Biceps and triceps exercises shape our arms and prevent sagging. At first glance, all the exercises perform the same movement, bend and extend the elbow, but there are several aspects to take into account to fully stimulate these two muscle groups. Use this list of exercises on your arm strength training days.
Anatomical description of the biceps and triceps
Biceps brachii: two heads
The biceps has two heads, hence its name. They both do a elbow flexion (bringing the hand with the arm fully extended to the shoulder), but it will influence how our arm is located when making said movement.
The short head is activated to a greater extent when our elbows are close to our side or when the elbows are in front of the trunk. The long head has greater prominence when the elbows are behind the trunklike the final position when we elbow something behind us.
So, We can flex the elbow with three positions of our arms: the elbows are in front of our trunk, the arms are glued to our side or the elbows are behind our trunk. When you do your biceps workout select exercises in each of these positions.
Triceps brachii: three heads
The triceps has very similar characteristics to the biceps when it comes to training it. In this case it has three heads, hence its name. All of them they are responsible for extending the elbow (the opposite movement to the biceps)but it will influence how our arm is located with respect to our trunk at the time of the activation of each of its three heads.
The long head is activated more with exercises where the elbows are in front of the body. The medial and lateral heads are activated more when the elbows are close to the side and when the elbows are behind the trunk.
For the triceps exercises we will also use these three elbow positions, thus stimulating the triceps in its entirety. The extension of the elbow occurs in all the exercises, being this position of the arms the one that modifies the stimulus.
Bicep exercises with the elbows in front of the trunk
spider curl
This type of bicep curl can be performed with a barbell or dumbbells. We lie down on an incline bench at a minimum height that prevents the bar or dumbbells from touching the ground when extending the arms. you can try different angles to see which one you feel better with.
Concentrated bicep curl
The concentrated biceps curl is performed sitting on a flat bench and using the thigh as a stop for our arm. From there we perform elbow flexions noticing how we isolate the biceps in the movement. Arnold Schwarzenegger named an exercise very similar to this, but instead of sitting it was done standing up and with the arm free.
Scott Bench Bicep Curl
This type of elbow flexion uses a specific bench that makes our elbows stay in front of our trunk. It is an exercise that isolates our biceps, making this muscle group the only one that works, in addition to other synergists such as the forearms.
Bicep exercises with elbows at the side
bicep curls
The biceps curl is the king of exercises for this muscle group. can be done barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell or with other materials such as elastic bands. From standing we flex our elbows carrying the dumbbell or the load upwards.
Low Pulley Hammer Curl
This lat pulldown bicep curl differs from the regular bicep curl in that the grip is neutral (palms look at each other). It is the type of grip used in the hammer curl. At the end of the movement, rotate your wrists outward to give your biceps an extra boost.
Bicep exercises with the elbows behind the trunk
Seated Incline Bench Bicep Curl
When we sit on an incline bench and grab some dumbbells, our arms will hang with the elbows behind the trunk. From that position fix your elbows and perform the biceps curl without moving them. uses different inclines and thus the point where the exercise costs you the most will vary depending on the inclination.
Bicep curl with elbows behind
At first glance it is the same as the normal biceps curl, but in this case we force the position of the arms so that the elbows are behind the trunk. From that position, without moving your elbows, bring the load up. You will notice a different type of contraction than the regular bicep curl.
Triceps exercises with the elbows in front of the trunk
french press
Just as the biceps curl is the king of biceps exercises, the French press is for the triceps. you can do it barbell or dumbbell carrying the load from the head until the elbows are fully extended.
You can also use the pulley French press to modify the force vector, since in that case the force will not come from the bottom up as with the dumbbells or the bar. With the pulley, the force will come obliquely, affecting the area where the exercise costs us the most.
pull over press
The pullover press is a mix of french press and pull over. In this case we add an extra range of motion by dropping the barbell or dumbbells further down. Take a look at how it is done in the video since it requires doing it well to notice a greater stimulus in our triceps.
Overhead Dumbbell One Arm Triceps Extension
In this exercise we will note the maximum elongation of our triceps since our shoulder is fully flexed. We can do it standing with one hand as in the video, or also do it with two hands, holding the dumbbell at both sides with both hands. We can execute both both standing and sitting.
Overhead triceps extension on pulley
The position of the arms is the same as in the dumbbell overhead extension, but in this case the force vector changes. When we perform the exercise with the dumbbell, the load goes from the bottom up, mediated by the force of gravity. With the pulley the load goes from the back to the frontso the stimulus will be different.
Triceps exercises with elbows at your sides
Tricep pulldown or rope press down
The triceps pulldown is one of the most commonly seen exercises in strength rooms to stimulate the triceps. In this case, it is done with rope, which allows a neutral grip (the palms of the hands face each other). At the end of the movement perform an outward twist with your wrists holding for a second in the isometric phase to provide a greater stimulus.
Tricep pulldown or straight bar press down
The triceps pulldown with a straight bar allows us to move a larger load than with a rope, generally. Fix your elbows to your side without moving them and do all the movement with your elbows. Go through a full range of motion by bending your elbows as far as you can without leaving your side. It is a very common mistake to shorten the movement, thereby losing part of the stimulus.
Triceps exercises with the elbows behind the trunk
Bench Tricep Dips
Tricep dips make our elbows are behind our trunk, thus providing a variant to our triceps. You can do it in progression leaning on a bench as the video shows, since having to move our own weight can make it very easy or very difficult for us.
To add intensity you can do the funds in Roman chair or funds in parallel. This exercise is more demanding than the previous one since We carry our entire body weight. Choose the narrower grip of the two that the Roman chair has to focus on the triceps leaving the pectoral in second place.
Triceps pulley kicks
With triceps kicks you will feel a maximum contraction when you straighten your arm fully. In this position the triceps is at maximum shortening, which makes many people choose this exercise for its sensation in the triceps.
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