How To Do Tricep Kickbacks (with video)

When people head out to the gym, one of the main reasons they go is to build muscle. Well, when you think of big muscles, which body parts automatically spring to mind? It’s the arms isn’t it, let’s face it. If you’re looking to bulk up and add good quality lean muscle mass to your body, then one of the main things you’ll be looking for is a set of big arms, or “guns” as people like to call them.

People building muscle want to look great in a tight t-shirt or tank top, and they think that bicep exercises are the way to do this. This is actually a common mistake. Bicep exercises help build big biceps, but if your triceps are small, your arms will look small and puny. There are three different heads on the triceps, hence the name TRI-ceps. So working all three is a great way of building a set of big and muscular arms to be proud of. Tricep kickbacks are ideal for targeting all three heads of this muscle, but many people seem to neglect them. Here’s what you need to do to perform this exercise.

• Begin by standing just to the right of a weight bench, holding a light dumbbell in your right hand, making sure that your palm is facing inwards.
• Place your left knee and left hand directly onto the top of the bench.
• Next, slowly lean forward with your hips, so that your body is at a 45 degree to the floor.
• You’ll next need to bend your right elbow so that your arm is positioned parallel to the floor and your palm facing in.
• Make sure to keep your elbow positioned close to your chest. Pull in your abdominal muscles and slightly bend your knees.
• Making sure the upper part of your arm remains still, you’ll need to straighten out your arm behind you until one end of the dumbbell is now pointing directly at the floor.
• Slowly and carefully bend your arm so that the weight is lowered.
• Repeat this process for however many repetitions you’re intending on performing, aiming for higher reps rather than lower ones.
• Now, switch to the left arm, and do exactly the same thing, for exactly the same number of repetitions.
• Remember to not allow your elbow to completely lock at the top of the movement, ensure your wrists are straight, and make sure that your knees are relaxed and that your back isn’t arched.

Tricep kickbacks are ideal for really hitting all three heads of the tricep muscles at once, and although at first it will feel easy, after 10 or so reps, you’ll begin to feel the burn. Take a look at this video to see an example of how to perform this exercise.