For this edition of Blast from the Past, we're going back seven years to a day in 2010 when Dave trained triceps. In the video, Dave first demonstrates what he calls Triceps Hell and then explains the protocol.
For Dave's Triceps Hell, the set begins with a bar loaded to 275 pounds. With a close grip, Dave does five reps to the one-board and then holds the weight. The one-board is immediately replaced with a two-board and Dave does another five reps. This pattern continues up to the three-board, four-board, and five-board. After Dave has done five reps to each board, he goes back down the boards, doing another set at the four-board, three-board, two-board, and finally the one-board. The final count for his set looks like this:
- One-Board: 275x5
- Two-Board: 275x5
- Three-Board: 275x5
- Four-Board: 275x5
- Five-Board: 275x5
- Four-Board: 275x5
- Three-Board: 275x2
- Two-Board: 275x1
- One-Board: 275x1
That's 34 total reps with 275 pounds.
After his set, Dave explains Triceps Hell and says that typically for this exercise you wouldn't go back down the boards. The official protocol is simply to start at the one-board and work up to the five-board, and then the set is finished. But because Dave was feeling good during this particular session, he decided to go back down the boards as well, cutting the reps from five per board to doubles and then only a single on the final board.
WATCH: Blast from the Past — Dave Tate's Presentation at the 2006 Syracuse Strength Seminar
