The Triceps Thread

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
41

[quote]sawadeekrob wrote:
Hagar,

My triceps really took on a life of their own after I started pre-exhausting them.

I sometimes vary the 1st exercise, but often is something like this

Lying cable extensions (staggered reps)
Smith machine floor presses

The presses are to be done until failure.[/quote]

Interesting. Is this like doing close grip after skull crushers?

I don’t feel pressing like movement in my tris much anymore. More so it gets the lower portion by the elbow. Too much of this stuff and I can get some flare ups in my tendons, but I can see how pre-exhaustion would work. Knock on wood, so far this year my tendons have felt fine but I used to have some problems so I have to remain cautious.

Here’s a typical week of training tris for me.

Mon Chest tris, and Bis (hammer curls and reverse curls)
Skull crushers 3 sets. Reverse grip cable press downs or some unilateral work with dumbbells (no kickbacks) High intensity.

Fri Back, bis, shoulders (lateral and rear one week, front and cable lateral the next) and tris

(lower weighs) just the ropes superseted with the cable curls. I go easy and just try and get a good pump going. The extra blood brings nutrients into the muscle to help it grow. I got this from a Craig Tutus’ video.

I vary it of coarse.

42

Dips and a weight belt is one of my favorite exercises.

43

[quote]Scott M wrote:
If my post doesn’t make sense I’m sorry, my Mountaineers just lost and it’s pretty hard to type while you are crying all over the keyboard.

With that warning, my absolute favorite triceps exercise is wide reverse grip press in the smith(hiss! boo! smith machine, yeah save it). For compound movements I say the best one is the exercise you can get the strongest on for medium reps. For me it’s that movement, others it might be close grips, dips, or any variation of those. Anyone who tries this out forget your ego and do it with a slow negative bringing the bar right about to the nipple line and press “towards the feet”. Obviously locked in the track of the smith you won’t be able to, but try none the less. Do them with your ass off the end of the bench and lock your shoulders onto it and you will be putting your triceps in the prime position to dominate this move. Do them like the third movement in this video…

and train to double/triple your weights over time and you’ll benefit greatly. I learned this exercise from Dante of DC fame.

As per more “isolation” movements, anything you can do to stretch the long head of the triceps without damaging the shoulders(or elbows) will be the best movement. Larry Scott has a FANTASTIC cable movement that puts you in the deepest stretch and allows you to destroy the arm without that tendon pain skull crushers can cause when you start getting up there in weight. He describes it(in nearly nauseating detail ha) here…
http://www.larryscott.com/bio/newsletter/97summer_2.cfm

I pimp these two movements to everyone who asks, or even if they don’t haha, when it comes to triceps. [/quote]

No worries. Makes sense! I’ll have to give these a try. Larry says it will add an inch to your arms. Hey I’ll be happy with a 1/4 in at this stage of the game.

44

DDDDIIIIPPPPSS

45

[quote]Dave_ wrote:
Scott M wrote:
I pimp these two movements to everyone who asks, or even if they don’t

Oh, you’re one of those…

[/quote]

I’m not sure what you mean by this, but I’ll assume you aren’t being an internet asshole and we can keep talking about some triceps ok?

46

[quote]ZYL281 wrote:
hungry4more wrote:
i am sooooooooo pumped, in random conversation with a guy i’d never met before in my neighborhood i found that he has some dip bars he’ll give to me for free. his RC is all screwed up, so he can’t do dips anymore. i’ve been debating whether to just spend the money, or stick with close grip bench press and skullcrushers for triceps, and now i don’t have to choose. that’s really the last piece of equipment i’ve been needing to make my little home gym complete. anyways, i figured this was relevant enough to go in the triceps thread…

can you guess what my favorite tri exercise is?

partial range of motion kickbacks with pink dumbbells
[/quote]

yep you hit the nail on the head. awesome mass builder.

47

[quote]Hagar wrote:
sawadeekrob wrote:
Hagar,

My triceps really took on a life of their own after I started pre-exhausting them.

I sometimes vary the 1st exercise, but often is something like this

Lying cable extensions (staggered reps)
Smith machine floor presses

The presses are to be done until failure.

Interesting. Is this like doing close grip after skull crushers?

I don’t feel pressing like movement in my tris much anymore. More so it gets the lower portion by the elbow. Too much of this stuff and I can get some flare ups in my tendons, but I can see how pre-exhaustion would work. Knock on wood, so far this year my tendons have felt fine but I used to have some problems so I have to remain cautious.

Here’s a typical week of training tris for me.

Mon Chest tris, and Bis (hammer curls and reverse curls)
Skull crushers 3 sets. Reverse grip cable press downs or some unilateral work with dumbbells (no kickbacks) High intensity.

