11 Best Triceps Exercises and Workouts

All the credit goes to the biceps. Please understand that developing your biceps is essential to having larger, more powerful arms. However, your triceps comprise two thirds of the mass in your upper arm and extend all the way around the rear of your arm. That is a sizable portion of desirable land.

In light of this, we’ve compiled a list of the top 11 triceps workouts along with tips on how to use this muscle to enhance your bench press power and develop larger arms.

11 Best Triceps Exercises and Workouts


11 Best Triceps Exercises

  1. Close-Grip Bench Press
  2. Dip
  3. Triceps Pushdown
  4. Skull Crusher
  5. Floor Press
  6. Overhead Triceps Extension
  7. Standing Landmine Press
  8. Diamond Push-Up
  9. Push Press
  10. Cross-Body Cable Extension
  11. Cable Kickback

1. Close-Grip Bench Press

Equipment Required Bench press station, barbell, weight plates and wrist wraps
Muscles Worked Chest, triceps, shoulders
Sets & Reps 3 x 6-8

Using your hands shoulder-width apart, you will lift a bar in this compound triceps workout. Your triceps will be more heavily worked during this type of bench press. The close-grip bench press will not increase your weightlifting capacity, but it will build your triceps.

By using an arms-in form to work your triceps, you can relieve some of the strain on your shoulder joint. Increased muscular mass in your upper arms will immediately benefit the lockout, or upper part, of a standard bench press.

 

Method


  • Assume a position akin to a flat bench press, with your elbows tucked into your body and your hands placed inside shoulder width.
  • After removing the bar from the rack, hold it steady above your chest.
  • As the bar lowers to the chest, pull the elbows inward.
  • Once the weight has touched the chest, press through your palms and feel your triceps compress to raise it back up.




2. Dip

Equipment Needed Dip station, plyo box or chair, wrist wraps (optional), dip belt (optional)
Muscles Worked Triceps, chest, shoulders, core 
Sets & Reps 2 – 3 x 10

Your triceps will be worked more when you perform standard dips on a set of parallel bars as opposed to angled bars or rings because your arms will be tucked in rather than flared out. Since your shoulders are in a more neutral posture for the duration of the workout, they should also feel better.

Because the bars are closer together than angled dipping bars or rings, you’ll also feel more stable. Last but not least, we enjoy dips because you can perform them well using just your body weight. 

Method

  • As you hang, bend slightly forward and grab the parallel bars with your torso upright.
  • For support, keep your elbows nearly fully extended.
  • Bend at the elbows as you descend until the elbows are 90 degrees while keeping your chest high and your shoulder blades pressed together.
  • Repeat after pushing yourself up to your elbows’ maximum length.

3. Triceps Pushdown

Equipment Needed Adjustable cable station, attachment of choice
Muscles Worked Triceps
Sets & Reps 2 – 4 x 8 – 12

One excellent exercise to specifically target your triceps is the triceps pushdown. Grip a resistance band or cable pulley, step back to tighten the band, and then flex your triceps to push the object down to complete the pushdown. Since your triceps are the only muscles lifting the weight, you might focus more on them.

Because it totally isolates the muscle, the pushdown is among the finest tricep exercises for mass because it produces amazing pumps and lots of hypertrophy.

Method

  • Choose a high spot to secure the band or cables. With your torso facing the band, place your feet together and your elbows by your ribs.
  • Hips pointing slightly forward, back flat, and chest up are the proper positions.
  • Keeping the elbows slightly in front of the shoulders, grab the handles or band and fully extend your elbows to press them down.

4.Skull Crusher


Equipment Required Straight or cambered barbell, weight plates and flat bench
Muscles Worked Triceps
Sets & Reps 2–3×10 – 12

To stretch the triceps muscle, perform this variation of the triceps exercise by lowering a barbell, dumbbells, cable pulley, or kettlebells to your forehead.

With the skull crusher, you can isolate your triceps while also gaining the ability to lift more weight than you could with a pushdown. For this reason the skull crusher is an excellent free weight triceps exercise.

Method

  • To begin, place your hands on a weight (a barbell, dumbbells, or different cable attachments) while reclining back on a bench in the pressing posture. You should position up your hips and back exactly like you would for a bench press.
  • As you bend the elbow joint to lower the bar handle or loads towards your head, pull your elbows back slightly so that they point behind you rather than straight up.
  • The bar ought to come close to touching the forehead. Partially stretch your lats and triceps at the same time. Raise the bar once more.

5. Floor Press

Equipment Required Barbell, weight plates, squat and rack
Muscles Worked Triceps, shoulders, chest 
Sets & Reps 2 – 3 x 10 – 12

Powerlifters who need to improve their upper body often use this form of the bench press. You are restricting the range of motion in your arms when you press a barbell from the floor.


This implies that you can usually press greater weight, which results in a stronger triceps and bench press. If an injury prevents you from benching with full range of motion, or if all the benches are taken in a busy gym, the floor press is another good substitute. 


Method

  • Arms extended, lie down in front of a power rack. When adjusting the hooks to get the barbell to rest where your hands can reach, pay attention to where they finish.
  • Plant your feet firmly on the floor and crawl back under the now-loaded barbell.
  • Use the usual bench press grip to grab the bar. After removing the bar from the rack, bring the barbell down to your sternum. Maintain a 45-degree tucked-in elbow position. Return the pressure.

