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Exercise: Bench Dips |
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The Medial/Long Head of Triceps Starting Position: Place a bench behind your back, holding onto the edge of it with palms down (fingers curled around the edge for extra support). Place your hands fairly close together on the bench, but make sure the width you choose is comfortable. Place your heels on another bench or bar that is preferably higher than the bench your hands are on. Execution: Throughout this movement try to keep your elbows in and pointing straight backwards. By bending at your elbows, lower your body to a full comfortable stretch. Reverse motion and squeeze triceps hard at the top. Training Tips: Unless you are substituting this movement for regular dips, it should be done rapidly in a pumping motion. Control your descent, never bouncing out of the bottom. Hold for two seconds before reversing the movement. Explode upwards in one second, and briefly contract the triceps at the top. If you are substituting this movement for regular dips take three seconds to do the negative portion of the repetition, explode upward in two seconds, and hold the contraction at the top of the movement for one second. - Do add resistance by placing a bar or plates on your lap when your bodyweight is no longer sufficient (it is best to have a spotter for this). - Don't bounce out of the bottom position. - Do lean back at the top when you squeeze the triceps at the top of this movement, as this greatly increases the contraction. Variations: Place your hands on a bar rather than a bench. This allows you to use a reverse grip which gives this movement a different feel. |
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Exercise: Cable pushdowns |
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Entire Tricep Starting Position: Take a thumb less overhand grip on a bar attached to an overhead pulley. Place your hands between five and ten inches apart. Keep your elbows tucked in to your body throughout the movement. Execution: Grasp the bar with the correct grip and squeeze the bar down to a full lockout position without allowing your elbows to move outward or forward. After locking out your elbows and squeezing the triceps resist the weight during the negative portion of the repetition stopping when your forearms are parallel with the ground. Training Tips: Take two seconds to squeeze the weight down, hold the contraction for one second and take three seconds to do the negative portion of the repetition. - Don't let your elbows gravitate outward or forward. - Don't over do your negative (i.e. let the bar travel to chin level). - Don't lean over the bar and use your bodyweight to help you complete the movement. - Do take a thumb less overhand grip. - Don't use excessive weight as execution will suffer. Variations: Try using different grip widths, different bars or the rope attachment. |
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Exercise: Dumbbell Kickbacks |
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The Medial and Long Heads of the Triceps. Starting Position: If starting this exercise with your left hand stand beside a flat exercise bench putting your right knee and right hand on the bench for support while bending forward until your torso is parallel to the bench. Press your left upper arm against the side of your torso so it is also parallel to the exercise bench. Bend that arm at a 90° angle and you are ready to start this movement. Execution: Keeping your elbow stationary use your triceps strength to slowly straighten your left arm, until it is parallel to the exercise bench. Hold this position for a second then slowly let the weight back to the starting position. Once finished repeat the required repetitions with your right arm. Training Tips: Take two seconds to raise the weight, hold a one second squeeze and lower the weight in three seconds. - Don't allow any movement of your upper arm; up, down or out to the side. - Don't use excessive weight as this will interfere with a proper contraction at the top of the exercise. Variations - None |
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Exercise: One Arm Dumbbell Extension |
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Lond head of the Triceps Starting Position: Standing with your feet shoulder width apart, grasp a dumbbell in your right hand and extend your right arm overhead. Execution: Keeping your elbow stationary and your arm close to your head, slowly lower the dumbbell behind your head until a full, complete stretch is felt. Using tricep strength press the weight back to the starting position. Once the desired repetitions have been completed do the same with your other arm. Training Tips: Take three seconds to lower the weight to the maximum stretch position, take two seconds to raise the weight, breifly sqeeze the triceps at the top. - Don't use excessive weight. - Do fully stretch the muscle. - Don't bounce our of the bottom position. - Do keep your upper arm against your head and your elbow pointing upward. - Do control the weight, try to feel the stretch and squeeze the muscle hard at the top. Variations: None |
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Exercise: Seated rope cable pushdown |
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Medial Head of the Triceps Starting Position: Place an incline bench at about a 45° angle in front of a high pulley. Attach the rope handle to the pulley. Sit down on the incline bench, reach overhead and grasp the rope handles. Pull them down so your elbows are at your sides (in the position for a regular pushdown). Execution: Focusing on the medial head of your tricep, squeeze the rope down to a lockout position. Then push your hands apart to further increase the contraction. Reverse this motion letting your triceps stretch at the top. Training Tips: Take three seconds to squeeze the weight down, hold the contraction for two seconds and take four seconds to do the negative portion of the movement. - Don't use excessive weight. - Do focus on the medial head of you triceps throughout the movement. - Don't let your elbows go too far forward (they will have to be a bit further forward than for regular pushdowns or outward. - It may take you a while to feel this exercise in the medial head of your triceps but be persistant and practice feeling the muscle. Eventually the mind/muscle link will develop. Variations: None |
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Exercise: Side One Arm Reverse Grip Pushdown |
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The long head of the triceps Starting Position: Sit back on a bench that has a short back support. Have someone stand behind you and hand the dumbbell to you (or clean it up to shoulder height before you sit down). It is a good idea to have a spotter during this movement. Place your hands so that when you grasp the dumbbell your palms are resting flat against the underside of the upper set of plates. Encircle the handle of the dumbbell with your thumbs to make sure it doesn't slip during the exercise. Execution: Once the dumbbell is overhead, lower it, letting your elbows gravitate outward, until you reach a full, deep stretch. Pause briefly, then reverse the movement squeezing the triceps hard at the top. Training Tips: Complete the extension in two seconds. Briefly squeeze the triceps hard at the top, and take three seconds to do the negative portion of the repetition. - Do fully stretch the tricep. - Often it is best to keep the elbows in at your head throughout the exercise, but I find while it does allow for greater stretch, it puts undo stress on th elbows. Thus, do let your elbows gravitate outward. - Don't use excessive weight, this will limit your stretch. Variations: This movement can be imitated using a barbell or by placing a bench in front of a low pulley and attaching it to a bar. |
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Exercise: Tricep Dips |
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Long and Medial Head of Triceps Starting Position: Jump up to a locked out position on the parallel bars. If V bars are available, take a narrow grip, using a normal grip. Bend your legs and cross your feet. Be sure to keep your torso erect throughout the movement, as leaning forward transfers stress to the pectorals. Execution: Slowly bend your arms, lowering yourself between the bars. Stay as upright as possible. Get a deep, controlled stretch, then reverse the movement pressing yourself back to a locked out position. Squeeze the triceps at the top. Training Tips: Take three seconds to lower yourself, try to explode upward in one second and hold the sqeeze for one second. - Do lower yourself with control, never bouncing out of the bottom position. - Do add resistance by holding a dumbbel between your legs, or strapping weight to your waist once bodyweight is no longer sufficient resistance. - Do try going only 3/4 of the way up to keep continuous tension on the triceps. - Do be sure to warm up fully before attempting this exercise. Variations: If your strength is not at a level which allows for dipping: 1) Get a spotter to assist you in completing the necessary repetitions 2) Use a weight-assisted dip machine. 3) Complete your set repetition attempting to do more dips each week until sufficient strength has been built. 4) Substitute the bench dip until strength levels are high enough to complete regular dips. |
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