ugggh triceps

[sportyhp]

i kinda feel like my triceps are going nowhere....i do a chest/tri day, and the tricep exercises i do are usually some dips, some t-bar pulldowns, and i also do some where i place a handle on the cable and pull down with each arm separately (i do it with a forward grip and another grip with my palms up, switch off). is there something im doing wrong?

[moon girl]

Maybe try some different exercises? I really like 2-handed overhead extensions (with a dumbell) and skull crushers (with an EZ bar).

[dougc]

I like supersetting skullcrushers followed immediately by CGBP using the same bar and same weight. this really works the tris hard.

[sportyhp]

I like supersetting skullcrushers followed immediately by CGBP using the same bar and same weight. this really works the tris hard.

this sounds cool, what is CGBP tho, is it w/ the cables? thanks!

[Hollinator]

do close grip bench too. start with the bar and do 4x10 (dont flare the elbows tho-if you are adjust your hand stance)
and (i dont need to tell you this haha but) keep at it, my tris were terrible but theyr starting to firm up nice.

[sportyhp]

thanks for the replies everyone!

[Defiant1]

Maybe try some different exercises? I really like 2-handed overhead extensions (with a dumbell) and skull crushers (with an EZ bar).



These would be good because they work the long head of your triceps, which is the key to size and development. The long head spans the shoulder joint too, and needs to be stretched a little to work to it's maximum.

So extension type exercises like skullcrushers and overhead extensions work this area.

[Amanda76]

Try moving triceps away from chest day since they are utilized so much when you work chest...Mine became significantly stronger by placing them first in a workout (I currently have "arm day" and work them before biceps).

You've already had some great suggestions from the other ladies. I also noticed a huge change in them when I started doing skullcrushers and close grip bench (great mass-builders!). I normally do them seperately, but have been supersetting the two because I'm stuck between pre-loaded weights, so as mentioned, great super-set. I've also been toying with how wide my grip is while doing skullcrushers.

I also really like doing 1 arm overhead extensions and bent over cable extensions with a rope attachment.

[sportyhp]

with the overhead extensions, are you all standing up, sitting, laying down (decline)? ALSO, what would be a better split for me then if i shouldnt necessarily couple tris/chest? right now i do bis/back, chest/tris, shoulders/abs, (also do a little abs on cardio days which is when i dont lift), and legs one day

[Amanda76]

I do my 1 arm OH extensions seated. I keep the non-working arm/hand behind my head and working elbow (looks kinda like an overhead triceps stretch) to keep my arm from swinging out as it gets fatigued (also keeps me from losing control of the weight and bending my elbow back too far) and the free hand also comes in handy when I need assistance during the last few reps of a set. My elbow has issues from doing pretty light lying OH presses (took 3 months to heal). When sharing that story, I get a lot of feedback from people that they did the same thing, so be careful if you choose to bring that muscle to a full stretch like that (it's apparently pretty hard on the tendons of that joint). Since then, I've found that decline work aggravates it (as do high reps)...so be careful with that kind of thing if you choose to try it.

There are so many ways you could change your split up and still lift four times a week if that's what you want to continue doing. You could try Chest/shoulders, Legs, Triceps/abs, Back/biceps and that's really close to the split you have. Or since you like to work abs a lot anyway (I personally just do them once or twice a week between sets), get rid of ab day and do Back, Chest/shoulders, Legs, Triceps/Biceps (I'm assuming there's at least one rest day between "day 4" and "day one"). Another option, so long as you have at least a day between working the parts they assist with (remember shoulder day uses a lot of tricep action, too) is working triceps on back day and biceps on chest day. You'll still be a bit tired from working the larger muscle group first, but that smaller assiting group will be more fresh than it would have been after working hard directly assisting the larger group. You've definitely got a lot of options to play around with.

[dougc]

CGBP is close grip bench press. I use the EZ bar to do my skullcrushers, then immediately, using the same bar/weight go into the close grip bench presses...your tri's will thank you, although maybe not immediately after! lol

[sportyhp]

awesome very helpful

[Defiant1]

with the overhead extensions, are you all standing up, sitting, laying down (decline)? ALSO, what would be a better split for me then if i shouldnt necessarily couple tris/chest? right now i do bis/back, chest/tris, shoulders/abs, (also do a little abs on cardio days which is when i dont lift), and legs one day

With the dumbbell extensions, either seated or standing is ok. I am talking about 2 hands on 1 dumbbell behind your neck.

Like this (shown seated)

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Triceps/DBTriExt.html

I like this because the bb version kills my elbows.

For the lying extensions (skull crushers)

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Triceps/BBLyingTriExt.html

you can also bring the bar to your forehead. Do what is most comfortable.

In terms of a split, you could do:

Chest/bis
Legs
off
Back/abs
Shoulders/tris

[carigrrl]

I'm glad you asked this question, I'm going to do what was suggested as well. Great methods to try.

If I can tag on with newbie question...
I know that my arm fat (flab that hangs down when I lift my arm) will be going away as I continue to eat clean and work out. However will my arm measurement go down or up? I thought it'd go down, praying that my currently fat arm size was not actually the size it's going to be once defined.

I figured, being a woman who's not attempting to bulk and has plenty of body fat to lose, that all my measurements would go down at first (except maybe my thigh). Am I thinking right?

[Maxfits202]

close grip bench

[darkangel]

I know that my arm fat (flab that hangs down when I lift my arm) will be going away as I continue to eat clean and work out. However will my arm measurement go down or up? I thought it'd go down, praying that my currently fat arm size was not actually the size it's going to be once defined.


My guess is it will go down, but regardless of the number, you'll love the look of your newly defined triceps. The first time I caught sight of mine in the mirror after years of having sticks for arms, I was so proud. :D

IMHO, nothing beats bodyweight dips for mass building, but the other exercises are the icing on the cake that targets specific areas. I like kickbacks with a wrist twist at the top for really hittin' the female trouble spots.

[runnermama]

I second all the skullcrusher and dip advice. I have long arms (seriously, they are longer than my 6 ft 200 lb husband's arms) and my shoulders and biceps generally respond well. Makes my triceps look even worse!

When I started doing the dips (3 sets of 5) between 2 benches and also incorporating the skullcrushers, I FINALLY saw some growth in them. And I do triceps on back days.

I was doing push-ups on chest day and realized that if I put my hands close together and form a diamond shape on the floor between my fingers (I think this is a military push up??) you get major tricep action with that as well.

[Jamie M]

I LOVE the close grip push-ups and bench press. They work really well. And the dips too.