Devising tri's: reinvent your arms with these clever upgrades to the typical triceps workout

INVENTION IS A WONDERFUL THING. Think for a moment of all the discoveries that make our lives easier. Bookmarks, for one--before bookmarks, you either had to finish a book in one sitting or start over next time you picked it up. Airports were virtual wastelands before someone conceived of planes. And bowling? Please! It was almost totally pointless until somebody had the bright idea to place pins at the end of the lanes.

It also pays to be inventive in the weight room. These three moves are designed to improve upon traditional triceps fare, allowing you to spend your gym time more wisely. The seated Smith-machine extension allows you to push more weight than a seated barbell or dumbbell extension. Lying rope french presses keep the tension on your tri's throughout the motion, compared to the regular EZ-bar french press. And medicine-ball push-ups add an element of difficulty that standard on-the-floor push-ups can't provide, giving you more muscle stimulation. All told, you'll be inventing a better set of guns for yourself in no time.

1 SEATED SMITH-MACHINE EXTENSION

HOW MANY? 4 sets; 15, 12, 10, 8 reps

1) START: Center a low-back bench within a Smith machine and grasp the bar behind your head with a palms-up grip.

2) MOVE: Unlatch the safeties, press forcefully to lift the bar straight up, then lower it behind your head as far as you can. Because the machine balances the weight for you, you should be able to go really heavy; pyramid up the pounds from set to set.

2 LYING ROPE FRENCH PRESS

HOW MANY? 3 sets; 12, 10, 8 reps

1) START: Place the end of a flat bench in front of a low-cable pulley with a rope attached. Lie back and take one end of the rope in each hand.

2) MOVE: From an elbows-bent position, extend your arms. At the top, your arms should be slightly angled back toward the apparatus, not straight up toward the ceiling. Throughout the move, keep your upper arms stationary and your palms facing each other.

3 CLOSE-GRIP MEDICINE-BALL PUSH-UP

HOW MANY? 3 sets; 10, 10, to failure

1) START: With your feet firmly on the floor, place both hands on the ball.

2) MOVE: From an arms-straight position, fully bend your elbows, then flex your triceps to press yourself back to the start. These should be harder for you than regular close-grip push-ups because you'll probably struggle to keep the ball steady as you rep.

BY MICHAEL BERG, NSCA-CPT

COPYRIGHT 2004 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group