As a child I was always amazed at the size of the chests and arms of bodybuilders and found myself desiring to look somewhat the same. In this blog, that is exactly what we are hoping to accomplish today. Along with techniques on how to improve the triceps and pectorals, I will leave you with multiple goals and exercise combinations that I have used and wish for you to use in order to create maximum development for these muscles. The pectorals/chest muscles and the triceps, or under arm muscles, are the most important and largest muscles involved in the process of pushing an object. These muscles are super effective in the process of activities such as punching, pushing and lifting your body above an obstacle.
Doing exercises such as push ups became one of the very first exercises I would use in a weekly workout schedule and have so far made my pectorals and triceps stand out far more than most others on my body. Within months of training these muscles, others have noticed great change in my body tone, making me feel that much better about myself. I am not special in any way so if I could develop these muscles so fast, so can you!
There are multiple complicated and diverse ways to train these muscles individually however the most basic and direct workout to train both muscles is the push up. If push ups are a bit of struggle for you initially, multiple alternative exercises for these muscles will be talked about later in this blog, so do not worry.
Types and Uses of Push Ups
Each type of push up that I will explain and teach you will target a different ratio of work between the pectorals and the triceps. When using these push up techniques within your daily exercise, the types or combinations you use are completely up to you. Do not feel you have to apply all forms of push ups into your daily exercise, only the one(s) that strengthens the muscle combo you desire. Of coarse, if one of the following push ups seems too hard, rather than using your feet as a leverage point, you may always transition to your knees.
The wide push up is the most effective push up form in developing the pectoral muscle. Personally, this is my favourite push up and seems to be more popular than most other forms due to the efficiency of executing it. I believe this to be the cause of the way the pectorals and triceps work together in the process. When doing this push up, and all others, it is important to ensure that your back and lower body is steady and flat throughout the whole push up and that when lowered, your elbows are at a 90-degree angle. No more and no less until you raise again to a point where your elbows are straight. These aspects are key elements in the development of this muscle group. For those who wish to use this push-up, beginners should try to implement about 2 sets of 5-9 for wide push ups within a daily workout. For more experienced people 3-4 sets of 10-45 push ups daily would be an amazing amount and a great goal for some. As you go about this exercise during your workout routine, try and add one or two extra push ups to every set to continuously challenge yourself and your muscles for extra growth.
The closed position push up is one of the tougher forms of a push up as the pectorals are used a lot less relying greatly on the triceps. You must keep your arms tucked to your sides and of course push down to a 90-degree angle and back up. If you were to apply this to your workout, beginners should try to do 3 sets of 4-7 while the more experienced should try about 3 sets of 10-25.
The diamond grip push up is the final and most advanced push up seeming to require the most amount of triceps and very little pectorals. During my experience with this push up, I had a very hard time after doing it because of elbow pain. If you have weak joints in the elbow, do not do this! Even if you don’t have an injury or weak spot, be very careful when executing the exercise. I would suggest beginners do 2 sets of 1-3 while the more advance do 2 sets of 4-7. Always remember an exercise should never lead to sharp or extreme pain. Do not damage yourself!
Alternatives
For those with troubles doing push ups or just personally don’t like them, there are multiple alternatives to use in order to train the pectorals and triceps.
Tricep Dips
Tricep dips are a triceps workout where you place your hands on an elevated surface, lower your body and lift back up much like a push up. To do this properly, you would create a 90-degrees in the elbow. Choose a platform with an elevation that will allow you to lower 15 times consecutively. Do about 2-3 sets of these.
Bench Press
Another one of the more common alternatives is the bench press where you lay on a bench or sturdy platform and grab a dumbbell in each hand to raise above the chest and lower back down. The technique and form of this exercise is very similar to the push up. The only difference is you can adjust the weight that you lift. When you are performing a bench press, lower your elbows till the weights are touching your chest, then lift till your elbows are completely straight. Make sure you pick a suitable weight that allows you to lift about 20 solid times.
Band Push and Pectoral Band Rotation
The last exercises I wish to discuss is the band push and pectoral band rotation. To do these band exercises, attach two bands to a sturdy object such as a post. Grab the two bands and widen your stance to anchor your body in place. The band push is focused on the triceps and pecs while the band rotation targets more the pecs. When performing the band push, distance yourself and face away from the post so you can push the band and feel an exceptional amount of resistance. The pectoral band rotation is very similar to the band push. To do the exercise, get into the same position as the band push except start with your arms extended at your sides and rotate them, without bending the elbow so your hands are directly in front of your chest. When working on these exercises, try to anchor your bands to two separate spots that are about two shoulder widths apart. For both exercises, select a distance and band resistance that will allow you to push or rotate 20 times without faltering and do about 3 sets.
If you have any comments or opinions about the blog, you can post them in the section below. Thank you for tuning into this post and I hope to see you again @way2getmuscle!
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