TRI’ED & TRUE ELIMINATE THE LEARNING CURVE AND BUILD BIGGER ARMS NOW WITH THIS BALANCED, MULTITIERED TRICEPS ATTACK BY BILL GEIGER Under the title If I Only Knew Then What I Know Now, I could literally write a book on arm training. For years, my exercise of choice for building big triceps was the pressdown, because that’s what I saw guys at my gym doing. Not that they had very big arms; but sure enough, I’d stand in line and press away, not knowing any better. Fortunately, I finally discovered the value of training tri’s not only hard, but smart as well. While any number of exercises can fatigue your triceps, some are better at the start of your workout when your arms are fresh, and others are best saved for the end. To promote the greatest muscle overload, you should choose exercises in which you can push the most weight early in your workout. You also want to vary your arm position — for instance, by positioning your arms straight up over your head, as you do in overhead extensions and to a lesser extent with skull-crushers, you place the long head of your triceps on stretch. This is helpful, because to forcefully contract a muscle, you must stretch it first. Finally, varying your hand positions makes subtle differences in muscle fibre recruitment. Instead of doing every exercise with an overhand grip, I started using reverse (underhand) and neutral grips in an effort to shake things up. While the pressdown comes in handy for those grip variations, you won’t see it as a bread-and-butter move in my routine any more; rather, I use it as a finisher in about every other workout. It’s a good choice to give your tri’s a final blast, and that’s it. Success isn’t only about the right exercises; the proper weight is crucial, too. I could close-grip bench with quarters on each side for lots of reps, which wouldn’t spur an ounce of new growth. Instead, I go heavy, really pushing myself on the first few working sets. So after 2–3 warm-up sets using progressively heavier weights (but never approaching muscle failure), I then choose weights that allow me to get about six good reps on my own — tops! If my training partner is with me, I throw in two forced reps. I also take a little longer rest period on my heaviest sets so that I’m fairly well recovered, and then I repeat the process. The last set is a back-off set, meaning I take a little weight off each side and go for a few extra reps. This sets up the pattern of how I attack each subsequent exercise in my routine. Training this way, my target muscle becomes increasingly fatigued as the workout progresses — which is why I do the heavy sets both at the beginning of the workout and at the beginning of each exercise (excluding warm-ups). Not only do I perform an exercise like the close-grip bench press at the start, but I also don’t waste my energy on counterproductive lightweight sets taken to failure, somehow expecting to add more weight on the following sets as my fatigue level rises. After warming up, go right to the heavy sets instead of pyramiding up on all exercises. Near the end of my routine, I’m not thinking lower-rep mass movements any more, but rather a thorough muscle pump. Take each set to the absolute end; at this point, you should use relatively lighter weights so you can take every set to your limit. This is when I typically do the pressdown or reverse-grip pressdown. It all adds up to a well-designed programme that works — for a while. Yes, you can sub in various exercises to combat a stale workout, but I like to alternate two very different triceps workouts with varying protocols, done 4–7 days apart. That’s what I provide here — a pair of triceps routines designed to be alternated. The first is strength-focused, using heavier weights; the other is lighter and done entirely with cables (just put on your headphones and ignore the guy who’s trying to work in). There you have it — straight-shooting talk on building your triceps. Now you won’t have to wait in line at the pressdown station behind all the guys who still don’t have big arms. M&F SMITH-MACHINE CLOSE-GRIP BENCH PRESS This is one of the few compound exercises for tri’s, and you can really overload them with very heavy weights (unlike most other triceps moves). Using the Smith machine means you don’t have to worry about balancing the weight — just push with your triceps until they can’t push any more. START: Centre a flat bench between the posts of a Smith machine. The bar should be set at arms’ reach when you’re lying down. Position yourself on the bench so the bar hits your lower chest when it’s in the down position; you can slide up or down on your first rep to get situated in just the right spot. Grasp the bar with an overhand grip just inside shoulder width (certainly