Tricep Size and Definition

hey all, not sure if this is the right forum for this post, but i just wanted to ask a quick question, ive read tons of articles on how to increase tricep size and all, but my real question is how to i build a tricep that actually shows?

i have ok size in that area but my triceps dont really show no matter how strong they get, any advice on how to get them to show better, other than losing more weight(which im in the process of)

thanks all

I have the same issue. My thoughts are you need to a) have some serious meat on the triceps or b) be fairly lean. If you have some size & have some “extra” cushion, they just don’t show.

If you train them once a week, start doing it twice with different exercises and a multitude of rep ranges. Like break it up into two exercises one day, and two more on some other day.

Also, the work you ARE doing, make sure you’re really getting a peak contraction in the tris. I’ve had a ton of trouble with this, because you can do some heavy stuff for them and they get pumped, but it never quite felt like that burning pump I got on the biceps.

Even if you have to lower the weight and increase the reps to 20 on a couple of exercises to get there, it’s worth it. So you can have the heavy stuff for strength and the light ones for better mind-muscle connection. At least that’s my experience. The rest is a clean diet.

Im pretty meaty and my tris show decently…High rep work on isolation work and heavier weight and low rep on movements like CGBP, 3 board CGBP seemed to create the size and definition that I have. I have been a big fan of using bands for pushdowns, instead of sets and rep ranges I tend to shoot for 150 - 200 reps total at the end of a session no matter what the session revolved around. Super setting Band pushdowns with tri ladders is fucking awesome for teh pumpzz.

Also agree with Majin hit them twice a week specifically

IMO, triceps is one of my better body parts.

I attribute that to high volume/high frequency. Oh and dips. Lots and lots of dips.

Only thing you can do to get them bigger is get bigger all over and the only way to make them show is to get leaner

Target the lateral head. This is the head that “shows” the most. It pops out when your arms are viewed from the front or the side, and they will really make your arms look better in T-Shirts.

Also known as: dips, dips and more dips.

“Oh and dips. Lots and lots of dips.”

Maybe throw in some dips with those dips. I’ve been having fun with a challenge I gave myself: 100 dips for time. So far I bite off 20 sets of 5 with a little extra pause at the 25 marks. Takes me about 10 minutes right now.

thanks guys ill give all that a try!

Don’t get mad if all those dips improve your chest at the same time. Narrower grip = more triceps.

Feel free to add weight.

holy crap, i tried that today and i already feel a difference, i got the nice stress on my triceps that ive missed! Thanks again

[quote]Forcesguy wrote:
holy crap, i tried that today and i already feel a difference, i got the nice stress on my triceps that ive missed! Thanks again[/quote]

Tried what? TELL ME???


.

[quote]mutantcolors wrote:
Also known as: dips, dips and more dips.

“Oh and dips. Lots and lots of dips.”

Maybe throw in some dips with those dips. I’ve been having fun with a challenge I gave myself: 100 dips for time. So far I bite off 20 sets of 5 with a little extra pause at the 25 marks. Takes me about 10 minutes right now.[/quote]

x2

Try doing them high frequency, like 6 days a week. Look at the recent “chin-up challenge” article and substitute dips for chin-ups. Keep the idea the same. Don’t go to failure except on the ‘challenge day’. Use a dip-belt and shoot for a target range of 15, leaving a couple reps in the tank.

Have you get the biceps/triceps of gymnasts?? They do dips and chins everyday and they ALL have awesome arm development.

[quote]Brett620 wrote:

[quote]mutantcolors wrote:
Also known as: dips, dips and more dips.

“Oh and dips. Lots and lots of dips.”

Maybe throw in some dips with those dips. I’ve been having fun with a challenge I gave myself: 100 dips for time. So far I bite off 20 sets of 5 with a little extra pause at the 25 marks. Takes me about 10 minutes right now.[/quote]

x2

Try doing them high frequency, like 6 days a week. Look at the recent “chin-up challenge” article and substitute dips for chin-ups. Keep the idea the same. Don’t go to failure except on the ‘challenge day’. Use a dip-belt and shoot for a target range of 15, leaving a couple reps in the tank.

Have you get the biceps/triceps of gymnasts?? They do dips and chins everyday and they ALL have awesome arm development.[/quote]

Just out of pure curiosity…
So you grow larger due to this massive increase in frequency but what happens once you stop it? Wouldn’t you shrink from cessation?

If a gymnast stops training like a gymnast, would he still look like a gymnast? That’s kind of along the lines of what I want to ask.

Just like volume/sets, load, rest periods, frequency is just another variable you can manipulate as a tool for progression. Of course if you reduce frequency at the end without upping something else you will lose some or all of your gains.

The thing about high frequency training that many ignore (just like high volume work for that matter) is that you should see some progression at the end of your stint i.e. improvement in performance or your gains are little more than inflammation, improved tonus due to the daily recruitment.

If at the end of your HFT cycle youre still dipping the same amount of weight for the same number of reps for the same number of sets… how much did you really gain?

I personally see HFT as an extremely useful short term tool for quick progression in a certain lift or muscle group rather than a permanent solution.

[quote]GeeWud wrote:

[quote]Brett620 wrote:

[quote]mutantcolors wrote:
Also known as: dips, dips and more dips.

“Oh and dips. Lots and lots of dips.”

Maybe throw in some dips with those dips. I’ve been having fun with a challenge I gave myself: 100 dips for time. So far I bite off 20 sets of 5 with a little extra pause at the 25 marks. Takes me about 10 minutes right now.[/quote]

x2

Try doing them high frequency, like 6 days a week. Look at the recent “chin-up challenge” article and substitute dips for chin-ups. Keep the idea the same. Don’t go to failure except on the ‘challenge day’. Use a dip-belt and shoot for a target range of 15, leaving a couple reps in the tank.

Have you get the biceps/triceps of gymnasts?? They do dips and chins everyday and they ALL have awesome arm development.[/quote]

Just out of pure curiosity…
So you grow larger due to this massive increase in frequency but what happens once you stop it? Wouldn’t you shrink from cessation?

If a gymnast stops training like a gymnast, would he still look like a gymnast? That’s kind of along the lines of what I want to ask.
[/quote]

Think of a ratchet. Bump yourself up to a new bracket by whatever means it takes and then don’t go back. So you can do 50 consecutive dips, cool. Should mean you are pressing more weight at all angles, improved strength in any tricep movement, so now go train like normal at your new and improves abilities. Hit another plateau, hit repeat on the forced progression play.