Who doesn’t want jacked arms? Ever since I was little and watched Hulk Hogan talk about his 24” pythons I know I sure as hell did!
If you were a Hulkamaniac like me, I’m sure you want to blow up those pipes as well, and I’m here to tell you how!
Typically people just do some extra sets of curls during their workout to get those pee shooters to grow. But if you really want to get the biggest bang for your buck you need to focus on the triceps. That’s not to say that training your biceps isn’t important, it certainly is. But the triceps actually make up about 2/3 of your arm, so it’s definitely important to do more than push-downs and kickbacks for your triceps work.
So let’s get into it so we can start getting those sleeves to fit a little tighter! I’m going to give you a list of the best exercises for developing the triceps that you can start incorporating right away!
1. Parallel bar dips: These are tremendous for growing the triceps and developing relative strength. Make sure that you lower yourself with control to a 90 degree elbow angle and extend back up to full extension. Come up quickly and explosively. If you are doing them with body weight for max reps do not go until complete failure. Leave one rep in the tank and try to progress the following week. Once you can do 10-12 quality dips, start adding weight with a belt or weighted vest. Once you get really good at them you can progress to doing them on gymnast rings, which are definitely one of my favorites!
2. Close grip bench press: The close grip bench press is awesome for developing the tri’s. But you don’t want to go too close. That will only stress the shit out of your wrists and could lead to injury. Instead, grip the bar with your index or middle finger on the line between the smooth and rough part of the bar. Set up like a normal bench press and lower the bar to touch the chest, explode up and come to a full extension.
3. DB pressing with a neutral grip: A neutral grip means your palms are in, facing each other. Using this variation puts more stress on the triceps than the pecs. In addition, this variation is much safer for people with shoulder issues and might be a good alternative if you can’t do any horizontal pressing without pain. Either way, they are an awesome addition to your tricep work. Just set up like you are going to do a DB press variation except rotate your palms in at the starting position. Lower with control and press explosively.
4. Floor press variations: The floor press is great because it allows you to overload the triceps due to the limited range of motion. Set up the bar in the front of the rack, where you can lie on the floor underneath it as to do a traditional bench press except you are lying on the floor. Your knees should be bent with your feet flat on the floor. Unrack the bar and hold it in the top position, over your chest. Lower with control until both of your triceps touch the floor, pause for 1 second and press up explosively. You can also do these with dumbbells and a neutral grip.
5. Seated French press: Alright I had to throw one isolation exercise in there. The seated French press is one of my favorites. Grab an E-Z bar using the narrower grip. Sit down at the end of a flat bench. Keeping your feet flat on the floor, press the bar straight overhead. Lower the bar from your elbows with control so the bar is now behind your head. Extend your elbows quickly so the bar is now back to the starting positon. Squeeze the triceps when you are in the top position. I like to do these for 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps.
So there you have it guys. Incorporate these exercises today and I can guarantee you will be a little bit closer to Hulkamania’s 24”!
Well at least that’s the goal.
If you have any questions please comment below or shoot over an email to chris@tutelatraining.com and be sure to follow us in Instagram @chris_tutela and Facebook at Tutela Training Systems for more tips, training pics and videos.
Until next time, train hard, “brothers”!