6. Overhead Triceps Extension

Equipment Needed Adjustable cable station, attachment of choice 
Muscles Worked Triceps
Sets & Reps 1–2×12–15 

Triceps extensions can be performed in a variety of ways, using various tools and body positions. When using a resistance band for overhead triceps extensions, the extra stretch on the band offers enough tension right away and only grows tougher as you extend your elbows.

This is a great workout to build muscle growth and lockout strength. Additionally, it’s one of the few long head triceps workouts available. You can substitute this exercise for your preferred cable triceps workout by using a cable.

Method

  • Move one foot forward until the band is under the midpoint of both feet, and then lift the band’s handles up behind your ears.
  • Maintaining your posture and tucking your elbows in, extend your elbows until lockout, then take a little break.
  • Return to the starting position slowly, then do it again.

 


7. Standing Landmine Press


Equipment Required Landmine attachment, barbell, and weight plates 
Muscles Worked Triceps, shoulders 
Sets & Reps 2–3×10–12

The standing landmine press can be quite helpful if you are unable to train your triceps without experiencing any pain. Its design improves scapular stability and control.

You should be able to train despite elbow or shoulder discomfort and yet complete a productive session with the grip and upper arm position.

 

Method


  • Maintain a hip-width distance between your feet and grasp the barbell’s end just in front of your shoulder. Get your lats and core strong, then hold the barbell firmly.
  • At the conclusion of the movement, extend your elbow and reach forward to push to lockout. Restart by lowering yourself gradually.

8. Diamond Push-Up


Equipment Needed Exercise mat (optional)
Muscles Worked Triceps, chest, shoulders
Sets & Reps 3 x 15 

Like the close-grip bench press, the diamond push-up concentrates more on the triceps. As you work your chest, shoulders, and triceps, you’ll experience enhanced core stability because of the narrower base of support.

Your triceps will enjoy it, even if you might not be able to perform as many repetitions as you would in a typical push-up. Diamond push-ups are another at-home triceps exercise that you can perform.

Method

  • It’s not essential to form a flawless diamond with your hands, but the goal is to keep your hands close together so you can concentrate on your triceps. Adjust it to the ideal hand position for you.
  • To maintain a neutral spine, regulate the push-up by maintaining a tight core and glutes.
  • Throughout the entire exercise, keep your elbows tucked in close to your rib cage without flaring.

9. Push Press


Equipment Needed Barbell, bumper plates, squat rack, wrist wraps (optional)
Muscles Used Triceps, upper back, shoulders, legs and core 
Sets & Reps 3 – 4 x 3 – 5 


You can use almost any pressing exercise as a triceps exercise if you put enough weight on the barbell. While overhead pressing is great for strengthening your upper body as a whole, your triceps might not be the only area limiting your performance.

The push press helps you apply a ton of mechanical tension to your triceps by using your leg drive to power through the first part of the lift, where your shoulders perform the majority of the work. Never have five rep sets felt so challenging.

Method

  • When you unrack a barbell from a squat rack, place it in the front rack position with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and a loose grip.
    Enter a half squat and descend just far enough to bring your knees up to meet your toes. 
  • Reverse the motion aggressively and forcefully push into the ground as though you were about to jump. 
  • After extending your entire lower body, tilt your head back and let the bar fly off your shoulders. 
  • Press with your arms as the bar goes over your head to lock it firmly in place overhead.

10. Cross-Body Cable Extension



Equipment Needed Adjustable cable station
Muscles Worked Triceps
Sets & Reps 2–3×12–15

Cables are your best buddy when it comes to triceps exercise. Although using free weights poses no inherent risk, many people find that performing high-intensity arm workouts such as the cable cross-body extension is more convenient and less taxing on the elbows.

Few exercises allow you to put as much stress to your triceps with as little weight, which is why bodybuilders really love this movement for its hypertrophic potential. Additionally, training each tricep separately during a simultaneous double-armed session has distinct advantages. By doing this, you avoid letting one arm take up the slack of the other and save time. 

Method

  1. Place your right hand over the left attachment and vice versa as you stand between two cable trees, holding each shoulder-height attachment in your opposite hand.

  2. To draw the plate stack up and give the cable some strain, take one or two steps backward. Make a “X” shape with your crossed forearms in front of your body.

  3. From this position, maintain your upper arms tucked to your sides or slightly behind your body, and extend your elbows.

11. Cable Kickback



Equipment Needed Adjustable cable station
Muscles Worked Triceps
Sets & Reps 2 x 15

The kickback is not the best workout for your triceps using dumbbells. The resistance curve’s irregularity—your repetitions are excessively light at the start and overly hard at the finish—is its biggest obstacle.

To fix this problem and turn an otherwise passable routine into a killer triceps exercise, work with cables instead of dumbbells. Use this to complete your next arm workout and see for yourself.

Method

  • Place the attachment in your palm and adjust the cable fixture so that it is about waist height. Brace yourself against the cable tree itself with your non-working arm.
  • Stagger your feet and tip over such that your body is about parallel to the floor.
  • Put your upper arm back against your body and tuck it in.
  • To extend your elbow, contract your triceps.


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