Introduction:
There are few muscle groups in the upper body that get talked about more than the triceps. Most guys want to have huge arms, and triceps make up half of your arm size; therefore, it makes sense that a lot of people go out of their way to work on them. If you’re looking to add serious size to your arms, then you need to be crushing your triceps workouts as hard as possible if you want to see real gains. Here are the 10 best tricep workouts to help you blast your way through the plateau phase and start seeing some serious growth again!
1) Overhead dumbbell extensions:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees slightly and lower your upper body until it's almost parallel to the floor. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and raise the weights to shoulder height, making sure not to lock your elbows. Bend at the elbow and lower the weights until they are extended past 90 degrees. Pause for a second at the bottom of this motion then explosively lift back up until your arms are fully extended overhead. Lower the weight to shoulder height again, pause briefly and repeat
2) Cable pushdowns:
Cable pushdowns are probably the most common triceps workout in existence, and for good reason. They really hit the long head of the triceps which is a tricky area to isolate. When performed correctly this exercise should feel like your working against a full contraction which will make it feel much more difficult. Due to its difficulty, I would only recommend this exercise if you have been exercising for at least 6 months or more and have built up a base level of strength. If that's not you then you should be focusing on bodyweight exercises like dips or close grip bench press. The proper form is shown below with illustrations showing how far down in motion your elbows should go
3) Reverse grip bench press:
This exercise is an excellent triceps and chest builder. The bench will also work your shoulder muscles, as well as the stabilizing muscles in your back. Perform this movement by sitting at the end of a flat bench with your back straight and then lowering yourself to a 45-degree angle before pressing the weight up again.
*Position feet about shoulder width apart for stability and support during the exercise.
*Use a straight bar or an EZ curl bar for added comfort on your arms (thumbs on one side of the bar).
*Keeping your upper arms against your sides, raise the weight slowly until you have pressed it half way up to arm's length.
4) Seated Arnold press:
The seated Arnold press is a variation of the regular Arnold press where you are seated on a bench, with your elbows against your sides and resting on the edge of the bench. Your hands should be wrapped around a barbell which you will use to perform an up and down motion similar to how you would do a lateral raise while seated.
Start by holding the bar just off of your chest, elbows tight against your side, shoulders back, knees tight together, toes pointed straight ahead. From here lift the bar out and away from your body. Slowly lower it back down without letting go before repeating for 8-12 reps.
5) Close grip bench press:
Paired with seated rows, close grip bench press are an excellent triceps workout. With both these exercises, the closer you bring your hands together, the more your triceps will be engaged. In fact, a study of college athletes found that bringing hands as close together as possible led to increased strength in the long head of the triceps brachii muscle. Since so many bodybuilders use this technique to help bring out their biceps and provide a full-looking physique, it's easy to see why many believe close grip bench presses are one of the best ways to work your chest muscles while targeting your triceps.
6) Dips between benches:
Set up two benches, so that they are just a few inches apart. Sit down at the edge of one bench and place your feet on the other. Slowly dip down with your upper body to grab hold of the bench, then bring yourself back up with all your weight in your arms. Make sure to keep your elbows tucked in close to you while performing this exercise so that they don't act as momentum and put excess pressure on them.
7) Kickbacks on stability ball:
Lay on your back, with the stability ball tucked under your lower back. Place both hands on the ground in front of you, fingers spread and facing away from your body. Keep your knees at a 90-degree angle to your hips, squeeze them into the ground so they are tight, and straighten out both legs so that only your heels are touching the ground. This will be your starting position. From here, roll forward until you have almost touched the ball with both hands before rolling back again. This is one repetition for this exercise set. Do 2 sets of 10 repetitions per set for a total of 20 repetitions for this workout move!
8) Decline skull crushers:
Decline skull crushers are also a favorite for people with less range of motion. You can lift more weight, and you don't have to worry about injuring your wrists or elbows. Simply sit on the bench, grip the bar and move it over your head. Keep your arms locked and lean forward until you feel tension in your triceps, then push the bar down towards the floor.
9) Hanging extensions from barbell rack:
Hanging extensions from the barbell rack require you to use your body weight, instead of dumbbells, to do a biceps curl. Start by bending over, reaching your hands behind you, and taking hold of the barbell in front of you with an underhand grip. Keeping your knees slightly bent and feet flat on the ground, pull yourself up so that your chin is over the barbell. Take a deep breath, then exhale as you slowly lower yourself down towards the floor until there is a 90-degree angle in your elbow joint. Use your lats to raise yourself back up again - aim for 8-12 reps in each set.
10) Cable cross overs:
1. Grab a cable handle in each hand with palms facing your body and lean back slightly while keeping your chest up and shoulders back. Pull the handles straight out to the sides as far as you can without arching your back, bending over, or leaning away from the machine. Pause for two seconds before returning to starting position. Repeat 10 times.