Tricep Workouts To Rapidly Increase Upper Arm Size And Strength
If you want to give your arms thickness and size, the triceps, and good tricep workouts, should be your top priority; even above the much more lauded bicep.
Sure, the bicep may grab most of the glory, but when it comes to the overall thickness and actual size of the arm, the triceps are far more important, because they actually make up 2/3 of the upper arm, with the bicep making up the last 1/3.
The triceps can be built up in a variety of ways. I feel for most peoples purposes, it would be overkill to list too many ways. So let’s keep it simple and stick with what really works, and works well.
Close Grip Bench Press
Performed much the same as a regular bench press, the close grip bench press uses a grip of around shoulder width or slightly wider, and when the weight is lowered to the chest, the arms, rather than been flared, will be tucked much more closely to the sides of the body. Like normal bench pressing, it should be performed slowly, with special emphasis on the lower movement to really hit the triceps well.
Overhead Triceps Extensions
These can be performed using a straight bar, an EZ-Curl bar, or my favourite; the triceps bar. Sitting upright, with your back straight, and feet planted firmly into the floor for stability, manoeuvre the bar behind your head, using a grip wide enough for comfort, so your upper arms are pointing almost vertically.
Now, keeping your entire body still, use the power of your triceps to lift the bar directly above your head, and then slowly lower. (Try not to rock. If you rock too much, that means you aren’t stable and are possibly using too much weight.)
When doing this movement, I find it’s best to not lower the bar too much; that is, not all the way until my arms stop. That is because, at this point, I believe the triceps are working beyond extension, and the strain is now being put on the elbows and the shoulders. So, what I do is lower until before that point, then raise again – that way, it’s all on the triceps throughout.
Skull Crushers
Laying on a flat bench, preferably with an EZ-Curl bar, start off as if you are in the finishing bench press position, arms pointing vertical; keeping the upper arms pointing still and vertical, the bar is lowered behind the head and then using pure triceps power, is lifted until the forearms are once more vertical.
French Curls
French curls are very similar to skull crushers, but are performed on a decline bench, and instead of the bar being brought back up to eye level at the end of the movement, which is generally where it’ll be with the positioning of the arms, the bar is brought up at an angle which goes no further than the crown of the head head, and even a little bit behind.
French curls are thought to be more effective and safe than skull crushers, because not only are the triceps kept under stress all of the time, but, there is no pressure placed on the elbows.
