The Triceps Thread

I kept wanting to talk about triceps on the curl thread. Here’s the answer.

I love training tris. I’ve done all sorts of exercises. Started out doing diamond pushups, dips and those other dips??? with your hands behind your back on a chair or a bench and your feet up on a chair or whatever… on the same level as your hands… I don’t know what else to call it. So I did a lot of this before I started really hitting the gym. Easy stuff, since you can do these at home.

So anyone want to talk triceps, how your training them, etc., etc., etc.?

I did bench dips all the time using a couple 45lb plates or a dumbbell on my lap. It is a little awkward getting them in place by yourself… I would always ask someone to help. The plates would slide around a bit too, so you have to be careful.

Skullcrushers were my favorite though. I would do many as I could until muscle failure and then instead of putting down the weight, do as many close grip bench presses as possible to really toast them. I can’t do them anymore now or I’ll get really sore elbows.

Now I do dips and pushdowns, but they are not nearly as fun.

I love doing dips, push presses and bench presses.

Weighted Dips and Close grip bench are two of my favorites. I do however do a lot of push downs.

close grip bench press is my favorite w/ skull crushers in a close second. Always usiing heavyweight.

i like doing dips, all the way to chest. i always feel them the next day whereas with other exercises; mainly skullcrushers i think there is something off in my form. i really want to try the behind head kneeling pushdowns with a V grip. close grip benching is alright too.

I like ez bar extensions on an incline bench. On a flat bench, it’s real easy to take the stress of the triceps. With the incline bench, it’s much easier to produce a sustained contraction.

I used to do a lot of heavy dips and liked them a lot, but didn’t see much carryover. I just got better at heavy dips. Of course, I was a lot weaker all around, so maybe that was part of it. Now, it has to have been close to two years since I dipped. Maybe I should get back into them.

What I do now is mostly pushdowns, close grip bench, and board presses.

I love pushdowns and skullcrushers but always start with dips. My problem with pushdowns is that the machine only does to 140 lbs and I am at 120 now so any suggestions on what to do next? I always do seated machine dips as my final exercise.

I like ez bar extensions on an incline bench. On a flat bench, it’s real easy to take the stress of the triceps. With the incline bench, it’s much easier to produce a sustained contraction.

For big compounds movements ive always like either a close drip bench or an overhead half press. For isolation i really like 1 arm overhead extensions with a constant tempo like 404 or something similar. Also really like pushdowns, but i find i only like them near the end for higher reps.

[quote]MBD wrote:
I did bench dips all the time using a couple 45lb plates or a dumbbell on my lap. It is a little awkward getting them in place by yourself… I would always ask someone to help. The plates would slide around a bit too, so you have to be careful.
[/quote]

So they’re called bench dips. I’d dump the weight at the end and keep rep’n like a drop set.

Close-grip decline benchpress is my favourite triceps exercise ever, with weighted dips coming in a close second. I train in a commercial gym so strapping on a chain and extra weight attracts some gawkers, lol.

Musclehead, you can just do them one-handed, supinated (palms up), with better form (tuck and stiffen elbows), or of course add reps.

Curodd, I love the half overhead press too. What kinda weight do you handle on it? Seated, a year or more ago I was pushing 170-175 for sets of 5. Pretty tough, not sure what I’d do now…form should probably have been stricter. Btw, as far as a drip on the bench, I prefer to wipe the bench down. To each his own.

I like dumbbell floor presses, they’re just a different feeling exercise. Like DB bench, they limit your weight, but as with any partial ROM lift you can still go pretty high. They feel good and seem to his tris nicely while hitting the shoulders and chest a bit too.

Everyone should try the bodyweight triceps extension Thibaudeau sometimes describes. Nice exercise, especially if you need to work out with just BW.

Right now I’m doing an AB split. One day is MRT with 25 reps, JM press, and the other day is heavy dips with EDT. More exercises than just that of course, but those are my pressing motions.

Also, no one ever seems to do this, but I find it easier to just hold the DB between my legs for weighted dips. I have gone up to 50lb or so no problem, so unless you’re adding 70lb+ I don’t see a need for the belt.

http://www.ontariostrongman.ca/Resources/training/tmag-275mac/275mac2.html
BW tri extensions pictured in the first 3 pics on that page. Just be sure to keep your abs flexed.

1st - weighted dips
2nd - Close Grip BP feet elevated

skullcrushers are ok but somewhat easy to cheat unwillingly and they definitely give me pain around the elbow when i go heavy

as someone said above pressdowns are decent but i only like to use them at the end for high reps

[quote]malonetd wrote:
I used to do a lot of heavy dips and liked them a lot, but didn’t see much carryover. I just got better at heavy dips. Of course, I was a lot weaker all around, so maybe that was part of it. Now, it has to have been close to two years since I dipped. Maybe I should get back into them.

What I do now is mostly pushdowns, close grip bench, and board presses.[/quote]

dont see much carryover into what? bench?.. i have def seen good carryover into other triceps esercises

My plan consists of good basics as dips etc.
I try to train my body in movment patterns-and guess what???the same i am doin with my triz!

You have 3 possible isolating movments of the triz:

1.To push sth,behind your head above
2.To push sth.up when lying(so in front of you away)
3.To push sth down.

So for compounds this could be:
1.military press
2.bench
3.dips

For isolating the triz the principle is the same:

1.Standing dumbell extensions behind the neck
2.Nosebreaker on bench
3.Pushdwon cable.

Get the movments-earn the benefits…
science

Conwict: Thibaudeau’s bodyweight tricep exercise looks interesting. I wonder if my rotator cuff could handle it. I’m gonna try it out.

For me it’s overhead tricep presses and then dumbbell extensions to polish my arms off after my bench press, dips, incline dumbbell chest workout.