Some of the Best Triceps Exercises

Oftentimes, when people think of toned muscles they think of well-defined upper arms, and there is nothing wrong with that. An effective weight program includes all portions of the body, and the arms certainly fit that category. The problem, however, is that the biceps are the standard image that ripped upper arms elicit and the triceps are neglected.

Many lifters either get frustrated by the fact that triceps are somewhat more difficult than biceps to define and don’t spend enough time on them or forget about them altogether. This situation should cease to exist as long as you employ the best triceps exercises available.

One of the best triceps exercises is the close grip bench press. The procedure is basically in the name of the exercise itself. On your back, grasp a barbell with your hands about shoulder width or slightly narrower and lift the bar up around three or four inches off your chest.  

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It is important that you keep your elbows as close to your body as you can.  The narrow grip is designed to help you do this, but it is still possible to allow the elbows to bow out.  This is an ineffective practice, because your pectoral muscles will pick up the slack and you will end up with a chest workout when you are trying to engage in the best triceps exercise you can.

French presses are also some of the best triceps exercises you can execute. Also known, frighteningly enough, as the skull crusher, this bench press involves holding the barbell to the bridge of your nose or touching your forehead. It is vital that as you lift and lower the bar, it stays at and returns to that position. Otherwise, you will again simply work out the chest muscles, which is counterproductive.

The French press can also be performed using dumbbells, which might be considered more effective because it compensates for muscle imbalance. For instance, if you are right handed, it is easy to allow your right arm to overcompensate when bench pressing.

If lifting 100 lbs, on the bar, your right arm may lift 60 lbs while your left arm lifts only 40. Dumbbells isolate the weight to each hand. Triceps kickbacks are also some of the best triceps exercises that have been developed. While standing, bend forward until your torso is parallel to the floor. Holding a dumbbell in one hand, crook your elbow 90° to the floor and extend your arm backward and straighten it. Slowly return it to the starting position. Ensure that you maintain tension in the triceps in order to properly work it out.

After a set number of reps, repeat the process with the other arm. If desired, this exercise can be performed while the hand and knee opposite to the arm being worked out are on a bench. This is effective for relieving stress on the back that results from improper technique. 

As you can see, the grips and other techniques of the best triceps exercises are somewhat strange as opposed to the more familiar methods you see while exercising other muscle groups. This might be a contributing factor to the negligence that the triceps receive. It is important, however, that you don’t become frustrated and give up on these muscles. Your biceps need balance and a complement, and the triceps provide just that.

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