You have come to the right place if you are looking for the Best Workout For Triceps. I have around 15 years of experimenting with my triceps. In the last 5 years or so, I have just stuck to the same routine after experimenting with different exercises, reps, and rest periods.
The reason for this is that I have concluded that this is the best overall exercise based on documenting everything over the years with pictures and in various apps. A significant fact that may keep you interested in reading. My upper arm grew in size a lot from this life. This fact hopefully makes you realize the importance of why you should strive for bigger triceps.
FACT: Your triceps muscle is around two-thirds of your arm!
WHERE AND WHAT ARE THE TRICEPS
The technical name for the triceps is Triceps Brachii. If you were wondering if this stands for anything, well, yes, it does. In Latin, this stands for “3-headed muscle of the arm”.
You can find the triceps muscle on the upper part of your arm. When someone has a very well-defined tricep, it resembles the look of a horseshoe. This muscle does have a purpose: to help with the extension of the joint in your elbow.
DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE TRICEPS
There are three different parts of the tricep muscle. The long head is found running down the back of your arm. The long head is different from the medial and lateral heads as it crosses the shoulder joint and assists in shoulder extension.
- The Long head is the largest of all the tricep muscles. It’s located in the back of your arm.
- The lateral head is the smallest of all the tricep muscles and can be found outside your arm.
- The medial head basically tells you right in its name where the location is. You can find it in the middle of the triceps.
When I first learned all this, I immediately knew what my goal would be. That would be to find which workout targets the long head the most since it’s the largest.
HERE IS THE BEST WORKOUT FOR TRICEPS
I like to word it like this, the best exercises for triceps mass. Since your tricep is about 60% of your arm, it is crucial to pack on mass. The more mass you have, the tighter your shirt is going to fit around your upper arms. Remember, up top, I mentioned how the long head is the largest of the tricep muscle. The workout is also the best exercise for triceps long head.
So you really want to kick butt with this workout because it works the largest muscle in your arm and the largest part of that muscle. I can’t think of a better workout; this truly is the best exercise for tricep size, in my opinion. This can be the best workout for triceps with dumbbells because you’re really able to lift a heavy weight for the reps while lying down.
My pick for the best workout for triceps is the Lying barbell or dumbbell triceps extension. Some of you may know the workout as skull crushers. This can also be the best workout for triceps at home. As long as you have some weight, you could use the couch to lie down on.
HOW TO DO IT
- Grab either a barbell or dumbbell and lay down on your back on a weight bench. You will be in the same setup position as a bench press.
- With your weight and arms fully extended, start to bend at your elbows and lower the weight towards your head. You should be just barely making contact with your forehead.
- Push your weight back up into the starting position and repeat.
HOW MANY SETS AND REPS SHOULD YOU BE DOING
This really depends on what your goal is. Is your goal to have the biggest triceps in town or the strongest? Maybe you want to have the best endurance you can with your triceps. All three of these have different rep ranges and rest periods.
I recommend doing ten sets of triceps exercises. This is what I have been doing for most of my life. I break it down like this…
SETS:
- Four sets – 1st exercise (This is where I would recommend the Skull Crushers)
- Three sets – 2nd exercise
- Three sets – 3rd exercise
REPS:
- 1-5 for Strength
- 5-12 For Hypertrophy
- 12+ for Endurance
With your first exercise, please keep in mind this is when you have the most strength and are least fatigued. This is why I always go with the biggest mass-gaining exercise first. This is also why I do one extra set with this one. For me, this would be the best exercise for building triceps I mentioned above—the lying triceps extension.
SOME OTHER UPPER ARM TRICEP WORKOUTS TO BUILD MUSCLE
Skullcrusher
The skull crusher is a great exercise to grow your triceps and one of my favorite tricep workouts. It’s simple to do and really effective. Here’s how to do it:
1. Lie on your back on a bench with your feet flat on the ground.
2. Hold a weight in each hand with your arms extended straight up over your head.
3. Bend your elbows and lower the weights down toward your forehead.
4. Squeeze your triceps muscles as you lift the weights back up to the starting position.
This is a great exercise because it works all three heads of the triceps muscle. It also helps to increase the strength and size of the muscle. Give this workout a try and see how you like it!
Close-Grip Bench Press
The close-grip bench press is a great exercise to work your triceps. To do this exercise, you will need to lie on your back on a bench and grip the bar with your hands close together. You will then press the bar up towards the ceiling until your arms are fully extended. Reverse the motion and lower the bar back down to the starting position.
