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After repeating as World’s Strongest Man (WSM) Champion in late May, two-time reigning winner Tom Stoltman (2021-2022) tried his hand at another sport. On June 12, 2022, during the annual Soccer Aid in London, UK — a friendly soccer match organized for charity since 2006 — Stoltman was part of an overall group that helped raise £15,673,728 million in euros ($18,908,393 million in dollars) for the Unicef UK.
While he’s one of the biggest names in strongman, Stoltman was merely part of an extended list of who’s who from the event. Other noteworthy athletes and famous people involved included two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion Carli Lloyd, eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt, actor Idris Elba, and musician Liam Payne.
Stoltman’s team won the match 4-1 on penalties after a 2-2 tie at the end of regulation. The participants on both squads were largely positionless as scorekeepers also only mainly tracked goals in terms of statistics.
According to UKFundraising, the £15,673,728 million in euros ($18,908,393 million in dollars) raised is a record for the friendly match, which has accumulated a total of roughly £75 million in euros ($80,025, 608 in dollars) to date. The Unicef UK is the United Kingdom’s division of the global organization for children, which aims to improve their access to nutritional food, clean drinking water, quality health care, and a good education.
Upon the match’s conclusion, Stoltman had appropriate words for his involvement in the event in a post on his Instagram.
“£15-plus million raised for Unicef UK with Soccer Aid, what an amazing total,” Stoltman wrote. “I’m so honoured and proud to be a part of this amazing cause.”
Tom Stoltman’s Future
Judging by his recent exploits, Stoltman appears to be following in a recent line of legendary WSM Champions who find a way to stimulate themselves in other ways aside from showing off their strength.
At only 28-years-old, Stoltman is likely a long way from hanging up his lifting belt before engaging fully in other athletic pursuits. His participation in the noble 2022 Soccer Aid is nonetheless an excellent example of what the elite strongman is capable of when not slotting Atlas Stones onto podiums.
Stoltman’s next strongman competition is the 2022 Giants Live World Tour Finals, which will take place on October 8, 2022, in Glasgow, Scotland. After a second-place finish in 2021, he will try to unseat his brother and the defending Giants Live World Tour Finals winner, Luke Stoltman.
At this rate, a win there might simply be another impressive notch in the belt for one of strongman’s superstars.
Unfortunately, the 58-year-old Coleman has fallen on hard times of late. The legendary strength sports athlete has undergone over a dozen surgeries on his neck and back. While his balance and leg strength have been improving, he walks with crutches for the time being. These developments certainly haven’t stopped Coleman from keeping an optimistic outlook and pushing himself wherever he can.
For example, on June 12, 2022, Coleman shared footage of a recent training session where he did some calf raises (weight undisclosed) for reps.
If his social media is any indication, Coleman’s calf-raise session appears to be about sharing regular updates on his progress. Coleman has been posting videos of himself training his legs in recent weeks. Per the caption of his Instagram post, it seems to be an apparent part of keeping himself as active and healthy as possible.
“Trying my very best to do calf raises with both of my feet being totally numb,” Coleman wrote. “Sometimes it’s not about how hard you try to do something, it’s about how bad you wanna do something.”
According to Coleman, he doesn’t let his mobility troubles keep him away from the gym. If anything, they seem to motivate him more based on his approach.
“I may have a little trouble with my mobility, but I still train legs twice a week every week,” Coleman wrote in another recent post on Instagram. “I miss doing squats more than any exercises I’ve ever done. But at least I still have some leg strength left.”
Coleman’s Health and Future
With one of the more decorated resumes in bodybuilding, some might consider Coleman an ambassador of the sport.
From 1998 to 2005, Coleman captured eight straight Mr. Olympias — tying Lee Haney for the most-ever Olympia wins. Throughout his 17-year career (1990-2007), he won 26 International Federation Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) competitions. Thanks to a rare combination of strength, conditioning, and heavy, challenging lifts, some might even consider Coleman the strongest bodybuilder ever.
His place in the pantheon of elite bodybuilders and his positive approach to life naturally have the greater bodybuilding sphere closely monitoring his recovery. The comments on Coleman’s social media posts often find a litany of stars like Breon Ansley and Phil Heath offering appropriate words of encouragement.
Last fall, in recognition of his many achievements, Coleman received the 2021 Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award from fellow Mr. Olympia legend Arnold Schwarzenegger. The two men possess a combined 15 Mr. Olympia titles and have maintained relative contact over the years.
Coleman has expressed hopes he’ll be able to walk unassisted again in the near future. If he keeps pushing himself appropriately in the gym while holding a cheerful mindset, it might only be a matter of time before the bodybuilding legend can accomplish his goal.
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Got a cable machine? Then you’ve got access to one of the most fundamental exercises to directly target and isolate the triceps. The triceps pushdown, sometimes called a pressdown, is perfectly suited to beginners and experienced lifters alike.
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The cable’s pulley system puts tension — and lots of it — right where it belongs. All you need to do is straighten your arms and build some muscle. Okay, there’s a little more to it than that. Here are all the details.
The cable pushdown is pretty straightforward. To put maximum tension on the triceps and minimize involvement of other muscles, your elbows should remain pinned to your sides as you extend your arms down. Here’s a more in-depth look at how to get set up and how to get the most out of the exercise.
Step 1 — Set Up At the Pulley Station
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Attach a straight bar to a high-cable pulley. Grab the bar with both hands in a palm-down grip. Take a small step back into a staggered stance. This will give you more total-body stability, especially when using heavier weights.
Bend your knees slightly and tighten your core. Pull your elbows toward your ribs to raise the weight from the stack. Your hands should be roughly in line with your chest, ready to perform the first rep.
Form Tip: The farther you move from the weight stack, the more your back and shoulders muscles will be engaged to keep your elbows pinned to your ribs. The cable running from the handle to the pulley should be at a slight angle.
Step 2 — Straighten Your Arms
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Squeeze your upper arms into your sides and pretend you are gluing them in place. Push straight down with both hands until your arms are straight but not fully locked. This maintains slight tension on the muscle and increases the muscle-building stimulus. Keep your hands in line with your forearm without bending your wrists.
Form Tip: Keep a strong, tall posture and an engaged core. You should only be moving at the elbows, not at the waist, as you drive the weights down.
Step 3 — Bend Your Arms to Lower the Weight
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From the nearly locked out position, bend your arms and slowly return your hands upwards. Keep your elbows stuck to your ribs. When your hands are in the top position, the weights should be hovering barely above the rest of the stack. If the weights rest completely on the stack, adjust your stance and take a very small step backwards.
Form Tip: Don’t allow the weights to pull your elbows forward. Tense your abs, grip the handle hard to engage your grip and control the bar, and pull your shoulder blades back to keep a stable body position.
Triceps Cable Pushdown Mistakes to Avoid
The cable pushdown requires tightness and stability through your entire body. This can be a benefit because keeping your back, shoulders, arms, abs, and legs fully engaged builds muscular coordination.
However, this total-body recruitment also creates multiple opportunities for technique problems to occur. Here are the most significant issues to watch for.
Misaligned Posture
Hunching forward or arching your back when lifting or lowering the weight will prevent you from fully stabilizing your core. You can’t tense your abs effectively without a neutral spine.
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Having an unstable or angled upper body reduces your ability to control the movement. When your arms and torso aren’t vertical, you’re working through a different angle of resistance and recruiting different muscles. More importantly, a lack of core stability means you could hurt your back.
Avoid It: Stabilize your posture and alignment before each rep. Pull your core muscles up and in. Staggering your feet can also reinforce a strong upper body position because it increases lower body stability, which is transferred through the upper body.
Moving at the Shoulder
The primary movement should be from your elbows, not from your shoulders. When your shoulders work to move the weight, stress is taken off your triceps and shifted onto your deltoids (shoulders) and upper back.
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Don’t allow shoulder rotation to flare your elbows. If your elbows point sideways to the walls instead of behind you, you’ve shifted out of position.
Avoid It: Check your elbow creases. If they turn in, tightness in your shoulders or chest may be pulling your arms forward. Start practicing shoulder and chest flexibility exercises to loosen up the area. Keep the shoulder and upper arms locked into place. Keep your elbows pinned to your sides and be aware of if/when your elbows start to come forward.
Bending Your Wrists
Don’t let your wrists crane back or bend forward. Doing so increases strain on the smaller wrist joint and increases the risk of injury. Keep your hands in line with your forearms, with a straight line from your elbow to your knuckles.
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Avoid It: If breaking at the wrist is an issue for you, consider a glove with wrist wraps or wrist wraps. This external support reminds you to keep the joints in line. Gripping the bar hard, instead of passively pressing through your hands, can also reinforce a stable hand position.
Benefits of the Triceps Cable Pushdown
The cable pushdown places the triceps muscle under constant tension for the duration of the set. This long duration of muscular stress is a key factor responsible for muscle growth. (1)
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Pushdowns are a foundational triceps exercise, allowing lifters to focus solely on their triceps, which can improve the mind-muscle connection for greater activation and growth. (2)
Upper Body Strength
The triceps play a role in the majority of upper body exercises, either assisting in chest and shoulder pressing movements or as stabilizers during pulling movements. Increasing triceps-specific strength with cable pushdowns can carry over to improved strength in larger upper body exercises.
Aesthetic Muscle-Building
Cable pushdowns works all three heads of the triceps muscle, creating well-balanced muscle growth. The triceps are worked through a full range of motion with constant tension, making the pushdown an efficient way to directly target the tris.
Muscles Worked by Triceps Cable Pushdown
The triceps cable pushdown is primarily for the triceps, though several muscle groups stabilize the upper body and allow correct performance.
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If other muscles get fatigued before the triceps during a set of pushdowns, it’s an indicator that your technique is off. Reduce the weight and be more focused on applying proper form.
Triceps Brachii
The triceps is a three-headed muscle responsible for elbow extension, or straightening the arm. It’s made up of the lateral and medial heads, which attach at the upper arm and below the elbow, and the long head which attaches to the shoulder blade and below the elbow. (3) Because the long head runs along the shoulder joint and attaches to the shoulder blade, it is also activated during shoulder movements when the upper arm is raised.
Pectoralis Major
The pectoralis major, or pecs, are the main chest muscle. The pecs are responsible for pulling your arms toward the centerline of your body. While the chest isn’t a primary mover during pushdowns, it is worked statically to provide upper body stability and to keep your elbows by your sides, particularly in the locked out position.
Upper Back
The upper back muscles include the trapezius, rhomboids, teres, and rear deltoids. This collection of muscles work in similar roles to control the shoulder blades, shoulder position, and posture. During cable pushdowns, the upper back is highly activated to stabilize your upper body and maintain a stable upper arm position as the lower arm moves the weight.
Who Should Do the Triceps Cable Pushdown
The pushdown can be used by any lifter looking to emphasize their triceps. The movement can be implemented into strength-building programs, as well as any arm day or muscle-specific routine designed to build size.
Beginners
When you’re first learning how to train various muscles of the body, the triceps cable pushdown is a useful movement to start with because it isolates the muscle group. This targeted work allows new lifters to feel the muscle working throughout the entire range of motion.
Training for Muscle Growth
Whether you’re a physique competitor or training for general aesthetics, this exercise can help to build to triceps. Increased triceps activation without interference from other muscles stimulates greater muscle growth in the target muscle leading, simply, to bigger arms.
How to Program the Triceps Cable Pushdown
The triceps cable pushdown is easy to implement into most routines as long as you have access to a cable machine. The exercise isn’t well-suited to extremely heavy weights and low-rep sets, because strict form becomes unmanageable and additional muscles are recruited. However, light or moderate weights can be highly effective for muscle growth due to the high tension provided by the cables.
Moderate Weight, Moderate Reps
Training the cable pushdown with three to four sets of eight to 12 reps is a classic muscle-building approach. This is a time-tested way to pack on triceps size and build larger arms.
Light Weight, High Reps
Using the pushdown as a finisher or burnout is a very high-intensity way to end any arm workout. One or two sets of 15 to 25 reps, reaching muscular failure at the last rep, is an excellent method for increasing training volume. The lighter weights make this approach is particularly useful for lifters who need to minimize joint strain.
Paired with Biceps Training
Because the cable pushdown requires minimal setup, one extremely effective way to program the exercise is to superset it with any biceps exercise. By alternating between a biceps curl and triceps pushdown, you can quickly and efficiently train your entire arm with high intensity.
Triceps Cable Pushdown Variations
The triceps pushdown is extremely versatile. With a simple adjustment of the handle attachment, you can change things up, add an extra challenge, and work the triceps in slightly different ways.
Rope Pushdown
Using a rope attachment puts your hands in a neutral (thumbs-up) grip, which can be beneficial for lifters dealing with wrist or elbow pain because it places the muscles around those joints in a stronger position, which relieves stress on the joints.
While this variation doesn’t necessarily recruit the triceps muscle differently, it offers a slightly longer range of motion. The hands begin close together in the top position and flare out to the sides in the bottom position. Your elbows should remain stuck to your ribs, only your hands should move.
Reverse-Grip Pushdown
The reverse-grip pushdown isn’t often seen in gyms, but it can be an effective variation to reinforce strict form. With a supinated (palm-up) grip, swinging your torso is less effective since the bar is only held in place with your fingers, compared to a more secure a palm-down grip which covers the bar with your entire hand.
This underhand grip also reinforces proper elbow position because it becomes more difficult to flare your elbows out with this setup.
Single-Arm Pushdown
Performing a single-arm pushdown emphasizes each individual arm during a set. This one-sided attention helps to fight strength and muscular discrepancies that may develop from over-focusing on bilateral (simultaneous two-arm) exercises.
Single-arm pushdowns can be performed with a single-handle, a rope attachment, or no handle at all holding just the attachment anchor.
Triceps Cable Pushdown Alternatives
If you don’t have access to a cable pulley, there are still plenty of effective options to work your triceps. It’s always fun to mix it up, and it’s important to challenge the muscles in different ways.
Diamond Push-Up
The diamond push-up, or close-grip push-up, is a reliable bodyweight exercise to emphasize the triceps. The narrow hand position recruits more triceps and relatively less chest muscles to complete the movement.
This is another extremely efficient exercise to alternate with biceps training to create a quick arm-building workout. Perform any set of curls, drop and perform diamond push-ups, rest briefly, and repeat.
Triceps Kickback
This dumbbell movement is often performed with very light weights for very high reps. However, maintaining good form while moving more challenging weights in the 10-12 rep range can be a serious muscle-building exercise.
The key is to keep your elbows stuck to your ribs and not recruit the back or shoulder muscles to move the weights. You can increase the time under tension and muscle-building stimulus for the triceps by pausing in the top position for a full one or two seconds.
Dumbbell Skull Crusher
This exercise works the triceps in a slightly different plane of motion, with the arms perpendicular to the body instead of alongside the torso. This can slightly change the muscle recruitment of different triceps heads and lead to a new muscle-building stimulus. (4)
Using dumbbells also allows more freedom for the wrist and elbows to move, which can reduce strain on the joints. Keep the dumbbells in line with your shoulders. In the bottom position, the weights should be near your ears.
