TRICEPS
Close-Grip Push-Up off of a Dumbbell
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Lie on the floor and place your hands on an upright dumbbell. Supporting your weight on your toes and hands, keep your torso rigid and your elbows in with your arms straight. This will be your starting position.
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Lower your body, allowing the elbows to flex while you inhale. Keep your body straight, not allowing your hips to rise or sag.
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Press yourself back up to the starting position by extending the elbows. Breathe out as you perform this step.
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After a pause at the contracted position, repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
EZ-Bar Skullcrusher
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Using a close grip, lift the EZ bar and hold it with your elbows in as you lie on the bench. Your arms should be perpendicular to the floor. This will be your starting position.
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Keeping the upper arms stationary, lower the bar by allowing the elbows to flex. Inhale as you perform this portion of the movement. Pause once the bar is directly above the forehead.
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Lift the bar back to the starting position by extending the elbow and exhaling.
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Repeat.
Alternative Exercises For Bench Dips
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For this exercise you will need to place a bench behind your back. With the bench perpendicular to your body, and while looking away from it, hold on to the bench on its edge with the hands fully extended, separated at shoulder width. The legs will be extended forward, bent at the waist and perpendicular to your torso. This will be your starting position.
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Slowly lower your body as you inhale by bending at the elbows until you lower yourself far enough to where there is an angle slightly smaller than 90 degrees between the upper arm and the forearm. Tip: Keep the elbows as close as possible throughout the movement. Forearms should always be pointing down.
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Using your triceps to bring your torso up again, lift yourself back to the starting position.
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Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Variations: You can place your legs on top of another flat bench in front of you in order to make the exercise more challenging. If that variation also becomes easy, then you can have a partner place plates on top of your lap. Make sure that in this case the partner ensures that the weights stay there throughout the movement.
Dips - Triceps Version
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To get into the starting position, hold your body at arm's length with your arms nearly locked above the bars.
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Now, inhale and slowly lower yourself downward. Your torso should remain upright and your elbows should stay close to your body. This helps to better focus on tricep involvement. Lower yourself until there is a 90 degree angle formed between the upper arm and forearm.
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Then, exhale and push your torso back up using your triceps to bring your body back to the starting position.
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Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
Variations: If you are new at this exercise and do not have the strength to perform it, use a dip assist machine if available. These machines use weight to help you push your bodyweight.
Otherwise, a spotter holding your legs can help.
More advanced lifters can add weight to the exercise by using a weight belt that allows the addition of weighted plates.
Standing Dumbbell Triceps Extension
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To begin, stand up with a dumbbell held by both hands. Your feet should be about shoulder width apart from each other. Slowly use both hands to grab the dumbbell and lift it over your head until both arms are fully extended.
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The resistance should be resting in the palms of your hands with your thumbs around it. The palm of the hands should be facing up towards the ceiling. This will be your starting position.
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Keeping your upper arms close to your head with elbows in and perpendicular to the floor, lower the resistance in a semicircular motion behind your head until your forearms touch your biceps. Tip: The upper arms should remain stationary and only the forearms should move. Breathe in as you perform this step.
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Go back to the starting position by using the triceps to raise the dumbbell. Breathe out as you perform this step.
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Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Variations:Another way to perform this exercise is to use an e-z or straight bar instead in which case you will be holding the bar from the inside (around 5 inches between both hands) with the palms facing forward (pronated grip).
There is also a bar that has parallel bars inside (often referred to as a triceps blaster) and this can also be used for this exercise.
Finally, a low pulley cable with a rope attachment or bar (straight or e-z) attachment at the end can be used as well for variety purposes as well.
