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The back of the arm is a spot that many of my clients wish to tone and tighten. Most of them have a less-than-flattering nickname for this area, like bat wings or arm flab. But the muscle that they are referring to is the tricep.
Strengthening and toning the triceps creates a balanced physique in the upper body and also, and more importantly, helps with shoulder stability, upper-body strength and even rotation of the arm. Having strong triceps can also help to stabilize the shoulder joint and assists with movements in the hand and forearm.
What are triceps?
The triceps are actually made up of three parts: the long head, the lateral head and the medial head. They’re the largest muscle group in the arm and run from the shoulder down to the elbow. The different heads help extend your elbow by moving the forearm away from the upper arm. They help to stabilize your shoulders when you lift things over your head and they help move your arms backward.
Dumbbell tricep exercises
Here are 12 dumbbell tricep exercises to tone and strengthen the back of the arm.
Tricep kickbacks
Stand with your feet hips-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold one weight in each hand and let your arms hang down at your sides. Hinge at the hips so that your chest is tilted down toward the ground. Hug your elbows into your sides and pull your elbows up into a row. From here, keep the elbows stationary and extend the forearms back into the tricep kickback. Come back to the row position and then repeat the kickback 10 times.
Alternating tricep kickbacks
Come into the same position as the tricep kickbacks above and repeat the same motion except with one arm at a time. Alternate right and left for a total of 10 repetitions to each side.
Renegade rows
Before you set up in a plank position, come on to all fours and place a dumbbell on either side of you, next to your…
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