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Did you know that your triceps are much bigger muscles than your biceps? If you are looking to add muscle in your arms, do not make the mistake of working too much on your biceps and neglecting your triceps. Instead, use these tricep workouts to strategically build strong-looking arms.
The WORST Tricep Exercises
Most guys break out the tricep extensions when they try to build muscle in their arms using either cables, barbells, or dumbbells. But is this really the best way?
When it comes to building muscle, men have been duped into believing too much old-school bodybuilder hype. Namely, that you need to exercise each muscle group individually to complete failure and wait anywhere from a few days to a week to let it repair itself.
This is completely worthless advice for 99% of guys out there.
You see, the human body is best suited for full-body workouts using a variety of compound movements. Not only will you save a ton of time with this method, but you will help your body release the anabolic hormones that are so important to build muscle.
The Best Tricep Exercises
So which exercises should you focus on for maximum strength gains? It starts with this one principle: your shoulders, triceps, and pecs work together to extend your arms away from your body in a pushing or pressing movement. In light of this, the best tricep exercises are:
- Overhead presses / handstand push ups (against a wall)
- Bench presses / push ups
- Weighted dips / bodyweight dips
Overhead presses, bench presses, and weighted dips are weightlifting exercises you can do at the gym, but handstand push ups, push ups, and bodyweight dips are exercises you can easily do at home.
Tricep Workouts for Maximum Muscle
If you are looking to build maximum amounts of strength and muscle in your arms, you should do one exercise from each three of the groups every week. I have found that for weightlifting, 5 sets of 5 reps works best, while 3 sets of reps to fatigue works best for the bodyweight exercises. No matter what, you will want to end your set before your form gets sloppy to eliminate the chance of injury while maximizing muscle growth.
For example, if you are going to the gym:
- Monday: 5 x 5 Overhead presses
- Wednesday: 5 x 5 Bench presses
- Friday: 5 x 5 Weighted dips
If you are working out at home and are doing bodyweight exercises:
- Monday: 3 x (reps to fatigue) Handstand push ups
- Wednesday: 3 x (reps to fatigue) Push ups
- Friday: 3 x (reps to fatigue) Weighted dips
write by Bertram