Tricep lacking

Sixguns

Platinum Member
May 22, 2011
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No matter what I cannot get those bastards to grow! It seems the long head is lacking the most. Any tips to focus on it to make them grow!?
 

Koing

Elite Member <br> Super Moderator<br> Health and F
Oct 11, 2000
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Use less weight and focus more on your form when exercising.

I like skull crushers with a DB, lying down, focusing on your triceps and to having your elbows move about ad using your shoulders/ lats.

Cable push downs, again focus on the tricep and your form.

I like also push press, military press and dips for overall mass builders.

I've noticed a lot of people when they don't have a body part that goes to how they'd like they usually aren't as precise with their form.

Koing
 

Sixguns

Platinum Member
May 22, 2011
2,258
2
81
Use less weight and focus more on your form when exercising.

I like skull crushers with a DB, lying down, focusing on your triceps and to having your elbows move about ad using your shoulders/ lats.

Cable push downs, again focus on the tricep and your form.

I like also push press, military press and dips for overall mass builders.

I've noticed a lot of people when they don't have a body part that goes to how they'd like they usually aren't as precise with their form.

Koing


The only thing that I use heavyish weight would be either dips(BW) or close grip bench press. Everything else is rather low so that I can focus on getting that good burn. I laugh at the ego lifters who will use their whole body to do a press down.
 

SNC

Platinum Member
Jan 14, 2001
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The only thing that I use heavyish weight would be either dips(BW) or close grip bench press. Everything else is rather low so that I can focus on getting that good burn. I laugh at the ego lifters who will use their whole body to do a press down.

Is it possible that you are so focused on form that you are afraid to lean into the press? I'm 285 today and doing tri cable extensions without leaning into at 145 it would cause me to press myself right over backwards. At a certain weight you need to put your body into it or you'll move yourself and not the weight. I can't see doing much more then 160-180 for 12-15 at my weight. Doing it with perfect form and not leaning into it I think the limit would be 40-60 pounds lighter.
 

Koing

Elite Member <br> Super Moderator<br> Health and F
Oct 11, 2000
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The only thing that I use heavyish weight would be either dips(BW) or close grip bench press. Everything else is rather low so that I can focus on getting that good burn. I laugh at the ego lifters who will use their whole body to do a press down.

What weight are you doing for exercises so we have a point of reference?

I've never done much in the way of isolation exercises apart from the time I was cutting and did more BB type of exercises. I prefer to push heavier weight exercises but it's more in keeping with my goals.

What do you military press? Push Press? Dip for reps? Close grip bench press?

Also it takes quite a few years to get to where you want to be. Nothing beyond the initial 3yr is going to be fast. It's a slow constant grind to where you want to be.

Koing
 

Sixguns

Platinum Member
May 22, 2011
2,258
2
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What weight are you doing for exercises so we have a point of reference?

I've never done much in the way of isolation exercises apart from the time I was cutting and did more BB type of exercises. I prefer to push heavier weight exercises but it's more in keeping with my goals.

What do you military press? Push Press? Dip for reps? Close grip bench press?

Also it takes quite a few years to get to where you want to be. Nothing beyond the initial 3yr is going to be fast. It's a slow constant grind to where you want to be.

Koing

Push press-95lbs
Dips 15 reps for 4-5 sets
Close grip-135lb
 

SNC

Platinum Member
Jan 14, 2001
2,166
202
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Push press-95lbs
Dips 15 reps for 4-5 sets
Close grip-135lb


Sets and reps on the PP and close grip bench?
When doing dips are you keeping the elbows in tight or are you flaring them out? The farther out you flair them more chest involvement there is. I started at PF a little while ago and they have a "dip machine" that is a little nicer to my wrists then the straight bar, but I have had great tri changes since I started using it. The last arm day was by best so far; 260x15x4 on teh dip machine and a total of 34,025 pounds in 45 sets over 13 different exercises. I actually popped a couple blood vessels I had such a great pump!
 

Zivic

Diamond Member
Nov 25, 2002
3,505
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triceps are one of my most developed muscles. I have my parents to thank for the genetics. In my experience if you have a muscle group that is lagging you can bring it up strength wise, but it is very difficult to bring it up in development/size.

Look at marc lobliner. some of the worst triceps I have seen (in a bodybuilder/weight lifter). You don't think he's tried everything to "bring them up"?

what I am getting at is you can be doing everything right and it won't matter because you just don't have triceps in your genetic makeup ;)

as far as offering help.... overall development of the triceps I find heavy pushdowns to be about as good as it gets for the tri's. if you want to target the long head, you need to bring the arms up... skull crushers and seated over head extension.

keep it simple

i don't like compound movements like pushpress/closegrip for the triceps. You can do them, but IMHO, don't be relying on them as your movements for your tri's, in terms of hypertrophy
 
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SlitheryDee

Lifer
Feb 2, 2005
17,252
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I work my triceps more or less like I work everything else. One "major" exercise where I keep trying to increase the weight week over week, and one "accessory" exercise where the weight will often remain pretty static for a longer period of time and I use more reps to get to failure if I need to. In this case I do 4 sets of braincrushers for 8-10 reps supersetted with close grip presses using the same Olympic bar immediately after each set of braincrushers.

I dunno why I fixated on that, but it seems to work well. The important thing to that one is that I keep trying to push the weight higher every week. Eventually I'll notice my form suffering significantly and I'll have to back off a bit and add a few reps, but I always try to work it back up every week until I'm tackling the problem weight again. I believe that increasing the weight consistently is probably the best way to continually stimulate growth. I was up to 120lbs on those on my last triceps day, but it may soon be time to back off a bit again.

The "accessory" exercise I use is simple lying dumbell extensions, usually 3 sets of 8-12 depending on how much the braincrushers/close grip presses got to me. I did recently increase the weight on those to 45lb dumbells, so I'm not getting as many reps as I used to, but 40 was getting to be a bit easy.

My triceps workouts are generally really short, but I think I've distilled them down to what works without the eleventy million sets, reps, and exercises you see so many people doing for both them and biceps in the gym.
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,010
66
91
I'm in the same boat. I feel like my long head just doesn't pop like it should. I feel like mine have definitely gotten a little bit bigger and more defined over the past 18 months, but still not where I want them to be.

What I feel like has helped a little bit is actually using machines for my lighter days and making sure I keep tension the entire time, going slow and really squeezing at the top. I still use the EZ bar or DBs for skull crushers but I tend to use them for heavier loads.
 

Sixguns

Platinum Member
May 22, 2011
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For about 3 months now I have been having one heavy day and one lighter day each week. I have noticed strength gainzzz but size not so much. I don't think muscle size is in my genetics.
 

Koing

Elite Member <br> Super Moderator<br> Health and F
Oct 11, 2000
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For about 3 months now I have been having one heavy day and one lighter day each week. I have noticed strength gainzzz but size not so much. I don't think muscle size is in my genetics.

Have you gained any weight in 3months? What is your eating like?

It's more important to eat well than to have your training perfect as long as your strength gains go up over time IMO.

Another note for push downed and skull crushers for triceps. I also like over head cable extensions. That always hits my triceps very hard.

You don't seem very strong for push pressing 95lbs or close grip benching 135lbs. How much do you weigh? Your dips are a lot stronger than your other lifts. It'll be interesting to see hear on how much you weigh.

Get back in a year or so or when you can push press at least 1.20x+ your bw and close bench about the same.

Koing