Exercises for the Triceps
As told to Powerlifting USA by Louie Simmons
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Exercises for the Triceps |
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Everyone thinks that a close grip bench will raise your contest bench press. We at Westside also believe that is very true. In fact, so much so that we find ways to increase the close grip bench. There are many core barbell exercises on max effort day to choose from Here are some of our favorites. Floor press with chains. We drape 5/8" chain over the bar. The chain should be 5 feet long. George Halbert does 5 sets equaling 200 pounds at the top. Work up to a max single. Don't be afraid to miss. George made 440 plus 200 pounds of chains. How does this relate to George's meet bench press? When he mad that PR, he benched 688 (world record) at 242. He did 435 plus chains and hit a 683 bench at 198. One should make records with three, four, or five sets of chains. Regular bench with chains. Start with two sets of chains. Work up to a bar weight of say, 250 with the two sets. Do a single, then add a set of chains. Do another single, and continue until you fail. Next time, use 255 on the bar. Use at least two grips to make PR's one per workout. Mini-bands. Max out with one, two, or three sets of mini-bands on the bar. Choose one per workout. Board press with bands or chains. We try records with two, three, four, or five boards. This adds up to four PR's on boards, four more with bands, four more with chains, and four more with bands and chains combined. The combinations are endless. Rack lock-outs. Our racks have holes every inch, so the weights don't change drastically. Don't lock out more than 8 inches. Do singles after warming up. Overhead band press. This is the lightened method. The rubber bands are suspended from the top of the power rack. Use three sets of bands, each of different strength, one per workout. At chest level, the bands lighten the load 155, 95, or 6 pounds, depending on if you are using blue, green, or purple Jump Stretch bands, respectively. Work up to a single. Weight releasers. Pick one weight on the bar at the bottom, let's say 405. Add weight releasers with chains attached. Start with two sets of chains at the top. They add 40 pounds. Do a single. Add sets of chains until you PR or miss. Also combine rubber bands with bar weight. Lower the bar quickly. Cambered bar bench. Note: the bar may not touch your chest, but by relaxing somewhat, come as close as possible. Do a 1 to 5-rep max. One is preferred. Incline to a max. Use at least two different angles. Work up to a max single. Decline to a max. Try more than one angle. Work up to a max single. We covered a lot of core bar exercises. Always use a close grip or no wider than your little finger on the rings. If you place the bar on or above the nipples, meaning toward the upper chest with arms in normal position, this will build the triceps much faster. Switch core lifts each week. Pick exercises carefully. There are ones that build incredible strength, and there are core lifts that are going to determine how your max contest bench is doing. These are called testers. You must discover which ones are your particular builders or testers. The following are special triceps exercises to be done after the core lift. Dumbbell triceps extensions. Hold the dumbbells with the palms facing each other. With the arms straight over the chest, lower the bells by bending at the elbows. Lower one end of the bells until they touch the delts. Then rotate the elbows upward and back over the head. This will place tremendous tension on the part of the triceps that connects on the inside of the elbows. Without dropping the elbows too much, extend the bells. The rep range is 6 to 12. About 60 total reps seem to work well. It's up to you whether you do multiple sets with the same weight or work up on each set. You can do these lying flat, on a decline or incline, or even standing up. Flared-arm dumbbell extension. A second method is to do extensions with the elbows pointing out to the sides, palms facing forward with thumbs pointing down. Touch the bells on the upper chest. Now extend them to arms length, keeping the bells touching all the way. This will build a tremendous lock-out. Start light and do high reps, 15-20 to start, and increase slowly. This is a tough one, but very effective. Exercises with bands. Hold a band around your back, gripping each end in your hand. Now pick up a set of dumbbells and do extensions. You can do these on the floor as well. Choke a small band around the top of a power rack and do band pushdowns for high reps. Do triceps extensions with the band held behind the head. Loop a band over the lat bar and do pushdowns. Use your imagination. These exercises are great for extra workouts too. JM press. Use a close grip and lower the bar straight down over the upper chest or collarbone with the elbows held in a normal position. This reduces the work done by the delts and places most of it on the triceps. This is accomplished by having the hands closer to the face than the elbows once the descent starts. Stop the bar at your worst possible leverage point. This is normally 8 to 4 inches off the chest. Start the bar up by pushing with the hands first. This will cause an extension motion, not a press. Work up in 3's or 5's for a record as often as possible. JM presses can also be done with different amounts of chains or with rubber bands of different strengths. Straight bar triceps extensions. Remember to hold the elbows tightly in. Don't use too close a grip. Start the bar over the lower chest. Lower it in an arc by raising the elbows and pushing them toward your head. This will put most of the work around the elbows, and that is where your extension strength comes from. This is not bodybuilding. This is strength building. We don't want to develop the lateral (lazy) head of the triceps. We work up in 5-rep sets. Push for records when possible. These can also be done with chains or bands. Bar extensions off floor. Use 10, 25, 35, or 45 pound plates. Start every rep from a dead, relaxed start. Work up to a 5 rep PR. By using different size plates, you will build strength at many angles. Caution: this exercise may cause some shoulder discomfort. When doing bar extensions, touch the bar to the forehead, nose, chin or throat. The latter affords the most elbow extension. Mini-band stretch. Place a Jump Stretch mini-band around both wrists. Double loop it to make it twice as strong. Now stretch the hands apart and grasp the bench bar moderately to very wide. Use a thumb grip and squeeze the bar tightly and do some reps. Not only will this build strength but it is also very therapeutic. Triceps account for most of your bench press progress. Learn to train them correctly. They are the key to a monster bench. Bench shirt or no bench shirt, if you don't become stronger, your bench will never increase. Remember to push your hands apart triceps work more effectively. This external rotation will eliminate chest pulls and teach you to press correctly, in a straight line. Westside Barbell 614-276-0923 |