Best Tricep Exercises: Triceps Push-Ups
You’re probably familiar with standard push ups which are performed with your arms in a shoulder width position. While standard push ups involve the triceps, chest and shoulders in the “pushing” motion, triceps push ups are designed to minimize chest and shoulder involvement so as to maximize training resistance on the triceps. This exercise is deceptively simple in that it appears to the untrained eye as just another push up. But like every exercise on my Top 5 list, technique is extremely important and proper hand position determines whether these push ups will add muscular inches to your triceps.
For proper performance, take a standard push up position with your hands and arms extended and shoulder-width apart. Then slide your hands closer together until your thumbs nearly touch each other. This is the starting position. With your hands in this position, slowly lower your arms underneath you and then push yourself back up to the starting position as you would with regular push ups. Make sure that you keep your back straight and your head up for maximum resistance on your triceps. As you extend your arms, concentrate mentally on maintaining proper form and technique with each repetition. For added resistance or pyramid cycles, have a training buddy gently place a 5-5 pound barbell plate on your back to force your triceps to work harder and build greater mass.