The triceps are the large muscle on the back of the arm. It is responsible for not only the bulk of the upper arm mass, but also lockout power when performing a pressing exercise. The triceps are critically important in any activity where you straighten your arm, and even help generate punching power. Consult your physician before beginning any diet or exercise program.
Close Grip Bench Press
The close grip bench press is quite possibly the best exercise for developing overall triceps size and power. Execute the lift the same way you would a conventional bench press: feet flat on the floor, and head, hips and shoulders flat on the bench. The only difference is the close hand spacing; however, do not place your hands absurdly close. If your hands are 12 inches apart or closer, this puts too much stress on your wrists. The bar should move from full extension to the chest and back to full extension. Bring your elbows in close to your body to ease the strain on your shoulders when lowering the bar.
Dips
Dips are another excellent size and power builder for the triceps, and a great upper body movement in general. With your hands at your sides on dipping bars, lower yourself under control -- never plummet to the bottom -- by bending your elbows. Go down as far as you can without pain in your shoulders, and push yourself back up. Your feet should never touch the ground, and keep your elbows tucked in close to your body to avoid shoulder strain.
Extensions
Triceps extensions can be performed with barbells or dumbbells, and are an excellent exercise for putting some extra mass on the back of your arms. Lying on your back, hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms at full extension and your palms facing in. Bend your elbows with the goal of touching one of the ends of the dumbbell to the top of each shoulder, then straighten your arms. When performing this exercise with a barbell, ensure that you have a spotter or you may painfully find out why barbell triceps extensions are sometimes called skullcrushers.
Overhead Extensions
Perform overhead extensions for the triceps while seated and with either a barbell or a single dumbbell. With the weight held at full extension overhead, lower the bar, or dumbbell, behind your head, getting the maximum stretch possible in your triceps, then straighten your arms. Brace your torso to avoid swinging the weight. An advantage to this is that the head of the triceps, or the portion closest to your torso, crosses the shoulder joint so the extra stretch at the joint can be beneficial for both strength and power.
References
- "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research"; Effects of Variations of the Bench Press Exercise on the EMG Activity of Five Shoulder Muscles; Chris Barnett, et al.: 1995
- "Journal of Physical Anthropology"; Muscle Power Output Properties Using the Stretch-shortening Cycle of the Upper Limb and Their Relationships with a One-Repetition Maximum Bench Press; Kazuyoshi Miyaguchi and Shinichi Demura; 2006
- PubMed.gov: Eccentric Exercise Increases Emg Amplitude and Force Fluctuations During Submaximal Contractions of Elbow Flexor Muscles.
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