If you are looking for information on the seated tricep press, then you have come to the right place. When it comes to building big pecs, many people make a lot of promises, but none of them ever live up to those expectations.
Most people do not make big pec muscles because they try to execute every routine the same way, and this usually means that their bodies get programmed to perform the same movements. This will not happen if you are willing to take some time and properly execute this exercise.
What is a seated tricep press?
The seated tricep press has long been known as one of the best compound exercises out there for the triceps, chest, back and shoulders. The tricep press works out the back, upper pectorals, deltoids, triceps, chest and shoulder, to name a few. The seated lower chest press targets the lower back, the shoulders and upper pectorals. The standing version of the seated tricep presses also work out the back, upper deltoids, triceps, chest and shoulder, to name a few.
The reason it’s become such a popular exercise is that you can target a larger number of muscles in a single movement. This makes the exercise much more efficient and stress relieving. The large arms will provide extra resistance during each repetition as the weight is continually pulled down, forcing your bigger muscle groups to work harder. When your arms are working so hard, they’re actually working against themselves to do their job. This helps to prevent fatigue from setting in and makes your triceps and other muscles last much longer.
The seated tricep press exercise requires a lot more control than other variations. Your arms need to be focused on moving the weight and not your hands. Your elbows must be locked and lowered to the side to avoid losing momentum as you pull the weight toward your body. This exercise works out the largest muscles in your arms and takes a tremendous amount of energy to do.
How to do a seated tricep press?
To begin, you need a bench, preferably one with back support.
Grab a dumbbell at one end thereof using both hands.
Next, place your arms straight out to your head, keeping your elbows slightly bent.
With the upper arms kept straight, moving only your forearms, lower the dumbbell slowly behind your neck and ensure that your biceps and forearms touch.
Make sure your grip is tight, but don’t lock your hands together at the same time. Just hold them slightly bent for a count of one and ready to rock upward on your starting position.
Next, bounce it back to your starting position. (As you can see, the tricep is being worked during each of these movements. The upper chest and forearms are also being worked during the motion, which results in a very effective exercise.)
Lower yourself again, and repeat the process as many times as you can.
What are the benefits of Seated tricep press?
1. Develop the core muscles and back
The benefits of sitting tricep press, as they say, can do many things for the body. It helps to develop the strength of the core muscles and back. It also helps to develop the endurance of the arms and shoulders. When you are in a triceps extension position, your shoulders can begin to lengthen. This, in turn, will help you to have better posture and improved balance and coordination.
2. Working out the whole arm
When you perform the seated tricep press exercise, you will be working out the whole arm, and more specifically, the biceps, triceps lateral, chest, traps, and forearms. As you contract these muscles, they will become stronger and more defined. In addition to this, when you sit properly in a chair, your spine will also be in line with your stomach. Your balance will be improved, and your muscular activity will become more efficient.
3. Build your upper body
Seated tricep press will help build up your upper body. If you sit with your legs straight and your chest down, your shoulders will naturally drop, and your chin will be tucked into your chest. This will automatically help to keep your shoulder blades tucked into your chest. Your chin will not even need to be kept up if you are doing an incline. When you hold the dumbbells parallel to the ground, it will help to balance your body and improve the motion. Your shoulder will naturally lower down when you look up, keeping your triceps, traps, and forearms in line with your chest.
4. Develop your midsection and lower back
This exercise will also help to develop your midsection, your lower back. It will help straighten the lumbar spine and straighten the thoracic spine, putting more power into delivering the weight that is being pushed upwards. Your upper body will also benefit from the increased upper body movement. You will get a better feel for the exercise when you are lying on your side, so try to lie on your back so that you are perpendicular to the ground.
5. Develop deltoids and triceps
The benefits of sitting tricep press can easily transfer into any regular bench press. You can also use these exercises to develop other parts of your upper body, such as your deltoids and triceps. Try pressing exercises for your chest, upper back, and lats after you have had a few sets on the flat bench press, and you should begin to see differences almost immediately. After a couple of weeks of this new movement style, you should start to see a dramatic increase in your muscle size, definition, and strength.
Variations of seated tricep press
1. Standard or classic press
First, let’s discuss the standard or classic press. Essentially, this is where your legs are behind your body, and your back is straight and slouched. With a dumbbell in each hand, bend your knees and push your upper body off the floor until it is only inches away from the floor. Make sure that your forearms are facing your front while your hands and arms are locked. Slowly lower yourself back down until your chest is only touching the bench, then repeat on the other side. Remember to keep your legs and back in constant motion throughout the movement.
2. Wide-legged variation
Second is the wide-legged variation. Similar to the standard, but this time you’ll be pushing your hips outward as you perform the movement. This will put a greater emphasis on your lower back and enable you to pull the bar with more force, as it will be exerted more forcefully through the leg. Your legs should move in conjunction with the movement of your upper body, and they should remain relatively in the same position relative to the bench throughout the entire exercise.
3. Closed-leg variation
Third is the closed-leg variation. As the name suggests, you will be doing the exercise with your legs closed. Your feet will be about chest level, and the barbell should be held behind your head. Bend your knees slightly, and as you raise the barbell to your shoulder width, bend your legs and let them slowly come up to meet the barbell at about waist height before returning to the starting position.
