The triceps is a shoulder muscle with three heads: long, medial, and lateral. It works every time you extend your limb at the shoulder or elbow joint. But in order to pump up triceps, you need to unbend your arm under load.
Choose 1-2 exercises that are suitable for you in terms of difficulty. Include them in your workouts and rotate them weekly. A different type of load will prevent habituation and ensure constant growth.
Do 3-5 sets of 8-12 times. Choose the weight so that the last repetitions in the approach are difficult, but the technique does not suffer.
1. Diamond push-ups
In normal push-ups, most of the load falls on the pectoral muscles. In diamond due to the narrow position of the hands, the emphasis shifts to the triceps.
Rest your palms on the floor so that the thumbs are connected, forming a "diamond". Tighten the abs and buttocks to maintain the correct body shape, lower the shoulders.
Perform a full range of push-ups with your chest touching the floor.
2. Reverse push-ups on the bench
Another exercise without special equipment. Find a low support, turn your back to it and place your palms so that your fingers face to the side. Thanks to this unusual position of the hands, the shoulder joint will come forward less, and therefore, the chances of damaging it will decrease.
Straighten your legs, do not raise your shoulders. Lower yourself until your shoulders are parallel to the floor, then push yourself up. Try to do the exercise smoothly, without jerks: this way you will maximally load the triceps and not injure the joint.
3. Push-ups on bars
This exercise can be performed with or without additional weight, if your muscles are not yet ready for weight.
Take hold of the bars, do not raise your shoulders, bring your shoulder blades together. Lower yourself until your shoulders are parallel to the floor. Keep the body straight, do not lean forward: this will allow you to maximally load the triceps. Squeeze yourself up and repeat the exercise.
If you still can't do push-ups on the bars with your body weight, try doing them with an expander. Put a rubber band on the bars, put your feet in the loop and squeeze with the help.
4. French bench press with a barbell
For this exercise, you can use different bars: straight, EZ or W. The curved bar allows you to grab the bar at a slight angle - it's more convenient.
Lie on a bench, press your feet to the floor. Raise the barbell in front of you and take straight arms behind your head. If they are perpendicular to the body, the triceps will rest at the extreme point.
Now bend your elbows and lower the bar behind your head. The shoulders do not change their position, only the forearms work. Return the bar and repeat.
5. Dumbbell press from behind the head
In this exercise, the triceps are first stretched under load and then shortened to return the arms to the starting position.
Grasp the pancake of the dumbbell with both hands, lift it up and move it behind your head. Now bend your elbows, lower the dumbbell and raise it again. Make sure that the shoulders do not move: only the forearms work.
6. Extension of arms with dumbbells in an incline
This exercise involves not only the triceps, but also the rear bundle of deltoid muscles. These are small and weak muscles, so do not take heavy weights.
Lean forward with a straight back, bend your arms with dumbbells at the elbows at a right angle and keep them close to your body.
Extend your arms, then return to the starting position. Do not change the angle of the back, do not move the shoulders - only the forearms work.
7. Extension of one arm with support on a bench
Unlike the previous exercise, here you lean on the bench and work with one hand. And therefore you can take more weight and pump the triceps better.
Place your left hand and knee on the bench, keep your back straight, and lower your shoulders. Take a dumbbell in your right hand, bend your elbow at a right angle. Straighten it, keeping it close to your body, then bring it back.
8. Arm extension on a block with a rope handle
Turning the arms outward allows you to load more on the lateral head of the triceps, that is, its outer side.
Hang a rope handle on the block, grab both ends. Take a stable position, straighten your back, lower your shoulders, keep your elbows close to your body.
Pull the handle down until your arms are straight. At the same time, spread the ends of the handle, spreading the hands with the elbows to the side.
9. Extending the arms on the block with a reverse grip
This execution allows you to better load the medial head of the triceps, which is located closer to the inner part of the arm.
Hang a regular handle on the block, grab it with a reverse grip. Extend the elbows until the arm is fully extended and bend back.
10. Stretching on the block over the head
In the initial position, the triceps are stretched. This increases the load on the muscles and allows them to work better.
Stand with your back to the block, grab the rope handle and lift it over your head. Bend your arms at the elbows at a right angle, put the bent leg forward to take a stable position.