Everybody has an opinion on the best triceps exercise.
With so much choice, it's easy to presume they are all as effective as each other. Pushdowns, bench press, lying extensions, they are all effective tools to use.
From the list above, most gym lovers opt for triceps pushdowns as the king for isolating their horseshoes. After all, it is truly a wicked exercise with many benefits.
But according to the latest science, there is one clear winner in this category and it is none of the above!
But if you follow bodybuilding, you will know that there is one move which was conveniently left off the list above. Triceps kickbacks. That's right, the one you usually leave until the end of your workout or, even worse, dismiss as an exercise intended for the girls. Surely there is some error.
Indeed, it is number one.
Interestingly, not only were they the most productive technique to use, they were head and shoulders above the competition!
In 2012, researchers from the University of South Carolina Upstate set out to discover the facts behind which exercise isolated the muscle more than any other. They compared several of the best known moves, putting subjects through an intense arm training routine and noting the key factors taking place inside the muscle.
The long head of the triceps increased muscular activity 20% over pushdowns, but the lateral head, which gives your arms more shape, was where the real magic happened. In a direct face-off versus the often hailed rope pushdown, kickbacks raised muscular activity by a shocking 50%!
All of this occurred despite the fact that subjects were lifting a significantly lighter load.
Sometimes, using a lighter resistance can pay dividends and that was the case in this particular study. With subjects training with light dumbbells on this exercise, they were able to focus on hitting the muscle without the distractions of a heavy load to control. All this made for fresh results.
So despite the fact that this exercise has long been relegated to the "if I have time" category on arm day, it is actually a hidden gem when it comes to packing on lean size and toning your arms in double quick time. You may have to dust off some old muscle magazines to see it performed, but the latest studies confirm it'll be worth your while.
Despite their lack of popularity, dumbbell and cable kickbacks have now been accepted as the best triceps exercise and are a very useful tool for anybody looking to tone up their arms.
With so much choice, it's easy to presume they are all as effective as each other. Pushdowns, bench press, lying extensions, they are all effective tools to use.
From the list above, most gym lovers opt for triceps pushdowns as the king for isolating their horseshoes. After all, it is truly a wicked exercise with many benefits.
But according to the latest science, there is one clear winner in this category and it is none of the above!
But if you follow bodybuilding, you will know that there is one move which was conveniently left off the list above. Triceps kickbacks. That's right, the one you usually leave until the end of your workout or, even worse, dismiss as an exercise intended for the girls. Surely there is some error.
Indeed, it is number one.
Interestingly, not only were they the most productive technique to use, they were head and shoulders above the competition!
In 2012, researchers from the University of South Carolina Upstate set out to discover the facts behind which exercise isolated the muscle more than any other. They compared several of the best known moves, putting subjects through an intense arm training routine and noting the key factors taking place inside the muscle.
The long head of the triceps increased muscular activity 20% over pushdowns, but the lateral head, which gives your arms more shape, was where the real magic happened. In a direct face-off versus the often hailed rope pushdown, kickbacks raised muscular activity by a shocking 50%!
All of this occurred despite the fact that subjects were lifting a significantly lighter load.
Sometimes, using a lighter resistance can pay dividends and that was the case in this particular study. With subjects training with light dumbbells on this exercise, they were able to focus on hitting the muscle without the distractions of a heavy load to control. All this made for fresh results.
So despite the fact that this exercise has long been relegated to the "if I have time" category on arm day, it is actually a hidden gem when it comes to packing on lean size and toning your arms in double quick time. You may have to dust off some old muscle magazines to see it performed, but the latest studies confirm it'll be worth your while.
Despite their lack of popularity, dumbbell and cable kickbacks have now been accepted as the best triceps exercise and are a very useful tool for anybody looking to tone up their arms.
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