4. Standing variation
Fourth is the standing variation. To do this, simply extend your legs, and straighten your arms to perform a standing position. While keeping your legs straight, slowly lower the dumbbells to your chest in a controlled motion. Be sure to keep your lower back in a neutral position throughout the movement. This may require the use of a wrist collar to prevent your hands from slipping back to your sides.
By doing these four exercises, you’ll have a completely unique set of upper body workouts. These four exercises are very effective for building muscle and improving the strength of your arms.
I highly recommend using these four exercises in addition to other compound movements, such as the bench press. Building muscle with variations of the seated tricep press will help you achieve the results you want faster and in less time. So don’t leave your body workout goals until the last minute.
What muscles does the seated tricep press work?
There are three main muscles used in this exercise: the pectorals, the deltoids, and the triceps. These three muscles are important to your success in pressing exercises. However, many people neglect these muscles and do not use them correctly, resulting in a lot of frustration for you.
The first thing you need to know is that the seated tricep press exercise works these three muscles because they are attached to the upper part of your arms. What happens is when you perform the exercise, your front deltoids will move up towards your chest, and your shoulders will move forward.
This is due to the lower part of your arm is higher than your chest and shoulder blades touching the bench. You want to make sure that you keep your elbows in as you curl up and do this exercise correctly, and you want to make sure that your feet are apart at a width of about 2 inches from each other.
Now what if someone who may not know very much about these exercises?
I assure you that the answer to the question is that the tricep press exercise is very effective.
What happens is that as your body is lifting the weight to perform the curl, it is working the muscles in your chest and back area and that in turn will help you achieve a stronger core than you may have thought was possible. You can do these exercises whenever you want to, and they are a lot easier than you think.
I recommend that you find a good home gym that offers one on one instruction and that you stick with that to get the most out of this exercise.
How to incorporate seated tricep press into your workout routine?
Now here comes the tricky part about how to integrate this exercise into your workout routine. Most people don’t like to make big movements with their muscles, so they end up cheating and doing small movements. This is why most people have trouble putting exercise into their routine. They try to cheat the first few times and then finally give up. The trick to making this exercise work for you is to start small and gradually increase the weights.
Another trick includes the idea of warming up. The big muscles that are being worked out by the exercise aren’t ready the minute they get hit. The warm-up will help them become ready for the heavy weights.
As a matter of fact, this exercise can help you work out twice a week. As soon as you finish a set, your body will need a short rest before starting another set. In order to work out, your muscles need an ample amount of time to recover. If you do not give them the time they need, they will not grow and develop properly.
Even though the seated exercise is not that hard to learn, you must always keep in mind that this is a highly specialized exercise that only elite trainers know about. For beginners, you may want to start with the basic hand weight and free weight exercises to get a feel for the exercise before moving on to the heavier machines.
Of course, when it comes to fitness machines, you must never compromise the safety of your workout routine. Thus, always use the proper equipment when you’re learning how to incorporate seated tricep press into your workout routine.
Mistakes you should avoid doing a seated tricep press
It’s time to get serious about your seated tricep press exercise. The reason you haven’t seen the results you want is that you’re making some mistakes. If you follow these five guidelines, you will see noticeable improvements in not only your triceps but your entire body.
1. Squeezing too hard
This will cause a strain on your pecs and can possibly result in a pinched nerve. The way I understand it, when you’re squeezing too hard, it forces the muscle behind the elbow (the biceps) to work even harder, which results in a weak exercise routine overall. Keep it short and intense.
2. Too much leg work
Most people don’t realize that legs have to be worked for big pecs. They should focus on getting their chest up and using their legs (especially the inner-quadriceps legs) to support their arms.
3. Overly focused on the tricep
Most guys only focused on the triceps and neglect their back. You need to realize that the back is just as important (if not more so) as the tricep. You can put all of your attention on your triceps, which will make it harder on the rest of your body.
4. Not finishing the exercise
Finish your tricep workout by lowering the dumbbell behind your head and return to your starting position. This will allow for maximum efficiency of the exercise.
5. Doing the seated tricep press the wrong way
Most guys do the seated tricep press the wrong way. They try to lift as many pounds as possible. The problem with this is that it puts a tremendous amount of stress on the back, shoulders, and forearms. If you’re going to be any good at putting on some mass, then you’re going to have to get it from the right places.
Also Read:
How To Do The Leg Press: An Advanced Guide
How To Do A Chest Press: The Complete Guide
Side Crunches: Things You Need To Know To Maximize Your Workout Effectiveness
How To Do The Vertical Leg Crunch For Stronger Abs And Core
Crossover Crunch: Things You Need To Know About The Crunches
Final thoughts
Seated tricep press is excellent for building up the big muscle groups in the back and shoulders and developing and maintaining a strong core. This exercise is also excellent for increasing shoulder stability and for eliminating clams and tendons.
Overall, this exercise is great because it does not require you to do extra weight, and it doesn’t have many complex movements involved. This makes it very easy for people who aren’t into extremely heavy exercise to get a solid workout without spending a lot of time at the gym.
Keep Reading The Treasure Tales