

• Borrow correct position body, if your shoulders are located higher than your hips, then the amplitude is reduced - this will not allow the triceps muscles to be maximally loaded.
• The correct technique of execution leads to efficiency. Don't forget to hold your breath to hold your body.
• Don't use dumbbells that are too heavy.
• Do not turn your body by lifting your shoulder up - this will cause crookedness. and relieves stress on the triceps.

How to pump up your triceps: effective exercises at home

By the way, don’t forget that when working out at home, you should also do a good body workout. You can do it simple physical exercise. You should finish your warm-up by jumping rope or squats to thoroughly tone your body and body muscles. In general, warming up at home should last at least 5-7 minutes. On average 10 minutes.

Ideal to practice strength training at home after a short run, when the body has sweated well.

So, if you have dumbbells or weights at home, you can do the exercises presented above to pump up your triceps at home. The barbell can be replaced with a kettlebell. In addition, as I said earlier, all “iron equipment” for bodybuilding can be replaced with improvised and homemade means.

​ Well, if you are really stressed out with equipment and improvised means, then I recommend doing the following exercises at home:

1. We do flexion and extension of the arms while lying down. But one feature should be taken into account: we place our hands as close to each other as possible to form a triangle. On the count of “one” you need to lower yourself, while pressing your hands as close to the body as possible, and on the count of “two” you need to rise. When we practice, we try to fix the position at the top point so that the triceps work as much as possible. In addition, we move the body slightly forward.
2. Reverse push-up from a bench. We will need a bench or any other piece of furniture similar to it. Follow safety precautions. See picture below.

1. You can do it. That is, this is a completely standard body position, only one hand is placed behind the back or pressed to the side. Your feet can be placed on some kind of platform or stand to make the task more difficult.
2. There is another one - on the edge of the fist. The hardest thing to do is if you lock your hands.

rocking on the horizontal bar and uneven bars

I would like to immediately note that if you want to have expressive triceps, then training outdoors, that is, on the horizontal bar and parallel bars, will be an integral element for you. And if you have a horizontal bar and parallel bars at home, then this is a plus for achieving your goal.

So, here we go:

1. ​ One-arm pull-ups. The highlight of this exercise is that we do pull-ups in any style: either jerkily or very slowly. The main thing is to lower yourself very smoothly, using the full strength of the triceps as much as possible.
2. Reverse push-up on the bar. We stand with our back to her, and then, grasping with our palms, we bend and straighten our arms at the elbows. The bar should be at the level of your shoulders, and your body should be correct execution lifts off the ground. In fact, you swing in the air by bending and straightening your arms. It is important to perform this exercise quite sharply.
3. Now we do straight push-ups on the bar. This is a very difficult exercise, because you will not only have to keep your body balanced at an angle, but also bend and straighten your elbows.
4. If you have a ladder type in your arsenal Swedish wall, then you can bend down lower and do push-ups with a narrow grip. The elbows should be pressed as close to the body as possible.
5. ​ The most effective exercises will be when working with parallel bars. In this case, push-ups on uneven bars have proven themselves to be excellent. Try to press your elbows as close to your body as possible. You can make it more difficult by trying to keep your body parallel to the ground.

​ That's all, my friends! Here are the basic, but at the same time the most effective exercises that allow you to pump up your triceps perfectly. Now you know what to do in the gym, at home and on the street, what exercises to do, and most importantly, the technique for doing them.

I recommend keeping a notebook where you write down all these exercises so that you don’t forget them when sports activity. In general, the notebook will be useful to you, because if you want to get a beautiful, expressive figure of your body, you will not just have to go to the gym and do pull-ups on the horizontal bar, but do exercises . This program will allow you not only to pump up your triceps well, but also to pump up other parts of the body. But it is for a beginner athlete. And if you want to achieve great results, then you should consult a professional trainer. Good luck to you in your endeavors!

This is a great article on the topic of how to pump up your triceps. I recommend reading the following articles: