To effectively target your triceps during push-ups, focus on bringing your chest down towards your hands and slightly back.
Understanding Triceps Engagement in Push-Ups
Push-ups are a versatile exercise that primarily works your chest and shoulders, but with specific adjustments, they can powerfully engage your triceps. The key is to alter the angle and position of your body, ensuring the triceps do most of the lifting work.
Key Techniques for Triceps Focus
Here's how to modify your push-ups to hit your triceps, drawing from the advice of the YouTube video "How to Target TRICEPS On The Pushup":
- Hand Placement: Position your hands closer together, approximately shoulder-width apart or even closer. This narrows the base of support and forces your triceps to work harder to push your body up.
- Elbow Positioning: Keep your elbows tucked in close to your body throughout the exercise. Avoid letting them flare out to the sides. Flared elbows shift the focus to your chest.
- Downward Movement: Instead of pushing straight down, think about moving your chest towards your hands and slightly backward. This subtle movement engages the triceps more effectively.
Step-by-Step Guide to Triceps Push-Ups
| Step | Action | Triceps Engagement |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Starting Position | Place your hands closer than shoulder width, fingers pointing forward | Minimal engagement |
| 2. Lowering Down | Lower your body towards your hands, moving your chest down and back. Keep elbows tucked. | Triceps begin to engage |
| 3. Pushing Up | Push back up to the starting position, keeping elbows close and focus on the tricep movement. | Maximum engagement |
Benefits of Triceps Focused Push-Ups
- Increased Muscle Activation Triceps focused push-ups ensure that the triceps are doing most of the work.
- Improved Strength and Endurance Consistent triceps push-ups improve triceps strength and muscle endurance.
- Better Arm Definition Over time, targeting your triceps with push-ups can lead to better definition and shape in your arms.
Example
The video mentions "coming down and back a little," which highlights the subtle rearward motion as you descend, crucial for emphasizing triceps activation. You should feel the focus on the triceps, not the chest as you push back up to the starting position.
By incorporating these techniques, you can transform standard push-ups into a potent exercise for developing your triceps strength and size.
