Rock Your Triceps

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We spend hours in the gym each week performing bicep curl after bicep curl in a bid to obtain shirtsleeve ripping arms that are strong and defined. However, is this focus an unnecessary one? Given that our triceps make up 70% of our upper arm, can grow bigger than our biceps and have a greater assortment of exercises, perhaps it’s time we refocus and make our triceps a key muscle group in our weekly workouts. After all, the tricep can be one of the sexiest and most rewarding muscle groups we own - just remember your sewing kit when your sleeves rip.

There are two points to remember when building strong, well-defined triceps:

1. Perfect Form

For most tricep exercises, it is vital that you keep your elbows tucked in to your sides. As soon as your elbows flare out your shoulders begin to take more of the strain. In your bid to push out those last few reps it’s easy to forget this, but, like any exercise, less reps with perfect form are better than more reps with poor form. If your finding it hard to keep your elbows tucked in ask a buddy to literally hold them in.

2. Lift Big

Think about how much you lift when you do a bicep curl. You really should be thinking just as big when you perform any tricep exercise! Before you get yourself hurt though, it may take some experimenting to find weights you’re comfortable with. Tricep exercises can be awkward to perform if you are not familiar with them, so make sure you are confident in your own ability before you start stacking those weights on. Start small but work yourself up until you can do 3 or 4 sets of 6-8 reps; an optimum number for putting on muscle. If you are ever unsure about any weight you are lifting, get yourself a spotter.

Higher weight and lower reps mean bigger and stronger triceps. The great thing about triceps is that once you get the size you want, creating definition is easy. Think more sets with lower reps and add some cardio whenever you can. Without that initial size though, you’ll have nothing to define, so don’t be afraid to grab that extra bit of weight. Keep focused, familiarize yourself with what you can handle and always think about safety first.

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 User Comments:

Stephanie Roberts

Dec 29, 2011 11:05 AM

Track your Fitness

Tom

Dec 1, 2008 6:51 PM

Rip em and park em

Peter Parker

Nov 18, 2008 2:03 PM

I find skull crushers are the hardest but most rewarding. It would be nice to have some pictures of the exercises shave

frank jr

Nov 17, 2008 11:33 AM

i got a really high metabolism and its a bitch to put on weight.

dabun

Nov 15, 2008 7:29 PM

ITS SO HARD THEY MAKE IT LOOK SO EASY

jason

Nov 15, 2008 11:51 AM

i need to work on my form

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