Do you ever have one of those wild, ambitious ideas where you think, "I wonder if I did X for a week, what would happen?” That's exactly what happened to me when the concept of doing triceps extension every day popped into my head.
It is often that the triceps get left out when it comes to arm workouts - you have to twist your body at weird angles in the mirror even to see them. The triceps are vital when extending your forearm at the elbow joint as they make up over two-thirds of your arm muscles. Having well-developed triceps can benefit you in everyday life.
So a week-long challenge sounded like an exciting adventure, so I decided to commit myself to it and track my progress. Spoiler alert: there were some unexpectedly good results.
You may not even realize how often you use your triceps throughout a typical day until you pay attention and give them extra love in the gym. Follow along as I detail the trials and tribulations of indulging in this daily activity—from aches and pains, time management, motivation struggles, and more!
Related Article: 12-Week Workout Plan to Build Strong and Chiseled Triceps
Triceps Extension Exercise
The triceps extension exercise is one of the essential exercises for getting toned triceps! Not only is it a quick and simple activity to fit into your everyday routine, but it's also an incredibly effective arm workout.
Working out your triceps with triceps extensions can give you that shapely upper arm looks that many people strive for. You don't even need fancy equipment or even have to leave the house—triceps extensions can be done right in the comfort of your home. Here’s how you can perform a triceps extension:
- Choose the desired weight and hold the adjustable dumbbell over your head.
- Now, slowly lower it behind your head. Maintain an overlapping grip and unlock your elbows.
- As soon as you feel your forearms are parallel to the floor, bring them to the starting position and flex your triceps.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Related Article: The Best Tricep Exercises for Beginners
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Benefits of Doing Triceps Extension
Doing triceps extensions can improve your arm strength and help you see the popped-out muscle that you could never see before. Here are some benefits you need to motivate yourself to bring on the journey.
Improved Strength and Power
Let's be honest— tricep extension exercises aren't the most thrilling. But if you're serious about building strength and muscle in your arms, tricep extensions are an amazing place to start.
Luckily, dedicating 15 minutes or so a day to working triceps isolation exercises can take your arm strength to the next level without having to worry about weak upper body muscles holding you back.
Improved Posture
We tend to forget that posture can affect more than just how good we look. It also affects our health in a way that most don't realize. Fortunately, tricep extension exercises can help improve poor posture caused by weak triceps muscles. By strengthening the triceps, you can improve your posture by making it easier for your body to stay in good alignment.
Improved Muscle Definition
Working tricep extension into your everyday routine helps to take your fitness goals to the next level. Not only are tricep extensions great for building muscle strength, but they also help define and refine the triceps—giving you a beautifully sculpted arm that's ready to show off!
Sure, it may mean you have to do tricep extension exercises a few times a week...but it's worth it in the end. Also, add Pre Workout Supplements to your diet for added results in strength.
Improved Flexibility
Tricep extensions give your arms a noticeably improved, toned appearance and help you to achieve better flexibility. When performed daily, consistent tricep extensions can benefit you in the form of increased range of motion in your triceps and upper arms.
What better way to show those upper arms off with some added flexibility? By doing tricep extensions, you can improve the range of motion in your arms and shoulders. This improved flexibility can help to reduce stiffness and pain in the area; with the workout, try taking Creatine Powder Supplements to reduce fatigue.
Related Article: Weighted Dips: Your Ultimate Solution to Building Your Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps Muscles
My Week Wise Journey With Triceps Extension
On the first day of starting a tricep extension exercise, I was ready to challenge myself and get my body into shape. I had already decided to stand instead of sitting down to give my core an extra workout. Starting with a 17.5lbs weight made me realize soon that I wasn't quite as flexible as I had assumed.
As I lowered the weights, my back started arching, and my arms flared outward. Not wanting bad form to hold me back, I opted for a 14lb weight instead, which allowed me to concentrate on keeping my arms close to the sides of my head and focus on engaging the triceps as much as possible.
My lack of flexibility became more apparent as I felt the move affecting other muscle groups in my upper back area, like the trapezius muscles, which help support the arms. My palms were facing one another so that when pressing up overhead, resistance was evenly distributed between both arms allowing them to work in unison to gain better control over movement.
To prevent using poorer form due to fatigue, after completing 10 repetitions on each side, I would take a brief rest period before continuing again, following this pattern for 3-4 sets per arm, depending on how much energy I had left for that particular session.
On the second day of my triceps workout, I was surprised to find myself feeling soreness at the points where they joined my elbows. The discomfort wasn't too bad, and I figured it was just my body getting used to the move.
Knowing I needed a better form to make the most out of this exercise, I decided to face a mirror while performing it. This enabled me to keep my arms close to my head. Still, I noticed that with each attempt, I felt stronger and could lift the weight slightly higher—though admittedly, I struggled with perfecting the form.
Knowing that the key here is to concentrate on moving only your forearms while everything else remains still, I tried channeling all my focus onto that area.
On the third day, I decided to give the one-handed variation of the shoulder press a try. As I started my set, I noticed my elbow was out to the side instead of facing forward, like in the two-handed version.
The weight felt less balanced, and my shoulders had significantly less stability. Surprisingly, this version of the exercise gave me a better workout than the two-handed variety - it forced me to stay focused on getting the movement right and engaging all of my muscles properly.
On the fourth day, I decided to switch back to the two-handed version of the tricep extension. As soon as I started, I could feel my confidence growing. With each movement, I could lift higher and keep my upper arms glued to the sides of my head.
It was a challenge not to tuck in my chin as I lowered the weight down behind my head—it puts pressure on your neck and doesn't look very attractive. With practice, however, I quickly became more confident in the movement, and it began to feel smooth and natural.
I could feel the strength building in my arms as I completed three sets of fifteen repetitions. With each repetition, I felt like I was becoming one with the exercise; it was remarkable how quickly my body could learn and adapt!
Continuing on the fifth day, I picked up the 17.5lb weight, and although I was keenly aware of how it felt to add that extra load, I was determined to stick with it and get through the three sets. Despite the increased difficulty, I managed to finish them all and felt immense accomplishment.
For day six, I decided to slow down my movements and focus more on the form aspect of my workout. I paid extra attention to my stance, core, shoulder position, and breathing while noting my movements' gracefulness. It was amazing how much more awareness and control you could have when slowing things down.
By taking this slower approach, I could appreciate that I was putting in the work for a great upper body workout and better understand how all my muscle groups worked together as one cohesive unit. It was incredible to think that even for an isolation exercise like this, multitudes of other muscles were quietly working away behind the scenes allowing me to complete each rep efficiently.
On the last day of my tricep workout routine, I felt a newfound confidence radiating through me. Although it had taken days of practice to perfect my form and build strength, I was now ready to add five extra reps to each set.
I felt a sense of accomplishment as the last rep completed each set. As I flexed my muscles, I could feel them growing stronger. The sensation was electrifying and empowering; it felt like anything was possible.
With every passing day, each set became easier as my strength increased and my muscles adjusted to the new move. I pushed myself further by adding more reps each week and soon saw noticeable progress in the size and tone of my triceps.
Before long, I could see results from the week of hard work - an increase in endurance and muscle definition that helped me achieve even better performance with every rep. I also took Whey Protein Supplements to get the added effect of muscle mass which did its job best.
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