no closer than about 8 inches; do this to reduce strain on your wrists — a closer grip doesn’t mean more triceps involvement) and unrack the weight. EXECUTION: Keep your elbows close to your sides as you control the descent of the weight, stopping just short of the bar touching your chest. Then push the bar forcefully back up to full arm extension. TRAINING NOTES Don’t be afraid to go heavy, as this is the first exercise in your routine. After you warm up, do a couple of sets in which you can complete only six reps. ADVANCED TECHNIQUE Get a training partner and bang out a couple of forced reps on your heaviest sets. SEATED OVERHEAD EZ-BAR EXTENSION Position your upper arms by your ears to put the long head of your triceps on stretch, allowing it to contract more strongly. Many people do this movement on a machine, which is very similar. However, free-weight movements are more demanding overall, and you don’t want all your training to be done on machines, so throw in the free-weight version occasionally. START: Set a weighted EZ-bar (with collars — you don’t want to embarrass yourself with a spill) behind a low-back bench. Though you can get the bar overhead on your own, it’s much easier to have someone hand it to you. Sit up tall on the bench, head up, feet flat on the floor and low back naturally arched. Grasp the bar with an overhand, shoulder-width grip and hold it directly overhead. EXECUTION: It’s critical that your upper arms remain in place as you complete the movement. Lower the bar behind your head, feeling your tri’s stretch. In the bottom position, your elbows should point straight up. Smoothly reverse direction until your arms are fully extended. TRAINING NOTES This exercise is usually done with a single heavy dumbbell, but the close grip typically causes your elbows to flare out, reducing the muscular stress on your triceps. Take a little wider grip with the EZ-bar. ADVANCED TECHNIQUE More than one of us has conked himself on the head with a heavy weight after his arms start to fatigue. Get your spotter to give you a little assist, which can actually help you complete several more forced reps, then have him take the weight. CABLE SKULL-CRUSHER Everyone knows how to do these with free weights, but we’re going to use the cable to slightly alter the angle of pull. Instead of being able to “rest” with your arms straight above you (because gravity pushes straight down), you actually have to fight the bar in the top position because the resistance from the weight stack comes from the pulley behind your head. START: Set a flat bench about a foot from the base of a low pulley. Attach an EZ-bar and set it on the bench. Lie face-up on the bench, feet flat on the floor, and take the EZ-bar with an overhand, shoulder-width grip. Position your arms so they’re perpendicular to your body. EXECUTION: Think of your elbows as hinges: your upper arms remain fixed in place, with the only movement taking place at your elbows. Allow the bar to slowly approach the top of your head, then reverse direction and strongly press the bar to full arm extension. TRAINING NOTES Don’t allow your elbows to flare out as you complete the reps. ADVANCED TECHNIQUE Make some changes to switch things up: try the decline bench or use the rope handle for a different feel. CABLE KICKBACK Most people who do kickbacks use free weights, which I think are far easier to cheat on (by bringing the weight too far forward). This is more than a good substitute; it’s smooth as silk, and you’ll probably like it better than the free-weight version. Like the cable skull-crusher, you can’t “rest” at any point of the motion. START: Stand about 2 feet away from and facing a low pulley. Align your working shoulder with the pulley. Place your opposite foot forward to take a straddle stance and place your opposite forearm against your thigh. Keep your head up and low back flat. With a neutral grip (palm facing in), grasp the rubber stopper ball or D-handle and position your upper arm in the same plane as your back — about parallel to the floor. EXECUTION: Again, think of your elbow as a hinge; your upper arm might as well be cemented to your side. Smoothly press your hand straight back until it’s just above the level of your back and briefly hold the peak contraction. Let the weight stack pull your hand forward till it’s about perpendicular to your upper arm, then smoothly reverse direction. Do both sides, making sure you align your working-side shoulder with the low pulley. TRAINING NOTES If you go too heavy,you won’t be able to fully extend your arm, reducing the stress on the long head. ADVANCED TECHNIQUE Use drop sets — quickly reduce the weight about 20% by changing the pin after you reach muscle failure — on your last two sets.