Champion Triceps Training with Yano Garcia
Effective Exercises to Build Outstanding Triceps
Oct 20, 2009
A well-defined and full triceps muscle area on the upper arms provides the complete visual balance to the powerful appeal of rounded biceps at the other side of the arm. Most advanced bodybuilders use many of the wide variety of upper body exercises which require strength and support from the triceps. They understand that this muscle group will receive some training even while they are primarily targeting other muscle groups.
Understanding what works most effectively among directly targeted core triceps exercises and also isolation movements for this muscle complex can produce some new gains. A training strategy including a selection of both core and isolation movements will also balance frequency and intensity so that all the different triceps muscle heads receive sufficient attention. One current example of an outstanding heavyweight amateur champion who has been winning both class and overall events in Florida is Yano Garcia, notably the South Florida Championships, the Miami Bodybuilding Championships, and the Southern States Championship. Contributing significantly to his success are his extremely well developed and balanced triceps muscles, which he sees as key to his most recent class win.
For his triceps and biceps areas, he favors free weights movements: "I like the preacher curl for biceps, and for triceps I like using dumbbells -- I work a lot with dumbbells. Squeezing the triceps really good, I build more separation and more symmetry." There are several basic triceps exercises that bodybuilders of Yano's level of heavyweight development will incorporate even during the off season:
Narrow Grip Bench Presses
This exercise places intense stress also on the pectorals, anterior-medial deltoids, and triceps. However, you can refine it to target the triceps more by moving your grip in more narrowly to the middle of the middle of the bar.
Triceps Parallel Bar Dips
Usually a pectoral exercise, but if performed with the torso in a more erect position it can be a very effective triceps movement.
Reverse Grip Bench Presses
While this movement targets the same muscle groups as a regular bench press such as the pectorals, anterior delts and triceps, it places even more emphasis on the triceps.
Isolation Movements to Consider
The best time to use isolation movements will be in a pre-contest or peaking cycle when you want to include even more refining exercise and intensity for particular heads of the triceps complex. Some of the most productive to include:
Lying Barbell Triceps Extensions
A very core triceps movement because it provides excellent isolation stress on all the triceps muscles, especially the medial and outer heads. It can also be performed in a seated position.
Single Dumbbell Triceps Extensions
This movement stresses the entire triceps muscle, but particularly targets the inner and medial heads of the muscle group.
Cable Pushdowns
This core triceps exercise targets the entire triceps muscle group, especially the medial and outer heads. You can also try a variation of this movement using a reverse grip, or use a rope handle which allows a parallel hands grip as you do the movement.
Cable Triceps Extensions
This is an excellent movement for stressing the long inner heads of the triceps. It also targets the medial head triceps and the outer triceps heads a little less intensely.
Experiment with Variation, While Maintaining Control and Timing
There are variations to most of the basic positions of these isolation movements that you can experiment with over time to find out what will target the different heads of the triceps that you still need to improve on your individual physique. Whichever core and isolation exercises you decide to include for further improvement to the triceps muscle group, control and timing and patience will always be consistently important to remain aware of as you adapt any new movement into your routine.
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