FAQs
Do I need to work my triceps specifically?
While the triceps are worked actively during most chest and shoulder exercises, as well as serving a supportive role during most back exercises, direct triceps training is essential for maximum muscle growth.
The triceps also play a functional role in many daily activities, from closing a car door to getting up off the ground after falling. Building the triceps specifically, within a comprehensive training program, can play a critical role in improving overall functional strength.
What if my arms can’t stay by my sides?
A physical inability to keep your arms at your sides against resistance may be caused by chest or shoulder immobility. When the chest or shoulders are excessively tight, they want to pull the arms forward and inward.
Performing a simple doorway chest stretch daily is one efficient place to start. In addition, work on overall posture and alignment to encourage overall strength and stability.
Get Down with Pushdowns
The triceps cable pushdown is such a basic and effective movement in the gym, it is easy to pepper into your workout routine. Using strict form and a full range of motion will add size to your triceps, help to keep your elbows and shoulders healthy, and support all of your big pressing goals.
References
Burd NA, Andrews RJ, West DW, et al. Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. J Physiol. 2012;590(2):351-362. doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200
Calatayud J, Vinstrup J, Jakobsen MD, Sundstrup E, Brandt M, Jay K, Colado JC, Andersen LL. Importance of mind-muscle connection during progressive resistance training. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2016 Mar;116(3):527-33. doi: 10.1007/s00421-015-3305-7. Epub 2015 Dec 23. PMID: 26700744.
Tiwana MS, Sinkler MA, Bordoni B. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Triceps Muscle. [Updated 2021 Aug 6]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK536996/
Kholinne, E., Zulkarnain, R. F., Sun, Y. C., Lim, S., Chun, J. M., & Jeon, I. H. (2018). The different role of each head of the triceps brachii muscle in elbow extension. Acta orthopaedica et traumatologica turcica, 52(3), 201–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aott.2018.02.005
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On June 12, 2022, strongman Tim Daglish won the 2022 England’s Strongest Man U80KG, which took place in the Kaos Strength Gym in Preston, UK. Josh Lancaster and Richard Molnar finished in second and third place, respectively.
While Lancaster didn’t come out on top, he set a new U80KG Monster Dumbbell World Record by pressing 100 kilograms (220.5 pounds) overhead. (A monster dumbbell is a loadable and adjustable dumbbell thicker than its traditional cousin.)
Here are the complete final results for the top-10 competitors in the 2022 England’s Strongest Man U80Kg:
2022 England’s Strongest Man U80KG | Top 10 Finishers & Scorecard
Tim Daglish
Josh Lancaster
Richard Molnar
Joe Daglish
Tommy Chivers
Thomas Hulme
Connor Cowens
Andrew Keys
Matt Whalley
Lewis Blackwood
A P.E. teacher by trade in England, Daglish continues to add to a growing noteworthy strength resume.
Among some of his more prominent achievements, Daglish is the reigning 2021 Britain’s Strongest Man U80KG Champion — which he won last summer. In addition, he also attained a first-place result in the 2021 Official Strongman World Deadlift Championships U80KG. Daglish won that competition by lifting a 230-kilogram (507 pounds) axle bar deadlift for 13 unbroken repetitions.
2022 England’s Strongest Man U80KG | Recap
Here’s how each of the Men’s U80KG competitors fared across the competition’s five main events in the Axle Clean & Press, Axle Deadlift, Farmer’s Walk, Sandbag Toss, and Sandbag Carry.
Event 1 — Axle Clean & Press
In the Axle Clean & Press, athletes had the task of cleaning and pressing a 120-kilogram (264.5-pound) axle bar for reps. On average, each competitor was lifting 1.5X their body weight in this event. With six reps, Tommy Chivers won the event. Five separate athletes — Daglish, Lancaster, Thomas Hulme, Lewis Blackwood, and Matt Nice — tied for second with four reps each.
Event 2 — Axle Deadlift
The second event saw the athletes deadlift an axle barbell, 15-inches off of the ground, loaded with 255 kilograms (562.2 pounds) for reps. Third-place finisher Richard Molnar won the Axle Deadlift with a staggering 18 reps. Daglish (17 reps) and Blackwood (15 reps) rounded out the top three.
A staple of many strongman events, the Farmer’s Walk asked the athletes to lift different 100-kilogram (220.5-pound) implements three times back and forth and carry them for a total distance of 45 meters. Chivers once again won when he finished with a time of 16.85 seconds.
Event 4 — Sandbag Toss
The sandbags in the Sandbag Toss ranged from 13.5 kilograms (29.7 pounds) to 22.5 kilograms (49.6 pounds). The athletes had to toss the sandbags over a frame that was 4.3 meters (14.1 feet) high. Brothers Tim and Joe Daglish came in first and second, respectively, while Hulme came in third place. These three athletes were the only competitors to each successfully toss at least four bags.
Event 5 — Sandbag Carry
In the final main event of the competition, the athletes had to carry a 100-kilogram (220.5-pound) sandbag for max distance. There was no time limit or timer. Eighth-place finisher Andrew Keys won his only event of the contest when he took the sandbag 210 meters (688 feet).
After the dust settled on the 2022 England’s Strongest Man U80KG, Daglish and the other seven athletes in the top eight obtained automatic qualification for the 2022 Britain’s Strongest Man U80KG. That competition will take place on July 24, 2022, in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Featured image: @josh_lancaster_strongman_u80kg on Instagram
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Ask 10 lifters to name the body part they’re training on any random day, and you’ll probably hear some familiar answers — chest, back, arms, biceps, maybe even legs. But very few will say they’re working triceps. There’s generic “arm day,” which includes the triceps. But they rarely get a spotlight, and that’s a mistake.
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The tris are a powerhouse muscle, responsible for moving heavy loads during the more popular bench press and overhead press. They also cover more surface area on the upper arm, making them more responsible for increasing arm size than the more popular biceps. It’s time to put the triceps centerstage and give them the attention they deserve.
Training with dumbbells is an effective way to reduce joint stress because the arms are able to move freely without being locked into a strict range of motion. Because many triceps exercises can aggravate the elbow joint due to leverage, using dumbbells is one common alternative.
The Dumbbell-Only Triceps Workout
This all-dumbbell plan builds size and strength in the triceps without the need for a fully equipped gym, versatile cable stations, or a wide array of equipment.
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With a good set of dumbbells and a bench, you can work all three heads of the triceps with minimal joint strain.
Neutral-Grip Dumbbell Bench Press
How to Do it: As you lie on a flat bench, “kick” a pair of dumbbells into a locked out position above your chest. Face your palms toward each other and plant your feet flat on the floor. Keep your head and tailbone on the bench as you lower the weights to your chest. Point your elbows toward your feet and let them slide past your ribs as you lower the weight. The dumbbells should end up touching the outside of your chest with your elbows near the bottom of the bench. Reverse direction to press the weights up.
Sets and Reps: 4 x 6-8
Rest time: Two minutes between sets
Dumbbell Skull Crusher
How to Do it: Lie on a flat bench with a pair of dumbbells locked out overhead with your palms facing each other. Keep your head and glutes on the bench. Bend only at the elbows and lower the weights to the bench behind your head. In the bottom position, your elbows should point to the ceiling and your hands should be facing your ears.
Sets and Reps: 4 x 10-12
Rest time: One minute between sets.
