Blog

‍Your triceps take a beating when you’re lifting heavy weights or pushing your body to its limits. That’s why we see so many guys with big and smaller triceps. To help balance the upper body, working on your triceps is essential. But when you’re training your arms, there are many ways to work them that don’t involve directly targeting the triceps. After all, they are just one part of the arm—three muscles make up the arm, not just one! Tricep stretches may not come to mind as a way to work out your arms, but these simple stretches can do wonders for helping you create a balance between your biceps and triceps. And when it comes to working out those smaller muscles in your arm, nothing beats learning how to do a tricep stretch correctly.

What is Tricep Stretches?

A triceps stretch is a simple exercise focusing on your arms’ triceps muscles. All three muscles in your arm—the biceps, triceps, and forearms—can be stretched to help improve flexibility, prevent injury, and create a balance between your larger muscle groups. In addition, the triceps stretch is a great way to help relieve the stress that can be put on your shoulders during a workout.

Since the triceps are smaller muscles in the arm and much less likely to be injured during exercise, they are a great place to direct your attention. You can also use triceps stretches to help prepare for certain exercises. Whether you’re a bodybuilder, powerlifter, or just looking to tone up, a good triceps stretch will work out your muscles and give you the edge you need to lift heavier and increase your range of motion.

Why is a Tricep Stretch Important?

The primary benefit of a triceps stretch is that it helps relieve the stress you can put on your shoulders when lifting heavy. However, depending on the type of triceps stretch, you can also help improve flexibility and range of motion, which are important in athletic performance. Being able to push yourself during a workout and see results is important, but it’s also important to prevent injury.

A tricep stretch is easy to do and could be the difference between being able to lift and run freely or being sidelined with a serious injury. While the benefits of a triceps stretch are many, it’s important to choose a stretch that works for you. Depending on your needs, you can focus on different triceps areas. It’s also important to note that many triceps stretches can help stretch your shoulders and forearms.

How to Do a Tricep Stretch

To perform a triceps stretch correctly, it’s important to ensure you use the right muscles. You’ll want to use your triceps to slowly push your arms down and away from your face, not your biceps. It’s easy to get mixed up and use the wrong muscles, so take your time and ensure you’re using the right ones.

The best way to do this is to slowly bring your hands together by bringing your palms together as if you were in prayer. Once your hands are together, slowly push them away from your face until you feel a stretch in your triceps. Make sure to keep your elbows straight while you are doing this. It’s important to note that stretching should never hurt.

If you feel pain, you’re likely using too much force and may risk injury. Stretch slowly, using only the force you need to feel a stretch.

Triceps Extension and Lock-In Extension

The triceps extension is a simple way to stretch out your triceps. To perform a triceps extension, bring your hands together and slowly stretch your arms out in front of you until you feel a stretch in your triceps. The key to a good triceps extension is to ensure you don’t stretch your biceps.

To ensure you’re using your triceps, think about bringing your hands together and not down. When extending your arms, it’s easy to lock your elbows and not actually engage your triceps. To ensure you’re extending with your triceps and not your elbows, ensure your arms are slightly bent when you extend them.

Triceps Rotational Stretch

The triceps rotational stretch is a great way to stretch out your triceps and help relieve stress on your shoulders. This stretch is also great for helping improve your grip strength. To perform the triceps rotational stretch, bring your hands together and slowly rotate your arms out and up until you feel a stretch in your triceps.

To ensure you’re using the right muscles when you stretch, ensure you’re rotating your arms and not bending your elbows. If you feel like you’re bending your elbows, try bending your knees and rotating from the ankle.

Conclusion

Working out your triceps is an important way to balance out your upper body. While the biceps get a lot of attention, the triceps are often overlooked. To help relieve stress on the shoulders, improve flexibility and range of motion, and create a balance between your arms, triceps stretches are a great way to go.

To perform a triceps stretch correctly, it’s important to ensure you use the right muscles. You’ll want to use your triceps to slowly push your arms down and away from your face, not your biceps. There are many ways you can perform a triceps stretch. To get the most out of your stretch, make sure you use the right muscles and stretch slowly and without force.

Featured Image by Łukasz Dyłka from Pixabay