Strong arms are a prerequisite for performing almost every upper body movement. The triceps come into play every time you push something. Additionally, the triceps assist in the adduction and extension of the arm. Therefore it is important to train the triceps correctly. To help you do this, Hunter Labrada recently shared an important tip to get stronger and bigger triceps.
Labrada is an American professional bodybuilder that competes in the Open division of the IFBB Pro League. He last competed at the 2021 Olympia and finished fourth, leaving behind formidable opponents like Nick Walker and William Bonac. The 2020 Tampa Pro winner will attempt to improve his standing at the 2022 Olympia. The event will take place in Las Vegas, NV, from Dec. 15 to 18.
Labrada recently took to his YouTube channel and shared some important triceps-building tips as a part of his video series ‘Tuesday Tip’. In one of the previous videos, Labrada had revealed that he believed the cuffed crossover triceps extension is ‘the best’ tricep exercise. In this video, Labrada walked viewers through the ‘second best’ exercise for the triceps. Together, these two movements form ninety percent of Labrada’s triceps routine. So without further delay, let’s look at the Labrada scion’s second most favorite triceps exercise.
Hunter Labrada demonstrates an amazing triceps-building exercise
Full extension of the elbow joint at the top of the rep and the stability of the shoulder joint are the two most important factors for isolating the triceps. Overhead cross cable triceps extension fulfills both these requirements and helps achieve full triceps contraction.
While these things can be achieved with crossover cable triceps extensions as well, slight variations of angle and range of motion, etcetera help target different parts of the muscles. The overhead variation puts more emphasis on the long triceps head, making it worthwhile to incorporate into your routine. While speaking about the benefits of overhead crossover tricep extensions in this regard, Labrada said:
“This is a great way that really gives you a braced and stable way to do triceps exercise with your humerus in an elevated position. I am not going to say overhead because we are not really going overhead but definitely above 90 degrees.”
Instead of a handle or a rope attachment, Labrada uses cuffs for most of the triceps exercises. While explaining the reason for this, the 30-year-old said:
“The reason why I like to do it on the cuffs is the same reason I do most of my exercises on the cuff… It allows us to get a degree of joint alignment that we are unable to get doing it any other way. Especially if you are trying to do it with a rope or dumbbell overhead like that, it gives a really poor alignment, really poor lines of force.”
Hunter Labrada demonstrates the cuffed overhead cross-cable triceps extensions
After explaining the benefits, Labrada demonstrated a set of cuffed overhead cross-cable triceps extensions.
To perform this exercise, you have to:
- Take a seat between two cable stacks.
- The cable from the left stack is cuffed to the right palm from behind the neck.
- The cable from the right stack is cuffed to the left palm from behind the neck.
- Raise both arms so that the elbows are bent and are at shoulder height.
- Fully extend the elbows to get maximum triceps contraction.
- Bend the elbows to stretch the triceps.
“We are able to get really good alignment with those cables running right down the arms and we are able to get good flexion. I can’t bend my elbow any more. I can’t get any more angular if I wanted to. We are able to get out to full extension. We are also having a great resistance profile here.”
“The cable is about 90 degrees with my forearm when we are in full flexion (of the triceps), which means the resistance is the greatest here. As we extend and the cable gets closer to the arm, the resistance will drop off mechanically. So a good profile…” Hunter Labrada said.
With his vast inventory of techniques and bodybuilding knowledge, Labrada has made it to the top five in Olympia at a very young age. The Labrada scion will attempt to dethrone reigning Mr. Olympia champion Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay at the 2022 Olympia later this year in Las Vegas.
You can watch the full video below, courtesy of Hunter Labrada’s YouTube channel:
More Triceps Exercises:
- Best Triceps Exercises
- The Best Triceps Exercises According to Science
- 10 Best Medial Head Triceps Exercises
- 11 Cable Exercises for Bigger, More Sculpted Triceps
- French Press Exercise Guide, Workout and Alternatives
- Best Compound Triceps Exercises for Size and Strength
- 23 Dumbbell Triceps Exercises For Mass and Shape
- Long Head Triceps Exercises for Thicker, Stronger Arms
- Lateral Head Triceps Exercises for Bigger Arms
Find complete coverage of the 2022 Mr. Olympia, including pre-judging, event recaps, analysis, and final results at our Olympia coverage hub: FitnessVolt.com/olympia
Published: 21 September, 2022 | 2:11 PM EDT
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