The triceps are some of the most important parts of your physique. They make up around two-thirds of your upper arm, so you want to make sure they look good. The good news is that there are plenty of exercises that you can do for larger triceps. Let’s look at some of the best ones that you can use.
Skull Crusher
This exercise is very easy to use and should be available to anyone in a gym. All you need is a bench and some weights. Any kind of bench will work, though an incline or decline option might be best. You’ll also be able to use any kind of weight. Everything from cables to dumbbells, to an EZ bar.
Here are the steps you need to follow when doing this exercise:
- Keep the upper arms perpendicular to the floor, keeping your elbows as tight as possible
- Only lift with your elbows, rather than your arms. This ensures that the weight is on the triceps rather than the shoulder.
- Bring the weight down in a controlled way, otherwise, there is a chance that you will hurt yourself.
- As the name suggests, the weight should be positioned directly above your head.
- You’ll need to complete eight to 12 reps per set. Aim to complete three to four sets.
Dips
Dips remain one of the best ways to build muscle in your triceps. Plus, they are a good way to get a more defined chest. One only needs to look at a male gymnast to see how effective this exercise can be.
This is a fairly easy exercise to learn. You will need to lower your body while keeping your back straight. Keep dipping until your shoulders have sunk below your elbows. Then, you’ll need to straighten your body, allowing you to lift your body back up. At the top, you should be able to lock your elbows.
Ideally, you should be able to do eight to 12 reps. If you are struggling to do this, you might need to use bands or switch to an assisted dip machine. If this has become too easy, you can turn to weighted dips to increase the resistance.
Triceps Machine Dips
If you are looking for a variation of the classic dips, you might want to use the triceps machine. This is fairly easy to use, as demonstrated in this video. In this case, you’ll need to sit down in the machine, placing your feet in the supports. Sometimes, it will come with a seatbelt that you can use to hold yourself in place.
Then, you will need to push down on the bar. As you are doing this, you will need to keep your elbows in tight. You should be pushing through the palms of your hand. Inhale as you lift and exhale as you are pushing the bar down.
The triceps machine dip is a compound exercise. It’s best to use it fairly early in your workout. There are a few variations that you can explore. You can do six to 10 reps. You should aim to do three to four sets. There is an alternative to this, you can use it as a burnout exercise doing as many reps as you can.
Overhead Dumbbell Press
Another easy exercise that you can use is the dumbbell press. This doesn’t need a lot of equipment, just a suitably heavy dumbbell or a kettlebell. Then, you’ll need to take this weight, putting it behind your back. Use your elbows to lift it, reaching a full-extension, then bring it back to the starting position.
There are plenty of variations that you can use. Some people will want to use one weight, lifting it with both hands. You might prefer to use two weights for both hands. You can sit on a chair, or do them while standing up. Experiment a little, to find the right method for you.
You can also do this movement using a cable pull. If you have this equipment available, it will be a better choice than dumbbells because you’ll be getting constant pressure on the cable.
This exercise will be most effective when you use it towards the middle or end of your workout. Typically, you should aim for eight to ten reps. Do this for three sets. If you prefer to use heavier weights and a spotter, this can be a great opportunity to do some forced reps. In this case, you might only need two or three reps per set.
Close-Grip Bench Press
The bench press is a classic in the world of bodybuilding. Many people know that it is most effective for working out the chest and shoulders. But, by adopting a close-grip on the bars, you’ll be able to turn it into an effective exercise for working out the triceps. Make sure that you are tucking your arms in. This will increase the pressure on your triceps.
This should be one of the first movements that you are performing in your routine. It’s best to do around six to ten reps, with three sets of each. Though if you want to use a heavier weight, you can do this as a forced reps exercise.
Machine Workout For Triceps
These individual exercises are great, you can slot them into your workout routine to help you get bigger triceps. If you want a good machine workout to use at the gym, here is a great one for you to follow:
- Machine triceps dip. This is a good way of getting warmed up. Start with three sets, consisting of 10 reps. Give yourself 90 seconds to rest between each set.
- Single-arm cable pull down. You’ll want to complete three sets, with 10 reps per set on each side. Start with the left arm then, without stopping for a break, switch to the other arm. Then, give yourself a minute of rest before starting the process again.
- Overhead cable pull. This stage consists of three sets of 12 reps. Give yourself a minute of rest between each set.
- Machine triceps press-down. The final stage of this workout will consist of three sets. For the first two, you’ll want to do 12 reps. For the final set, you should do 15. Give yourself a minute to rest between each set.
Though this workout won’t take long, you will certainly be feeling the burn in the triceps. Over time, you will be able to customize it to keep it fresh. For example, you can swap out the overhead cable pull for dumbbell raises. Or you can use skull crushers instead of the single-arm cable pull-down.
Best Exercises For Building Larger Biceps
The biceps are one of the most noticeable regions of the arm. Everyone who wants to get into shape, can’t help but develop this particular area of the body. Whether it’s to impress someone or to look good in fitted t-shirts, working on the bicep has to be a part of your routine. The routines are relatively simple and vary in their level of effectiveness. Some of these techniques require specialized instruments and must be carried out in certain areas, while others require no equipment and can be carried out anywhere, at any time.
These workouts don’t just make your biceps look good; they also help improve strength levels. Dietary supplements are advised to help with the exercises. It is best to make use of certain nutritional supplements as they provide extra energy, heal tissues, and boost the immune system. A combination of these workouts and the right dietary regimen will yield fantastic results. Different techniques produce different results; here are some of the most commonly successful routines with the best results.
