How Do The Biceps & Triceps Work Together?

The bicep and tricep muscles, which are situated in your upper arm, flex and extend your elbow joint. They are opposing muscles -- one must relax in order for the other to contract. Exercises for these muscles include working just the bicep and triceps, and compound exercises, where the muscles assist larger muscles. Biceps and triceps also work as stabilizers, holding your body in place and controlling movement during some exercises.

Bicep Curls

This exercise isolates your biceps and can be performed with a barbell or a set of dumbbells. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms extended down by your thighs. Grip a barbell or pair of dumbbells with your palms facing forward. Begin the exercise by bending your elbow, lifting the weight up to chest height, keeping your elbows down. Squeeze your biceps, hold for two counts, and then slowly lower the weight back down to the starting position. During the bicep contraction, your triceps should be relaxed and stretched.

Tricep Pushdown

This exercise isolates the triceps and is performed with a cable pulley. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, bending your elbows, keeping your arms close to your body. Grip a push-down bar with your palms facing down. Begin the exercise by pushing the bar down toward the floor until your arms are fully extended. Contract your triceps, hold for two counts, and then slowly bring the bar back to the starting position. While your triceps are contracted, your biceps should be relaxed and stretched.

Compound Exercises

Your biceps assist your back in pulling movements while your triceps assist your chest and shoulders in pushing movements. Compound exercises work more than one muscle group and involve movement by more than one joint. Bench presses work the chest, shoulder and triceps. Lat pulldowns work your back and biceps. While one set of muscles contract, the other set relaxes and stretches. Combination push and pull movements can be performed on cardio training machines. Some elliptical trainers have upper body pedals that work your biceps and triceps for improved muscle tone and endurance.

Stabilizing Exercises

When performing resistance exercises, some muscles work as stabilizers, maintaining your body position and resisting, or slowing down joint movement. During the lifting part of a pushup, your triceps contract while during the lowering part of a pushup, your biceps contract to slow down the movement. During the lifting part of a pullup, your biceps contract while during the lowering part of a pullup, your triceps contract to slow down the movement.