Out of the many options, can you name the best triceps exercise?
Walk into any gym and you have a multitude of choice nowadays. From pushdowns to close-grip push ups, skull crushers to dips.
If you pushed most people on their answer, many would opt for the often used rope pushdown as the true king. It's ability to zone in and create an extreme burn in the arms is truly uncanny.
However, the latest scientific research disagrees with all 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.
No mistake was made.
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.
Despite losing the popularity contest by a long shot, kickbacks turned the tables when it came to actual productivity. In a direct comparison against pushdowns, they activated over 50% more muscle fibers in the lateral head of the triceps, making the the ideal choice for any bodybuilder looking to pack size on to their arms.
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.
Dumbbell kickbacks are now proven to be the best triceps exercise.
Walk into any gym and you have a multitude of choice nowadays. From pushdowns to close-grip push ups, skull crushers to dips.
If you pushed most people on their answer, many would opt for the often used rope pushdown as the true king. It's ability to zone in and create an extreme burn in the arms is truly uncanny.
However, the latest scientific research disagrees with all 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.
No mistake was made.
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.
Despite losing the popularity contest by a long shot, kickbacks turned the tables when it came to actual productivity. In a direct comparison against pushdowns, they activated over 50% more muscle fibers in the lateral head of the triceps, making the the ideal choice for any bodybuilder looking to pack size on to their arms.
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.
Dumbbell kickbacks are now proven to be the best triceps exercise.
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