Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
Work on triceps
|
Complement your biceps with well-honed triceps
|
THE TRICEPS lies in the back of the arm. It extends the forearm and it relaxes during the contraction of the biceps. The biceps gets all the glory and attention, but without a well-honed triceps to complement it, the arm loses proportion and looks bulky in an ugly way.
Triceps pull down and triceps extensions with free weights are two excellent workouts for this three-headed muscle. The lat pull down machine also works as a triceps exercise machine.
Load the machine with weights: remember that in daily life the triceps rarely gets the workout attention it deserves, so it is likely to be a lot weaker than the biceps or larger and much stronger muscles like the latissimus dorsi. Don't be disheartened if, initially, the weight your triceps can handle is depressingly low. Be patient, and do not be alarmed by the slowness of your progress over the next few weeks.
Clasp the bar of the pull down machine with a closed, pronated (palms facing down) grip, with palms around 15 cm apart and arms bent at the elbow joint. Stand with feet and shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent and straight back and trunk.
Now pull the bar down slowly, straightening the forearm at the elbow joint as you do so. Exhale throughout the movement and focus on limiting the movement to the elbow joint.
Most people end up sabotaging this workout by pressing down with the shoulder muscles or by leaning on the bar. Swallow your pride and work with the lowest possible weights until you get the workout absolutely right before moving up the scale.
Let the bar rise to the starting position under the control of the triceps. Do three to four sets of triceps pull down with 12 repetitions per set.
The triceps extension involves lifting a free weight against gravity. To align the triceps properly, support yourself in a bent position with knee and palm supported by a bench (right knee and right palm on the bench if you are exercising the left triceps).
Lift a dumbbell with arm aligned with trunk and forearm nearly perpendicular to trunk. Now straighten your elbow, extending it against gravity, and lift the weight towards the hip. Let the arm come back to starting position under control of the triceps. Do three to four sets of 12 repetitions of this movement.
RAJIV M
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
|
