Let’s Begin Bodybuilding Training!!!

Before commencing on the actual triceps exercises let me remind all readers that the triceps routine about to be described must be done only after a brief chest workout so that there is already a concentration of blood pumped into the general (upper torso) area and somewhat of a triceps pump to begin with.

The trick is to not expend too much energy on the chest routine, just enough to get the job done and the exercise selection should flow into the actual tricep routine. I would suggest the following (after warming up of the shoulder and chest area).

Bench press 3 sets x 10 – 8 – 6 – Close grip bench press 10 -8 – 6

For those with good recuperation a couple sets of incline b.b. or d.b. presses can be interspersed before the close grips. On the sets of ten reps one should stop 2 reps short of failure. on the sets of eight try to stop just 1 rep short of failure. On the final set of six reps go to failure on this set for both the b.p. and close grip b.p.

DO NOT add forced reps on either of these sets. You want the triceps to be primed for the actual growth stimulator. If you are concerned that you want a little more pump in the pec area then a light finish set of 12-15 reps can be added on the b.p. segment only although I don’t recommend it since you will be working the pecs more later in the week if you are employing the longer course format.

Now for the actual “triceps hammer”. This may appear too simple, and many trainees may have attempted something similar. The difference in effectiveness lies in the exact application I am going to describe. If done correctly the results can infinitely better than what may be accomplished if a trainee were to attempt this simple compound procedure without the following explanation.

There are two exercises that will be used, the overhead triceps extension (stretch) with one dumbbell. If this exercise needs description then you probably haven’t been training long enough to be reading this text.

The second exercise employed is the simple parallel bar dip. AHA! You think, this is a pre-exhaust super set that I am going to describe. You are right about that only you DON’T know how to do it! If you have tried this in the past then I am willing to bet you used it at about 10-30% efficiency and effectiveness and, if you have tried this compound set and could do more than ONE proper sequence then you are kidding yourself or just got lousy half-assed instruction.

ALL pre-exhaust super sets, i.e., pullover-pulldown (lats), lateral raise press (delts), curl-chin,bi’s; flyes-b.p. (pecs); are meant to be done in a manner that makes it not only very difficult be also undesirable from a recuperative standpoint to be used for more than one sequence. The muscle targeted should be decimated at the conclusion of this one set sequence and pumped like nothing you have ever felt in the target area if done the way it is intended.

By the third workout the tricep pre-exhaust session should look like this: overhead extension, light warm up,10-12 reps, medium warm up,5-6 reps, then after a 2-3 minute rest, a set with a poundage that will allow 10-12 reps to utter failure, then followed immediately by a set of parallel bar dips, once again to failure, but, we do NOT stop here. Standing on a bench or step beneath the parallel bars the subject takes a 3-5 second rest pause and goes for one or two more reps, then another 3-5 second rest pause and one performs as man “half” dips (half way down and back to lockout) as possible.

After another rest pause you will then perform “quarter” dips. Another pause and as many short top position lockouts as possible until you cannot support yourself with your triceps strength. Finally, after one more pause, you will jump into the top position with your arms slightly unlocked and do a static hold until the triceps give out and you are forced down into the bottom stretch position. Caution must be used here as you don’t want to free fall.

Do not try to continue a set if your arms are “TREMBLING” (remember?) uncontrollably. This is about the way the third or fourth session should go.

The first workout I would suggest the trainee stop when half reps are no longer possible. The second when quarter reps fail. The third when lockouts are accomplished, and by the fourth workout the max describe above. For those of you who can only accomplish one or two full dip, don’t worry, just continue on with the set with halves, quarters or whatever you are capable of. Make sure the preliminary set of triceps db. extension are done in a precise, strict consistent form each session so there will be a similar degree of exhaustion attained before attempting the dips.

An attempt to increase the poundage and or reps from workout to workout should be attempted while maintaining the exact form in order to gauge one’s progress. Ideally, some progress should be noted from workout to workout. If no strength increase is noticed on the primary (triceps extension) movement then you have probably “peaked”. The performance of the secondary (dips) will sometimes vary from session to session depending on the level of focus and concentration and exhaustion you achieve on the triceps stretch, just be sure to follow the rest pause format described.

NOW, the most important piece of the puzzle. The actual time between the LAST reps of triceps extensions and the FIRST rep of the dip. 3 SECONDS – MAX! By the 4th or 5th second the triceps will have recuperated more than 50% of its strength. If there is more than a 5 second gap between movements then you may as well have not done them in this fashion, as your results will be marginal. The IDEA here is to use the fresh strength of the pecs and delts as well as the semi-fresh medial and short heads of the triceps to force the pre-exhausted triceps (and in particular, long head) of the triceps to work well beyond the normal exhaustion range that it has ever been exposed to.

This will put the building process in an emergency mode, triggering new growth. Care must be taken to build the intensity level gradually so as to establish some momentum while triggering some growth from workout #1.

Some advanced bodybuilders might even get to the point after a few weeks where they may even have a partner help them force out a couple reps at the end of the primary set or a trainee could rest pause 2-3 reps at the end of the set of triceps extension ala Dorian Yates style. This level of intensity couple with the max out on the dip should be saved for the end of the cycle however. A final note here; do your extension in front of the dip bar, just drop the dumbbell when you are done with the extensions and hop on the dip bar at half position and MOVE!

This should take 1-2 seconds. Obviously some mental discipline is required, as well as guts. You will actually enjoy this workout as it is not nearly as uncomfortable as biceps work or as exhausting as lats or painful as pecs. Finally as to the rest of the routine I would suggest the following basic outline.

Train on a 3 times per week format, or a double split (Mon-Tues, Thurs-Fri). If a 3 day schedule, work legs and back on Wed, very hard and heavy. Squats and stiff legged deadlifts, or deadlifts and secondary quad movements. Rows and either chins or pull downs. Stick to the basic growth stimulators as you will progress faster in arm development if the larger muscle groups are also growing. On the non specialized tricep workout (Friday) work the chest and shoulders fairly hard but do only moderate intensity for triceps, perhaps pushdowns and kickbacks, or skull crushers and bench dips, 3 or 4 sets, peaking on the final set, no forced reps, just get a good pump.

This is a general outline as it is up to you to figure this part out. Just try to not over train. One suggestion here, I like to include a couple sets of cross-bench d.b. pullovers on one of the lat workouts with med-heavy weight (12-15 reps) as this stimulates the long triceps head in a unique manner and lends itself well in the overall scheme.

One last variation on the sledgehammer super set (actually a tri-set), save this as a end of cycle shocker on the final session or two. Before doing the extension-dip combo, do a set of cross-bench pullovers (or even better, decline d.b. pullover) to exhaustion, and then exactly 30 seconds later do the pre-exhaust set…….

Train Hard, Learn And Be strong,
Mick Hart.

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