What Is The Best Triceps Exercise?

By Russ Howe


There are many contenders, but what is the best triceps exercise?

With so much choice, it's easy to presume they are all as effective as each other. Pushdowns, bench press, lying extensions, they are all effective tools to use.

From the list above, most gym lovers opt for triceps pushdowns as the king for isolating their horseshoes. After all, it is truly a wicked exercise with many benefits.

At least, that would be the popular opinion. The scientific facts are far, far removed from this.

Believe it or not, triceps kickbacks are the most effective exercise for hitting your triceps. This may come as a revelation to even the most ardent fitness enthusiast, as this exercise has long been overlooked or left to the end of a workout, replaced by bigger, manlier exercises.

No mistake was made.

In fact, kickbacks not only ruled the roost of triceps exercises - they demolished the competition entirely!

This finding occurred during a thorough 2012 examination conducted in South Carolina, in which a team of sports scientists sought to answer the exact question raised today. Test subjects performed all of the best known triceps techniques while the scientists monitored muscular activity. What they found went against just about every piece of advice you would pick up if you were to approach any bodybuilder in a local gym or fitness suite.

When compared to the much more popular rope pushdown, kickbacks catapulted muscle activity in the long head of the triceps by 20%. But that wasn't all. In the lateral head, the one which gives your arms that much sought-after width most guys try to achieve in the gym, muscle activity soared up by an extra 50%.

Of course, those results were even more impressive when we take into account the difference in loads used. Pushdowns allow for a greater weight to be used, yet still could not compete in terms of results.

In this case, a lighter weight actually improved the situation. That's because it allowed the subjects to focus on the muscle considerably more, forcing a peak contraction with every single repetition in every set, leading to fresh muscle growth and a tougher mind muscle connection.

So despite the fact that this exercise has long been relegated to the "if I have time" category on arm day, it is actually a hidden gem when it comes to packing on lean size and toning your arms in double quick time. You may have to dust off some old muscle magazines to see it performed, but the latest studies confirm it'll be worth your while.

The best triceps exercise, despite the fact it's rarely seen in the fitness industry nowadays, is scientifically proven to be dumbbell kickbacks.




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