He starred in the third season of the reality TV show
Love Island star Alex Beattie is now a fitness model and personal trainer, and he’s been sharing some of the key gym lifts you should include in your workout plan. His latest video with Myprotein features the best exercises for bigger triceps.
There are four exercises in total, and Beattie usually trains triceps as part of a ‘push day’ that also works the chest and shoulders.
The best exercises for building bigger triceps
Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press
- Your hand placement should be narrower than a standard bench press, but not too narrow to the point it causes wrist pain
- Tuck your elbows in more than you would do on a regular bench press
- Keep your wrists straight, not bent
- Press the weight from the bottom of your chest up, and slowly control the lowering portion
Seated Overhead Tricep Extension
- Tuck your elbow in as close to your head and ear as possible
- Pick a dumbbell that you can perform 12-15 reps with
- Have your elbow pointed up towards the ceiling
- Move the weight vertically to maintain tension on the tricep
Rope Extension
- Pull from your chest down – any higher will bring too much shoulder into the movement
- Keep your elbows tucked in
- Pull straight down, rather than in towards the body
- At the bottom of the movement, turn your wrists out – this activates the long head of the tricep
Diamond Press-Ups
- This is similar to a standard press-up, but instead of having your hand placement at shoulder-width apart, they should be close together to form a ‘diamond’ shape
- Otherwise, focus on the usual press-up technique
- Keep your back and hips aligned, abs tight and bring your chest to the floor
You can perform three or four of these exercises in one workout if you train arms alone. If you train triceps alongside chest and shoulders like Love Island star Beattie does, just pick one or two.
