The triceps are the big muscles on the back of the upper arms. They move the elbow, the shoulder, and the forearm. Working out your triceps is an integral part of any strength training routine because it helps you build strength in your upper body. In addition, strong triceps help keep your shoulder joint stable, which is vital for everyday tasks and sports like tennis, volleyball, and basketball. One of the best exercises for isolating the triceps is the cable tricep kickback. The cable tricep kickback is for you if you want to make your upper body stronger, bigger, and look better.
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Muscles Used in Tricep Kickback Exercises with a Cable
The triceps are essential to building strength in your upper body and helping you move your shoulders and elbows. Strengthening your triceps makes your shoulders and arms more stable, improves your flexibility, and gives you a wider range of motion.
Eventually, stronger triceps keep you from getting hurt and make it easier to use your upper body in everyday tasks and sports that use the upper body, like swimming, rowing, and boxing. Strong triceps also help with weightlifting moves like the bench press and the overhead press.
It’s best to start early and keep your body in good shape, but as you age, you must focus on building your upper body strength. Getting stronger muscles helps keep bones healthy and strong, which can help treat and prevent osteoporosis.
It can also help with arthritis pain by reducing swelling, pain, and bone loss while strengthening and lubricating joints.
MAIN MUSCLE GROUP
Since it’s called a “tricep kickback,” it’s no surprise that it mainly works your triceps muscle which has three “heads” make up the triceps muscle: the long head, the medial head, and the lateral head. Although all three heads of the triceps are engaged during a cable tricep kickback, the lateral head is given extra attention.
SECONDARY MUSCLES
Even though the cable tricep kickback is an exercise that works only with your triceps, it also works with a few other muscle groups. Your back deltoids and other middle and upper back muscles tighten to keep your upper body stable. During the exercise motion, your core muscles also work to support your waistline while you are bent over.
Tricep Kickback Techniques
Start by warming up for 5-10 minutes to reduce the risk of injury and increase the effectiveness of the exercises, which can be done by walking, stretching, or jumping jacks.
Make sure you use the correct form to work the muscles well and safely. To make these exercises harder, keep the triceps in the top position for an extra one to two seconds. Most of the time, dumbbells do kickbacks for the triceps.
Using dumbbells
This move teaches you how to work on your triceps. Choose a weight that is a little hard but light enough that you can do all the sets correctly and without straining.
Start with 5 to 10-pound dumbbells and gradually add more weight as you get stronger. If you don’t have any weights, you can use soup cans or bottles of water as a substitute. You can also stand or kneel in a split stance and do this exercise one arm at a time.
To do so, follow these steps:
- With your knees slightly bent, grab a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing into one another.
- Tighten your core and keep your back straight as you bend forward at the waist, almost bringing your torso parallel to the floor.
- Pull your chin in slightly and keep your upper arms close to your body. Keep your head in parallel with your spine.
- As you let your breath out, straighten your elbows to work your triceps.
- Don’t move your upper arms. Instead, only move your forearms.
- Take a break here, and then breathe out to move the weights back up to the starting.
- Perform 2–3 sets of 10–15 repetitions.
Using cables
A low pulley cable machine helps regulate movement. Use a single-grip handle. No elbow movement! To do so, follow these steps:
- Face a low pulley-cable machine.
- Lean slightly forward at the waist until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor.
- Use your core and maintain a straight line from your head to your lower back.
- Lean on your thigh.
- As you let your breath out, tighten your triceps and slowly move your arm back as far as you can while keeping it close to your side.
- Take a break here, and breathe as you bring your arm starting position.
- Perform 2–3 sets of 10–15 repetitions.
Tricep Kickbacks benefits
- It’s flexible because you can change it to fit your fitness level. There are different ways to do this exercise with resistance bands, barbells, and cable machines.
- DB kickbacks help you build functional strength by making your arms and shoulders more flexible and stable.
- The tricep kickback workout is the best way to warm up for more difficult tricep exercises. For instance, you can do this and then move on to a diamond push-up, which will be easy.
- It gives you more movement and range of motion in your upper body, which helps you lift, swim, box, row, and do other pushing activities more effectively.
- A dumbbell kickback is a great way to tone and shape the arms. It works the medial, long, and lateral heads of the triceps brachii muscle, making it one of the best isolation exercises.
- As you get older, you need more upper-body strength, so you should start building muscle when you’re young. In the long run, it will help your bones stay healthy and prevent osteoporosis-related problems.
- A tricep kickback workout can assist manage health concerns such as arthritis by reducing discomfort and symptoms.
- The tricep cable kickback is strong. Strong triceps help with bench presses with a barbell, chest dips, and other exercises. Getting stronger triceps will help you do better at the gym.
- Cable tricep kickback is an isolation exercise. Kickbacks work only the triceps and don’t work any other muscles. Workouts that focus on isolating the triceps are good for bodybuilders, athletes, and anyone who wants to focus on their triceps.
