3 exercises for toning your triceps

Your triceps are muscles for your upper body strength. By exercising yours you can help improve your arm and shoulder strength, as well as your range of motion.

Here are three top triceps exercises to tone your upper arms.  One option uses light weights. The other two only require your body weight but are more advanced.

Tricep extensions

Tricep extensions are often performed with light weights (1-3 lbs) but you can also choose to do them with no weights at all if tricep work is new for you. Start by hinging forward at your hips and looking down towards the floor so that your neck is in a neutral position.  Bend your arms at a 90-degreee angle, keeping your elbows close to your body.  Keeping your upper arm stable, push the weights behind you so that your arm is fully extended. Return to the 90-degreee position.

Tricep dips

You can perform tricep dips almost anywhere. All you need is a step, bench, or box.

To perform tricep dips, place your hands on the edge of a box, chair, or bench with your palms facing away from you and your fingers hanging off the edge.

Extend your legs straight in front of you (or keep them bent at 90 degrees to make the exercise easier). Slowly lower yourself down until your elbows are bent at 90 degrees. If you have limited shoulder or elbow mobility, lower yourself down to wherever you feel most comfortable to avoid pain or injuries. Use your triceps to push yourself back up to the starting position.

Diamond push-ups

Placing your hands in a triangular (diamond) shape while you do a push-up activates your triceps more than a standard push-up does.

You can try the diamond push-up variation by adopting a push-up position but with the tips of your fingers and thumbs touching one another when placed on the floor. It should form a square shape in between your hands (hence the name diamond). Perform push-ups as normal, making sure to achieve a full range of motion with every rep.