How to use tricep exercises to build the arms you desire

The triceps press up

Tricep exercises are crucial if you want powerful, strong and toned arms because the fact is that the tricep makes up two thirds of your arm muscle.

Yes that is right, two thirds of your arm is actually the tricep muscles.

So tricep exercises are crucial if you want big arms.

Also keep in mind that

The tricep is the muscle that people will notice when they look at your arms unless you spend most of your time flexing the far smaller bicep.

The triceps muscles are involved in so many exercises that to be considered strong you have no choice but to build them up by doing plenty of tricep exercises.

Also, I think it is fair to say that most bodybuilders consider the diamond shape of a well developed tricep as probably the most exquisite muscle you can build, it shows your training has paid off every time you move your arm. For more information check out www.all-about-arm-exercises.com for some great arm exercises.

The tricep exercises do you need to do to have the size, power and muscle definition

Just remember one important point and that is no matter how good the diamond shape of your tricep muscles are, no one will be able to see them if they are covered in a layer of fat. So make sure your diet is correct and only the muscles are on show.

Now for the best bodyweight exercises you can do to train your triceps.

Although there are many tricep exercises to choose from without a doubt the best 3 are

Parallel dips

Seated bench dips

And

Close grip press ups

So now you know the best tricep exercises, here is a guide on how to do them correctly.

Parallel dips

It doesn’t matter if you use bars especially constructed for dips in the gym or if you train in the house and use a couple of chairs the technique is basically the same. Grab the handles or the top of the chairs and lift your whole body of the ground by straightening your arms.

Make sure you keep your arms as close to the sides of your body as possible and then bend your elbows until your arms are at 90 degrees. The most important thing to remember is not to let your elbows flair out to the side but keep them parallel with the sides of your body.

Once they are at a 90 degrees angle push your arms back up until they are just an inch from being completely straight and then repeat the exercise, by not straightening your arms completely you will keep the tension constantly on the tricep muscles.

The secret to getting the most out of this tricep exercise is to keep your body completely straight; the only movement should be the bending of you arms at the elbow.

Do not make the mistake of leaning forward when doing parallel dips as this turns it into more of a chest and shoulder exercise. So remember look straight ahead and keep your body moving up and down as straight as possible.

Why are parallel dips one of the best tricep exercises?

Because they are a compound exercise which means even though you will be concentrating on your triceps, your chest and deltoids will still be involved to some degree, and the fact is the more muscles involved in any exercise the better your body is at pumping out natural anabolic hormones such as testosterone.

Also

Parallel dips are the upper body equivalent of the squat, although you might struggle to do even a few reps at the beginning of your training program. After a few months you will be able to 50 reps with ease. However, don’t worry, you wont have to do that many because as with all bodyweight exercises you can make them even harder.

If you can not do parallel dips.

If you are just starting the bodyweight exercises and find dips so hard that you can not do them. The best thing to do is to make them easier by only bending your arms a couple of inches on each rep and gradually over the course of a few weeks go lower and lower until you can get them to the 90 degrees position.

To make dips harder

If you have trained for a few months and find parallel dips easy you can make them more difficult by stopping half way down on each rep and holding this position for ten seconds before continuing to complete the full repetition.

The ten second static hold will bring isometric tension into effect and makes this type of dip one of the hardest tricep exercises you can do.

Another way of making dips harder is to raise you knees to waist height and keep them there throughout the exercise. This will make it a good lower abdominal exercise at the same time as being one of the best tricep exercises.

Tricep press ups

To do these correctly start from a normal press up position and then slide your arms closer together until your thumbs meet and your index fingers are touching. You will see that a diamond shape is formed in the space between your two fingers and thumbs.

From this position you simply lower your body down until the centre of your chest touches your hands and then push yourself back up until your arms are straight.

Congratulations that’s one rep completed so just repeat as many times as necessary for your training program, but remember to keep your whole body straight throughout the exercise.

To make triceps press ups easier!

To make them more difficult

Another option when you feel strong enough is to start doing your tricep press ups one handed.

The final one of your tricep exercises is

Bench dips

To do these you can use a bench or chair. Start by sitting on the bench with your hands gripping the edge of the bench and as close to your body as possible, almost as if you are sitting on them.

Your feet will be on the floor and the further away from your body you place them the harder the exercise will be.

Now just lift your bum off the bench but keep your back as close to the edge of the bench as possible and dip down to 90 degrees and then push your arms back up. Your arms should stay close to your body and when you dip your elbows should be pointing directly behind you.

This is one of the best tricep exercises because when you get the technique right you will be able to concentrate all your efforts on just the tricep muscles. The key is to keep your elbows pointing behind you and don’t let your arms flair out to the sides.

To make bench dips easier.

To make bench dips more difficult you can

Move your legs further away from the bench, in fact you can keep your legs straight if you want.

Another way of making them harder is place your feet on another bench the same height as the one you are using for your arms. This has the effect of making your triceps lift more of your bodyweight.

And

The king of bench dip techniques is to put your bench about 2-3 feet away from a wall and then place your feet directly on the wall about three feet high. Then all you have to do is stop yourself from landing on your ass by pushing against the wall with your feet and taking most of your bodyweight on your triceps as you perform the exercise.

This bench dip is only for those of you who are reasonably strong as the weight your triceps lifts up and down is considerable. However, if you can do these bench dips they are great for building big strong tricep muscles and they demonstrate how far you have progressed from when you first started your bodyweight exercises.

Conclusion

So if you can include these in your program for a couple of months and I guarantee you will see and feel a dramatic improvement. Those of you who put your heart and soul into your training will end up with practical and functional strength that is almost superhuman and you will be able to do things that ordinary people simply can not.

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The muscle building guide

The triceps press up

The advanced bench dip

See the chest guide to compliment your tricep exercises

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