Building Muscle

A variation of leg pushdown where the user flexes the elbows at the same time as pressing down with their hands:

Pushups performed on a pulley machine with an appropriate grip attachment— such as a rope or straight bar — are a great way to target the outer and medial head of your triceps. This exercise improves triceps extension, which increases the overall intensity of your workout. When performing this exercise, ensure your hands are in an overhead position to maximize the extension of your arm. 

Don't rest the weight against the stack before starting the next rep, and don't take breaks between reps. Instead, keep your arms close to your sides as you squeeze your triceps muscles during each repetition. This keeps you working your muscles to their limits— and it will feel like pain.

Perform triceps dips to build more muscle on the back of the upper arms:

Triceps dips can be performed with a bench, chair, or parallel bars. Position yourself so your hands are placed flat and firm but slightly to the side of your body. Next, pull your elbows in close to the sides of your body. When first practicing, maintain the proper starting position by keeping your arms straight but not locked. In this position, your legs should be extended straight in front of you. 

If you're new to the movement, slightly bend your knees. As a more challenging option, you can place your feet or the edge of your heel on an elevated piece such as a bench, block, or chair. Place your arms securely on the bench to keep your upper body in place. 

Lower yourself until your buttocks rest on the surface; then, press upward to complete another rep. Complete 3 additional reps, pausing at the bottom for a few beats longer than usual to intensify the burn.

Bench Press With Lying Triceps Extension, or Bending Over With Straightening Triceps Extension:

During this lying extension, use a weighted barbell or curl bar to perform the exercise on your back. It's recommended to find a suitable location for performing this exercise to avoid damaging the face. 

Once you grasp the bar or weight in your hand in a fist facing toward you, slowly lower yourself down until flat on the bench. Pull your elbows in close to your ears while maintaining as much arm strength as possible. Tautly hold the barbell at eye level while lowering it toward your forehead. 

Avoid actually making contact with your forehead while completing this portion of the movement. Re-insert the bar into its initial position once finished. Then, repeat sets until the final rep. Afterward, push the bar back up to its starting position with a strong pumping motion.

More Notes:

For each weighted exercise, use a weight you can comfortably bear without sacrificing form, and perform three to five sets of 10 to 15 repetitions. Rest between exercises, but not between repetitions. Maximize muscle building by eating a protein and carbohydrate snack at least two hours before and two hours after your workout. This is to ensure muscle recovery and thus promote muscle growth.