Fit Quickies #3: Triceps Triple Play from Lani Muelrath on Vimeo.

The triceps are THE muscle most responsible for the shape of your arms. As a matter of fact, the triceps are the all stars when it comes to shaping your arms.

Image courtesy Fit Quickies: 5 Minute Targeted Body Shaping Workouts

The triceps are often overlooked in exercise training as we tend to defer to the biceps, the muscles on the front of the upper arm. Maybe it’s because we see them more, as we lead with the biceps – the triceps following. But make no mistake, the triceps takes the lead when it comes to giving your arms superb strength and beautiful shape.  No wonder this particular Fit Quickie was such a hit recently on ABC -TV show The List and  Good Day Sacramento on CBS.

Minimally worked in our daily lives – unless you are kneading bread or doing some other activity that requires you to push against resistance – the triceps is so named because of its quality of having 3 different heads. All 3 have their origin at different points in the arm or scapula, and join together to insert. Together, these 3 play supporting roles in extending the elbow, extending the upper arm in a posterior direction, and pulling your arm in toward the side of your body. To most effectively strengthen and shape the triceps, all 3 of these actions must be addressed.

Lucky for us, the triceps are  easy to target with this exercise from the best-selling collection in Fit Quickies: 5 Minute Targeted Body-Shaping Workouts. In this video version, in which I take you through the practice of the Triceps Triple Play,  note that all 3 functions of the triceps are challenged, and that setup and form are key in maximizing the effects of the exercise. That means shoulders square, the body anchored by engaging the muscles of the abdomen and firmly anchoring the shoulder blades and the ribcage in back, the neck held in proper anatomical alignment.

Form trumps repetitions every time, so complete only as many repetitions as you can with strict exercise form. Stop as need to rest and regain form before resuming repetitions. And when form is spot on, you may not even need dumbbells to get started – if it seems easy, then I can just about guarantee that you aren’t lined up right and straightening that arm all the way.

If you want to restore actual shape the triceps, then targeting this muscle with isolation and overload – as you will in Fit Quickie #3, ‘Triceps Triple Play’ – was made just for you.  Practice Triceps Triple Play 3 – 4 times a week and watch those arms change.  Complete instructions for setup and alignment start on page 57 in Fit Quickies:  5 Minute Targeted Body-Shaping Workouts.