What’s the Kingmaker of Tricep Exercises

by Christian Duque

It’s no secret, every weight-trainer, from crossfitters to bodybuilders to powerlifters, they all want big arms. It’s not even really so much of a question of being strong, as it is ‘looking strong.’ Arms are a status symbol. You could have set amazing PR’s, but if you have gumby limbs, you’re not taken seriously. Unlike other body parts, the whole arms is key. Forearms create strong grips, bicep peaks turn faces, & thick, dense triceps give a perpetually pumped up look shapely men & women’s arms. There’s an undeniable sex appeal at play also.

So let’s talk shop. What you want supplementationally – no matter what – is a quality nitrous oxide product. I recommend Tokkyo Nutrition’s Diesel Fuel Pump, though I must stress caution. Even some experienced gymrats have no idea the kind of pumps they’re in for, so once you take this powerful, natural supplement TAKE IT EASY in the gym! We all love a pump, but unless you know what’s to come, you may be so pumped, you’re workout will end after a set! Play it by ear my friends.

Ok, so let’s talk exercises. There’s things you can do in the gym that are ideal to warm up, grow, & cool down. There’s some machines that ultimately will waste your time. Not everything in the gymnasium is there to help you. Like anything in life, some stuff is simly that – nothing more than stage props (e.g. the standard bike in cardio rooms).

For warming-up purposes I’d go with bar or rope tricep push-downs. I’d do a solid five sets, at a rep range of 8-10 with light to moderate weight. Don’t go heavy here, b/c it won’t serve you as well. If you want to ‘go hard or go home,’ then I strongly suggest you do dips. Nothing will blast those tri’s like lifting your own bodyweight. Some attention whores throw a chain around themselves and dangle 45lb plates from their waist. If you need this ego boost, you probably need psychiatric help as well. These are things we all do in our [stupid] youth. Your triceps are relatively small muscles. Lifting, controlling, & stablizing your bodyweight is MORE than enough weight. For a cool down, I’d take an EZ Curl bar and tricep extensions. Once again, this exercise requires you leave your ego at the door, b/c cool down sets should be performed with either a 20lb or even 10lb bar.

On a good arm day, you should hit forearms, biceps, & triceps. Each muscle should get about 3 exercises (as opposed to 5+ for larger bodyparts), with five sets of 8-10 reps. I would also train arms only once every other week. On the off weeks, you could avoid training them alone – or- include them as a second mini-workout with bigger muscle groups. Always keep the muscle guessing!