How to do a Tricep Kickback with good form. Amazing tips & tricks.

While it’s likely that Cat Kom has a lot of “favorite exercises”, the tricep kickback is one she REALLY loves as a trainer because it’s one that just about anyone can do… and doing them properly will yield noticeable results (the ever coveted horseshoe cut). 

Of course, there are a few common mistakes that Cat wants to make sure you’re not making. So, let’s workshop this terrific toner!

Let’s start with your stance. You’ll see trainers with two feet shoulder-width, knees slightly bent. Sometimes you’ll see a “split-stance” with one leg bent in front with the other straight back. You may even do single-arm kickbacks while seated on the edge of a bench, or keeping one foot planted on the ground while placing the opposite hand and knee on the bench, hinging at the hip and keeping your back flat. Guess what: all these are a-ok… as long as you follow the rest of our tips.

Top Three Tricep Tips:

1. Keeping your back flat, push your bum back to hinge forward from the hip, not from your rib cage. Just imagine which of these looks more active and strong. That’s the right way!
2. Draw your elbows up to the sky, leading with your elbows while keeping the weights close to your hips. If you don’t draw your elbows up, you’re going to end up doing a bicep curl – also important, but we’re talking focus on the back of your arm with tricep kickbacks.
3. Extend the weights back with your elbows locked in place in space. If you keep moving your elbows up and down, you’re really doing a row, not a tricep kickback.  

Making the Most of the Muscle Growth:

Once you’ve mastered the basics, try some variation to maximize the impact:

• Try a hold and squeeze for a couple of seconds when your arms are in the lengthened (straight) position.
• Play with speed. Example: use a slow count to kick back, and then a quick release back, and/or reverse that.
• Play with range of motion. Try starting your kickback halfway up, go to full extension, and back to half. Then try starting at the full release, and only kick it back to that halfway point. Then do a full kickback. Just mix it up!
• Try pulsing with lighter weights. Following all the tips above, extend the weights out to full extension, palms facing the sky, and then do little mini pulses up and down with straight arms.

Like any sculpt exercise done well, control will be the name of the game to avoid injury and to get stronger. For those body-sculpting, fat-torching workouts that include a TON of tricep kickbacks, check out Studio SWEAt and Studio SWEAT onDemand!