can NOT for the life of my get my triceps to grow

**supraman** · 09-08-2012, 07:39 PM

I am getting so out of proportion - im starting to look silly. I can get every muscle to respond but triceps. When I start to do say like skull crushers my shoulders start to BURN (like the rotator cuff area). What is some great MASS building workouts

**kalspic** · 09-08-2012, 08:23 PM

weighted dips and weighted bench dips treated me well in the past, but not my shoulders. you could also do underhand grip pull downs

**MickeyKnox** · 09-08-2012, 08:30 PM

Originally Posted by supraman

I am getting so out of proportion - im starting to look silly. I can get every muscle to respond but triceps. When I start to do say like skull crushers my shoulders start to BURN (like the rotator cuff area). What is some great MASS building workouts

Originally Posted by kalspic

weighted dips and weighted bench dips treated me well in the past, but not my shoulders. you could also do underhand grip pull downs

if your shoulders are giving you the jimmys, then weighted dips will make you cry like a school girl. try cable pull downs and one arm tricep extension while lying down on the bench with your forearm across your chest. very little shoulder involved, if any, in that exercise.

**stpete** · 09-08-2012, 10:24 PM

Shoulders shouldn't come into play when doing skull crushers. Your elbows are to be stationary pointing up. But i have seen people swing the weight to the top of their head, and then shoulders would be involved, but that's the wrong way to do them. Tricep is supposed to do the work.
Try close grip flat bench bb. I have a shoulder issue but skull crushers doesn't put any strain on mine. Close grip, yes a little. Those and dips are the best i think.

**greenwell001** · 09-08-2012, 10:34 PM

I do chest and tri's together. This may sound dumb, I do three sets of dips to finish chest and move to tri's, do you guys count those sets towards chest or tri's? I have long arms and seems my tri's are small too compared to everything else. I want to start working them twice a week, but want good shoulder wo and really can't find time to fit it in.

**gearbox** · 09-08-2012, 10:46 PM

Originally Posted by greenwell001

I do chest and tri's together. This may sound dumb, I do three sets of dips to finish chest and move to tri's, do you guys count those sets towards chest or tri's? I have long arms and seems my tri's are small too compared to everything else. I want to start working them twice a week, but want good shoulder wo and really can't find time to fit it in.

Chest-
Its not about doing more, its about hitting the muscle right with proper form.
I do pull downs
Seated dips
Behind the head raises

I will alternate with bench to bench dips. Or seated chest press with close grips on a bar that u put across it

**MuscleInk** · 09-08-2012, 10:51 PM

Originally Posted by stpete

Shoulders shouldn't come into play when doing skull crushers. Your elbows are to be stationary pointing up. But i have seen people swing the weight to the top of their head, and then shoulders would be involved, but that's the wrong way to do them. Tricep is supposed to do the work.
Try close grip flat bench bb. I have a shoulder issue but skull crushers doesn't put any strain on mine. Close grip, yes a little. Those and dips are the best i think.

Stpete is correct. I watch so many people in the gym screw up their tricep routines simply because their form/technique is terrible. The number one problem is that people do NOT lock their shoulders when doing tricep exercises. Allowing the shoulders to move transfers the weight from the tricep and engages the deltoids or other muscles that shouldn't be doing the work. One reason this happens is because too much weight is being lifted and the shoulders are engaged to compensate for exceeding the load bearing capacity of the triceps.

My advice, regardless of the exercise you chose, and I have several favorite tricep exercises, keep the weight LOW so you can work on your form and technique. Increase the weight gradually until you feel the form "break". At that point you've exceeded your tricep load and should reduce the weight back to where your form was correct and the triceps were being fully activated during the full ROM for that exercise.

**scorpion62** · 09-09-2012, 07:41 AM

If you are doing skull crushers , try taking the Zbar pasted your head from this position push the bar out from your head in doing the it removes the shoulders from the exercise and the tris are doing all the work , start with 10 kg aside see how you feel , do around 15 reps then bring the bar back over your chest and do 15 reps keeping your elbows in tight , this will bring your tris on

**pasha** · 09-09-2012, 07:53 AM

Cable pull down are good, keep your arm firm to your body and work that tris..!! Skull crushers are great but very hard on your elbows... i have gotten injured twice from this exercise.. and know other people who have also.. but if your joints are not a problem with crushers then you are g2g. Triceps kickback are good... also triceps extension..

**951thompson** · 09-09-2012, 09:40 AM

Originally Posted by supraman

I am getting so out of proportion - im starting to look silly. I can get every muscle to respond but triceps. When I start to do say like skull crushers my shoulders start to BURN (like the rotator cuff area). What is some great MASS building workouts

Try this exercise in the link below, it's an advanced technique. Focus on the part where he tells you to stop the movement half way down, wow I tell you it feels really nice ( burns like crazy)

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ02QXFuWFc

**eazyduzit** · 09-10-2012, 01:02 AM

Dude for skulls your shoulders should be close in, and in the same spot as your forearms move up and down.

For me skulls have given me massive tris, along with rope pulldowns (Fkn burns) .. & there's a funky ass tri machine at my gym you go on your knees and a cable thing behind your head, your looking towards the floor and isolating your tris, makes me cry everytime but gives me awesome results, see if your gym has one

**baseline_9** · 09-10-2012, 01:16 AM

I do not believe in training biceps and triceps with big heavy compound movements (one exception being bench dips)....

I just don't see an advantage to it at all....

Push downs with a flat bar are a great exercise for isolating triceps and demolish them if you implement enough intensity....

Step back away from the machine about a yard..l this will increase the tension at the bottom of the movement.... Take a grip about 6 inches appart and pull with the triceps to a full lock.... Elbows locked, push bar onto your thighs almost like your using your lats... This will engage the long head of the tricep in the peak contraction.... Hold here for a whole second and then slowly return to the top.....

Form on tricep push downs is hard to explain on a forum..... I would need to get my hands on you to teach you how to move your body/ arms to create greater tension throughout the whole ROM.....

Push downs
Bench dips
Overhead extensions

It's pretty basic really but hit it hard and they will respond.... Maybe your training them too much, what's your weekly routine?

I also prefer a little more volume for arms actually (more total sets).... Higher reps also in the 12-20 range