This is a great exercise for working your triceps because it allows you to use a heavier weight than you would be able to use with other exercises, such as the tricep extension. It also allows you to target all three of the heads of the triceps muscle. I usually do the close grip bench press every other week.
Triceps Dip
The triceps dip is a great exercise to work your triceps. It is easy to do and can be modified to make it more or less challenging. Here are the basic steps:
1. Sit on the edge of a bench or chair with your hands by your sides, palms down.
2. scoot your butt off the edge of the bench so that your weight is on your hands and feet.
3. slowly lower your body down by bending your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
4. Hold for a second, then press back up to the starting position.
You can make this exercise more challenging by adding weight, either with a weight belt or by holding a weight in each hand. You can also increase the difficulty of the exercise by doing it with one leg elevated off the ground.
This is a great triceps workout because it targets all three of the triceps muscles – the lateral, medial, and long heads. It also works other muscles in your upper body, including the chest, shoulders, and back.
Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension
The Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension is a great exercise to grow your triceps. Here are the steps to do it:
1. Start by sitting or standing with a weight in each hand, palms facing forward.
2. Extend your arms straight overhead, and then slowly bend your elbows to lower the weights behind your head.
3. Keep your abs engaged and pause when your elbows are bent 90 degrees.
4. Extend your elbows to lift the weights back to the starting position.
This is a great tricep workout because it targets all three heads of the muscle. It also works your shoulders and chest, so it’s a great all-around exercise.
Cable Push Down.
The tricep Cable push down is a great exercise to grow your triceps. It is a compound exercise that works several muscles in your arm. The triceps, biceps, and forearms all get a good workout with this exercise.
To do the tricep Cable push down:
1)Attach a rope to the cable machine and stand facing the machine, holding the rope with your palms parallel to each other.
2)Extend your arms straight down towards the floor, keeping your elbows close to your sides and your feet shoulder-width apart.
3)Slowly extend your arms back to the starting position.
This is a great exercise to do if you want to grow your triceps. It is a compound exercise that works several muscles in your arm. The triceps, biceps, and forearms all get a good workout with this exercise. You will see this really targets the lateral head with these triceps exercises.
When it comes to building muscle, you want to make sure that you are doing enough reps. The general rule of thumb is to do 8-12 reps per set. However, you may need to adjust this number depending on your fitness level and the weight you are using.
STRETCHES TO DO BEFORE TRICEP EXERCISES
The best tricep stretches before a workout are the overhead tricep stretch, the leaning stretch, and the towel stretch. These stretches help to loosen up the shoulders and upper back muscles, which can help prevent injuries during your workout.
The overhead tricep stretch
It is a great stretch to do before an upper arm workout because it helps to lengthen the muscles in the shoulders and upper back. To do this stretch, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and raise your arms overhead. Bend your elbows and lean forward, reaching your hands toward the floor. Hold this position for 30 seconds.
The leaning stretch
Another great stretch for the shoulders and upper back. To do this stretch, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and lean forward, bending your elbows until your hands are in line with your toes. Hold this position for 30 seconds.
The towel stretch
Is also a great stretch for the triceps muscles. To do this stretch, wrap a towel around a sturdy object such as a post or door frame. Step forward so that the towel is stretched tight, and hold on to each end of the towel. Keeping your back straight, bend your elbows until your hands are in line with your shoulders. Hold this position for 30 seconds.
FINAL WORD
Suppose you were wondering before what is the best exercise for triceps. I hope this cleared some things up and that you are excited to give it a try. A great saying to remember is, “Biceps are for show, and triceps are for go.” It does seem like the average person trains their bicep more often than the tricep. You really should train it just as much based on it being 2/3rds of the arm.
I highly recommend you try the hypertrophy phase and stick right in the middle of it around 8 or 9 reps. Please keep track of the weight you’re doing and try to increase it in your next triceps workout. Rest days are just as important as workouts. Over the years, I have found 2 or 3 days of rest between each muscle group to work the best. Only one day, and you’re not giving your muscles enough time to rest, repair, and GROW!
On the other hand, if you’re taking off a week between muscle groups, then you will start to see a decrease. Put all these pieces of the puzzle together mixed with a great diet, and you will see serious gains! I hope you have enough tricep workouts now and are feeling motivated.
Some great articles I have written that may also help grow your Triceps…
- The best way to explode your workouts Pre Jym Pre Workout.
- Pack on extra muscle with Pro Jym Protein Powder.
- Maximize all the hard work you put in with this post-workout supplement Post Jym.
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“Just because your triceps have fallen behind your biceps doesn’t mean you should back off your triceps workouts. ”
–Ronnie Coleman
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