Bigger triceps in 5 minutes: short on time? Try our three-step training program for …

Men's Fitness, Sept, 2001

Nicely developed arms impart a sense of strength and authority--they're called "show" muscles for a reason. But if your program has consisted largely of biceps exercises, you have essentially developed only one-third of your arms. To build quality arms, you should emphasize the other two-thirds, the triceps. Sure, sure, you're thinking. But I don't have the time to add triceps training to my already congested schedule. That's why you should try this fast-growth five-minute workout, based on a training technique called "21s."

The core movement of triceps 21s is the overhead triceps extensions with a dumbbell, performed either seated or standing. Seated extensions encourage proper form by taking the lower body out of the movement. Standing encourages the use of a knee bounce to cheat the weight up, something you want to avoid. On the other hand, you'll be able to use more weight if you're standing. The recommendation is to vary the two approaches from one workout to the next. Each should take no more than five minutes and will give you that satisfying burn that signals growth is on the way.

THE WORKOUT

Perform four sets of 21s with a 30-second rest between each set. The first set is a warm-up set. Please note that each set of 21s comprises three segments: seven reps of full-range movements followed by two seven-rep segments of partial-rep variations.

1 Hold a dumbbell between both hands directly overhead, palms facing upward (1a). Keeping your elbows stationary and close to your head, lower the dumbbell behind your head until your triceps are fully stretched (1b). From here, slowly return to the starting position and repeat for seven repetitions.

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2 Without resting, lower the dumbbell behind your head until your triceps are again fully stretched (2a). From here, slowly return halfway to the starting position (2b). Lower the dumbbell to the fully stretched position and repeat for seven repetitions.

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3 Without resting, lower the dumbbell behind your head until your hands are halfway between fully stretched and fully extended (3a). From here, slowly return to the fully extended-overhead position (3b). Lower the dumbbell to the halfway-stretched position and repeat for seven repetitions.

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