THE BEST BODY-WEIGHT TRICEPS WORKOUT

We usually don’t recommend leaving your fitness to chance, but adeck of cards can liven up your routine and prov de a surprisingly well-tailored workout. Take a gamble on this approach and you’ll see your triceps grow.

HOW IT WORKS

All you need is your own body weight and a deck of cards. You’ll let the deck determine the number of reps you perform for the diamond pushup—the best pushup variation for targeting the triceps. It may seem random, but you’ll end up getting plenty of pushups done, and when you don’t have weights to apply a more strenuous load to your muscles, giving
them a high volume of work is the only way to induce enough muscle damage to result in growth. The remaining two exercises follow the same thinking, as you aim for 100 total reps on a tough triceps extension variant and go for as many as possible on dips.

DIRECTIONS 

Complete all the prescribed sets for one exercise before moving on to the next.  

1 DIAMOND PUSHUP W/CARDS

SETS: 3 REPS: SEE BELOW REST: SEE BELOW

Place a deck of cards on the floor and randomly select some to make three stacks of 10 each. Place the cards facedown. The numbers on the cards will be the number of reps you’ll perform—face cards count as 10, and aces may be wild but no less than 10. Flip a card in one pile and perform the number of reps it calls for. Rest 20 seconds and then flip another card. Continue until you’ve completed that stack and then rest two minutes. Repeat the process with the remaining two stacks. To perform the diamond pushup, get into pushup position with your hands close together so that your index fingers and thumbs touch and form a diamond shape. Keeping your abs braced and torso in line with your hips, lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor. 

2 TRICEPS EXTENSION

SETS: AS MANY AS NEEDED REPS: 100 TOTAL REST: 60 SEC.

Use an elevated surface that’s about waist height and can support your weight, such as a windowsill. Place your hands on it at shoulder width and let it support your weight, with your torso and hips in line and abs braced. Bend your elbows to lower your head beneath the object until you feel a stretch on your triceps. Now extend your elbows to come back up. Perform 100 total reps, taking as many sets as needed to hit that number.  

3 HALF DIP

SETS: 5 REPS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE REST: 60 SEC.

Place your palms on a bench or chair and extend your legs in front of you. Lower your body halfway to the floor and then extend your elbows to come up. Try to explode upward on each rep.