Single-Arm Overhead Extension
How to Do it: Sit upright on a bench with a dumbbell locked overhead in one hand. Use your free hand to touch the triceps of the working arm. This maintains its position and reinforces muscle recruitment. (1) Bend your elbow to lower the weight in an arc without moving your upper arm. In the bottom position, the weight should be behind your opposite shoulder. Raise the weight while keeping your elbow pointed to the ceiling. Perform all reps with one arm before switching sides.
Sets and Reps: 3 x 10-15
Rest time: No rest between arms. 30 seconds between sets.
Best Bodyweight Triceps Workout
Bodyweight exercises typically target larger muscle groups like the chest, back, and legs because the majority of bodyweight movements involve multi-joint exercises primarily emphasizing those larger body parts.
However, certain exercise variations or specific exercises can emphasize the triceps while associated muscles, like the chest and shoulders, work in a supportive role.
Triceps Size and Strength Without Weights
This bodyweight-only triceps workout uses push-up variations to adjust the body’s leverage, which makes the triceps the primary muscle recruited.
Choose any one of these exercises to plug into a more complete upper body or full-body workout, or perform the entire workout as part of a triceps-focused training day.
Tiger Bend Push-Up
How to Do it: Begin in a kneeling position with your forearms, elbows, knees, and shins on the ground. Set your elbows directly under your shoulders, your knees under your hips, and your palms down. Press through your hands until your arms are locked straight. Don’t allow your back to sag or round. To make the exercise more challenging, move your feet and knees farther back. Performing the exercise with straight legs and only your toes on the ground is the most difficult progression.
Sets and Reps: 4 x 4-6
Rest time: Two minutes between sets.
Dip with One-and-a-Half Reps
How to Do it: Begin at a dip station or set up between two sturdy chairs or high benches. Jump to the top position with locked arms. Keep your torso upright and your head back as you lower your body by bending your elbows. As you descend, keep your elbows pointed straight back, not flared to the sides. Pause after several inches and press back to lockout. Lower yourself again as far as your shoulder mobility allows before pressing up to full lockout. That’s one complete rep.
Sets and Reps: 4 x 6-8
Rest time: 60 seconds between sets.
Close-Grip Push-Up
How to Do it: Begin with your hands on the ground slightly closer than shoulder-width and your feet on the ground, slightly wider than shoulder-width. Maintain a straight line from your neck to your feet. Lower your entire body until your chest nearly touches the ground. Keep your elbows aimed towards your feet, not flared to the walls.
Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-15
Rest time: 30 seconds between sets.
Best Triceps Workout for Muscle Mass
Big arms are a popular goal for many, if not most, lifters in the gym. However, over-focusing on building the biceps is an inefficient and ineffective plan for arm size.
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One common anecdote shared in gym locker rooms is, “triceps account for 66% of your arm size.” This well-meaning statistic is as arbitrary as it is widespread. However, the moral behind it is solid. The triceps muscle does have the potential for a greater impact on overall arm size compared to the biceps because it’s anatomically larger, even before weight training’s muscle-building stimulus.
More Size for Your Tris
For maximum muscle growth, the triceps need to be worked with the upper arm in a variety of positions relative to the torso. (2) Due to the varied attachment points of the three heads of the triceps muscle, complete development is achieved by working with the upper arm alongside the torso (pointed down), perpendicular to the torso (pointed forward), and above the torso (pointed up).
Rope Pressdown
How to Do it: Attach a rope handle to a high-cable pulley. Take the rope with both hands and pull your elbows to your sides with your hands roughly chest-level. Keep your knees slightly bent and your torso upright. Press your hands toward the ground for a complete contraction. Pause for one second in the bottom position. Don’t allow your elbows to move forward when lowering the weight.
Sets and Reps: 4 x 8-12
Rest time: 30 seconds between sets.
Dumbbell Overhead Extension
How to Do it: Sit upright on a bench holding one dumbbell with both hands above your head. Keep your core tight while lowering the weight behind your head toward the bench. Your elbows should point forward, not flare out to the sides. In the bottom position, your triceps should be stretched and your hands should be near the back of your neck. Raise the weight slowly, maintaining a forward-elbow position.
Sets and Reps: 4 x 10-12
Rest time: 60 seconds between sets.
EZ-Bar Skull Crusher
How to Do it: Hold an EZ-curl bar with a moderate-width (neither close nor wide) overhand grip. Sit on a flat bench. As you lie back, “kick” the weight into a locked out position above your face. Lower the weight towards the bench behind your head and allow your elbows to move slightly as you bend your arms. Rest the weight briefly in the bottom position before returning to the starting position.
Sets and Reps: 3 x 10-12
Rest time: No rest before moving to the next exercise.
EZ-Bar Close-Grip Bench Press
How to Do it: Remain lying on the bench while holding the same weight in the same hand position as the previous exercise. Begin with your arms locked straight above your chest. Lower the weight until it touches your lower chest. Keep your elbows close to your sides, not pointed away from your body.
Sets and Reps: 3 x AMRAP (As many repetitions as possible until muscular failure.)
Rest time: 90 seconds rest before returning to the previous exercise.
Best Triceps Workout For Strength
Triceps strength is essential for all pressing exercises, as well as providing stability during pulling exercises. Building stronger triceps will carry over to total-body strength, so time spent focused on stronger tris is time spent focused on a stronger body.
Triceps-Focused Strength Workout
While some lifters approach triceps training as assistance exercises performed with lighter weights and higher reps, training the tris specifically for strength using more traditional strength and power-focused sets, reps, and loads can yield more direct improvements in overall strength.
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It is important to note that training priorities should always be respected. Recovery and progress may be compromised if you try to focus on bench and/or overhead strength as well as triceps-specific strength simultaneously. Taking several weeks to prioritize the triceps before re-prioritizing chest or shoulder pressing is a more efficient long-term plan.
Close-Grip Bench Press
How to Do it: Lie down at a flat bench press station. Take an overhand grip on the barbell with your hands slightly closer than shoulder-width for increased triceps stress and decreased chest recruitment. (3) Keep your feet flat on the ground as you unrack the bar and lower it to touch your chest. Your elbows should point towards your feet. Press back to full lockout and pause at the top before beginning the next rep.
Sets and Reps: 5 x 3-5
Rest time: Three minutes between sets.
Weighted Dip
How to Do it: At a dip station, jump into the top position with locked arms. Keep your head up and your torso upright. Lower yourself under control as far as your shoulder mobility allows. To emphasize triceps recruitment, keep your elbows pointed backwards, not flared to the sides. Use a dip belt or weighted vest for added resistance.
Sets and Reps: 4 x 6-8
Rest time: Three minutes between sets.
Partial Overhead Press
How to Do it: In a power rack, begin in a shoulder press position holding a barbell with an overhand grip at roughly collarbone-height. Keep your knees slightly bent and your core tense as you press the weight overhead to full lockout. Lower the weight to eye-level before pressing to full lockout again. On each repetition, bring the weight no lower than your eyes to increase triceps recruitment and decrease shoulder activation.
Sets and Reps: 4 x 8-10
Rest time: Two minutes between sets.
The Triceps Muscles
The triceps muscles may not be one of the most popular body parts, but they play an active role in countless upper body exercises and a more supportive role in many lower body exercises.
Here’s a more in-depth look at how the triceps function and how they can be most effectively trained.
Triceps Brachii
The triceps brachii, or triceps, are composed of three separate muscle heads working in unison to extend the elbow, or straighten the arm. The long head, medial head, and lateral head all attach just below the elbow.
Credit: Jasminko Ibrakovic / Shutterstock
The medial head and lateral heads originate on the upper arm, while the long head connects to the scapula (shoulder blade). (4) Because the long head crosses the shoulder joint, it serves an added function in helping to control movement of the arm at the shoulder.
