6 best triceps exercises

You may not see them all the time, but these powerful muscles play an important role in everything you do. The triceps works in conjunction with the biceps to help you extend your arms.
Every time you straighten your arms, you should thank your triceps muscles. These muscles are located in the back of the upper arms.

They are among the largest muscles in the upper part of your arms and play an important role in arm movement. Read on to learn more about the triceps and discover six of the best exercises to strengthen them.

What is the triceps muscle and what does it do?

The name “triceps” comes from a Latin phrase meaning “triceps muscle”. And this is exactly what is found in the triceps muscle: the long head, the middle head and the lateral head. Each muscle “head” begins in the upper arm and unites to form a single tendon that attaches to the bony part of your elbow.

The primary role of the triceps muscle is to extend the forearms, and to do this it must work in tandem with the biceps. The biceps pull the bones of the forearm closer to the upper body, while the triceps help bring the forearm back into an extended position. The triceps muscle also contributes to the stability and health of the shoulder joints. Whether you exercise or go about your daily activities, you need your triceps to be strong. Not only does it help with any kind of movement that requires strength, like shooting a basket or throwing a ball, but it also helps with everyday activities like holding a pencil or maintaining good posture at the desk.

And while triceps training is essential, it’s often overlooked for an obvious reason. People tend to train the muscle groups they can see rather than the muscles in the back of the body, most of the time without even realizing it.

What you need to know before training triceps

How often should you train the triceps?

For adults, it is best for spirits to engage in muscle-strengthening activities that target all major muscle groups at least twice a week.

Try to train your upper body muscles every day, and it is best to include triceps exercises in these workouts. But it should be scheduled on non-consecutive days to allow the muscles to recover between sessions. When training the triceps, you must first target the large muscle groups that surround the triceps (such as the chest and shoulders). why ? Muscles in the body are used in a large to small recruitment pattern. This means that your strongest muscles, which are always your largest muscle groups, will usually engage first.

In other words, if you want to target or build triceps strength, you will need to strain the larger muscle groups before your body starts engaging the smaller ones like the triceps. The easy solution? Whenever you train the triceps, first do a set of exercises for the chest and shoulders.

Another professional tip

Start with light weights (if using any) as the triceps frame is fast (beginners should start without weights). The exercise may seem easy with a light weight, but since the triceps is not a long muscle, the muscle contraction quickly loses its strength, and from a certain number of repetitions, these light weights become almost stationary.

Depending on your goals, the number and intensity of your groups and reps also matters.

If you want to train for endurance, try doing one to three sets of 12 to 20 repetitions of each exercise at a slower pace. If your goal is strength, do three to five sets of 6 to 12 repetitions at a moderate pace. To focus on triceps strength (which will come in handy when you need to exert strength in a short amount of time, like throwing a basketball), do four to six sets of one to five reps at a fast pace.

How do you know if you’re doing enough reps and sets to get stronger without pushing yourself too hard? On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is “easy” and 10 is “hard,” ask yourself if the last movement seemed difficult to you. If you’re working on endurance, the last rep should feel like a 6 or 7 on the potentiometer, 6 to 8 for strength, and 6 to 10 for strength.

6 triceps exercises to increase arm strength

Here are six triceps exercises that you can incorporate into any upper body strengthening exercise. Do it after you warm up with big muscle exercises, or include it in the second part of your arm strengthening exercises.

1 classic (or modified) push-up

Sit on the floor on all fours, with your wrists directly below your shoulders and your knees directly below your hips. Lift the knees off the floor and extend the legs behind you so that the body is in a long line from head to toe. Slowly bend your elbows at a 45-degree angle and lower yourself toward the floor until your chest almost touches the floor (or as low as possible). Return to the starting position and repeat the exercise. To facilitate the exercise, keep your knees on the floor and maintain a straight line from head to knees. To make the exercise more challenging, place your feet on a bench with your legs extended behind you.

2 triceps curls

Sit on a chair or bench with your hands on the bench next to you and your feet flat on the floor. Lift your butt off the chair, and lower your body from this position toward the floor until your arms are bent at a 90-degree angle. Return to the starting position and repeat the exercise. To make the exercise more challenging, do it with your feet straight, heels on the floor and toes up, making sure your butt isn’t touching the ground. For a bigger challenge, put both feet on another bench.

3 triceps curls

Stand, with a resistance band in your right hand, place your right hand in front of your left shoulder, and your right arm on your chest. Wrap the other end of the tape around your left hand. Start with the left arm approximately at a 90-degree angle, bend the left elbow close to the body and maintain tension in the bar. Press your left hand into the floor until your left arm is fully extended. Release to start over. Repeat the full number of repetitions, then switch sides for one set.

4 triceps extensions

Sit or stand with a dumbbell in each hand. Spread your arms over your head, bend them at the elbows and lower the dumbbells behind your head. (If this is too difficult with a weight in each hand, just hold a weight between both hands.) Return to the starting position by extending the arms over the head and repeat the exercise.

5 side attachments

Lie on the floor with your feet on the floor and your knees bent. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and raise your arms above your chest; Your wrists should be directly above your shoulders and your palms should face each other. Without moving your elbows, bend your arms and lower the dumbbells to the sides of your head. Return to the starting position and repeat the exercise.

6 above the chest

Lie on the floor with your feet on the floor and your knees bent. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and extend your arms over your chest, wrists directly above your shoulders and palms facing each other. Bring the dumbbells together so that they touch. Slowly lower the dumbbells toward your chest, keeping your elbows folded at your sides. Return your arms to the starting position and repeat the exercise.