10 Best Triceps Workout

The triceps brachii is a massive muscle group that occupies about 2/3 of the arm and has serious potential for hypertrophy and strength gains. In the article, we will find out which triceps exercises are the most effective and how to train this muscle in the gym properly.

Triceps Anatomy

Any triceps exercise somehow involves all three of its bundles:

• Lateral Head;
• Long Head;
• Medial Head.

The more you stretch the triceps – for example, when lowering the barbell or dumbbell during the French press, the more intense the long and medial bundles work.

If the exercise’s emphasis is on the constant contraction of the triceps, as in the bench press with a narrow grip, an extension of the arms on the upper block, or push-ups on the uneven bars, then the lateral triceps muscle will work harder.

1. French Press

One of the best exercises for gaining triceps muscle mass, although it is an isolating one.

Tips

The only, but tangible, minus is that the French bench press with a barbell is almost guaranteed to “kill” the elbows with large working weights (about over 50 kg). That is why either does it at the end of the workout, when the triceps are already full and you don’t need a lot of weight, or replace it with a dumbbell option, or do it while sitting.

In the classic version – lying with a barbell and lowering behind the head – the long head of the triceps is most loaded. If lowered to the forehead, the medial and lateral ones work.

How to Do:

1. Take your hands to the side of the head so that they are not perpendicular to the body, but at an angle. Due to this position, the moment of bending in the elbow joint increases, and the triceps receives more load.
2. From the top point, gently and under control bend your elbows, lowering the barbell behind your head. You can lower to the level of the bench or a little lower – as far as the mobility of the joints allows.
3. Extend your elbows as you lift the barbell to the starting position. Do not move your shoulders and do not tear your shoulder blades off the bench – this will include other muscles in the work and take away the load from the triceps.
4. During flexion and extension, do not move your elbows – they should remain approximately in the same place.

To reduce the load on the elbows, you can perform the same exercise with dumbbells:

Another good option is the seated barbell (dumbbell) french press. Here the technique is similar, only the arms do not need to be pulled back, perform flexion and extension from the vertical starting position of the arms.

2. Backward Push-Up Bench

Another basic exercise for the triceps muscle of the shoulder. Like almost the entire base for the triceps, it actively includes the muscles of the chest and the front bundle of deltas.

How to Do:

1. Place two elevations or benches in front of each other. Emphasize on one of the benches with your hands with your back to it, and on the other bench, emphasize with your feet at ankle level.
2. Rest your hands and hang the pelvis off the bench. The angle between the body and legs should be approximately 90 degrees. Keep your back straight.
3. As you inhale, bend your arms to a comfortable angle without bending your legs. You don’t need to go too low – there is an excessive load on the shoulder joint. lower yourself so that your elbows lower back straight back, do not spread them apart, keep them straight.
4. As you exhale, rise to the starting position by extending the elbow joint.

If it’s too easy for you, put a barbell weight plate on your thighs.

If you train in the gym, you can find a simulator that imitates this type of push-up:

3. Close Grip Bench Press

Basic triceps exercise. To a lesser extent, the chest and front deltas are involved.

How to Do:

Starting position:

• The barbell is at eye level, the buttocks and shoulder blades touch the bench, the backbend is performed if it is convenient, and this way the body is better stabilized on the bench.
• “Bridge” is not an end in itself in this press, as in other pressing movements;
• Feet can stand on toes, or cling to the floor, this moment depends on the height of the bench and the length of the athlete’s legs. The main thing is the stable position of the legs so that they do not move.
• The bar is taken with a closed grip, usually a little narrower than the shoulders, but this is individual. Triceps work with a medium grip, if you do not “twist” your elbows to the sides and do not bend your wrists.

Technic:

• Technically, the bench press is a bend at the elbows. It is necessary to bend your arms at the elbows and touch the chest with a projectile;
• Then – straighten your arms at the elbows and squeeze the bar up;
• The shoulder blades should be brought together, the buttocks should touch the bench throughout the exercise.

Note:

• The grip in which the fingers touch each other is traumatic for the wrists and shoulders;
• Pelvic break away is not allowed for two reasons – it can lead to spinal injury, and signals that the weight is quite heavy for a person, which means it is potentially dangerous for the shoulders too;
• If the racks in the gym are not comfortable, you will need a spotter, not manual dexterity and bench gliding skills.

 

4. Close Grip Push-Up

Classic push-ups can also be done to work out the triceps.

How to Do:

1. Stand in an emphasis lying down so that your hands are close to each other. At the same time, turn them towards each other so that the fingers of one hand can cover the fingers of the other.
2. When lowering and lifting, watch your elbows – they should go along the body.
3. Do 12-15 reps

5. Extension Arms Dumbbell Behind Head

This exercise can be called a kind of French bench press. The emphasis here is on the long head of the triceps. It is recommended that you include one of the sitting or standing one or two-arm triceps extensions in your training plan.

