Weak triceps

qtiekiki
qtiekiki Posts: 1,490 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
My triceps are very weak, especially my left side. I can barely do 5lbs dumbbell one-arm extensions and kickbacks on my left arm. They are easier with the right arm. So what can I do to build up my triceps? And do I keep both sides at the same weight? Thanks.

Replies

  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    You can do kick backs, tri cep extensions on a cable machine, tri cep dips and skull crushers.

    It's natural to have one side be better then the other.. and it's normally the side that you write with, so if you are right handed, then the ride side is the dominate side and thus would be stronger.

    I think you should keep the weight even just for the sake of symmetry on the right and left side, but I could be wrong.. others may chime in on this issue.
  • rjt1000
    rjt1000 Posts: 700 Member
    You can do kick backs, tri cep extensions on a cable machine, tri cep dips and skull crushers.

    It's natural to have one side be better then the other.. and it's normally the side that you write with, so if you are right handed, then the ride side is the dominate side and thus would be stronger.

    I think you should keep the weight even just for the sake of symmetry on the right and left side, but I could be wrong.. others may chime in on this issue.

    Im with you. Skullcrushers are great for strengthening the triceps. Do 3 sets and when you can do 12 reps three times, up the weight by 5 pounds. I quickly went from 15 pounds to 40 pounds. Problem I have now is that my hands aren't big enough to hold a 50 pound dumbbell for skullcrushers.

    Also, pullups with your hands turned so palms are facing away from your body are good. With palms facing in, you're using biceps, palms out -triceps.
  • shaycat
    shaycat Posts: 980
    I would keep the weights the same on both sides. I have the same problem. That is my weak area. So now I will look up skullcrushers. :smile:
  • Anyaaaa11
    Anyaaaa11 Posts: 242 Member
    Chair dips all the way!!
  • jcoppenh
    jcoppenh Posts: 8
    I have to agree with Anyaaaa11, after you get comfortable with 3 sets with no weight, add some weight in the form of a sand bag or weight plate to your lap.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    Close grip bench press
    Assisted Dips
    Cable push downs (rope or v-bar)
  • thebigcb
    thebigcb Posts: 2,210 Member
    I think tricep dips are the way to go
  • pullipgirl
    pullipgirl Posts: 767 Member
    tricep pushups and dips
  • phinphanbill26
    phinphanbill26 Posts: 574 Member
    You could try french curls with dumbbells. One hand at a time or both.

    Start with your arm extended directly over your head with your elbow as close to your ear as possible and leave it there. Lower your forearm and let the weight extend down near to the back of your neck, then extend back up over your head (that's one rep)!!!

    Easy.
  • mrpurdy
    mrpurdy Posts: 262 Member
    Push-ups!
  • Zeromilediet
    Zeromilediet Posts: 787 Member
    Push ups. Keep your elbows close to your body otherwise you rely more on biceps. Start with planks if necessary, lowering your body weight, and doing knee push ups are good ways to start. Check this out if you need a goal http://hundredpushups.com/

    Another great all round upper body work out is pull ups, or failing that chin ups. Check this out http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/04/25/do-a-pull-up/

    The most important thing is to do it :-)
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    Dips are the best thing I've found for triceps.
  • BlueEyedMonkey
    BlueEyedMonkey Posts: 2
    bump
  • B_Running
    B_Running Posts: 158
    Push ups. Keep your elbows close to your body otherwise you rely more on biceps. Start with planks if necessary, lowering your body weight, and doing knee push ups are good ways to start. Check this out if you need a goal http://hundredpushups.com/

    Another great all round upper body work out is pull ups, or failing that chin ups. Check this out http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/04/25/do-a-pull-up/

    The most important thing is to do it :-)

    I consider myself relatively strong; however, doing even ONE push up with my elbows close to my body is virtually impossible. I've been attempting to do them in my Insanity workouts, but I an barely go down (far enough to count as a push up) and my form suffers incredibly when I attempt to come back up.

    I'm some what shocked by this as I have been using heavier weights with my tricep pull downs for over a year. I also use various grips, bars, number of reps/sets, and speed of movements to activate diffferent tricep muscles, but my push ups remain weak as ever. Is it possible, that as a female, I just don't have the muscle/structure to do them??
  • thebigcb
    thebigcb Posts: 2,210 Member
    Dips are the best thing I've found for triceps.