This shoulder function allows the long head to be more highly activated when the arm is brought overhead during triceps exercises, as in overhead extensions.
Triceps Warm-Up
A thorough warm-up is essential for optimizing performance and minimizing joint strain. A triceps warm-up should involve the surrounding musculature (chest, back, shoulders, and biceps) as well as the triceps directly.
Credit: Miljan Zivkovic / Shutterstock
Here’s a simple and effective resistance band warm-up to begin any triceps workout.
Triceps Band Warm-up
Band Pull-Apart: Take a palms-down grip on a resistance band. Begin with your arms extended in front of your chest. Keep your arms nearly locked while pulling your hands in line with your shoulders. The band should touch your chest before returning to the starting position. Perform 15 reps before moving to the next exercise.
Band Chest Press: Secure the band to a stable point roughly chest-height. Face away from the anchorpoint. Take one end of the band in each hand. Press straight ahead until your arms are locked out in front of your shoulders. Perform 15 reps before moving to the next exercise.
Band Curl: With the band still anchored at chest-height, turn around and grab one end of the band in each hand. Step back and extend your arms straight. Curl your hands towards your face with a thumbs-up grip while keeping your elbows at shoulder-height. Perform 15 reps before moving to the next exercise.
Band Pressdown: Keep one end of the band in each hand and step forward. Pin your elbows to your ribs. Straighten your arms to full lockout with your hands near your waist. Return your hands to chest-level. Perform 15 reps before returning to the first exercise. Do a total of two sets of the complete circuit.
Tri to Focus
Don’t let your triceps be overshadowed, figuratively, by other body parts. They’re overlooked, quietly working alongside their more attention-grabbing counterpart, the biceps.
The tris only step into the spotlight when it matters most, whether it’s helping you lock out a bench press PR or fill out your shirtsleeves. It’s time to bring them front and center, choose a targeted training plan, and spend time giving them the attention they’ve been missing.
References
Oshita, Kazushige. (2021). Effect of internal focus of attention with touching cue on the agonist muscle activity during exercise. 10.14198/jhse.2021.16.Proc2.04.
Kholinne E, Zulkarnain RF, Sun YC, Lim S, Chun JM, Jeon IH. The different role of each head of the triceps brachii muscle in elbow extension. Acta Orthop Traumatol Turc. 2018;52(3):201-205. doi:10.1016/j.aott.2018.02.005
Lehman G. J. (2005). The influence of grip width and forearm pronation/supination on upper-body myoelectric activity during the flat bench press. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 19(3), 587–591. https://doi.org/10.1519/R-15024.1
Tiwana MS, Sinkler MA, Bordoni B. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Triceps Muscle. [Updated 2021 Aug 6]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK536996/
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The 2022 International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Classic Powerlifting Championships have seen one world record fall after another. The competitors in the Men’s 93-kilogram weight class on June 6-12, 2022, in Sun City, South Africa, were no exception.
Each of the three respective finishers on the podium — Chance Mitchell, Emil Krastev, and Jonathan Cayco — surpassed the IPF raw World Record total entering the competition. Cayco held the previous top mark for the 93-kilogram weight class with an 873-kilogram (1,924.6-pound) total from the 2021 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships.
At 27-years-old, Mitchell captured his first-ever IPF World title thanks mainly to a raw World Record deadlift of 373.5 kilograms (823.4 pounds) and a World Record total of 878.5 kilograms (1,936.8 pounds).
Mitchell expressed gratitude for his performance in a post on his Instagram:
“L after L after L after L and now 2022 IPF World Champion. From barely making the USA team to winning the most competitive class at Worlds,” Mitchell wrote. “My dream became a reality today. I am so grateful but I don’t think I’ve processed it yet. Thank you to everyone who supported me, it’s been a long, brutal road to get to this point.”
Here are the best stats for each of the podium finishers in the 93-kilogram weight class:
Deadlift — 373.5 kilograms (823.4 pounds) | IPFWorld Record
Total — 878.5 kilograms (1,936.8 pounds) | IPFWorld Record
2. Emil Krastev (Bulgaria)
Squat — 307.5 kilograms (677.9 pounds)
Bench Press — 227.5 kilograms (501.6 pounds)
Deadlift — 342.5 kilograms (755.1 pounds)
Total — 877.5 kilograms (1,934.6 pounds)
3. Jonathan Cayco (United States)
Squat — 300 kilograms (661.4 pounds)
Bench Press — 238.5 kilograms (525.8 pounds) | IPFWorld Record
Deadlift — 335 kilograms (738.6 pounds)
Total — 873.5 kilograms (1,925.7 pounds)
Mitchell’s new deadlift World Record for the 93-kilogram weight class surpasses an almost 10-year-old mark held by Krzysztof Wierzbicki. The Polish athlete previously notched a 372.5-kilogram (821.2-pound) deadlift at the 2014 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships.
The 2022 IPF Worlds were Mitchell’s debut at the competition. Some of the more noteworthy results of his career before his first IPF victory include a fourth-place finish in the 2021 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Raw Nationals and a second-place finish in the 2022 AMP Classic Open Nationals.
While Cayco undoubtedly wanted to defend his 2021 IPF World title, he didn’t leave South Africa empty-handed. The powerlifter scored a new World Record with a 238.5-kilogram (525.8-pound) bench press. It extends his own past top international mark from the 2021 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships by half a kilogram. Cayco’s all-time competition best is a 242.5-kilogram (534.6-pound) bench press from the 2021 USAPL Iron Office Winter Classic.
The 2022 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships ended on June 12, 2022. At the time of this writing, records were broken in the Women’s 47-kilogram, 52-kilogram, 57-kilogram, and 76-kilogram weight classes, and in the Men’s 66-kilogram, 83-kilogram, and 93-kilogram weight classes.
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The peak of bodybuilder Shaun Clarida’s career thus far is undoubtedly his 212 Olympia win at the 2020 Mr. Olympia. With a second-place finish to Derek Lunsford last year, the 39-year-old might be determined to be the 212 division’s top dog again.
On June 11, 2022, the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Pro League competitor shared an update on where his physique stands. Clarida says he currently weighs 211 pounds — his reported heaviest-ever body weight — as he starts to ramp up his training and prep work for the 2022 Mr. Olympia on December 16-18, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV.
At the time of this writing, Clarida has not yet clarified whether he will compete in the 212 division or in the Open division. Technically, Clarida is qualified to compete in either division thanks to his win at the 2021 Legion Sports Fest in the Men’s Open division. If he did compete in and win the Mr. Olympia title, he’d be the first man to win two Olympia titles in two different divisions.
About six months before the 2022 Mr. Olympia, Clarida’s current body weight is roughly 30 pounds heavier than his competition weight at the 2021 Mr. Olympia.
Giving y’all just a sneak peek, sitting at 211 pounds. Heaviest I’ve been to date.
In the caption of his Instagram post, Clarida says that this was his weight from a customary check-in with his long-time coach, Matt Jansen.
About Shaun Clarida
Clarida is one of the more experienced active bodybuilders around. The athlete, also known as “The Giant Killer,” has been a part of competitive bodybuilding in some capacity since 2005. While his 212 Olympia win in 2020 stands out in particular, he can point to more than a few other noteworthy results.
