One of the areas of the body that is sought to develop, strengthen and tone are the arms. And although on many occasions gaining strength in them is achieved simply by working on other areas such as the abdomen or by exercising in general, there are specific exercises to show strong and firm arms.
On many occasions, it is thought that an arm gains more strength if the biceps is exercised, a muscle that appears in the anterior area of the upper arm. But in reality, what gives firmness and shape to the arm is the triceps, a muscle that is located in the back of the upper arm. There are various exercises that allow you to isolate this muscle to increase its development, and one of them is push-ups.
Table Of Content
1. Classic tricep curls
2. Bench Tricep Curls
3. Isometric Triceps Curls
Classic tricep curls
This exercise is the most used to isolate and exercise the triceps. It is very simple and can be done both in the gym and at home. You only need a mat to rest on the ground and you do not need any type of weight, since your own body will be used. Here are the steps to do classic triceps pushups correctly :
- The initial position consists of placing yourself face down on the mat as if you were going to perform traditional push-ups, but instead of supporting your feet, you will support your knees and the palms of your hands.
- In this way, instead of dividing the weight and effort between the chest, arms and abdomen, it focuses even more on the triceps.
- The hands are placed more or less at chest height with a shoulder-width separation and, instead of placing the fingers facing forward as in a normal push-up, they are placed turned inwards, so that the fingers of both hands are facing each other, not in a straight line at all, but rather forming a triangle with them.
- When this position has already been achieved, the movement will be carried out by bringing the chest as close to the ground as possible, bending the elbows but without separating them from the body, to ensure that the triceps is being worked.
- Then the body is raised again, returning to the starting position.
It is recommended to perform this exercise in 4 series of 12 repetitions.
![How to do triceps curls - steps and tips - Classic triceps curls](https://t2.uc.ltmcdn.com/es/posts/0/7/9/flexiones_de_triceps_clasicas_46970_1_600.jpg)
Bench Tricep Curls
A different but also very effective way to do triceps curls is with the help of a bench. It is another variant that can be alternated with the previously explained classic triceps push-ups. Follow the steps below to do bench press-ups correctly:
- In the first place, a bench or similar surface is necessary that is well secured so that it does not collapse when the body is supported when exerting force.
- The starting position consists of sitting on the floor, with your legs fully stretched, with your back to the bench and with your hands resting on it so that your back rubs against the bench.
- When the starting position has been achieved, the exercise will begin, which consists of lifting the weight of the body with the palms of the hands resting on the bench, without bending the knees, so that when the body rises they are only in contact with the ground. the feet.
- Return to the starting position to repeat the exercise.
It is recommended to perform 4 series of 10 repetitions of this exercise.
Isometric Triceps Curls
This exercise to strengthen and tone the triceps is for a more advanced level, since it requires extra strength and preparation to perform it. It is advisable to resort to this exercise when the previous two are easily done. Here are the steps to do isometric triceps curls:
- The starting position and the movement to be performed is exactly the same as in the classic triceps push-ups, with the knees supported and the fingers of the hands facing each other, with the arms at chest height according to the width of the shoulders.
- The same movement of bringing the chest closer to the ground is performed but, instead of going up immediately, isometric work will be done, that is, it will hold down for about 10 seconds before going up.
- Then return to the starting position to do it again.
It is recommended to perform this exercise in 4 series of 6 repetitions. When over time you gain more strength and resistance in your arms, you can go on to perform these same push-ups without reaching your knees.