Best Triceps Workout (Bye Bye Bulge) Methods?
Women are constantly striving to avoid developing unsightly ‘bra bulge’ in their triceps, so they often seek help from personal trainers and fitness experts.
John Porcari, a Wisconsin University sports physiologist, says, ‘Men always want to get rid of their bellies, while women seem to want to firm up their triceps.’ As with most clients, their time is often consumed by work and family, leaving little extra time for regular training. They want results quickly and effectively!
Based on this need, as an ombudsman for American sports, the American Council on Exercise (ACE) sponsored and launched a comprehensive study to determine which triceps training exercises are most effective.
By utilizing these new research findings, we can better guide clients on how to effectively firm and strengthen their triceps.
Research
To determine the eight most common triceps exercises, ACE invited a team of sports scientists from the Wisconsin University’s Sports and Health Project to form the research group.
The research group, led by John Porcari and Brittany Boehler B.S., was recruited from the local of Rockrose community.Fifteen healthy women aged 20 to 24 were recruited.
To ensure proper exercise technique and reduce the risk of injury, all participants had prior resistance training experience. Before the testing began, participants were asked not to engage in arm training for 48 hours to minimize fatigue.
On the first day of testing, the researchers helped each participant complete maximum weight (1RM) tests for the following exercises:
■ Close-grip push-ups on an incline
■ Triceps pushdowns with rope
■ Overhead triceps extension
■ ■ Skullcrushers
■ Triceps pushdowns
■ “It wasn’t used in the first round of testing:
■ Self-supported push-ups
■ ■ Diamond push-ups
■ “These two exercises were not used because they relied on self-weight as the resistance, which is not suitable for 1RM testing.”
Each participant determined the 1RM for each exercise and then waited for the second day of testing.
The next day, the researchers placed EMG test electrodes on the long head and lateral head of the triceps of each participant to record real-time muscle activity.
Participants performed two maximal isometric contractions (MVIC) of the triceps before the EMG testing to establish a baseline.
Then, they performed one set of seven repetitions for each of the eight different exercises, which were performed in a random order with 5 minutes rest between each exercise to allow muscles to fully recover.
Participants used 70% of the 1RM they had determined for most exercises; self-supported push-ups and diamond push-ups used self-weight as the load, while overhead triceps extensions and rope pushdowns used a load weight.
The EMG data for each exercise was recorded and compared to the peak EMG values from the two previous maximal isometric contractions (MVIC) in percentage terms.
Research Findings
“When participants performed diamond push-ups, muscle activity was most active, making it the gold standard for triceps training,” Porcari said.
“Boehler says, ‘In all of our training exercises, diamond push-ups triggered the highest level of muscle activation.’”“Self-supported push-ups and close-grip push-ups were not far behind in muscle activation.”
“In essence, these three exercises can be used interchangeably.”“Due to the fact that diamond push-ups triggered the highest average EMG activity, the data for the other seven exercises are represented as they are in terms of the EMG data from diamond push-ups (Table 1).* Significantly lower than diamond push-ups (p < 0.05)† Significantly lower than long head (p < 0.05)
Summary
“We can use diamond push-ups, close-grip push-ups and self-supported push-ups to quickly and effectively firm and strengthen the triceps.”
“Why are these exercises more effective than others?” Porcari said, “Because in diamond push-ups and self-supported push-ups, we use their own weight as the load, and because other training exercises are easier to ‘cheat’ (more easily complete the number of repetitions using momentum), especially overhead triceps extensions and rope pushdowns.”
“Many women worry that they don’t have enough time to go to the gym, or that they don’t have the right gym equipment,” Boehler said. “But the results of this study essentially eliminate these concerns.”
“As for equipment, the most effective diamond push-ups require no equipment, and self-supported push-ups only require a stable household chair.”
“Close-grip push-ups can be done with a dumbbell, but can also be done with any other weight, such as a water bottle or can of food.”
““Most people’s triceps are relatively weak, especially when isolating the muscles,” Porcari said. “If close-grip push-ups are performed correctly, a small amount of weight doesn’t need to be used to complete an effective workout.””
“Boehler says, ‘These exercises don’t require a lot of time. I think the most important information is that if someone really wants to train her triceps in a short amount of time, she can get the biggest benefits from these three exercises.’”
“”Porcari“”
Boehler“”
