Today we will talk about push-ups for triceps - we will single out among all the variations of the exercise those that give a directed load on the triceps muscle of the arms. This information will be of particular interest to athletes who train in the gym to increase muscle mass. Triceps occupies 65% of the entire arm mass, respectively, its impressive size immediately affects the total shoulder volume.
A bit of anatomy
Before we list triceps push-ups, let's find out where this muscle group is located and what every athlete should know before starting training.
Triceps, also known as the triceps muscle, is a combination of three bundles located on the back of the shoulder. Anatomically they are called: lateral, medial and long. This muscle group works in a trio, but the load is not always evenly distributed.
Choosing exercises for pumping them, you can set targeted work for a specific beam. However, for an even result, of course, you must try to use each part of the triceps equally. Push-ups are just such exercises that allow you to fully and evenly load the entire triceps.
This muscle is responsible for shoulder abduction / adduction, elbow extension, and also receives a secondary load when using the pectoralis major muscles.
Can you only pump triceps?
Triceps push-ups from the floor involve practically the entire musculature of the upper shoulder girdle. To one degree or another, the muscles of the whole body work.
Some athletes strive to pump up only the three-headed one, because its impressive volumes immediately make the figure powerful and effective. They are trying to somehow direct all their energy to a specific muscle, sincerely thinking that by doing so they will quickly come to their ideal.
However, for balanced development, it is important to pay attention to all muscle groups. Push-ups, as we already wrote above, just force the entire array of the hand to work at once, up to the extensor of the little finger!
No matter how hard you try, you will not be able to set an isolated load on a separate muscle segment. You don’t need it! To draw a beautiful shoulder contour and create an athletic relief, it is important to work out all the muscles!
Pros and cons of triceps push-ups
Choose the best push-ups for triceps and feel free to start working, because these exercises have a huge number of advantages:
- In addition to increasing mass, they increase the strength of the athlete;
- The endurance threshold rises;
- Ligaments and joints of the shoulder girdle are strengthened;
- The three-headed one works in all pressing exercises. Its growth will immediately allow the athlete to raise his working weight while working with a barbell and other apparatus;
- The pumped up triceps makes the figure powerful, immediately demonstrates the work that the athlete performs in the gym. Thus, motivation increases, there is a desire to continue sports training;
- Correct push-ups for triceps can be done at home, in the gym, and on the street, this is the versatility of the exercise;
- Another plus is that the athlete can regulate the load by alternating between different push-up techniques.
- Of the minuses, we note the high load on the shoulder, elbow and wrist joints. If you have injuries or diseases affecting the triceps, we recommend that you postpone such activities.
- Also, triceps exercises require strict adherence to the technique, because even the slightest violations of it instantly take the load from the target group. For example, spread your elbows a little more than necessary and your chest will turn on. Bend in the spine - redirect the task to the back and lower back.
- Another drawback: due to its large size, the triceps recovers for a long time, therefore, you are unlikely to be able to pump it up quickly. If, of course, everything is done according to the mind, physiologically correct. A workout aimed specifically at the triceps should be done no more than 1 time per week. The complex in which he participates partially - 1-2 times a week.
Triceps push-ups
So, let's move on to the fun part - we'll tell you how to pump up triceps with push-ups from the floor. First of all, we list the main variations of the exercise:
- Back push-ups from the bench, feet on the floor;
- Back push-ups from the bench, feet on the bench;
- Reverse variations with weights (the projectile is placed on the hips);
- Narrow push-ups for triceps - (with a narrow setting of hands on the floor: classic, diamond, from a kettlebell);
- With a narrow set of arms, from the bench;
- On the uneven bars, without bringing the shoulders to each other (this technique specifically uses the triceps).
Execution technique
In conclusion, we will tell you the technique for performing triceps push-ups from the floor, bench and on uneven bars in stages.
Back from the shop
The inverse of these variations is called due to the starting position: the athlete stands facing the bench, placing his hands on it on the sides of the body.
Adhere to the general rules that apply in all types of push-ups: we keep our back straight, we always inhale when lowering, and exhale when lifting.
Feet on the floor
- Take the starting position, back straight, look straight ahead, fingers pointing straight ahead;
- Stretch your legs forward, do not bend at the knee;
- Begin to lower your elbows straight back (do not spread apart) until they are parallel to the floor. This is the lowest point, if you go even lower, you can injure the shoulder and elbow joints, especially when working with weights.
- Climb to the starting position;
- Do 3 sets of 15 reps.
Feet on the bench
The technique is similar to the previous one, except for the following points:
- The legs are placed on a bench opposite the arm support;
- The leg bench should be just below the armrest;
- During push-ups, you can slightly bend your knees.
- Do 3 sets of 10 reps.
Weighted
Starting position, as in the reverse push-up, feet on the bench. A shell is placed on the hips - a pancake from a barbell or a kettlebell. If you are working from home, find a heavy object that you can safely place on your feet, such as a stack of books, a pot of potatoes, etc. Do not immediately work with a lot of weight, there is a high risk of injury to the joints. Do 3 sets of 7-10 reps.
Narrow push-ups for the triceps
Narrow grip push-ups for triceps involve a close position of the hands on a support. Most often, they do push-ups from the floor, but to increase the load, you can hold onto a heavy weight. In this case, the body height is higher, respectively, it will be more difficult for the athlete to lower.
- Take the starting position: the plank is on outstretched arms, palms are placed close, parallel to each other;
- During push-ups, the elbows are pressed to the sides, do not protrude to the sides;
- Do 3 sets of 15 reps.
Remember the rule. The wider the setting of the hands during push-ups, the more the pectoral muscles are involved, and vice versa, the closer the palms are, the more actively the triceps work.
In addition to the classic narrow push-ups, you should know how to properly push up triceps from the floor using the diamond method. The technique here is similar to the one given above, only the arrangement of the palms differs - the thumbs and forefingers should form the outline of a diamond on the floor. With this variation, the three-headed one is used to the greatest extent.
Some athletes are interested in whether it is possible and how to properly do push-ups from the floor for triceps to the mass. Indeed, in this position, there is nowhere to put the projectile, however, you can put a backpack with a weight on your back. Or, attach a special weight belt.
On uneven bars
We will tell you how to do push-ups on the uneven bars to build triceps, not pectoral muscles. In this case, it is important to follow the technique - the elbows in the process of lowering down should not be reduced to each other. The shoulders remain in a fixed position.
- Jump onto the projectile, hold the body on outstretched arms, elbows look back;
- When lowering, take your elbows back, controlling their parallelism;
- Keep the body straight without tilting it forward;
- Do 3 reps 15 times.
That's all, you just have to learn how to make these variations of push-ups and make yourself a suitable program from them. In the complex for the triceps, you can add a bench press with a narrow grip, extension of the arms on a block with a rope, French press, extension of the arms on the upper block. If you want to strengthen the muscle frame and achieve a well-defined triceps, focus on speed and number of repetitions. If you're looking to build mass, work with extra weight.
