Triceps Exercises: The Ultimate Guide

Big triceps equals big arms, so mashing this muscle is essential if your goal is to increase their size. A big advantage of triceps training is that there are tons of different attachments, angles, and exercises to target the muscle, so you're never going to get bored.

It is important to know that the triceps is divided into three heads : long head, lateral head and middle head, and it is impossible to isolate one of the parts 100%, so whatever exercise you do, you will always involve one of the three a little. . The question is to know which exercise powers each head more since according to your constitution, you may need to reinforce one part more than another.

Keep in mind that the absence of training in one of these three zones will negatively affect the general aesthetics of the muscle. It is better to train the triceps with a balanced selection of exercises among the three, than not to focus on one and abandon the others, which many do out of ignorance.

I'm going to categorize the exercises according to which triceps head is most impacted by the movement:

Exercises for the long head of the triceps

Close grip bench press

This variation of the popular pectoral exercise is based on grasping the bar with your hands closer to each other (approximately shoulder height) with the intention of using your triceps more in the movement. The result is a demanding exercise, allowing high loads to be moved and generally working very well to develop the long and medial heads of the muscle .

This tight grip will prevent the pectoral from coming into play, but your shoulders may be involved, so to minimize it, push your chest out and do the scapular retraction in the same way as you would in the classic bench press.

French press

The French press (also called 'skullcrushers') is a very powerful triceps exercise with which you can increase the size of the long head of the muscle. Of course, when planning a triceps workout, this should always be the last .

It should go last because the French press requires you to have your elbows exercised when your turn comes . If you start cold with this exercise for triceps, in the medium term you will have discomfort in your elbows, without any doubt. Exercises like the one you'll see below are great as a pre-French press.

Another tip to minimize the impact on the elbows is to always move the bar behind your head. In this way the elbows do not suffer as much.

Dumbbell vertical extension

The vertical dumbbell extension is another highly recommended option for working the long head of the triceps. You can do it with a dumbbell and both arms at the same time as in the image or using each arm individually.

The downside to using both arms at the same time is that when you start to move heavy dumbbells, if no one helps you it can be a bit difficult to move the dumbbell to the starting position , which is just behind your head.

The trick is to lift the dumbbell off the ground like in a squat, push it vertically until it sits on the shoulder like in a military press, and then use the other arm to bring it behind your head.

Another thing to keep in mind is that this exercise for triceps can be done sitting or standing upright.

Exercises for the lateral head of the triceps

Rope triceps extension

The rope triceps extension is one of the most recommended and versatile exercises you can choose:

• As the grip of the strings is neutral, it has a low impact on the elbows and is very positive for the health of the joint.
• Depending on how you finish the movement, you can involve the part of the triceps that interests you the most . If you finish the repetition with your hands moderately close, the long head will be more stimulated. On the other hand, if you separate your hands at the end, the lateral head will be the area of ​​the triceps that will work the most, so choose as you see fit. It has always seemed more intuitive to work the lateral head with this exercise.

With this triceps exercise it is advisable to keep the elbows close to the body and control the movement at all times, without doing anything abrupt. Try to take advantage of the full range of motion that this exercise offers you and do not do partial repetitions.

Dips in parallel for triceps

Triceps parallel dips are exceptional for stimulating muscle. In the same way as with the French press, you should always save them for the end of the training, as they have some impact on the elbows.

The secret to more triceps engagement is to keep your torso as straight as possible, without leaning it. In this way, we will avoid that the effort of the exercise goes directly to the triceps and not to the pectoral, which in this case does not interest us.

Also keep in mind that the distance between the parallels will be very important. If they are close to your body, the triceps will work more.

When you can do a lot of reps, consider wearing a belt with dangling discs so your triceps can continue to increase in size.

Funds in machine

Not all gyms have it, but if yours has one, I recommend you try it. The great difference of this machine with the funds in parallel is that you do the same route but without the need to be suspended in the air.

The only downside to doing the dips on the machine is the ease of engaging other muscles without realizing it, since sitting down makes it much easier to cheat with your back and shoulders.

The key to avoiding this is to adopt a straight but relaxed position at the same time, and concentrate all the tension on the triceps . It is useless to put a very high weight if in the end you are going to use everything except the triceps.

Machine dips, like parallel dips, are a triceps exercise that stimulates the lateral head.

Exercises for the medial head of the triceps

Supine Grip High Pulley Triceps Extension

The high pulley triceps extension with supine grip is very similar to the rope extension, but what distinguishes them is that this, by requiring a supine grip, involves more of the medial head.

In addition, it has the advantage that it is mandatory to do it unilaterally, so it will help you to work each triceps individually, which is always recommended.

With this exercise for triceps, you will find that you need to slightly reduce the load you normally used. This is because you are in a less strong position when doing a supine grip, but it is not a problem. Just reduce the load to be able to do the exercise correctly.

Dumbbell Tricep Kick

The dumbbell tricep kick does a good job of exercising the medial and long head of the triceps. In addition, its realization is very simple, ideal for beginners.

The secret to making this exercise work is to always keep your elbow in the same position and only move the dumbbell. If we move the whole arm, the exercise will lose all effectiveness.

While it is always advisable to have the triceps kick in your routine, always include another exercise to ensure that the triceps is well stimulated by the end of your workout . If you only do the tricep kick, the results will take time to appear.