How do we tone the back of our arms?- Three girls from South Hall
Exercising your triceps is easier than you think. Your tris work as secondary muscles in virtually all chest exercises, so whenever you go to the gym and do push-ups or get on the machine bench press for three sets of twenty pounds, you are working your triceps along with your chest. If you want to really isolate the back of your arms, here are three simple exercises that will target that area:
Triceps Extensions: These can be done with one or two hands. For ease of explanation, I'll assume you have taken a single dumbbell and are going to work both arms at the same time. Start off with light weights until you get the form down well.
You can perform this exercise standing or sitting -- that is purely preference. Grab a dumbbell and raise it above your head. Hold it with the palms of both hands facing the ceiling, with the weight held vertically behind your head; in other words, don't hold the weight by the handle. You want to hold the flat plate at the end you're holding to face up. Once you are in the starting position, slowly bend your arms to approximately ninety degrees, and then straighten them. Do not lock your elbows at the top of the movement, this puts undue stress on your shoulders. While you are doing the exercise, concentrate on keeping your elbows as close together as possible -- you don't want your elbows flaring out away from each other. Also, try to keep your elbows as motionless as possible. This helps keep the focus on working the triceps.
Triceps Press-Downs: This exercise is done with a cable. Adjust the pulley to its highest point, and attach the v-bar to the pulley (the one shaped like a "V" with flat circles at the end of each point of the "V"). Start by facing the column, back straight, feet about shoulder width apart. The starting position is upper arms at your sides with forearms bent to ninety degrees.
Keep your shoulders back, and try not to hunch over the weight as you are doing the exercise -- this takes emphasis off the targeted muscle, and can also lead to injury through improper form. Slowly straighten your arms, keeping your elbows motionless and in tight at your sides. At the end of the movement, it's okay to lock your elbows to give your triceps an extra squeeze. This will help with the overall burn of the exercise.
Triceps Kick-Backs: This is a true isolation movement, in that you really don't need heavy weight in order to reap the benefits and feel the burn. This is a one arm at a time exercise, so I will explain it in terms of working the right arm.
Grab a light dumbbell and lean over a bench so your upper body is parallel with the floor. Bring your right arm up so it is in line with your body. Bend your forearm so it is perpendicular to the floor. In this starting position, your right arm should be bent at ninety degrees, with your upper arm in line with your torso. Slowly extend your forearm straight back until your elbow locks.
Bring your arm back down to the starting position, but no further. Bringing your forearm past ninety degrees starts would incorporate the biceps into the movement, and gives the triceps a rest, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the exercise. This exercise depends on the effort you put into emphasizing the contraction at the top of the movement (when your arm is straight), so make sure you really focus on feeling that squeeze in your triceps.
The triceps are fairly easy muscles to work, so you should see some good results with these three exercises. There are also countless variations off these exercises, so you won't get bored. If you have any questions, ask a trainer in the gym, or e-mail me at fitness@tuftsdaily.com.
More from The Tufts Daily
