Tricep workouts

If one of your main goals is to develop tricep workouts for strong arms then performing tricep exercises on a regular basis should definitely be part of your plan.

To create effective tricep workouts you need to understand that the tricep muscle is located on the back upper portion of your arm and runs from your elbow up to the shoulder joint.

There are principally 3 main sections to target your tricep workouts at – the long head, the lateral head and the medial head. The lateral head is located closest to the outer portion of the arm, the medial closest to the inside as the name suggests and then the long head is the one that is most often seen on the majority of individuals and is located right in the centre. When the lateral head is very developed you will also likely see this one ’sticking out’ as it is quite a fleshy muscle.

The interesting thing to note here is that the tricep muscle actually makes up most of the upper arm mass so rather than performing bicep curl after bicep curl, if size & strong arms is your goal, this is the muscle to focus on.

By taking steps to reduce your body fat along with improving the muscular definition, you can help to eliminate that under arm jiggle that is common with many people, particularly females as they have a tendency to store fat here.

The main movement that this muscle is responsible for is forearm extension. It works antagonistically with the biceps for forearm flexion so while you are flexing the forearm, the back arm muscle is resting and while you are extending the forearm the front arm muscle is resting.

For this reason, these two muscle groups are often supersetted together in a training program (done right after each other, alternating sets).

This muscle is also quite likely to become sore easily so it is worthwhile for you to perform some tricep muscle stretches after any lifting exercises that target it. To do this simply place one arm behind your head, bending at the elbow, and then gently pull downwards on the wrist with the other hand (or alternatively press the bent elbow slightly backwards). This should create a light pull feeling on the back of the arm while the muscle is lengthened.

Tricep Stretch

After a hard workout, performing a good triceps stretch is a smart plan because these are a smaller muscle and can become sore quite easily. If you are suffering from DOMS for this muscle and have, say, a chest workout coming up the next day you might find that that workout will suffer as you indirectly use this muscle group as well during chest exercises. A better plan would be to perform both muscle groups on the same day but not everyone chooses to do that so including a triceps stretch is the next best option.

One very good triceps stretch to perform is done by placing one hand above your head. Then bend at the elbow and take your free hand and gently press back on the elbow so the arm moves behind you more. Note that you will likely also feel a good stretch in the shoulder area while doing this as well. Remember to take deep breathes and to also keep the back straight and in alignment.

Another way you can stretch this muscle, along with the shoulders once again, is to find a place where there is a bar that is about neck level. Stand just in front of the bar and then bring arms up, bending at the elbows so the hands can reach behind you and grasp the bar. This will usually work best if you use an overhand grip. Once in this position, slowly lean forward slightly, using your body weight to pull away from the bar so you feel some tension in the back of the arms. Hold for thirty seconds and then let the muscles relax before performing it again.

Taking an extra five minutes at the end of your workout to perform either of these two movements will definitely be well worth your effort and you will be happy you did come your next workout session when you are pain free.

Tricep Exercise

In order to develop shapely arms you will definitely want to perform some triceps exercise. This muscle is one that predominately forms the upper portion of your arm and when developed is extremely aesthetically pleasing.

There are generally two types of triceps exercise variations that you can perform: one handed movements and two handed movements. The one handed ones are very isolated and are good for really bring up this body part if it is lacking. Some people who participate in certain sports will see one side being weaker than the other so this is a good way to overcome this problem.

When performing triceps exercise you always want to ensure that your elbow tries to stay directly in line with the shoulder joint. This will help keep the muscle moving on the right track and prevent any pain from developing. Since this is quite a long limb the force of gravity acting on the hand (due to the lever system) will put a lot of pressure on the shoulder joints and tendons so it’s critical you are aware of this.

Furthermore, when performing any movements where the weight is being placed above the head, watch out for the form your back takes. Far too often we start swaying our back when weight moves above and this again creates unnecessary pressure.

Good movements to perform for this muscle group are kickbacks, overhead extensions, cable pull-downs, triangle push-ups, bench presses, closed grip bench presses, barbell extensions and dips. Most of these can easily be performed in the comfort of your own home with a pair of store-bought dumbbells or with some rubber tubing.

