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Do you want to learn more about the tricep extension? The triceps are one of the most prominent muscle groups in your body. They’re essential to many everyday activities, like lifting objects or standing up from a chair. However, if you want to grow strong triceps, you’ll have to do more than lift weights and do pushups—you need to do some targeted exercises that hit those muscles right where they’re vulnerable!
In this article, I’ll show you how to perform a triceps extension exercise and some variations that can help build strength in various parts of your arm. Read on for more!
What is a Triceps Extension?
A triceps extension is an exercise that targets the triceps, a muscle in your upper arm. It’s one of the three muscles that make up your triceps, and it’s located on the back of your upper arm. The other two muscles are called the lateral and medial heads of the triceps brachii.
The way that a triceps extension works may be different from how you might expect it. If you think about it as an overhead shoulder press, you’ll. That said, don’t let this fact fool you into thinking it isn’t effective at strengthening those three little muscles on your upper arms; they work differently than most people think!
Proper Form
To do this movement correctly, you’ll want to:
- Keep your shoulders back and down.
- If you were to look at yourself from the side while doing this exercise, your elbows would be directly underneath your shoulders and not turned out or slung low by your sides. In other words, keep them tight!
- Your elbows should be back and out away from the sides of your body but still, under control—you don’t want them too far away because it will make it hard for you to keep good form during extended sets or when using heavy weight loads.
Variations of the triceps extension exercise
You can also try some of these variations:
Tricep dips
This exercise works your triceps and chest simultaneously. Sit on the edge of a bench or chair and extend your arms straight out in front of you, with palms facing up. Slowly lower yourself to just above 90 degrees, keeping elbows close to your body as you go down.
Tricep kickbacks
This version works primarily on your lateral head (outer) of the triceps muscle but also engages other muscles such as deltoids and biceps (this makes it an excellent compound exercise). Keep elbows slightly bent but do not lock them out during this exercise! Keeping the upper arms stationary throughout the entire movement, only move the forearm by extending it back as far as possible while keeping the elbow close to the body and then flexing the forearm back toward starting position; do not raise the shoulder toward the ceiling when extending the arm behind you!
Overhead extensions
To perform this variation, stand holding dumbbells overhead with arms straight & palms facing each other (or slightly turned inward if using heavy weights). Bend elbows & lower weights until forearms touch upper arms, then return up until arms are extended straight again without locking elbows out completely (keep them slightly bent). From here, bend elbows again, lowering into another rep without moving feet from the original stance before repeating for desired reps.
Possible Mistakes to avoid when doing Tricep Extensions
There are a few mistakes you can make when doing tricep extensions. These include:
- Not using a spotter. If you don’t have someone to help you, your form may be compromised, and you could injure yourself.
- Letting the weight rest on the shoulders. Make sure to keep it in line with your forehead so that there is no strain on the neck or back muscles.
- I am flailing elbows to either side of the body during movement (instead of keeping them straight). Unfortunately, this will also stress other body parts, like the shoulders and wrists, which can lead to injury if not corrected immediately.
If any of these things happen while performing Triceps Extensions, take a break from lifting weights until they go away before trying again!
Benefits of Doing the Tricep Extensions
Triceps extensions are a great way to strengthen and build muscle in your arms. They help increase muscle mass, tone, definition, and size. But, of course, you’ll also get more muscular while working out those triceps!
User friendly
The triceps extension is a simple, user-friendly exercise that anyone can perform. It doesn’t require equipment, special skills, or knowledge to function the movement correctly. You can do this exercise anywhere, even at home or in your office, if you have enough space!
Increase arm strength
Triceps extensions are a great way to make your arms more muscular, significant, and toned. In addition, by increasing the strength of your triceps muscles, you’ll be able to lift heavier weights while working out at the gym or at home—which means less injury!
When lifting weights, doing triceps extensions is essential to get muscle mass in your arms. There are many variations on this exercise (like lying face down), making it easy for anyone with any fitness experience to do.
Build Arm Muscles
This triceps extension exercise is a compound movement that works more than one muscle simultaneously. In addition to the triceps, the bicep (the muscle on the front of your arm) and forearm muscles are also engaged in this exercise.
The triceps extension is also an isolation exercise for your triceps. This means it primarily works just one muscle or group of muscles, your triceps.
The Last Word on the Tricep Extension – How to Do It and Common Mistakes
We hope this article has helped you understand how to do a triceps extension. The key point we’d like you to remember is that it’s an excellent workout for the upper arm and shoulder muscles, but it can also be dangerous if you lift too much weight and don’t use the proper form.
If you want to try out triceps extensions, we recommend starting with light weights until your form is solid, then gradually adding more weight as your muscles get stronger and ready for more of a challenge. Remember: always start slow and work your way up!
And if all else fails and you still aren’t sure what kind of exercise equipment would suit you best – here’s more information on buying fitness equipment in general! Good luck!