Here are some of the top achievements from Clarida’s bodybuilding career:
Shaun Clarida | Notable Career Results
2012 National Bodybuilding Championships (Men’s Bantamweight) — First place | Earned Pro Card
2014 IFBB New York Pro 212 — 13th place | IFBB Debut
2014 IFBB Toronto Pro 212 — 12th place
2015 IFBB Toronto Pro 212 — Second place
2015 Mr. Olympia 212 — 16th place | Mr. Olympia Debut
2017 IFBB New York Pro 212 — Second place
2018 IFBB New York Pro 212 — First place | First IFBB Victory
Legion Sports Fest Pro Men’s 212 — First place (2018, 2021)
As his off-season and routine unfold, Clarida makes it a habit to share regular updates about his training progress. The bodybuilder consistently shares different training videos and tips on his Instagram (473,000-plus followers at the time of this writing) and YouTube channel (27,500-plus subscribers and counting).
There’s still a lot of time for Clarida to prime himself before he considers going head-to-head with Lunsford again. If he elects to compete in the Open division instead, he’ll have to contend with the likes of Nick Walker and Hunter Labrada, among others. How Clarida will ultimately fare in either class is up in the air. The only thing that’s likely for certain is that he’ll leave no stone unturned in his preparation.
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The first barbell curl was probably performed about three minutes after the barbell was invented and it’s been a gym staple ever since. This timeless exercise has always been reliable and effective for building a set of bulging biceps.
Credit: Gorodenkoff / Shutterstock
It might be seen as a very simple movement — grab the bar, curl the bar, done — but like many straightforward exercises, details can have a big impact on your results. While there is a wide range of curls at your disposal, let’s break down why this biceps-building exercise should remain at the top of the list.
Visually, the barbell curl seems like a pretty straightforward exercise. You’re just bending your arms.
The truth is, there is a little more happening behind the scenes that can take you from having decent biceps to a having a great-looking set of arms.
Step 1 — Stand Tall and Proud
Credit: antoniodiaz / Shutterstock
Stand holding a straight barbell with your hands slightly wider than hip-width and palms up. Your arms should be fully extended. Retract your shoulder blades and think about keeping your chest high and proud.
Take a breath and engage your core. Contract your triceps to make sure your biceps are fully lengthened. This assists in recruiting all the muscle fibers and ensures a full range of motion. Fix your elbows near your ribs. Your biceps should be slightly touching the outside of your chest.
Form Tip: If you have average or shorter arms, the standard hand width will be effective. If you have relatively longer arms, you can benefit from gripping the bar much wider than hip-width. Gripping too closely can put your arms into a significant internal rotation at the shoulder, which can increase joint strain.
Step 2 — Curl the Weight
Credit: antoniodiaz / Shutterstock
Contract your biceps while breathing out. Keep your shoulders in place and continue curling until your biceps are fully shortened.
As you reach the top of the movement, curl your wrists towards your body and grip the barbell tightly. This helps to fully contract your biceps while also strengthening your forearms, wrists, and grip.
In the top position, your elbows should finish a little further in front of the body. This is okay since it is further activating the biceps (specifically the long head of the muscle). (1) Just make sure to not let your shoulders come too much into play and take over as a primary mover.
Form Tip: Throughout the exercise, keep the inside of your biceps gently in contact with the outside of your chest or serratus. This is a great way to make sure you are in the correct position for maximum your biceps recruitment, and prevents your elbows from moving too far forward or back.
Step 3 — Return to the Start
Credit: Paul Aiken / Shutterstock
Take a short breath in before you lower the weight under control. Again, be mindful of where the inside of your biceps are touching (chest and serratus). Keep your shoulders pulled back.
It is important to lower the barbell under control. Aim for a two to three second eccentric, which will recruit even more muscle fibers which can provide you with a greater opportunity at building more muscle.
Form Tip: After each rep, take a full inventory. Are your shoulders rolled forward? Have your elbows moved back behind your body? You should be finishing the rep exactly how you started — with the inside of your biceps slightly outside your chest or serratus, your elbows in front of your body, and your shoulder blades retracted with your chest high and proud. Don’t begin your next rep until you’re in the right position.
Barbell Curl Mistakes to Avoid
Like many exercises, the barbell curl is simple and effective when executed correctly. When executed correctly being the most important words. Let’s look at some of the common errors that can occur if you are not paying attention to technique.
Too Much Upper Body Movement
Swinging your torso front and back as you curl a barbell up and down is the quickest way to not see results and possibly find an injury. Not only does it decrease muscular tension on the biceps, but swinging weights is a clear indication that you’re trying to move weights that are way too heavy to lift with strict form.
Credit: Lenar Nigmatullin / Shutterstock
Heaving the weights with your entire upper body instead of focusing the work on your biceps also increases your chances of straining your lower back. That’s the type of potentially chronic injury which can impact your entire training plan for the long-term.
The only exception to this is when you deliberately use your entire body to move very heavy weights in order to emphasize the eccentric (lowering phase) with strict control. This is a specific exercise variation, which will be discussed in a later section. It is an intentional movement to spread force through your legs, back, and shoulders, rather than swinging your hips and putting stress entirely on your lower back.
Avoid It: Keep your shoulder blades retracted, and tense your abs and glutes during each rep to better maximize muscular strength. Control the descent for two to three seconds to decrease the urge to swing the weights and recruit your biceps much more effectively.
Gripping the Bar Too Wide
Some lifters mistakenly believe that bench pressing with an extremely wide grip will increase the width of their chest. Many lifters also make the mistake of curling with an extra-wide grip hoping it will sculpt their biceps differently. The body doesn’t work that way.
Credit: Kzenon / Shutterstock
Taking an incorrect grip increases the chance of straining the forearm and biceps tendons at the elbow joint because tension isn’t being focused on the muscle itself. When stress is too much for the arm musculature to tolerate, and as you fatigue during a set, it creates wear and tear leading to the biceps tendon tears.
Avoid it: Refer to the technique setup and grip width appropriate for your limb length. If you have longer arms, you’re more likely to require a wider grip to maintain relative stress on the muscles due to leverage, well-outside your shoulders and up to double your hip-width. Otherwise, keep your hands closer to hip-width.
Benefits of the Barbell Curl
The barbell curl has long-been used to build size and strength in the biceps. Here’s a closer look at several benefits of this is foundational exercise.
Credit: UfaBizPhoto / Shutterstock
Beginner-Friendly
The barbell curl is an excellent exercise for new lifters due to its quick learning curve, basic mechanics, and ability to load the exercise with ease. It’s a highly effective fundamental lift as a simple and effective introduction to direct arm training.
Direct Biceps Training
The barbell curl is performed purely with elbow flexion, which is a major function of the biceps and no other body part. Because of this focused work, it’s one of the most effective exercises to improve size and strength in the biceps, specifically.
Potential for Heavy Weights
If you want to build strength, you need to move relatively heavy weights. The barbell curl allows you to put the biceps under the heaviest potential weights compared to other biceps exercises. This can contribute to greater overall strength, particularly with pulling exercises like deadlifts and rows.
Muscles Worked by the Barbell Curl
The barbell curl is essentially a single-joint (isolation) exercise that is one of the most effective ways to target the biceps, primarily, and the forearms as secondary movers. However, the barbell curl does incorporate a small degree of movement at the shoulder joint which also activates the anterior deltoid (front shoulder muscle) as an additional mover.
Credit: charnsitr / Shutterstock
For this reason, some lifters consider it a multi-joint (compound) exercise under the most technical definition of the term, often when they exaggerate or emphasize the elbow-rising position at the top of the lift.
Biceps Brachii
The biceps are a two-headed muscle with the long head located on the outer part of the muscle and the short head on the inner side of the muscle. The long head attaches at the shoulder blade while the short head attaches at the upper arm, and both heads connect near the elbow. This is why both heads are activated when bending the elbow and the long head is recruited to move the arm at the shoulder.
