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Train Today for |
Education > FAQ's > Triceps Exercises Triceps Exercises for ClimbingQ. What's the best way to work the triceps, particularly for climbing? A. There are dozens of triceps exercises and even more variations on each exercise, but let's talk about the ones that will do the most for you in a short period of time. Forget about the isolation exercises like dumbbell kickbacks--go for the ones that work as much of the triceps musculature as possible. Triceps dips are one of our favorites, and have direct carry-over into counter-pressure climbing moves such as stemming and manteling. If you don't have access to parallel bars at the gym, you can do bench dips: position yourself on the wide part of a flat bench (not the end) with your hands just outside of your thighs, fingers pointing forward and palms on the bench, with feet on the floor and knees slightly bent. Make sure you are on a secure or heavy bench so it won't slide--you could even snug it up next to the wall. Keep your elbows going straight back and lower your butt toward the floor until your elbows are at right angles, then press yourself back up. You can make this more intense by 1) placing your feet farther from you, 2) putting your heels on another bench, 3) putting your feet up on a stability ball (activates all the stabilizer muscles and makes this a really challenging exercise) and finally 4) placing a weight plate on your lap. Another good body-weight resistance exercise is the narrow-grip pushup. Instead of placing your hands at or beyond shoulder width, place them about 12 inches apart, closer toward your belly button instead of opposite the shoulders. Keep the elbows in close to the side as you lower your body weight to the floor. Be aware, however, that if you can't do many full-body pushups, you'll have a difficult time doing narrow-grip pushups unless you 1) do them on your knees or 2) placd your hands on a bench to take some of the weight off your upper body. If you have no difficulty with them, then try putting your feet up on a bench to change the angle. Remember, elbows in close to the ribs! Happy lifting! |
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