Working out your triceps is just as important as working out your biceps and shoulders. When it comes to lifting, people often put a lot of time into their biceps because they want visibly larger arms,but the triceps make up about ⅔ of your upper arm. The triceps are also connected to a lot of other upper body muscles (pecs, biceps, traps, etc.), so making sure to have a well-rounded routine will help your upper body strength overall.
Learn about your Triceps: There are 3 parts of the tricep muscle: long head, medial head, and lateral head, each originating from a separate point, which is why the muscle is named as the “tricep.” Our triceps are used when we extend our forearms at the elbow.
The tricky part for many people is that they’re not sure how to work out their triceps at home. At the gym, there’s a few machines and weights that we can rely on, but adapting our workouts to our limitations at home can sometimes be a challenge.
The good news is, there are plenty of exercises that you can do to work out your triceps without any equipment at all.
Here are some exercises to start with and remember to stretch your arms, shoulders, back, and wrists before attempting!
Plank to Pushup: This is a compound exercise that we use all the time. It’s pretty self-explanatory. Try to imagine pushing from your tricep as you push up from your forearms. Also alternate which arm you push up from as you do this.
Pike Pushups: Start in a downward dog position and lean a little forward as you do a pushup. Your elbows can be a little flared. If you want to make this more challenging, try doing it with your feet elevated somewhere.
Floor Tricep Extensions: Start in a plank position with your palms flat on the floor and forearms straight in front of you as you rest on your elbows. Arms should be shoulder-width apart. Now, push off of both forearms/elbows simultaneously. Don’t hyperextend your elbows. Lower back to the ground with control. This exercise is a challenge.
Chaturanga: This is a yoga pose, and it’s really good at engaging your core. But you’ll also feel it in your triceps as you hold this pose. You can also turn this into chaturanga push-ups.
Making sure your form is correct in all of these is key to making sure you’re working out the right muscles. It always helps to look up videos first, too, if you have any doubts about whether you’re doing things right.