Forearms
The forearms include the wrist flexors aligned with the palm-side of and the wrist extensors on the top side of the forearm. Both muscles work actively to hold and stabilize the barbell as you curl the weight.
Anterior Deltoid
The deltoid (shoulder muscle) is comprised of three separate heads — the anterior (front), lateral (side), and posterior (rear). Each head is activated to move the arm in its respective plane. During barbell curls, the anterior delts contribute to raising the arm when the barbell is in the fully curled position.
Who Should Do the Barbell Curl
Any lifter that steps foot into the gym can benefit from including barbell curls in their program. It’s a simple and versatile movement that can be programmed for several goals.
This exercise will aid in increasing muscle mass, improving arm and grip strength, and injury prevention for performance athletes that may have a higher chance of biceps or elbow injuries.
Strength Athletes
Strength athletes, including strongmen, strongmen, and powerlifters, will find that improved biceps strength carries over to increased stability during heavy pressing and pulling exercises, as well as improved grip strength. Light weight, high-rep barbell curls can also have restorative and preventative joint health benefits. (2, 3)
Physique Athletes
The barbell curl can provide any physique-focused lifter the most bang for the buck when it comes to building a more muscular set of arms. The barbell curl can accommodate much heavier weights than many other biceps exercises, which creates more programming options for more muscle-building stimuli.
How to Program the Barbell Curl
Just because the barbell curl is simple to perform, don’t think you can just walk into the gym and knock out random reps with no plan of attack. Below are some effective programming options that you can use going into your next session.
Heavy Weight, Low to Moderate Repetitions
To maximize strength, three to five sets in the four to eight rep range is a good place to start. Use a weight that allows you to leave at least two reps left “in the tank”, since curling very heavy weights to muscular failure can disrupt technique.
A rest period of two minutes and thirty seconds to three minutes after each set will ensure you are able to continue lifting with maximal effort.
Moderate Weight, Moderate Repetitions
To maximize muscle growth, aim for three to four sets in the six to 12 rep range. This will give you a bump in training volume, which is beneficial for building muscle. (4) The addition of sets and volume will allow you to develop better coordination of the movement and thus better recruitment of the biceps muscle overtime.
Barbell Curl Variations
The standard barbell curl can be worked around using specific variations, for a lifter’s individual needs such as injury history, or for general change in training.
EZ-Bar Curl
This very subtle, very effective variation can provide some relief on the wrist joints and elbow joints if maintaining a palms-up (supinated) grip on a straight barbell causes discomfort. The angled grip decreases the wrist mobility needed to maintain a full palms-up grip, which reduces strain on the wrist, forearm, and elbow tendons.
The overall execution of this exercise is identical to the straight barbell curl. The angled grip also slightly alters recruitment and incorporates more forearm musculature into the exercise.
Cable Curl(s)
Attaching a straight bar to low-pulley cable will provide constant tension throughout the entire range of motion. There are two very effective ways you can make use of this variation. The first option is to stand upright and perform the exact same technical instructions as the barbell curl, using the cable pulley.
A more intense option is to lie on the ground and perform the same curling movement. This is one of the most strict curl variations since cheating with a swinging torso is simply impossible. This can also be a great biceps finisher at the end of your workout, putting the emphasis on maximum the time under tension to fully exhaust all muscle fibers.
Eccentric Barbell Curl
This variation is all about overloading the biceps during the lowering portion of the rep. The lengthening of a muscle under load has been shown to cause a high amount of muscular stress, which leads to a higher stimulation for muscle growth. (5)
Aim for five to eight seconds to lower the barbell from the top position to fully straight arms. This specific variation is one time when it’s acceptable to use a heavier-than-normal weight and perform a cheat rep to bring the weight into the starting position. Because the biceps contraction is not a priority, use coordinated leg and back drive to lift the weight — do not simply swing with your back.
Barbell Curl Alternatives
The time-tested barbell curl can be extremely useful, but some alternatives offer specific benefits the classic barbell movement can’t match. Here are some options to consider implementing into your workout.
Standing Dumbbell Curl
The standing dumbbell curl is performed nearly identical to the barbell curl with a strict upright stance and no swinging torso.
The dumbbells’ biggest advantage is the ability to work each arm independently, which strengthens any discrepancies that often develop naturally from performing bilateral-only exercises (working both arms work as a single unit).
Barbell Preacher Curl
The preacher curl puts the muscle under more stress in the lower portion of the range of motion. This unique stimulus and intense contraction assists in triggering more muscle growth.
With the preacher bench, your arms are set at a downward angle. Your upper arms and shoulders are supported by the pad to minimize any unwanted movement and to help isolate your biceps more effectively.
Barbell Spider Curl
While this appears somewhat similar to a preacher curl with the upper arm angled from the body, the key difference is that the most difficult part of each rep is in the fully shortened position at the top of the movement, not the bottom.
This movement is often performed with your chest supported on the pad of a high angle bench, but it can also be performed with your elbows on the 90-degree angle side of a preacher curl bench with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
FAQs
How many different curls should I do in each workout?
This all depends on the goal of your workout. If you are purely after strength, performing one or two biceps exercises across two days of the week will be very effective. If you plan on chasing muscle gains, it would be wise to dedicate some attention to your biceps two or three times per week using one or two exercises per session.
When should I do barbell curls in my routine?
If your priority is to get stronger and build bigger biceps, it would be best to perform them at the beginning of the workout. If you are simply looking to add some direct biceps training into your upper-body focused workouts, then add this towards the end of the session after training the larger muscle groups.
Bring Back Old School Curls
The barbell curl is a time-tested exercise for performance-based training, as well as physique-focused lifters. Make room in your training plan for this classic movement and you’ll eventually have to make room in your sleeves for bigger arms.
References
Landin D, Thompson M, Jackson MR. Actions of the Biceps Brachii at the Shoulder: A Review. J Clin Med Res. 2017;9(8):667-670. doi:10.14740/jocmr2901w
Shaw, Ina & Shaw, Brandon. (2014). Resistance Training’s Role in the Prevention of Sports Injuries.
Kubo K, Kanehisa H, Miyatani M, Tachi M, Fukunaga T. Effect of low-load resistance training on the tendon properties in middle-aged and elderly women. Acta Physiol Scand. 2003;178(1):25-32. doi:10.1046/j.1365-201X.2003.01097.x
Schoenfeld, B. J., Contreras, B., Krieger, J., Grgic, J., Delcastillo, K., Belliard, R., & Alto, A. (2019). Resistance Training Volume Enhances Muscle Hypertrophy but Not Strength in Trained Men. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 51(1), 94–103. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000001764
Roig M, O’Brien K, Kirk G, Murray R, McKinnon P, Shadgan B, Reid WD. The effects of eccentric versus concentric resistance training on muscle strength and mass in healthy adults: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med. 2009 Aug;43(8):556-68. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2008.051417. Epub 2008 Nov 3. PMID: 18981046.
Continuing the celebration of National Get Outdoors Month, today we’re covering some essential backpacking gear, skills, and preparations that will help ensure you return from your adventure happy, healthy, and in one piece.
Preparing for a backpacking trip can be intimidating—there’s so much to think about! What will you eat? How much water do you need? What animals might you encounter? Should you go into your local REI and grab one of everything, or can you get away with just a shower curtain for shelter and a change of clothes like the famed Appalachian Trail hiker Grandma Gatewood?
Really, all these questions boil down to: What might kill you out in nature, and how can you successfully avoid those things?