- Focusing on contracting your muscles rather than aimlessly moving your body throughout an exercise is what the mind-muscle connection is all about. The cable tricep kickback works one tricep at a time, improving mind-muscle connection and making the triceps bigger.
Mistakes with Cable Tricep Kickback
- Many bodybuilders flare their elbows when doing the cable tricep kickback. When you let your elbow bend out, you put stress on your back delts. You want to focus on your triceps, so you should train your shoulders. Fix this mistake by tucking in your elbow.
- Letting your elbow wander is another thing that can cause cable tricep kickback. Most people swing their arms away from their bodies to pull the cord backies. This mistake relieves tension in the triceps. Instead, put down the weight and keep your elbow still. Only your forearm moves when you work out.
- The cable tricep kickback is hard on the spine because it causes the back to round. To securely focus on the triceps, it is essential to maintain a stable base of support by keeping your feet and core engaged with your back flat.
What Precautions Should You Take If You Have Tricep Kickbacks?
Follow these precautions to avoid injury when executing cable or dumbbell kickbacks:
- For at least 5 to 10 minutes, begin each session with a warm-up and end it with a cool-down exercise.
- Throughout the workout, practice proper inhaling and exhalation techniques.
- If you are starting in the gym, it is recommended that you have a trainer watch you while you do the dumbbell triceps kickbacks.
- If you’re still learning to do it properly, start with the lightest weight.
- Do not exercise if you have a shoulder, back, or neck injury.
- Make sure that your movements are smooth, controlled, and consistent. No matter what, you should never move in a rough or jerky way.
- If you experience discomfort or pain throughout your workout, stop immediately and let your body self-heal and repair. A reasonable healing period will last between 5 and 7 days.
Variations in Cable Tricep Kickback
1. TRICEP KICKBACKS FROM DUMBBELL
The most frequent kickback variation is dumbbell tricep kickbacks. Start by putting your palms together on a pair of dumbbells. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-distance apart. Hinge at the waist while keeping your spine straight until your back is parallel to the floor. Close your eyes and hold the dumbbells closer to your chest. Bend your arms to where your elbow and forearm meet at a 90-degree angle. Maintaining a fixed elbow posture, extend your arms behind you as far as possible while contracting your triceps. At the top of the repetition, squeeze your triceps, rest for a second, and then return slowly to the beginning position.
2. KICKBACKS WITH THE RESISTANCE BAND
Tricep kickbacks can also be done using a resistance band. To begin, hold the band’s handles with your palms facing you. Next, take a step back with the other with one foot on the resistance band. Next, hinge at the waist while keeping your back straight so that your back is virtually parallel to the ground. Next, straighten your arms by contacting your triceps and pressing the handles backward. At the top of each rep, squeeze your triceps and slowly return to the beginning position.
3. KETTLEBELL KICKBACKS WITH ONE ARM
you can still use handheld weights to strengthen your triceps unilaterally. Begin by holding the kettlebell with your hand facing inward. Next, lean at the waist while keeping your spine straight until your back is parallel to the ground. Close your eyes and bring the kettlebell to your chest. Then, in the same manner as the cable tricep kickback, finish the kickback.
Alternatives to Cable Tricep Kickback
If you liked the cable tricep kickback, try these other tricep exercises to strengthen your upper body:
1. TRICEP PUSHDOWN WITH A ROPE:
Face a pulley machine with a rope, v-bar, or straight bar hanging at chest level. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart. Hold the rope with your palms together towards the butt end. If using a bar, make sure your palms are facing down. To start the exercise, ensure your chest is up, your shoulder blades are together, and you have a slight forward bend. Next, squeeze your elbows against your sides and lower the attachment until your arms are fully stretched. Stop at the bottom of the rep and flex your triceps to get the most out of the exercise. Then, slowly let go of the weight and return to where you started.
2. Skull Crushers Using Barbells
Get flat on your back on the floor or a bench, and rest your feet on the floor. Maintain an overhand grip on the barbell with your hands roughly shoulder-width apart and above your chest. Use your center. With your elbows in a stable posture, hinge your elbows to lower the barbell over your forehead. By tightening your triceps, you can straighten your arms at the top.
3. OVERHEAD EXTENSION WITH A CLOSE GRIP
Stand up with your feet about the width of your shoulders apart. Hold the kettlebell so that your palms are facing each other. Place the heavier end in front of you and hold the object horizontally above your head. Lower the weight steadily until your forearms and elbows form a right angle. Keep your elbows tucked in and your arms close to your head. Your upper arms should stay still, but your forearms should be free to move. Next, using your triceps, slowly return the kettlebell to the top starting position.
In conclusion
Triceps kickbacks are easy yet highly efficient for developing your upper body and arm strength. If you do them regularly, they can help you in other physical activities. Keep a balanced workout routine that includes both strength training and cardio, as well as flexibility, stretching, and balance training. Build your strength slowly over time, but don’t go beyond your limit to avoid getting hurt. The most important thing is to enjoy your routine and make it a fun part of your life.
