By Tom Bonanti

A couple of weeks ago I shared with you some excellent tips and gave you a dynamite routine to develop beefier biceps by Christmas. Follow my advice and I can guarantee your success. No doubt, bulging biceps with those to die for peaks are impressive! But the real secret to having great arms is to work harder and longer on your triceps (the back of your upper arms).

Triceps make up two-thirds of your upper arm, therefore it is logical that the bigger and more defined these muscles are, the more massive your arms will look, from the front, to the sides and from behind. The triceps are responsible for the movement of extension of the elbow and produce motion of the forearm. Because of their larger size, triceps require more effort and time than the smaller biceps muscles. Hit triceps once a week using 3-4 exercises of 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions for strength and maintenance. Work them at least twice to three times per week using the same formula to add mass and to build them.

Use free weights for triceps to give you a better range of motion and to produce a fuller muscle. Throw in a machine exercise every now and then for isolation and to break up monotony. Always make sure you get a good stretch for tri’s especially as you conclude the workout. Stretching helps bring out the separations and detail in the muscle.

Here are some dynamite exercises that will leave your triceps feeling pumped after only a few sessions.

Whenever you are working a muscle group, always include at least one exercise that will take the muscle group through its full range of motion. Close-grip bench presses will do this for triceps. Lie face up on a flat bench, feet firmly planted on the floor. Take a barbell or E Z curl bar from the rack. Use a narrow grip so that your hands are only 2-3 inches apart. Keeping your elbows close to your body, lower the weight to your lower sternum, and immediately push upwards. Always begin with a light warm-up set.

Triceps extensions are a classic. Start this exercise by holding a lat machine bar with your hands 2-8 inches apart. Now press downwards from your chin until your arms are straight. Return and repeat. Most bodybuilders keep their elbows tucked in at their sides during this movement. A few deliberately hold the elbows out to the sides and lean into the exercise. The choice is yours. This exercise can also be performed with a rope instead of a straight bar or lat machine bar.

Bent-over triceps kick backs are great for isolating each of the triceps. Hold a dumbbell in one h

and and hold on to a rack or bench with the other hand. Raise and lower (kick back) the dumbbell at an even rate, keeping the upper arm in line with your torso and parallel to the floor. Keep your upper arm tight against your waist throughout. Be careful not to over use your wrist as you kick the weight back and extend the elbow.

Lying triceps extensions or “skull crushers,” as they sometimes called, are killers. Lie on your back on a flat bench and hold a barbell or E Z curl bar at arms length above you. Lower it slowly to the forehead and raise the bar again to arm’s length. This is a more advanced exercise and you may have to wait until your tri’s are ready for this one.

During your workouts, do not waste time. When you’re working triceps or any muscle group, remember to stretch and move around between sets. For more tips on how to get bigger, beefier arms by Christmas, give me a shout at trainertomb@aol.com!

Tom Bonanti, is a certified personal trainer and owner of Pump’n Inc gym at 1271 NE 9th Ave., Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Email: TrainerTomB@aol.com  Facebook: TrainerTomB.  www.pumpnincgym.com