First and foremost, the work you do ahead of time is aimed at staying alive. Beyond that, you want to pack smart and carry no more weight than necessary. Comfort is a consideration, too. Given a choice, even the heartiest among us would prefer not to be too hot, cold, hungry, thirsty, tired, itchy, sunburned, chafed, or blistered. Backpacking is plenty strenuous enough without extra discomforts.
This isn’t meant to scare you off! Backpacking can be truly transformative—a chance to disconnect from the rigors of everyday modern life, explore places you can’t get to by car, test your physical and mental mettle, and reconnect with nature on a soul-deep level. Backpacking is all the more rewarding because it’s challenging. The right groundwork prevents unnecessary suffering.
Backpacking Checklist: What Gear to Bring
You can (and probably will) spend months researching the best ultralight gear, drooling over the priciest options, and overthinking everything. It’s terrifically fun and often overwhelming. The following is an overview of what you need.
Protection from the elements
Shelter and sleeping arrangements
A way to make fire
Sun protection
Clothing for all possible weather (Opt for breathable, wicking fabrics. Wool is a great option. It comes in different weights for hot and cold temps, and you can wear it for multiple days before it gets smelly.)
Protection from wildlife
Bug spray
Whistle
Bear spray, bear canister
Food and hydration
Water and ways to make potable water (filter, iodine tablets)
Food
Cooking gear (stove, pan, utensils)
Electrolytes
Navigation
Physical map of area (not just on your phone)
Compass
GPS unit (optional but recommended, especially in the deep wilderness)
Bathroom accommodations (shovel, toilet paper, wag bags if required)
Miscellany
Headlamp
Knife, multitool
Duct tape, repair kits
Batteries, chargers
Cash, credit card (in case you need to pop back into civilization and buy food, gear, or a ride back to your car)
Tips for Backpacking
There’s much more to backpacking than dropping mega-bucks on gear, lacing up your boots, and heading out.
First, give yourself plenty of time to train. As I said in last week’s training post, backpacking is an endurance event. As with any kind of endurance feat, you need to ready your body (and mind) to tackle the physical (and mental) challenge. Tailor your training to the conditions you are going to face.
Learn how to use your gear. Practice putting up and taking down your tent. Make campfires. Try out your water filter, and learn how to take it apart and clean it. Figure out which of your gear has batteries or requires a charge, and make sure you’ll have enough power for the trip.
Start small and work your way up. Go out for two or three nights before attempting an epic 10-day through hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. If possible, buddy up with a more experienced backpacker who can help troubleshoot these first outings.
Essential Outdoor Skills to Master
Don’t set out without a working knowledge of these skills that can save your life on the trail:
Survival skills: How to build a fire (more than one way, ideally), how to construct a basic shelter.
Wildlife encounters: Might you run into snakes, bears, mountain lions, scorpions, moose? Know what to do.
Navigation: Be able to read an old school paper map and use a compass. Don’t rely solely on GPS.
First aid: Know how to deal with cuts, sprains, burns, broken bones, and stings until you can get to a doctor or hospital if necessary.
Plan Your Camping Meals and Trail Food
Bringing the right amount of food takes a fair deal of planning, plus some trial and error (another good reason to start with shorter outings). The goal is to bring enough to sustain yourself without carrying more than you need. The typical recommendation is 25 calories per pound of body weight per day, plus or minus 5 calories depending on how strenuous your trip will be.
Of course, if you’re dedicated to a low-carb Primal and keto way of eating, the conventional fueling advice doesn’t exactly apply to you. Whether you hope to stick to your typical foods or add carbs strategically to provide extra oomph, it’s a good idea to practice fueling during your training hikes and shorter backpacking trips. Endurance athletes have a saying: “Nothing new on race day.” In other words, don’t eat anything during a race that you haven’t used in training. That applies here, too. Remember, your favorite at-home snacks won’t necessarily sit well when you’re eight miles into a hot uphill hike with a heavy pack. Experiment with hydration and electrolytes while you’re at it.
Try out a few meal options before you go, too. It’s such a bummer to sit down to a much-anticipated dinner at the end of a long day only to discover that you absolutely detest the dehydrated meals you brought.
Adventure awaits! And yes, there are a lot of details to nail down before you go, but the planning can be fun. Enlist the help of more seasoned backpackers. Avail yourself of their wisdom. Learn from their mistakes. Maybe you can even borrow some gear to try before you buy.
Be prepared, but try to not overthink every decision. Don’t get so bogged down in the minutia (“Should I get the trekking poles that weigh one ounce less but are only rated 3.5 stars?”) that you’re a hot mess of stress by the time your trip rolls around. Remember, this is supposed to be fun.
Anyway, overthinking won’t help. Every trip will be a learning experience. You’ll discover things you like and things you wish you had done differently. No matter how prepared you are, there will be surprises. Expecting the unexpected is part of the adventure. Resolve here and now to roll with the punches, and you’ll have a much better experience.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
The 2022 Special Olympics USA Games took place in Orlando, Florida, on June 5-10, 2022. The annual five-day contest enables neurodiverse athletes and athletes with physical disabilities to feature in a high-level, competitive setting. One such male competitor recently showed out with an impressive strength figure.
On June 8, 2022, 93-kilogram athlete Kevin Cantrell completed a raw 227.5-kilogram (501.5-pound) deadlift. Cantrell’s official weight for the competition was 85.28 kilograms (188 pounds) which means he lifted 2.66 times his body weight. The athlete donned just a lifting belt for the feat.
Cantrell’s achievement drew the attention of famous bodybuilder/actor/former Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who reposted the athlete’s deadlift on his Instagram with the caption, “You inspire me, Kevin!”
Notably, the Special Olympics USA Games offers variations of formats. Cantrell represented his native state of Ohio in the push-pull configuration. That means the athlete didn’t log a squat and only performed the bench press and deadlift.
Schwarzenegger’s Advocacy
A major proponent of equal, fair competition for neurodiverse athletes, Schwarzenegger has worked with the Special Olympics organization as a vocal ambassador for years. His former late mother-in-law, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founded the organization on August 2, 1968.
In 2017, according to the Washington Post, Schwarzenegger publicly tore down an Internet troll who made an offensive comment about the Special Olympics. After Schwarzenegger made a Facebook post congratulating athletes who competed in the 2017 Special Olympics World Games, the anonymous person replied to the Austrian and derided the merits of the Special Olympics.
That got on Schwarzenegger’s nerves.
“As evil and stupid as this comment is, I’m not going to delete it or ban you (yet) because it’s a teachable moment,” Schwarzenegger wrote in response. He continued in a full teardown of why the commenter’s message was wrong:
You have two possible paths ahead. Right now, I guarantee you that these athletes have more courage, compassion, brains, and skill — actually more of every positive human quality than you.
So take their path — you could learn from them, and try to challenge yourself, to give back, to add something to the world. Or you can stay on your path, and keep being a sad pitiful jealous Internet troll who adds nothing to the world but mocks anyone who does out of small-minded jealousy.
I know that all you really want is attention, so let me be clear. If you choose to keep going this way, no one will ever remember you.
Celebrating Cantrell’s tremendous feat seems to align with Schwarzenegger’s background and work with neurodiverse athletes and athletes with disabilities. This likely won’t be the last time Schwarzenegger sees fit to highlight an athlete competing with the Special Olympics organization.
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Continuing the celebration of National Get Outdoors Month, today we’re covering some essential backpacking gear, skills, and preparations that will help ensure you return from your adventure happy, healthy, and in one piece.
For now classes are 6pm and 640pm at 2840 Wildwood st in the Boise Cloggers studio.
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