The tricep muscle has three heads or parts to it- the very back, the outer side and the inner side. And believe it or not these parts of the muscle are actually there somewhere. The triceps can be a funny muscle to connect to but if you can try to contract it without contracting other muscles you will be on your way to working it properly.
The lying dumbbell press is a great arm exercise for women. Not only do you get to lay down, but this exercise will truly make you feel the tricep muscle if you haven't felt it for a while!
Firstly take two light dumbells and lay down on a good gym bench with you feet up. Next hold the dumbells either side of your ears and position your elbows pointing to the ceiling. The position of the elbows is a vital factor in doing this exercise correctly. They must be pointing upward to the ceiling and kept in alignment with your shoulders, as well as very still. Once you have this position, keep it there. Do not let the elbows fall outwards or move down toward your feet. The position of the elbows (straight up to the ceiling) will act as an anchor or a hinge so that the dumbells held next to your ears can be lifted upward toward the ceiling.
Lift the dumbells next to your ears upward and extend to straighten your arms and contract the triceps. Make sure you squeeze the tricep muscles when you extend the arms, and by about 8 repetitions you should start to feel the muscles of the tricep.
You should feel this exercise very much the next day so don't overdo it to start with. Also, take care not to knock your head with the dumbells while concentrating on the elbows. Do three sets of 10-15 reps 3-4 times a week and you will start to feel and see your arms taking shape within a couple of months. It is recommended that you do this exercise in conjunction with the bicep dumbbell curl exercise so that you can give your arms a total workout.