Fri Back, bis, shoulders (lateral and rear one week, front and cable lateral the next) and tris

(lower weighs) just the ropes superseted with the cable curls. I go easy and just try and get a good pump going. The extra blood brings nutrients into the muscle to help it grow. I got this from a Craig Tutus’ video.

I vary it of coarse. [/quote]

That is my reasoning to pre-exhausting the tris since my powerlifting days my left elbow tendon flares every now and then.

My workouts are still pretty much geared into power

Mon
Squat
Leg Press
Walking Lunges
Seated calves

Wed
Bench
Flyes
Laterals

Fri
Deads
Chins
Rows

Sat
Hammer Curls
DB Curls
Cable Extensions
Floor Presses
Grip/Wrist roller work

Saturday is an alternate where I pick only 1 ex for bis and 1 for tris. Sometimes only tris and other only bis. I am of the school that 1 worked indirectly and 1 directly is enough work for the arms. Plus keeps my tendons nice and happy.

48

My favorite is the seated, overhead, two-hand, single dumbbell extension.

I worked up to 10 strict reps with a 110. I liked using a fairly low backed seat. That allowed me to lean back a bit which gave me a good stretch. I modeled my form after watching Jay Cutler do these.

Unfortunately I started pulling my left triceps (right in the belly) on a regular basis from these so I had to ditch them.

It sucks because I saw some good size and strenght gains from these. They really stretch the triceps well. I suppose that also creates a better possibility for injury. I hope I can one day do them again.

49

[quote]conwict wrote:
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.
[/quote]

i use 95 pounds, but i do it standing on a swissball… just kidding. The last cycle i did with them was 3-5 reps, 411 tempo. Did 195-205 . I do them standing with a grip equal to me close grip bench and lower them to the top of the head. I would like to try them seated though, off pins in a rack and see how that feels

50

[quote]MytchBucanan wrote:
My favorite is the seated, overhead, two-hand, single dumbbell extension.

I worked up to 10 strict reps with a 110. I liked using a fairly low backed seat. That allowed me to lean back a bit which gave me a good stretch. I modeled my form after watching Jay Cutler do these.

Unfortunately I started pulling my left triceps (right in the belly) on a regular basis from these so I had to ditch them.

It sucks because I saw some good size and strenght gains from these. They really stretch the triceps well. I suppose that also creates a better possibility for injury. I hope I can one day do them again.[/quote]

This one gets my tri’s big but too much and I can get sore elbows.

51

Hagar I urge you to check out that second exercise I mentioned.

52

[quote]Scott M wrote:
Dave_ wrote:
Scott M wrote:
I pimp these two movements to everyone who asks, or even if they don’t

Oh, you’re one of those…

I’m not sure what you mean by this, but I’ll assume you aren’t being an internet asshole and we can keep talking about some triceps ok? [/quote]

I assumed you were joking about giving unsolicited advice, and was just joking in return.

Yeah, anyway, I love the rondale press for tris.

EDITED because I can’t read

53

i know it sounds stupid but try bringing your thumbs around to the same side as your fingers on the handle while dipping . . .forces you to keep your elbows in and hits the medial head real nice

54

[quote]Scott M wrote:
Hagar I urge you to check out that second exercise I mentioned.[/quote]

I’ll give it a shot on friday.

55

What’s going on? This thread should be at least twice the size of the biceps thread haha.

56

I’ve been relinquished to basically compound only movements. Single joint triceps movements just kill my elbows. Sucks because I loved cable push downs. Dips hurt my shoulders…Man getting old sucks.

Fortunately, arms tend to be a strong point for me so I can get away with close grip bench, box and diamond push ups with feet elevated. I can throw my daughter on my back for extra resistance. She thinks it’s fun. I used to do behind the neck triceps extensions with her, she loved it…For a challenge I could do that with my 11 year old son…

57

You can build some mighty triceps with pressing movements only but you should check out every avenue you can if you enjoyed the single joint movements. Elbow wraps, glucosamine, heating rubs, higher rep ranges, they are worth a shot at least.

58

Every thread needs some good pictures right?

59

Only problem I see with the 1/2 reps for overhead barbell press for triceps is that unless you have a power rack or BNP equipment you are going to either have to settle for sub-par weight you can lift TO the starting position, or hurt yourself doing a clean with something heavy.

Any other alternatives to doing this movement? I dont want another movement, just any suggestions on how to best do this movement.

60

[quote]USNS physique wrote:
Only problem I see with the 1/2 reps for overhead barbell press for triceps is that unless you have a power rack or BNP equipment you are going to either have to settle for sub-par weight you can lift TO the starting position, or hurt yourself doing a clean with something heavy.

Any other alternatives to doing this movement? I dont want another movement, just any suggestions on how to best do this movement.[/quote]

You should be able to easily clean anything you press, and getting it to the starting position by doing that one full rep or whatever isn’t going to be that bad.