Top Triceps
Get some great tips on how to build your Triceps
Big arms are the prerequisite for being a real bodybuilder.
They are the most exposed muscle group in street clothes, and identify you as an iron warrior. Yet when it comes to big arms most bodybuilders focus on the biceps. While big peaking biceps are impressive when hitting a bicep pose, they won’t bump up your overall arm size like titanic triceps will – especially when your arms are in their natural and relaxed state. Since the triceps compromise the majority of the muscle mass on your upper arms, slapping mass on them is essential to stretching that tape measure an extra inch or two. Try these partial rep triceps moves for blowing up your guns.
Take It To The Top
While isolation movements are a great way to build quality muscle on any body part, basic multijoint exercises are the best way to pack on overall size and build strength. Two multijoint exercises the triceps play a key role in are the bench press and the shoulder press. For both, triceps involvement kicks in big time during the last half of the range of motion (ROM). Because these exercises allow you to load the bar with more weight than the full ROM version, doing them in just the top half of the movement is a great way to overload your triceps, forcing them to grow bigger and stronger. Not only will these exercises get you some big numbers on the tape measure, the strength carryover will get you some big numbers on the bench press and shoulder press.
Close-Grip Half Bench Press
Set up a flat bench in the middle of a power rack. Lie down on the bench to gauge your full range of motion in the close-grip bench press. Place the safety pins at the half-way point between your chest and where the bar would be at full arm extension over your chest. To perform the exercise: Grab the bar with an overhand gripwith your hands shoulder-width apart. Unrack the bar and hold it at full arm extension over your chest. Slowly lower the bar, keeping your elbows close to your sides, until the bar just touches the safety pins. Immediately press the bar back up to full extension, holding the top position for two seconds as you flex your triceps. Repeat for reps.
Overhead Half Press
Sit on a low back bench or a flat bench in a power rack and set the safety pins just above your head. Grab the bar with an overhand, shoulder width grip. Unrack the bar and hold it at full arm extension over your head. Slowly lower the bar, keeping your elbows pointing as far forward as possible, until the bar just makes contact with the safety pins. Immediately press the bar back up overhead and hold for 2 seconds at full arm extension while you forcefully contract your triceps. Repeat for reps.
Try these workouts for incorporating the half presses into your triceps routine
Workout 1
Exercise Sets/Reps
Close-grip bench press (full ROM warm-up) 2/15
Close-grip half bench press 3/6-10
Close-grip bench press 2/8-12
Triceps pressdown 3/8-12
One arm overhead triceps extension 3/12-15
Workout 2
Exercise Sets/Reps
Overhead triceps extension (warm-up) 2/15
Overhead half press 4/6-10
Lying triceps extension 3/8-10
Triceps dips 3/6-12
Provide at least 3 days of rest between triceps workouts
