What exercise should I do for the back of my arms?

I’ll leave alone losing body fat b/c I feel I’ve been harping on it lately. This one might be quick because the muscles involved only do one motion. I’ll try to touch on some dos and don’ts when exercising these muscles and of course I’ll post a sample workout with some exercises you probably haven’t seen before.

The muscle you are looking to target is called the triceps brachii most people just shorten this to triceps or tri’s. Its main function is to extend your elbow, as it opposes your biceps brachii. The muscle originates (attached) predominately on your humerus (upper arm), but does have one head originating on your scapula (above your upper arm). This means you may get the muscle to contract more if your upper arm is at your side.

The tricep is not considered a large muscle therefore you should be careful not to overwork it. 6 sets should be quite enough. It is also involved in any pushing motion you are training (i.e. Chest press, shoulder press). Normally I combine one of these motions with the tricep routine. If you plan on doing them on separate days, make sure your tri’s are not sore when you need to do a press motion or vice versa.

Below are some exercises the average person should stay away from (I say average person, because based on your goal these maybe beneficial – they just pose a higher risk of injury):

Dips – Way too much stress on your shoulders and a very unnatural position for your shoulder
Dumbbell Kick Backs – I know this is a favorite for many people. Look at the exercise though – the weight isn’t giving you any resistance until it is at the top of the motion. And in this position the weight causes a lot of stress on your elbow joint.
Close Grip Bench Press – I don’t know where to begin telling you what’s wrong with this exercise. Excess wrist, elbow, shoulder stress coupled with an insane amount of weight on your rotator muscles make for an extremely high risk movement. As a side note – this can be a good exercise if hand placement is outside the body.

Here’s a sample workout to try you should see big results:

Lying Arm Extensions 2 sets of 12.
Grab 2 dumbbells and lie down on a bench. Extend your arms to the ceiling so your upper arm is perpendicular to the floor (have your palms facing each other). Lower the weights towards the side of your head by bending at your elbow until your arm makes a 90 degree angle. Then return to the starting position.

Standing Rope Push Downs 2 sets of 10
This is a pretty common exercise, but try it this way. Use 2 ropes just slide the rings to one end of the rope and attach them to a high cable. This way you can keep your hands out side of your body (the rotation part of the movement is not done by your tri’s). Start with your upper arms at your sides and your elbows at a 90 degree angle. Try to match the angle of the cable with your upper arm, since the cable will be coming at your body slightly this may mean leaning forward slightly. Do this by bending at your hips while keeping your back in a natural straight position. Extend your elbows without moving (think of your elbows as a hinge, they only open and close no front to back movement). Then return to the starting position.

Cable Kick Backs 2 sets of 20 ea. arm
I know, I know I just said don’t do dumbbell kick backs. The problem there is the dumbbells only provide resistance straight down (gravity), the cable provides the resistance horizontally making it a very effective exercise. Place a flat bench in front of a low cable with no handle on it (you can also use a rope with the ring slid up to one side). Place your left hand and left knee on the bench with your head facing the cable (same position as a dumbbell low row). Make sure your back is in a straight natural position. Grab the cable with your right hand and bring your upper arm to your side with a 90 degree bend in your elbow. Same motion as above, extend your arm backwards without moving your elbow. Then return to the starting position.

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