Many bodybuilders think that by doing hundreds of bicep curls that they will build great arms. Doing so will not create large arms, instead, it will cause you to overtrain. In fact, only a small portion of your arm is your bicep, the larger part of your arm is the tricep muscle. You are going to learn what the tricep muscle is and common exercises you can do with your bodyweight, or with dumbbells.
Thet tricep consists of three different muscles:
The Brachialis, Triceps Brachii, and The Pronator Teres.
The brachialis allows for flexion at the elbow while the tricpes brachii allows for extension at the elbow.
The pronator teres allows for flexion at the elbow and pronation of the forearm.
Knowing how to train these muscles properly is a quality very few people possess. Once exercise may target an area very well while neglecting to hit another section. When using your bodyweight, there are three exercise that properly work all three sections of your tricep. These include bench dips, triceps verion dips, and close tricep position pushups. Bench dips are fun because you simply lower your body toward the floor by bending your elbows until your upper arms and forearms create a right angle. Then slowly raise back up to the start position by straightening your arms.
On the triceps version dips, you need to keep your body straight up and down, and try not to lean over or you will work more of your lower chest and not your triceps. The close tricep position pushups are basically the same as a regular pushup with the only difference being that your hands are placed side by side, forming a diamond shape. There are many different tricep exercises that can be done with a dumbbell, but I am going to explain my three favorites. The seated triceps press is my personal favorite because you place your back firmly on a bench, grasping one end of a dumbbell with both hands, raising it above your head. When doing the lying dumbbell tricep extension you lie on a bench with your head at the very end of it, lowering a dumbbell until it is behind your head, and slowly lifting the dumbbell back to the starting position.
The tate press is another personal favorite because it is not very time consuming. Lay on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand. Extend your arm until it is straight without moving your upper arm or elbows. Go slow on the way up, then lower the dumbbells down to your chest. Reps, sets, and training methods are all going to vary on the individual. There are simply to many options you have to explain on paper, so you shouldn`t ever become board trying to create a proper triceps split. If you don`t like exercising with dumbbells or doing bodyweight work, you can use machines, barbells, clubbells, and even swiss balls to develop a good workout. I hope you`ve learned the basics of proper tricep development. Until next time!
- http://www.exrx.net/Muscles/TricepsBrachii.html
- http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/triceps.htm
- http://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding/31_fitness_tip.html
- http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.php?MainMuscle=Triceps
- http://www.wheelessonline.com/ortho/triceps_brachii
- http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/training-fitness/women-triceps-exercise.htm
