Your shirt sleeves won't know what's hit them
Did you know that your triceps actually make up 60 per cent of your upper arm? To put it simply: if you're looking to build size and definition, then you need to show your triceps some serious attention. Black Widow Viking Press Landmine Attachment
Working on your triceps will also help improve your performance in other areas of your workout routine, enabling you to build more muscle and strength. For example, if you're currently hitting a bench-pressing plateau, it could be down to weak triceps that's causing you to stall. You may not think it, but your tris play a major role in almost all of your big lifts. From the bench press, to deadlifts and bent-over rows, start working on your triceps and watch as your PBs go from strength to strength.
The tricep is located on the back of the upper arm and is made up of three heads: the lateral, medial and long heads. In order to activate the entire tricep and maximise muscle growth you need to be doing a range of varying moves to hit all three heads. Yep, you got that right, churning out dip after dip will only get you so far. If you want that 3D look, where your arms appears to pop from all angles, then you need to be thorough.
This intense arm workout, created by PT Ales Isaly, uses a combination of cable machine exercises, free weights and bodyweight moves.
Show us a man who turns his nose up at cable machine exercises and we'll show you a man who doesn't truly understand the benefits to be had from them.
While it's true that free weights are very effective when it comes to resistance training, including cable machine moves forces your body to adapt, move and grow in new ways. Cable machines, for example, allows you to adjust the origin point and move through different planes of motion, which enables you to work your muscles from different angles. Not only that, but the constant resistance of a cable means you're under tension through both the eccentric and concentric part of the move. The cable teaches you to work your muscles throughout the entire sequence, helping isolate muscles like your triceps contributing to bigger growth.
This workout also uses free weights. According to research, free weights are your most effective weapon when attacking muscle growth. Being able to adjust weights – go lighter – is also far more beneficial for beginners. Struggling to do a chin-up won't help you on your path for gains.
The bodyweight exercises that have been included in this workout focus specifically on the three heads within the tricep. To say you can only go so far with bodyweight moves is a myth. Increasing reps, time-under-tension, or even adding weights to your back, are all proven ways to increase the intensity and therefore effectiveness of bodyweight moves. They can also be performed anywhere, which you can't do with free weights and cable machine exercises.
How to perform the workout: You'll be doing both isolated exercises and superset, which involves combining two exercises together with minimal rest to push your muscles to failure and stimulate maximum growth. Ready, steady, good luck!
Attach a rope handle to the high pulley of a cable station. Keeping your elbows tucked in at your sides grab the handle, tense your core, and bring your hands down until your arms are fully extended, then return to the starting position. Only your forearms should move.
Muscles worked: Medial and lateral heads of the triceps
Perform the skullcrusher and dumbbell chest press as a superset
Grip the EZ bar on the inner grips using an overhand grip and extend your arms straight up. Keeping your elbows fixed and tucked in, slowly lower the bar until it is about an inch from your forehead. Slowly extend your arms back to the starting position without locking your elbows.
Muscles worked: medial head of the triceps
Lie back on a bench set to a 45-degree angle and lift the weights up to shoulder height, palms facing away from you. Breathe out as you press up with both arms. Lock out your arms and squeeze your chest before returning slowly to the start position.
Muscles worked: Long and medial head of the triceps
Stand facing away from a bench, grab it with both hands at shoulder-width. Extend your legs out in front of you. Slowly lower your body by flexing at the elbows until your arm at forearm create a 90 degree angle. Using your triceps lift yourself back to the starting position.
Muscles worked: Long, medial and lateral heads of the tricep
Get in a press-up position and place your hands together so your index fingers and thumbs form a diamond. Keep your back straight as you lower until your chest almost touches the floor then push back up to the start position.
Muscles worked: Lateral head of the tricep
Perform the overhead tricep extension with one arm and then move straight on to the cable pull down.
Attach a rope handle to the high pulley of a cable station. Grab the handle and turn away from the machine with your hands at shoulder height. Fully extend your arms forwards and in front of your head then return under control to the start position.
Muscle worked: Long head of the tricep
Start by grabbing the rope handles from the top pulley of a pulldown machine with your palms facing each other. Bend 30-degrees forward at the waist with your arms fully extended. Keeping your arms straight, pull the bar down by contracting the lats until your hands are in line with your thighs. Go back to the starting position while breathing in.
Muscles worked: Long, medial and lateral heads of the tricep
Best Exercises and Workouts to Build Shoulders
40 Moves That'll Turn Leg Day up a Notch
Try the 5-Minute Thruster Drag Me to Hell Workout
Our 'Repeat and Beat' Method Guarantees Size
A Rucking Cardio Workout To Build Tactical Fitness
A Functional Interval Session for Beginners
Take on Our 125-Rep Kettlebell Workout
The Ultimate Bro-Down Barbell Bicep Workout
Chris Hemsworth's 15-minute Band Workout
This 5-Minute EMOM Workout Is a Total-Body Blowout
Build True Strength with Dumbbell Density Training
Men's Health, Part of the Hearst UK Wellbeing Network
We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
Pull Down Rope Attachment ©2023 Hearst UK is the trading name of the National Magazine Company Ltd, 30 Panton Street, Leicester Square, London, SW1Y 4AJ. Registered in England 112955. All rights reserved.