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Toned Women's Triceps #2

In the first post in the series on Toned Women’s Triceps we went over what you need to do in order to get toned triceps in terms of diet and exercise. We also learned what the tricep muscle does and how it moves.

In this post we will be going over some of the best triceps exercises with some tips on how to perform them.

Triceps Exercises

I have always felt that training the triceps was one of the easiest muscles to do. For that reason I find it quite enjoyable. There isn’t too much you have to worry about as far as injury goes and it is quite easy to get a nice stretch and a good burn when you work out.

As I said in the last post, start with big exercises that use many muscle groups. These compound exercises are the best for adding a bit of size and strength and will thus make toning your triceps a faster process.

If your triceps are really lagging behind then you should add a few extra exercises to your workout or even consider giving your triceps their own day.

Okay, here are some of my favourite triceps exercises and the ones with which I have had the most success.

Dip
The dip is primarily a chest exercises but you can shift the emphasis onto the triceps by keeping your body straight as you dip down. Normally a dip is done by leaning quite far forward and using your chest to push you up. However, keeping your body upright will make your triceps do most of the work.

This exercise is painful! It will add muscle after only a few sessions. Many women won’t be able to even do one so build up to it by performing a few negatives where you only perform the downward motion.

Caution - A note of warning. The dip has been long associated with shoulder problems. The bars you use to dip down should be as narrow as possible otherwise you run the risk of creating shoulder joint injuries. If you have bad shoulders give this exercise a miss.

Skull Crusher
This is another controversial exercise that involves the triceps. Many people think that it too can damage the shoulder joint but I have never had any problems with it.

Lie on a bench and take a medium weighted bar bell. With your hands facing the ceiling lower the bar to just behind your head and then extend your arms to the point where they almost lock out. Slowly lower the bar again as if you were “crushing” your skull.

This is one of my all time favourite triceps exercises and I usually spend most of my time on this one.

Note - Keep your elbows in close and make sure your triceps are doing the work and not your shoulders. Start with a VERY light weight.

Tricep Pushdown
If you go to a gym then you will have used this machine. Why? Because it works.

The tricep pushdown machine is one of the only machines that I use on a regular basis. It is one of the best designed workout machines on the market. All you have to do is stand in front of it and push down the bar using your tricep muscles.

A good tip for this machine is that if the weight makes your body lean forward or back or your cant keep your shoulders square then the weight is too heavy.

Wanna know how to do any of these exercises? Ask at our Women's Fitness Forum! It's free to joi and we've got loads of experienced members to help you out!

Behind the Head Lifts
This is similar to the skull crusher. It is one of my favourties because it gets a deep stretch when the weight drops behind your head.

Stand up with a medium dumb bell and hold the dumb bell by the weighted bit on the end. Hold the weight high above your head and lower it behind your head slowly, keeping your elbows facing forward and your arms close together. Once it is as far as it can go without letting your shoulders move at all, lift the weight up again and repeat.

Caution - This exercise again can cause shoulder damage. There are two ways of avoiding this.

1. Use a weight that is appropriate for your strength. If in doubt use a lighter weight.
2. Don’t allow your shoulders to move at any point in the motion. Remember, it is a triceps exercise.

Pushup
The classic pushup is often overlooked by many people who think that because it doesn’t have any weight it wont be useful. However, your body weighs just as much as some of the dumb bells that you use so why not try it?

In order to shift the focus of the pushup from the chest to the triceps, bring your hand in close to your chest. The wider the hands the more the chest gets used.

Feel free to experiment with different angles and widths for the pushup.

Leaning Overhead Cable Extensions
One of the great things about using cables occasionally is that they keep the tension on your muscles at all times in the movement. Think about it; when you do a repetition there are two points in the exercise when you aren’t doing anything - at the top and at the bottom of the motion. With a cable there is always tension as the weight is trying to lower.

Using the double rope set the cable on a high setting and stand close to it facing away from the weights. Lift the rope behind your head and then take a big step forward so that your upper body is almost parallel with the floor. Extend your arms using your triceps so that the extension is reaching out in front of you and the opposite motion is your arms being pulled backwards behind your head by the cable.

This is awesome for a good strecth and will leave you sore after only one or two sets!

Conclusion
These are the most effective triceps exercises that you will need to build toned triceps. They are all easy to perform and require only a little bit of know-how.

In the next post I will be writing down some triceps routines and then going over some tips to maximize the benefit from those workouts.

I’d love to hear any comments or tips you have regarding your own triceps workouts!

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