The Best Exercises for Stronger Triceps (2024)

Whenever you straighten your arms, you’ve got your triceps to thank. These muscles are located on the back sides of your upper arms.

They’re among the largest muscles in your upper arms, and play a crucial role in arm mobility, according to StatPearls. Read on to learn more about your triceps, including six of the best exercises to give them aworkout.

What Are the Triceps, and What Do They Do?

The name “triceps” derives from a Latin phrase that means three-headed arm muscle. And that’s exactly what you’ll find in the triceps: the long head, the medial head, and the lateral head. Each muscle “head” runs from the upper arm and combines to form a single tendon that attaches to the bony part of your elbow.

The triceps’ main role is extending the forearms, and to do so, they need to work in tandem with the biceps. “The biceps pull on the forearm bones to bring them closer to the upper body, while the triceps help return the forearm to an extended position,” says Bethany Stillwaggon, an American College of Sports Medicine–certified personal trainer based in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The triceps also help to stabilize and promote healthy shoulder joints — and whether you’re playing a sport or just doing daily activities, you need those triceps to be strong.

“Not only do they aid in any type of move that requires power, like shooting a basketball or throwing a ball, but they also assist in everyday activities like holding a pencil or maintaining good posture at a desk,” says Rachel Prairie, a National Academy of Sports Medicine–certified personal trainer in the Minneapolis area.

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And while it’s critical to train the triceps, they often get overlooked for an obvious reason, says Stillwaggon: “People typically sway toward training the muscle groups they can see versus the muscles that are on the back side of the body, most of the time without even realizing it.”

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What to Know Before Training Your Triceps

How often should you work out your triceps? The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americansfrom the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)recommend adults should do muscle strengthening activities targeting all major muscle groups at least twice a week.

Stillwaggon recommends training your upper body muscles on each of those days, and ideally including some exercises for your triceps as part of those workouts. But do schedule them for nonconsecutive days to give the muscles time to recover between workouts, she says.

When you train the triceps, you should target larger muscle groups surrounding the triceps (like the chest and shoulders) first. Why? “Muscles are used in a large-to-small recruiting pattern in the body,” Stillwaggon explains. “That means your strongest muscles, almost always your largest muscle groups, will usually be recruited first.”

In other words, if you want to target or build strength in the triceps, you’ll need to tire the larger muscle groups before your body will begin recruiting the smaller ones like the triceps. The easy solution? Whenever you’re training the triceps, first knock out a set involving chest and shoulder exercises (like an overhead press, chest press, and side raises).

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Another pro tip: Start with light weights (if you’re using any) because the triceps fatigue fast. (Beginners should start without weights.) “The exercise may seem easy with the light weight, but because triceps aren’t long muscles, the contraction of the muscle loses power quickly, and at a certain rep, those light weights will become almost immovable,” Stillwaggon says.

Depending on your goals, the number and intensity of your sets and reps also matter, Prairie says.

If you want to train for endurance, shoot for 1 to 3 sets of 12 to 20 repetitions (or reps) of each exercise with light to moderate weights. If strength is your goal, do 3 to 5 sets of 6 to 12 reps with moderate to heavy weights. To focus on tricep power (which will help when you need to exert force in a short period of time — for example, when shooting a basketball), do 4 to 6 sets of 1 to 5 reps with relatively heavy weights.

How do you know you’re doing enough reps and sets to get stronger without pushing yourself too much? Using a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is easy and 10 is hard, ask yourself how difficult the last rep feels. If you’re working endurance, that last rep should feel like a 6 or 7 on the effort scale, a 6 to 8 for strength, and 6 to 10 for power, Prairie recommends.And make sure your form on each exercise is fully correct, or you raise the risk of injury.

6 Tricep Exercises to Increase Arm Strength

Here are six triceps exercises designed by Stillwaggon that you can fit into any upper body strength workout. Do them after warming up with some larger muscle exercises, or include them in the second half of your arm strengthening workouts.

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Triceps and their Role: The triceps are a group of muscles located on the back sides of the upper arms. They consist of three heads: the long head, the medial head, and the lateral head. These muscle heads run from the upper arm and combine to form a single tendon that attaches to the bony part of the elbow. The main role of the triceps is to extend the forearms. They work in tandem with the biceps, which pull on the forearm bones to bring them closer to the upper body. The triceps help return the forearm to an extended position.

Importance of Triceps: The triceps play a crucial role in arm mobility and also help stabilize and promote healthy shoulder joints. Strong triceps are essential for any type of movement that requires power, such as shooting a basketball or throwing a ball. They also assist in everyday activities like holding a pencil or maintaining good posture at a desk.

Training the Triceps: It's important to train the triceps regularly to keep them strong. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend adults should do muscle-strengthening activities targeting all major muscle groups at least twice a week. When training the triceps, it's recommended to target larger muscle groups surrounding the triceps, such as the chest and shoulders, first. This is because muscles are used in a large-to-small recruiting pattern in the body, with the strongest muscles being recruited first.

Tips for Training the Triceps:

Start with light weights, as the triceps fatigue quickly. Beginners can start without weights.
Depending on your goals, the number and intensity of sets and reps matter. For endurance, aim for 1 to 3 sets of 12 to 20 reps with light to moderate weights. For strength, do 3 to 5 sets of 6 to 12 reps with moderate to heavy weights. To focus on tricep power, do 4 to 6 sets of 1 to 5 reps with relatively heavy weights.
Gauge the difficulty of your last rep on a scale of 1 to 10. For endurance, the last rep should feel like a 6 or 7, for strength a 6 to 8, and for power a 6 to 10.
Ensure proper form on each exercise to minimize the risk of injury.

Tricep Exercises to Increase Arm Strength: Here are six tricep exercises designed to increase arm strength:

Tricep Dips: Sit on a bench or chair with your hands gripping the edge, fingers pointing forward. Slide your butt off the bench, supporting your weight with your hands. Bend your elbows and lower your body until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Push back up to the starting position.
Tricep Pushdowns: Attach a resistance band or use a cable machine with a rope attachment. Stand facing the machine, grab the rope, and bring your elbows close to your sides. Push the rope down until your arms are fully extended, then slowly return to the starting position.
Skullcrushers: Lie on a bench with a barbell or dumbbells in your hands, arms fully extended above your chest. Lower the weight towards your forehead by bending your elbows, then extend your arms back to the starting position.
Close Grip Bench Press: Lie on a bench and hold a barbell with a narrow grip, hands shoulder-width apart. Lower the barbell to your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body, then push it back up to the starting position.
Diamond Push-Ups: Start in a push-up position with your hands close together, forming a diamond shape with your thumbs and index fingers. Lower your body by bending your elbows, then push back up to the starting position.
Overhead Tricep Extension: Stand with a dumbbell or kettlebell in one hand, arm extended overhead. Bend your elbow and lower the weight behind your head, keeping your upper arm stationary. Extend your arm back up to the starting position.

Remember to consult with a fitness professional before starting any new exercise routine, especially if you have any underlying health conditions or concerns.

Conclusion: I hope this information on triceps and tricep exercises is helpful. Please note that it's always important to consult with a qualified professional before starting any new exercise program to ensure it's suitable for your individual needs and abilities.