Raise your arms in a sleeveless shirt and look in the mirror. Do your upper arms jiggle when you lift your arms? Can you pinch a few extra inches of fat in that area? If you answered yes, your triceps could benefit from toning exercises. Weight training and daily aerobic activity may help reduce your overall body fat, and also firm muscles throughout your body, including your upper-arm triceps.
Triceps Extension with Exercise Bands
After participating in aerobic activity for at least 30 minutes, complete your workout with some spot-training exercises using rubber resistance bands or tubes. The amount of their resistance can be reduced and increased depending on the thickness of the rubber.
The triceps extension exercise if performed by taking one end of the band and stepping on it with the heel of your left foot. Take the other end with your left hand, then slowly raise it from your shoulder to behind your head. Keep your left elbow near your ear by stabilizing it with your right hand, then slowly raise your left arm up as high as possible without displacing your elbow. Gently, slowly lower the band back to the starting position and repeat for 10 to 12 repetitions. Repeat with your right arm. In place of resistance bands, you can also do this exercise with light hand weights or even cans of soup.
Push-Ups
A traditional push-up is another way to work the triceps, since they do most of the work in this exercise. The closer you keep your hands together during a push-up, the more you work your triceps. Keep your elbows tucked in as close to your body as possible to allow your triceps to do the work, instead of your chest (pectoral) muscles.
As you gain strength, you may want to consider adding an exercise band for extra resistance. Use a push-up position and stretch the band across your back and place both ends under your hands on the floor. Slowly rise until you feel resistance, then return to the starting position.
Bench Dips
Some of the best triceps exercises can be done without any equipment. The bench dip can be performed during your morning aerobic activity in a park, at home or wherever there are picnic tables or weightlifting benches. Stand facing away from the bench, then place your hands shoulders-width apart on the bench behind you. Step your feet out as far in front of the bench as possible while keeping your arms slightly bent to keep the tension on your triceps, not your elbows. Slowly dip your upper body down to the floor while keeping your legs straight and elbows close to your torso. When you are low enough to keep your legs straight without locking your knees, slowly raise yourself up to the starting position while using your triceps to do the heavy lifting.
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