Q: The new ebooks are fantastic. I followed Doug Brignole before his death and also you. Really great information. I appreciate that you suggest add-on exercises to the ideal and make the case for which ones are best. One question: My triceps are weak/flat, so should I train them one side at a time [to avoid bi-lateral deficit]? [Read more…]
Torched by an Angle: New Triceps Mass
In the Old Man, Young Muscle workout, I followed Doug’s lead and used the dumbbell decline extension as the ideal triceps exercise… [Read more…]
Key Move for Sleeve-Stretching Triceps
Q: I’ve seen the study that showed more triceps growth from overhead extensions [a stretch exercise] compared to pushdowns [contracted-position emphasis]. Do you think it matters whether I do the overheads with a bar, dumbbells, or rope attached to a cable? I want the best version for the most gain. Efficiency of effort. [Read more…]
Ultimate Triceps Mass Workout
Yesterday I explained that Positions-of-Flexion mass training has you use three exercises to train a muscle at three key points for full-range activation.
That trifecta for titanic tri’s is arms perpendicular to the torso (lying extensions), arms overhead (overhead extensions), and arms down next to the torso (pushdowns)… [Read more…]
New Ideal Triceps Mass Move?
In the Old Man, Young Muscle workout, triceps training is centered around dumbbell decline extensions, the ideal exercise… [Read more…]
Weeny Exercise for Massive Tri’s?
Q: Everywhere I look, I see that triceps kickbacks are panned as a weeny exercise—except in lady workouts. But it’s the only exercise I really feel squeezing and contracting my triceps. Pushdowns don’t work for me. What’s your take? [Read more…]
Ideal Triceps Exercise
A few newsletters ago we discussed the ideal biceps exercise based on Mr. America and Mr. Universe Doug Brignole’s factors grounded in physics and biomechanics. Now let’s look at the ideal triceps exercise… [Read more…]
Skull Crushers
Q: The lead-off exercise for the triceps sweep workout [in the X-traordinary Arms e-book] is lying extensions, or skull crushers. You describe the best grip width and how to use an EZ-curl bar for more long-head involvement, but I don’t like dragging a bar over to a flat bench. Can I use dumbbells for lying extensions instead of a bar?
A: Magnetic resonance imaging shows that lying extensions on a flat bench with a bar (skull crushers) mostly stress the triceps’ long head, so we classify it as a sweep exercise in the X-traordinary Arms e-book. You would think using dumbbells would be the same—but that’s not the case. [Read more…]
Weird Exercise for Massive Tri’s
Q: I was browsing through old training articles on your site and noticed that you guys sometimes include dumbbell pullovers in your triceps routine. What’s up with that?!
A: While the dumbbell pullover is an excellent stretch-position move for the lats in Positions-of-Flexion mass training, it’s also one of the best exercises for the long head of the triceps. That’s the section that really fills out the back of the upper arm and gives it that eye-popping sweep when it’s down by your side or up flexing your peak. [Read more…]
Ultimate At-Home Massive-Arm Move
Q: I have the Stretch-Overload Workout ebook, so I know how important stretch-position exercises are for mass.I’m training in a home gym with only free weights, and overhead triceps extensions are irritating my elbows. Should I just skip triceps stretch altogether to avoid injury?
A: We’ve been there, so we feel your pain. In a commercial gym, we recommend cable pushouts instead, which is facing away from an overhead cable, lunging forward and performing behind-the-head extensions. [Read more…]