Bicep Stretch

One movement that is commonly left out of a fitness program is a biceps stretch. A biceps stretch exercise is one that should be included whenever you work your upper body as this muscle group, whether or not directly targeted, will play a role in most upper body lifts.

The first biceps stretch to perform can be done anywhere you like and begins in a standing position. Next you clasp your hands behind your back so your palms are together and then straighten the arms and rotate them inwards (so palms are now facing down). Raise the arms up away from the body as far as you can and hold this position.

If you would like to feel this movement more then you could get a partner to stand behind you and apply a small amount of pressure on the arms, helping further enhance the tension felt or else you could also do this same movement only bending over at the waist and moving the arms over your head. Because gravity will play a role when you do this, the exercise will be enhanced.

If you would rather sit down while accomplishing your goal, sit on a mat and place the arms directly behind you. Try and position your hands so that the fingers are facing away from you and are about shoulder width apart. Next you will slowly move the hips forward until you start feeling tension in the upper arm and shoulder area. Hold that position for thirty seconds, relax and then repeat again.

So make sure you have at least one of these exercises in your program so you don’t suffer from inflexibility or delayed onset of muscle soreness.

Bicep Exercise

When performing your bicep exercises there are a few important things you must remember for the ultimte biceps workouts :

First you must always ensure that your elbows stay as close to the sides of your body as possible. Far too often individuals performing bicep exercises will start letting their arms swing around midway through the lift. Usually this is seen with the elbows moving in an outwards direction rather than staying locked forwards. This is not beneficial because it will place more strain in the shoulder joint and could potentially lead to shoulder injuries.

The second thing to remember during your bicep exercises is to never allow momentum to do the work for you. This is probably the number one mistake people make. If you’ve ever watched a guy in the gym who is clearly trying to impress people with the weight he’s lifting, this will undoubtedly be occurring. Since he’s using too high of a weight for his muscular strength, he needs a small amount of additional help to get it raised upwards.

Where does this additional force come from? The momentum of his body. He’ll swing his hips outwards slightly then transfer this movement to the stomach and then to the arms. The really bad part about this is in doing so, the spine becomes disastrously out of alignment and a huge load of stress is placed upon it as well as the shoulders. You really must make sure you do not perform this error because not only are you not strengthening your biceps when you do, you are also risking severe injury.

Finally, remember to always try and lower the weight as low as you can. If you are only able to perform half reps you are probably using too much weight and it would be very beneficial for you to decrease it. This is a relatively small muscle and for most people it can’t handle huge loads. You will see much greater benefits using correct form than trying to load on the resistance but moving out of correct form. Train smarter – not harder!

Bicep Workout

Understanding the muscle structure is key to maximising your bicep workout. The biceps are the front part of your arm, and a bicep workout should develop your arm muscles such that they create a rounded peak at rest.

Developing a bicep workout is important as they are one of the muscles that many men like to target for the summer (as they often feel slightly empowered when it’s on the larger side). Some may even consider it a defining arm exercise as it indicates they workout!

The bicep itself is two headed, composed of the short and long head, where the bellies of each head unite close to the insertion point. The tendon of the long head helps to stabilize the shoulder joint when movement is taking place.

A bicep workout needs to fully utilise the full travel of the muscle as the main actions that the bicep muscle perform are the flexion and supination of the forearm. Usually both of these movements go together, such as when you lift a glass to your mouth (the upwards and turning motion) or when you are twisting a cap off a jar and pulling instantaneously.

Immediately beneath the main muscle of this part of the arm, you have another portion called the brachialis, which is also included in aiding all the movements you make. It lies distally to the humerus and passes underneath the main tendon of the inner elbow.

When performing exercises for this region of the arm, it is a good idea to do them from a variety of angles so that you can ensure that you are targeting the muscle effectively. This will also translate over into your life better since you are obviously not always going to be lifting objects solely in one direction. Using a multiple of different angles will remedy this problem very well.

So be sure to include one or two sets of exercises for this muscle in your next workout. Try changing the particular exercise every week or so to fully reap the benefits from your training program.