How to Do:

1. Sit on a bench and plant your feet firmly on the floor. Take a dumbbell in your right hand and straighten your back.
2. Straighten your arm with a dumbbell vertically up. Bend your elbow and place the dumbbell behind your head. The grip is neutral – the palm looks forward, the little finger is higher than all other fingers. In the initial position, the elbow of the working arm is directed straight up, the torso is in a vertical position, the back is slightly bent at the waist, and the chin is parallel to the floor.
3. Take a deep breath and hold your breath. Keeping the top of your arm in a stationary position, tighten your triceps and, straightening your arm, raise the dumbbell. Movement occurs only in the elbow joint, all other parts of the body are motionless.
4. As soon as the arm is fully extended at the elbow (the highest point of the exercise), stop for 1-2 seconds and exhale even more tighten the triceps.
5. Gently bend your arm and, keeping the triceps in tension, slowly lower the dumbbell to its original position. Take a short break and do the next rep.
6. Having worked out the planned number of repetitions with the right hand, do the same number of repetitions with the left. This is one set.

As you exhale, straighten your arms to the starting position. Try not to spread your elbows out to the sides.

6. Tricep Rope Extension

Another exercise for the long head of the triceps. It is performed on the lower block or in the crossover:

How to Do:

1. Attach the rope handle to the device.
2. Take it and stand facing the simulator with the starting position when the rope should be at chest level, and your arms were raised and bent at the elbows.
3. As you exhale, straighten your arms and slightly spread them to the sides at the bottom with a slight fixation. Try not to spread your elbows out to the sides.
4. As you inhale, bend your arms again and begin a new repetition.

7. Cable Overhead Tricep Extension

Another exercise for the long triceps head of the triceps. Performed on the lower crossover block:

Ho to Do:

1. Fix the rope handle to the crossover.
2. Take it and stand with your back to the block, while raising the rope so that it is above your head, and your arms are raised and bent at the elbows.
3. Straighten your arms, as if doing dumbbell overhead extensions. Try not to spread your elbows out to the sides.
4. As you inhale, bend your arms again and begin a new repetition.

8. Triceps Kick-Backs

This is an extension of the arm with a dumbbell along the body in an inclination. Due to the position of the body and the arm fixed in one position, the weight here will be small, but the entire load, if performed correctly, will go to the triceps.

How to Do:

The classic triceps kick-back version of the execution involves leaning on the bench, as when dumbbell row:

It can also be done while standing on an incline, simply leaning on the second leg, put forward:

Another option for triceps kick-back is from the lower cable triceps kickbacks:

Finally, triceps kickbacks can be performed with both hands at once. To do this, lie down with your chest on a slightly raised or straight bench.

9. Decline Diamond Push-ups

How to Do:

1. To perform the exercise, we need any elevation or bench.
2. Put your feet on a raised platform, palms close to each other to shift the load from the chest to the triceps.
3. Start pushing down to the floor level, and return to the starting position, do 12-15 push-ups.
4. Complete the desired number of repetitions.

10. Tricep Dips

Usually, push-ups on the uneven bars are used when they want to pump the chest, but by shifting grip the narrow, you can already shift the load on the triceps, and this is what we need.

How to Do:

1. We firmly grasp the uneven bars, the body is even. The neck, back, and hips are in one line. Legs together.
2. We fix the shoulder blades and lower them down.
3. While inhaling, slowly lower the body to the lowest point, bending the elbows to an angle of 90 degrees.
4. As you exhale, we unbend our arms, raising the body to the highest point. We try to exclude jerks and swinging legs.
5. We monitor the correct breathing during the exercise.

If you find it difficult to perform the required number of repetitions (10-15), you can use the gravitron – this is a simulator that facilitates push-ups on the uneven bars and pull-ups due to the counterweight:

Best Triceps Workout Programs

Let’s consider a training program for the hormonal development of the arms, the ideal at the beginning would be to combine training with large muscle groups such as chest + triceps, back + biceps. Experienced athletes can take out arm training on a separate training day.

Monday (Hands)

Close grip bench press	4х10
Standing barbell curls	4х10-12
Tricep Dips	3х10-15
Extension Arms Dumbbell Behind Head	3х10
French Press	3х12
Bent Over Triceps Extension	3х10-12
Cable Triceps Extension	3х12-15
Reverse barbell curls	4х10-12

Tuesday (Legs)

Barbell Squat	4х10-15
Leg Press	4х10
Romanian Deadlift	3х10
Legs  Curls	3х10
Standing Calf Raise	4х10-12

Thursday (Chest + Front, Middle Delt + Triceps)

Bench Press	4х10
Triceps dips	4х10-15
Dumbbell Overhead Press	4х10-12
Upright Row	4х12-15
Tricep Rope Extension	3х15-20

Friday (Wide Back + Back Delta + Biceps)

Pull-ups Wide Grip	4х10-15
Barbell Row	4х10
Cable Pullover for Wide Lats	3х10
Dumbell Fly	4х12-15
Cable Biceps Curl	3х15-20

 

If you are training at home or in the park, try doing the exercises at hand with options that you can find.

Conclusions

If you use this set of exercises, you can achieve impressive results in a few months. The main thing to remember is that the key to success is regular training and proper balanced nutrition.

Source:

• https://www.acefitness.org/resources/everyone/exercise-library/74/triceps-extension/
• https://www.acefitness.org/resources/pros/expert-articles/6112/6-triceps-brachii-exercises-for-stronger-triceps/
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1017995X17305898