5 Bicep Muscle Building Workouts
Standing Dumbbell Curls
One of the most popular workout techniques, almost everyone has at least heard or seen someone talking about or performing this technique. It is one of the most used methods worldwide, thanks to its success rate. It involves the use of two dumbbells simultaneously. Hold the dumbbells in each hand beside your hips. Lift the dumbbells to the shoulder level, and then return to the starting position. Repeat this as much as needed, depending on the goal.
Standing Barbell Curl
This is another common workout technique and probably the most well known of equipment-based techniques. The barbell is held in a standing position and lifted to the shoulder region and then lowered. The process is repeated to suit your goals. This particular workout should be carried out in the presence of a trainer or a friend, to avoid getting stuck in dangerous positions. If you need help, the trainer or friend will assist you.
Concentration Curls
This exercise is common in gymnasiums. The workout involves sitting on a bench with the legs parted and a dumbbell between them. The dumbbell is lifted towards the chest area and lowered to make one rep. The number of sets performed is based on the goals of the individual.
Chin-ups
Also a widely popular workout, the chin up only requires a chin-up bar. The bar is fixed securely between two platforms, and then the individual hops on. The individual holds on to the bar and lifts the rest of their body off the ground. Then they pull up and lower their body as many times as needed.
Push-ups
This is the most popular workout technique of all. Depending on the type of push-up, different parts of the body are affected. Wide arm push-ups are the most effective for Bicep Workouts.
These workouts are most effective when they are alternated; they yield better results than individually. A certain level of consistency is required for the best possible outcome, rest and proper dietary regimen also help achieve the best results.
Anyone interested in bodybuilding wants to see the results of their hard work as quickly as they can, and the most obvious place for you to start working is your triceps and biceps while supplementing correctly to support growth in mass. Growing muscle here is the basis of bodybuilding and isn’t difficult if you follow our guide to get bigger arms!
Tips For Building Arm Muscle
Don’t overtrain your arms and forget about everything else. You want a balanced workout that trains your whole body. The key to bigger arms is to increase your lifting weight over time – but the key to lifting more lies in your core strength. There is no point lifting weight your spine can’t support; you’ll only get hurt. So isolation is not necessarily crucial here. Try to focus on complex, joined exercises in a structured, repetitive pattern. You will gain more and lift heavier, faster.
Eat Right
Following the right diet is essential and eating the ultimate meal for bulking can keep you on track. You want to be protein packing as much as you can while watching that you don’t turn that tissue into fat by going too far. That being said, your body can only synthesize new muscle if it has enough nutrients – so do some research, learn about what you are eating, and start making the appropriate changes today.
Rest Right
When you are asleep, your body takes advantage of your rest state to grow new DNA and fortify new cells. Building your arms through bodybuilding methods is as much about getting enough food and sleep as it is about putting the hours in at the gym. So work hard, play hard, and then rest when you’ve done your share.
Bulk Up With Supplements
We’re not saying you should turn around and rush out to buy anabolic steroids on the black market – we are saying that there are several reasonably healthy alternative supplements available that are specifically designed to give you the gains without any of the side effects that got anabolics banned, to begin with.
If you are interested in learning more about how to bulk up your body through a combination of diet, exercise, rest and proteins, we supply the very best in bulking supplement stacks for building mass and increasing strength. All CrazyMass supplements are made from all-natural ingredients and the safe, legal alternatives to steroids.
Using Supplements to Boost Muscle Growth
Working hard in the gym is key if you want to build strong muscles. But how fast you gain will also be affected by diet. You need to give yourself the nutrients you need to put on muscle. The best way of doing this is by using supplements.
For this reason, many bodybuilders will turn to steroids. But this can have a range of dangerous side effects, with the potential to disrupt liver function. Plus, no man wants to get a shrunken penis and no woman wants to end up sprouting facial hair. Thankfully, you don’t need to play games with your health. You can get safe, effective, legal supplements through Crazy Mass. Our products are great for helping you see fast results, boosting the size of your triceps.
Our Products are Made with Your Health and Safety in Mind
Crazymass produces safe and legal anabolic supplements. We use only natural ingredients with no known side effects. Our facility is cGMP certified so you can feel confident in getting products that are made with the highest quality ingredients using strict controls. Current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) are monitored by the FDA. We earned this certification by adhering to guidelines that… assure the identity, strength, quality, and purity of drug products by requiring that manufacturers of medications adequately control manufacturing operations. Our labs are FDA inspected annually so you can buy with confidence.
Conclusion
Your triceps and biceps are one of the first things that people will notice when they meet you. Getting bulging triceps as well as biceps are more than just working out. You need to be smart, making sure that you are targeting the muscles in the right way. Hopefully, this guide will make this possible, so you can start seeing growth quickly.
Gary David is the founder and CEO of CrazyMass, one of the nation’s leading supplement companies. Before starting CrazyMass in 2006, Gary was a bodybuilder and personal trainer for several gyms throughout Northwest Michigan, helping clients meet their fitness goals. Gary happily worked in this profession for over 15 years. He saw that most weight gaining products to increase muscle were made with ingredients that were dangerous or of poor quality. He knew there was a safer and healthier way to do this, so he created a special blend of herbs, amino acids, and nutrients to help bodybuilders slim down and gain muscle.
Although Gary no longer participates in bodybuilding competitions, he continues to be involved in the community, helping others prep for shows and attending events where he can advertise CrazyMass products. When Gary isn’t working long hours, he likes to spend his time working out at the gym, boating on Lake Michigan, traveling the trails around Northern Michigan by four-wheeler, and spending time with his family. He also loves to take a yearly trip to Europe with his wife and children.