    Same here, easy to change the difficulty as well
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
    There's a ton of great tricep exercises out there, and many people have different favorites. Here's an article from poliquin that goes over his top 10 and actually gives good reasons why each one is effective.

    http://www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/891/Ten_Best_Arm_Extension_Exercises.aspx?lang=EN

    It seems like I light a flame war anytime I post a link from charles poliquin b/c some of his stuff is controversial. But can we at least agree that he's knowledgable about resistance training?
  • jppd47
    jppd47 Posts: 737 Member
    If your having trouble with weights, hit up the body weight exercises. Push-ups, elbows close, dips!!

    In Starting Strength the Lying tricep extensions is recommended. Like a skull crusher but lower the bar over and past your head.
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
    Dips are the best thing I've found for triceps.

    They're also my favorite b/c it's easy at many gyms to super-set them with chin-ups (for those of us who are short on time).
  • BOLO4Hagtha
    BOLO4Hagtha Posts: 396 Member
    What is a skullcrusher? I too have weak triceps, and this sounds like it might help.
  • jppd47
    jppd47 Posts: 737 Member
    What is a skullcrusher? I too have weak triceps, and this sounds like it might help.

    check out this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh20UYr80E8

    lying on a bench, hold the barbell over you body arms extended palms facing out. bend your elbows bring the bar down past your head getting a better extension and working more muscles. As opposed to just brining it down to your head
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    close grip bench press. kick backs are def. not aimed at increasing strength in the tricep
  • dane11235813
    dane11235813 Posts: 682 Member
    the usual ones like dips and close grip bench press, pushups.....

    my favorite is close grip dumbbell press. turn your hands inward like you have just finished a dumbbell flye and squeeze the dumbbells together while you press the weight up and down.
  • agthorn
    agthorn Posts: 1,844 Member
    Is it possible, that as a female, I just don't have the muscle/structure to do them??
    Nope. A tricep pushup is essentially the same thing as chatturanga in yoga (except that you push back up instead of rolling forward into upward-facing dog). I've done practices where we did 6 chatturanga-to-plank reps in a row, multiple times. You just have to condition the muscle like anything else.
  • YepLilly
    YepLilly Posts: 129 Member
    That's my weak area as well! Especially the left side. I like dips and kickbacks. But I love skull crunchers! They work for me the best, I'm always nicely sore after I do them.

    Keep lifting the same weight on both sides and only increase when your left side is ready. That's what I do; otherwise the gap in strength between both sides will become bigger, we don't want that.
  • qtiekiki
    qtiekiki Posts: 1,490 Member
    Thank you for the suggestions. I do dips, but i think I need to add weight on my lap. I'll work on tricep push ups; they are very hard for me. I will work the close grip presses and skullcrushers into my workouts.
  • Zeromilediet
    Zeromilediet Posts: 787 Member

    I'm some what shocked by this as I have been using heavier weights with my tricep pull downs for over a year. I also use various grips, bars, number of reps/sets, and speed of movements to activate diffferent tricep muscles, but my push ups remain weak as ever. Is it possible, that as a female, I just don't have the muscle/structure to do them??

    I'm in my late 50s, an age when people usually lose muscle strength (sarcopenia), and can do full push ups and pull ups .... okay just two pull ups, but still; only way to do them is, to do them. Machines won't make you strong (heresy, I know, leave me alone! haha!). I used to have beautiful sculpted triceps using the pull down but strength? Meh.
  • B_Running
    B_Running Posts: 158
    Is it possible, that as a female, I just don't have the muscle/structure to do them??
    Nope. A tricep pushup is essentially the same thing as chatturanga in yoga (except that you push back up instead of rolling forward into upward-facing dog). I've done practices where we did 6 chatturanga-to-plank reps in a row, multiple times. You just have to condition the muscle like anything else.

    crap.
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    Not to be rude to anybody but Kickbacks suck. Unless your a figure athlete or bodybuilder trying to improve the long-head of your tricep they're worthless.

    - Alternate between regular Barbell Bench Press and Close Grip Bench Press, sets of 3 to 5 reps
    - Dips: sets of 8 - 12 reps
    - EZ Bar Tricep Extensions: sets of 8-10 reps
    - Rope or V-Bar pushdowns: sets of 15-20 reps

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