July, 2014 – 3 Best Exercises to Cut Upper Arm Flab

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Study Finds 3 Best Exercises to Cut Upper Arm Flab & Strengthen Tricepts

By Editor of HelpingYouCare.com, Originally posted Nov., 2013

Best Tricepts Exercises - Triangle Push-UpsA study conducted by scientists at the University of Wisconsin has isolated the three most effective tricepts exercises – which are most effective in eliminating upper arm flab.

The study was sponsored by the American Council on Exercise (ACE), a non-profit organization that fashions itself as “the Nation’s Workout Watchdog.”

The study, conducted by John Porcari, Ph.D. and Brittany Boehler, B.S., and colleagues, from the University of Wisconsin/ La Crosse Exercise and Health Program, examined eight of the most common upper arm exercises prescribed by trainers:

  • Triangle Push-Ups
  • Triceps Kickbacks,
  • Dips
  • Overhead Triceps Extensions,
  • Bar Push-downs,
  • Rope Push-downs,
  • Closed-grip Bench Press and
  • Lying Barbell Triceps Extensions.

Test Method

The study included 15 healthy female participants, ages 20 to 24, recruited from the local La Crosse community. All of the participants had prior weight-training experience, to ensure proper exercise technique and limit potential for injuries.

After abstaining from weight training for 48 hours, the participants initially were tested to determine each participant’s “one-repetition max (1 RM) for each of the following exercises: triceps kickbacks, overhead triceps extensions, bar push-downs, rope push-downs, closed-grip bench press and lying barbell triceps extensions. Dips and triangle push-ups were excluded during this first round since both of those exercises use body weight as resistance instead of weights, making the 1RM test inappropriate.”

After “one-repetition max (1 RM)” was determined for each subject, the women returned for a second day of testing.

Following is ACE’s description of the testing method then applied:

“Researchers applied two sets of electromyographic (EMG) electrodes on the long and lateral heads of each subject’s triceps brachii (the back of the upper arm) to record real-time muscle activity. To set a baseline for EMG comparison, subjects first performed a pair of maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVIC) for the triceps muscle. They then completed one set of seven repetitions of each of the eight different exercises. The exercises were completed in random order with a five-minute rest between each exercise to insure proper muscle recovery. Subjects lifted 70 percent of their previously determined 1 RM for the bulk of exercises; body weight was used for the dips and triangle push-ups. The EMG data from each exercise was recorded and presented as a percentage of the highest EMG readings obtained during the two MVIC trials.”

The Results

Best Tricepts Exercises - Triangle Push-UpsTriangle Push-ups are Best Upper Arm Best Exercise. Based on an analysis of the EMG data gathered by the above tests, the researchers determined that “muscle activity was greatest while subjects performed the triangle push-ups, which made it the gold standard of triceps exercises,” according to an ACE Report on the research.

The extent of muscle activity found in the tricepts muscle indicates the effectiveness of the exercise in strengthening the muscle and burning off upper flab, the ACE report explains.

“All across the board, the triangle push-ups elicited the most muscle activity in our subjects,” said the study’s co-author Brittany Boehler, B.S.

3rd Best Tricepts Exercises - DipsTriceps Kickbacks and Dips are Second and Third Most Effective Upper Arm Exercises. “The dips and triceps kickbacks weren’t that far behind either,” co-author Brittany Boehler said.

2nd Best Tricepts Exercises - Tricepts Kickbacks“Essentially, all three exercises could be used interchangeably,” she concluded.

“Because the triangle push-ups elicited the highest average EMG activity, data for the remaining seven exercises were then represented as a percentage of the EMG activity of the triangle push-up,” the ACE Report explains.

The following table from the Research Report presents these findings…Read on by visiting HelpingYouCare.com.

Copyright © 2014 Care-Help LLC, publisher of HelpingYouCare®. Reprinted on AroundWellington.com by permission of the author and the publisher, Care-Help LLC.