Don’t neglect triceps

Ever see a jacked guy with a huge arm and wonder, “Yoh, I wish my arm was like that”? I have too, and after doing some research and implementing what I’ve learned, I’ve seen huge arm gains and you will too.

A lot people just spam bicep curls and expect massive pythons, however the upper arm is made up of almost 70% tricep muscles. In particular, you have 3 heads:

• The Medial Head
  
• The Long Head
  
• The Lateral Head
  

Essentially, if you neglect the triceps, you’re leaving a whole lot of gains and mass on the table.
Get these muscles big, and your arm gets a whole new definition and size. Here’s the exercises I have on speed dial to effectively target them:

Tricep Longhead:
This part of your tricep adds density and mass to your arm. To target it, you must do exercises where your elbows move over your head or behind your body.

1. Skullcrushers : An old-school exercise that I do everytime I’m training triceps. There’s a reason why this exercise stood the test of time: it’s effective and gets you huge results. Grab a bench and an EZ bar (bent bar), lie flat on the bench. Then lower the bar slightly past your head to keep constant tension on your longhead.
   
2. Overhead Cable Extension : A more focused target on the longhead. Attach a rope to a cable pulley positioned just above your butt. Turn your back to the pulley and press the rope up and forward above your head.
   

Tricep Lateral Head:
This is the most visible part of your tricep from the side. Hitting this ou will give you the arm definition that you’re after. Your palms need to be either facing each other, at a slight angle or facing the ground:

1. Rope Cable Pushdown: Keep your elbows fixed at your sides (only your forearm should be moving), push the rope down and flare it slightly at the bottom of the push.
   
2. Bent Bar Cable Pushdown: Grab a bar that zigzags or is bent and do the exact same movement as above.
   
   

Tricep Medial Head:
This is known as the “workhorse” of the triceps as it’s active during every single tricep movement. Because of its hidden position, you can’t really target it specifically, but you can strenghten it to max out your overall tricep capacity. These movements require max exertion from your triceps and therefore, make them absolutely stacked:

1. Close-Grip Bench Press: Think your regular bench press, but your hands are positioned closer together, directly above your chest. For more stability, I recommend using a smith machine if it’s available.
   
2. Dips: The ultimate tricep and chest builder. Use parallel bars or the edge of a bench, lower your body while keeping your elbows behind your body. Maintain a slight bend forward in your torso and push your body back up with your triceps.
   
   

Biceps mistake: standard curls only

Similar to the triceps, the biceps consist of 3 heads as well:

• Long Head
  
• Short Head
  
• Brachialis
  

A common mistake I see is that gymers often just spam curls hoping to grow their biceps. Any type of standard curl is good enough to target the shorthead, but if you want to make significant arm gains, you should be hitting all 3 heads with dedicated exercises. In addition to cable or dumbell curls, here’s what I do to target each head:

Biceps Long Head: This head is best targeted in the lengthened position and makes your bicep look thicker and wider.
Incline Dumbbell Curls: Sit on a bench with a back support and curl, making sure to slow down at the bottom of the curl and feel the burn of the stretch. Don’t go too heavy on this one.

Biceps Short Head: Gives you that thickness and roundness when you flex.
Preacher Curls: Adjust the seat so that your chest is flush against the pad and your arm pits sit comfortably on top of the pad. Make to really squeeze your bicep at the top of the curl to emphasize the short head.

Biceps Brachialis: This is a small muscle that sits underneath the whole bicep. These is the most overlooked head, but possibly one of the most essential heads to target. When you flex, this muscle pushes the whole bicep up, giving you that rounded peak that makes your arm looked stacked.
Hammer Curls: Instead of your palms facing the roof, Hammer Curls have your arms facing each other (parallel) - think a more neutral position. Simply grab some dumbbells and curl them up - imagine how your hands would be positioned when you’re about to knock back a dop. You can also do the same thing with a rope and pulley for more even tension on the muscle.