SuperFitness

Triceps: Trojan Triceps

The tale of the tape said there was a pair of twenty-two inch guns being fired broadside across the room. While the biceps may be the crown jewels of a strong set of arms, the size of the arms is more dependent on the triceps. The triceps group is a three-headed muscle complex that starts at the shoulders and moves downward to the elbow in bands of muscle. Here are grenade launcher drills that will give you strong mass intensive arms.

1. Narrow Grip Bench Press - Use a barbell that is about 70-80 percent of your one rep maximum weight. Start by lying on a bench with the weight directly above your upper pecs. Take a narrow overgrip of the bar with your thumbs five to eight inches apart, and your feet resting on the floor. Inhale and lower the bar to just above your chest.

Using the triceps alone, raise the bar as you slowly exhale until your elbows are almost locked. Pause to concentrate on a full contraction of the triceps. You should feel the muscles burn before you inhale, and return to the lower position. A deliberate pause at the ends of the motion should help you keep momentum from being part of the effort.

2. Focused Triceps Pullovers - This exercise is a mass builder for the long or inner head of the triceps. To start, position a barbell on the floor at the head end of a bench. Lie down and reach overhead to grip the bar with your thumbs five to eight inches apart. For the initial position, lift the weight just off the floor. Exhale as you slowly lift the weight to a position just above your lower chest.

Your elbows should travel in parallel arcs just outside your rib cage. Concentrate on keeping your upper and lower arms at constant angles. The elbows should not bend during the motion. Pause at the top of the motion to fully contract the triceps. Inhale as you gradually lower the weight to the initial position.

3. Dips between the Benches - This form of the traditional dip motion works the underworked short or outer head of the triceps. To start, position two benches next to each other about twenty-four to thirty inches apart. Sit on the inner side of one of the benches and extend your legs to the other bench. Position your palms on the bench next to your buttocks. Slowly pull with your legs until your buttocks hang between the benches with your chest at a forty-five degree angle with your thighs.

Inhale and slowly allow your elbows to bend. Your torso will drop until your elbows form a slightly less than forty-five degree angle. Pause the motion to fully contract the triceps. Exhale as you use the triceps to return to the initial position. To adjust the 'to failure' rep so it is within the suggested range for the programs below, you can move the benches closer together or add a weight plate to rest on your lap.

4. Reverse Grip Bench Press - Select a light to moderate weight and place it on the rack above a bench. Lie flat on the bench with your upper chest directly below the bar. Take a shoulder width undergrip, inhale, then slowly lower the weight to a point just above the lower chest. Concentrate on keeping the elbows as close to the chest as possible. Pause to fully contract the triceps, and remove any momentum or bounce from the motion. Exhale as you slowly return the bar to the top position.

5. Triceps Kickbacks - Triceps Kickbacks can be done in several positions. When the prone inclined position is used, the inner and medial heads of the triceps are worked most heavily. To start the exercise, select a pair of dumbbells that represent seventy to eighty percent of your one rep maximum weight. Lie prone on an inclined bench with an angle of thirty to forty-five degrees with the floor. Your arms should be bent to ninety degrees at the elbow to form the initial position.

Inhale as you slowly straighten your arms to bring them into a parallel line with your torso. Concentrate on keeping the palms facing each other. The arcing motion should be around the elbow, and not the shoulder joint. Make the movements very deliberate, and complete the rep by exhaling and slowly returning to the initial position. As you slow the motion, you will feel as if each rep is going to be the failure rep.

Contributed by C. W. Mann, who also writes the syndicated newspaper column, SuperFitness.

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