Lack of training or an inadequate exercise routine, a poorly nutritious diet, few hours of rest and, in general, unhealthy daily habits without a correct focus on improving our health can lead us little by little to a deterioration in our physical condition and, consequently, also promote an imbalance in our mood. As we already know, healthy men in healthy body; the desired balance.
As time goes by, no one can ignore the fact that everything becomes a little more complex and it becomes more difficult for us to keep our muscles strong and well-toned, as well as our tissues elastic and “in place”. Aging is a natural process, but aging in good health, feeling strong and able to perform daily tasks is what most of us aspire to.
The direct consequence of putting aside laziness and creating a daily exercise routine – accompanied by a good nutritional plan and other healthy habits – will be to look more toned. Physical exercise rejuvenates: it contributes to the production of collagen, which helps to partially reduce existing wrinkles and prevent their appearance. It gives elasticity to the tissues that surround our muscles. And yes, it can also delay the appearance of the sometimes dreaded “bat wings” on the arms that form around our triceps.
It’s not just about moving more weight
The triceps is a muscle that is not always given the importance it deserves during training and which is precisely responsible for giving shape and volume to the arm. It is located behind the biceps (a two-headed muscle, compared to three for the triceps).
To strengthen it, we need movements that can stimulate these three muscle heads and the key is not in the kilos you are able to lift. More weight does not always translate into the stimulus we need in each case.
Having the help of a monitor or personal trainer is essential to make a good choice of the exercises that we should include in our routines to improve each muscle group. However, we tell you that one of the most effective methods to keep the tissues of our arms firm and our triceps strong is very simple to perform and practically no equipment is needed, so you can do it in the gym, but also at home. and even in a period of disconnection and active rest during the work day or during a walk in a park.
We are talking about the dips triceps, also called “dips”. To put it into practice, we only need our arms and a stable surface that serves as a support point to perform the movement: it can be the floor, a box, a bench or rings or parallel bars. We will work strictly with our body weight, and although depending on the modality we choose it may present a little more difficulty, with practice it is an easy movement to master and with many benefits.
Tones triceps, core, chest and shoulders
Dips are also a good exercise to tone the core, chest and shoulders. The simplest versions would start with those performed on the floor, on a simple step, on a low chair or on a weight bench. In gymnastics and CrossFit, they are usually performed on rings or parallel bars. As we gain strength and speed, we can add difficulty to the exercise.
We explain how to perform this movement:
- The first thing we must do is to decide on what basis we choose to constitute the funds. It can be, as we have already said, even a step or a seat. We will stand with our backs to it and place our palms on said surface (with our fingers facing forward), with our arms bent, our back straight and our legs more or less stretched.
- In this position, we will extend our elbows, lifting the entire weight of our body. We will add more difficulty and resistance as our legs are stretched. To begin with, if you have difficulty, you can keep your legs bent and as close as possible to your buttocks.
- The trunk must be as tense and straight as possible, and our trunk activated. You must keep your shoulders away from your ears, in this way we will avoid overloading the cervical area. It is important to be focused, pay attention to our breathing and be aware of the parts of the body that we must keep activated without blocking them and facilitating fluid and efficient movements.
We offer you some options to make variations as you see fit:
- Once we have mastered this version of the funds, we can add weight and difficulty. One option, for example, is to put weight on our hips. Some discs with more or less kilos, dumbbells or kettlebells. If we do not have this equipment at hand, heavy books, for example, or a backpack loaded with dried vegetables will do. Each stone makes a wall.
- In a gym or outdoor gymnastics park – they are increasingly found in parks and gardens – triceps dips can be performed on rings or parallel bars. To perform the movement on parallel bars, you will already need to have some strength. To do this, you need to grab the bars with both hands and stand up until your arms are fully extended. You must keep your body upright and then bend your elbows until your arms are at a 90-degree angle.
- The rings can be an intermediate step between the dips on the floor or on the bench and the parallel dips. We are talking about suspended sports gymnastics rings or Swedish gymnastics. To perform it we will also need strength and stability, which implies greater muscle activation. The way to perform the movement is similar to that of the parallel bars but hanging on the rings.
