Learn the most powerful triceps workout to build monster arms!
FACT: To have big arms you need to work your triceps HARD.
FACT: I’m going to tell you how to work your triceps HARD and SMART.
If you’ve ever read articles on arm training, you’ve probably learned that the triceps muscle makes up about 2/3 of the total arm mass. The biceps, while a great muscle to “show off,” is actually relatively small!
That’s all well and good, and just doing triceps exercises blindly without a plan can get you some results, but to really maximize your triceps (as I mentioned above) you need to work them SMART.
So if you really want to stretch your shirt sleeves to the max, give this workout a try. It contains three of the most powerful triceps exercises I have ever used. Not only that, these exercises are strategically arranged to literally force many more muscle fibers in the triceps to activate, leading to faster muscle growth and strength!
The best part is that this training requires very little specialized equipment!
In the next section, I’ll tell you about all three exercises, and then I’ll tell you how the exercises work together to help you develop your triceps next week!
EXERCISE # 1 – Bodyweight Tricep Extensions – 2 sets of 8 to 12 reps
EXERCISE # 2 – Lying Tricep Extension Superservice and Close Grip Bench Press – 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps
EXERCISE # 3 – Bench Dips – 2 sets of 10 to 12+ reps
Rest 90 seconds between each set.
How to do exercise n. # 1: bodyweight tricep extensions
2 sets of 8 to 12 reps
For this exercise, you will need a horizontal bar / edge about 2 feet off the ground. You can use a Smith machine bar, universal bench handles, a railing, the edge of a chair or table, or even an olympic bar attached to the power stand with the safety rails a few feet off the ground will work.
Essentially, any horizontal bar that is 1-2 feet off the ground will do. It should have some space underneath so that you have a place to put your head.
-Stand in front of the bar, about a foot away from it. Place your hands about 6 inches apart with a thumbless (fake) grip.
Step back a few feet, letting your body straighten as you do so.
-Keep your abs tight so your body stays supported
-Now lower your whole body forward, bending only your elbows, so that your head drops under the bar as if you are trying to do an overhead triceps stretch.
-Keep your elbows glued the whole way.
-Keep your whole body tense and rigid. The only movement should occur in the elbows.
-Extend the backup using your triceps.
This exercise will strengthen the long head of the triceps (which runs the length of the lower arm) and will also give your triceps a great stretch.
How to do exercise n. 2: Integrated Superset of Lying Down Tricep Extensions and Close Grip Bench Press
3 sets of 6 to 8 reps
Note: One rep of each exercise (1 extension and 1 push) counts as a total rep for our purposes here.
This is a unique type of superset where you basically combine two different exercises into one set, preferably an isolation exercise and a compound exercise.
For this superset, we will use EZ Bar Lying Triceps Extensions and Close Grip Bench Press (with the same EZ Bar). Use a weight that you could normally do about 12 reps with for self-lying extensions.
Simply put, you will do a repeat of extensions and then a repeat of close-grip presses, alternating reps until you can no longer do any repetitions of the extensions. At that point, you end up with as many reps as you can of the narrow grip presses. It is a very intense technique!
This type of superset maximizes training intensity and allows you to work several different aspects of the muscle at the same time, dramatically increasing training efficiency.
This exercise is best performed lying on the floor (especially if you are training alone) rather than on a bench. If you have a helper to hand you the weight at first and grab it when you’re done, you can do it on a flat bench.
Begin with a repetition of the lying triceps extension. Lower the bar to your forehead and then extend it up. Now do a single rep of the Close Grip Press, lowering the bar to the lower rib cage area and then pressing up. Now make another extension, then press again. Repeat until you can no longer do shapely extensions. Now finish with as many presses as you can do with good form. That is a game!
How to do exercise n. 3: bank funds
2 sets of 10 to 12+ reps
(the number of reps you can get will depend on the body position you use for the exercise)
You can use a bench (or even an ordinary chair) for this one. Begin by sitting on the bench. Place your hands on the bench right next to your glutes with your fingers bent over the front edge. It will almost appear as if it is sitting on your hands.
Where you place your feet will affect the difficulty of this exercise. The easiest position is with your feet flat on the floor a foot or two away from the bench. Your knees will be bent.
To make this exercise more difficult, move your feet away from the bench (you can stretch your legs). This forces the triceps to absorb more body weight. Your next position after that is with your feet on a bench with your legs straight. You can even try with your feet on a bench that is higher than the one in your hands.
But if you are REALLY looking for a challenge, move your bench so that it is facing a wall (about 2-3 feet away). Instead of resting your feet on the floor or on a bench, place your feet on the wall.
That way the only thing stopping you is having your legs push back HARD directly against your triceps as you do the exercise. The contraction you will feel in your triceps will be so strong and painful that it is almost cruel!
To begin the exercise, move your butt forward from the bench a few inches. Now dip your upper body down as if you were scraping your back along the front edge of the bench. Push yourself up, squeezing your triceps hard.
Why this training is so effective:
As I said earlier, the key to developing your triceps is to work them hard AND smart.
We begin the training with an exercise that places the triceps in a stretched position. The stretch position has two main benefits: The first is what is called the myotatic reflex (also known as the stretch reflex).
When the muscle is placed under tension in the stretched position, a rapid change in direction causes more muscle fibers to be activated than normal. This change of direction should NOT be a bounce, but almost a tick.
So when you reach the end of the Bodyweight Tricep Extension, stretch your triceps and then change direction quickly (but don’t bounce!)
The second benefit of the stretch position is to help stretch the fascia that surrounds the muscle. The fascia is basically a “pillow case” of connective tissue that holds a muscle in place. The fascia is tough and restricts muscle growth. Stretching helps loosen the fascia and leaves room for muscles to grow.
Now we move on to the second exercise (s). The In-Set superset combines two movements in one exercise. The extensions provide another stretch position exercise for the triceps (although this stretch position is not as complete as the overhead position from the first exercise) and the press gives you a compound exercise that allows the shoulders and chest help push the triceps stronger.
Completing each set with a burnout on the presses will really light up your triceps.
Now we move on to the knockout: the Bench Dip. With this exercise we are looking for a maximum contraction. The position your arms are in (behind your body) is the position in which ALL the muscle fibers of the triceps are in an optimal position for maximum contraction.
Just keeping your arms straight and trying to touch your hands behind your back will show it.
After the stretch position move and the double trouble of the In-Set Superset, you hit the triceps with the strongest contraction they can anatomically achieve.
Let me tell you right now … if you haven’t felt your triceps balloon like balloons before, this combination of exercises will! And you’ll make huge gains in triceps muscle building very quickly!