If your arm day training session is stuck in the same old slog of biceps curls to triceps pressdowns—then wash, rinse, repeat—it's far past time that you introduce some variety into your workout. Take on some other exercises that target your big arm muscles, like the triceps kickback.
This workout staple has long been a favorite of bodybuilders looking to isolate the biggest muscle in their upper arms, so you've probably encountered it before. But most gymgoers are going about the exercise the wrong way. They do the kickback much too lazily, or they use weights they can't handle and depend too much on swinging their arms to create momentum to power their movements once they move past the first rep.
The triceps kickback gives you the ability to work on carving some detail into your arm muscle, according to Men's Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. The exercise can "really help us focus on that ultimate squeeze," he says. He's referring to the muscle contraction at the top of the kickback, which is when you'll be fighting to hold the weight at its most challenging point of the exercise for the best possible effect.
Benefits of Triceps Kickbacks
As Samuel says, one of the best parts about the triceps kickback is that it's a pure . Other exercises that aim to isolate the triceps are easy to slip into bad form that gets other muscles involved, or depend on excessive body lean, like the pressdown, that takes away some of the focus (and therefore, effectiveness). During the kickback, you'll put yourself in a position in which your triceps muscle is alone without support from other muscle groups.
Follow these form cues to learn how to do the triceps kickback the right way. Once you've read the step-by-step directions, follow along for some higher-level tips from Samuel to dive deeper into the exercise. You'll need a light set of dumbbells and an adjustable bench.
●Set the bench so that you can prop yourself into position with one arm against it, hinging at the waist. Squeeze your glutes and core to create tension.
●Look down at the floor, keeping your neck in a neutral position. Pick up the dumbbell off the floor.
●Row the dumbbell up until your upper arm is parallel with the ground. You'll work from this position. Keep your whole body rigid by maintaining full-body tension, squeezing your glutes and core.
●Extend your elbow to kick back, moving only at the joint. At the top of the position with your arm straight, hold the weight still for a count and squeeze your triceps.
●Close your elbow to come back to the starting position, keeping your upper arm in that parallel position.
●To start, program the triceps kickback late in your arm day workout, with 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps for each arm.
Keep your upper arm parallel to the ground throughout your entire set of triceps kickbacks. Two of the most common errors during kickbacks occur when you don't think about this. Sometimes people over-focus on keeping their upper arm high, and they wind up with their elbow being the highest point during the kickback; then they don't face the full force of gravity in the straight-arm position. Don't do that.
The more common error is even worse: If you start with your elbow below your shoulder, then you have to swing your upper arm upwards, a motion that recruits the lats, not the triceps (a.
Your triceps' responsibility is to straighten your arm at the elbow, and that's when it's at peak contraction. So, just as we'd squeeze our biceps at the top of a good biceps curl to get more out of that moment, take a moment to squeeze your tris when your arm is fully straight during a kickback. Don't just rush back down; instead, hold your arm straight for a one-count.
It's here that having your upper arm fully parallel to the ground yields its greatest benefit, too, because the forearm lever is at its longest. Don't hike your upper arm once you get here either; battle for a straight arm and you'll feel it in your tris.
The triceps kickback isn't a move that's going to let you move a massive amount of weight. When you use it that way, you're destined to cheat with your form.
So bury your pride and operate with a lighter weight, but prove to yourself that you can own that straight-arm position and get a great triceps squeeze. You'll get a lot more from a 12.5-pound kickback set done properly than you will from a 40-pound kickback set done with a ton of swing and sloppiness.