Many bodybuilders make the mistake of focusing on biceps at the gym. They want to show off big, bulging biceps when they flex in the mirror. However, many pros know biceps aren’t the key to ripped arms; muscle tone in the triceps is just as important. Triceps makes up two-thirds the muscle mass in arms. It’s a bigger muscle group than biceps. The triceps muscles are a group of three different heads: lateral head, medial head, and long head. To work the entire triceps muscle group effectively, it pays to do different exercises. Here we present 4 easy tricep-blasting exercises.
Bench Press
This is the quintessential triceps exercise. It blasts all three muscles in the triceps muscle group. Although this exercise is most famously performed with a barbell, it can also be done with a dumbbell or an EZ-bar.
Form:
Place hands at the center of the bar about one foot apart. Tuck in elbows close to torso and keep them parallel to each other throughout the movement. Lift the weight above your head and lower it until triceps are parallel to the ground. Repeat.
Standing Overhead Triceps Extension
This exercise can be done with barbells, weights, or cable crossover machines. It’s the go-to workout to blast the lateral head and long head of the triceps.
Form:
Take a weight or rope in both hands and place feet shoulder width apart. Lift the weight above your head until arms are fully extended. Keep triceps straight and elbows close to your head. Lower the weight until forearms touch biceps. Repeat.
Triceps Kickbacks
Like most triceps exercises, this one can be done with a variety of exercise equipment. Dumbbells are the most common, but it can also be done with a cable or kettle bells.
Form:
Bend forward at the waist so torso is almost parallel to the floor. You can use a bench as support for your knee. Take a weight in one hand and raise arm so it’s perpendicular to the floor. Lift the weight backwards until arm is straight. Hold for a few seconds and repeat.
Triceps Dips
Unlike the others, this triceps exercise uses your body as a weight. You can place weights on your lap for extra resistance or use parallel bars if you are more experienced.
Form:
If you’re using a bench, place arms shoulder width apart at the edge of the bench. Place feet on a second bench or exercise ball so legs are parallel to the ground. Slowly lower yourself using arms, keeping torso erect and elbows tucked. Hold at a 90 degree angle and repeat.
If using parallel bars, place hands a little behind you on the bars and lower yourself using the same method.