Best Triceps Exercises: Build Bigger, Stronger, and More Defined Arms

triceps exercises

Here’s a fact that surprises most people who focus obsessively on their biceps: the triceps make up roughly two-thirds of your upper arm size. That means if bigger arms are your goal, your triceps deserve far more attention than your biceps. A well-developed set of triceps adds the horseshoe shape to the back of your arm, improves every pressing movement you do, and completes the look of a truly impressive upper body.

This guide covers all 5 triceps exercises on this site, what makes each one unique, and how to combine them into a complete triceps workout that targets all three heads.

Understanding Your Triceps Muscles

The triceps brachii has three heads — each with a different function and each responding best to different exercises:

Long head — the largest of the three heads, running along the inner back of the upper arm. It’s the head most responsible for overall triceps size and the one that adds the most mass to your arms. Critically, it’s the only triceps head that crosses the shoulder joint — which means it’s only fully stretched when your arms are overhead. Overhead extensions and skull crushers with a slight backward tilt are the best exercises for the long head.

Lateral head — the outer head of the triceps, most visible from the side and responsible for that horseshoe shape on the back of the arm. It’s heavily involved in most triceps exercises but particularly in pushdowns and close-grip pressing movements.

Medial head — the innermost head, sitting deep underneath the other two. It’s involved in virtually every triceps exercise and is particularly active in the final degrees of elbow extension — the lockout portion of pressing movements.

For complete triceps development, you need triceps exercises that train the long head through a stretched overhead position AND exercises that target the lateral and medial heads through pressing and extension movements.

The Two Pillars of Triceps Training

Overhead movements — skull crushers and barbell triceps extensions. These exercises place the long head under maximum stretch, which is the primary stimulus for long head development and overall triceps mass. They should be the foundation of your triceps training.

Pressing and extension movements — triceps dips, pushdowns, and kickbacks. These target the lateral and medial heads more directly and provide the constant tension, peak contraction, and functional pressing strength that overhead movements alone can’t deliver.

Using both types in every triceps session gives you complete development across all three heads.

The Best Triceps Exercises

1. Triceps Dips

Triceps dips are the most powerful compound movement for the triceps and the foundation of any serious arm training program. Performed with an upright torso and elbows close to the body, they place the entire triceps under heavy load using your full bodyweight — and unlike most triceps exercises, they can be progressively loaded with a weight belt for serious long-term strength gains. Start every triceps session with dips while you’re freshest and strongest.

2. EZ-Bar Skull Crushers

EZ-bar skull crushers are the best exercise for developing the long head of the triceps and building overall arm mass. The lying position allows you to load moderately heavy, and the slight backward tilt of the upper arms during the movement keeps the long head stretched and under load throughout each rep. The EZ bar’s angled grips make this far more comfortable on the wrists and elbows than a straight barbell. A non-negotiable exercise for anyone serious about triceps development.

3. Barbell Triceps Extension

The barbell triceps extension — also known as the overhead triceps extension — is the most direct long head exercise you can do. With your arms fully extended overhead, the long head is placed under maximum stretch before the movement even begins. This unique starting position creates a stimulus for long head development that skull crushers and pushdowns simply can’t replicate. Done seated for stability or standing for more total body demand, it complements skull crushers perfectly for complete long head coverage.

4. Triceps Pushdown

The triceps pushdown is the most popular triceps exercise in the gym — and its popularity is well earned. The cable machine provides constant tension throughout the entire range of motion, loading the lateral and medial heads from the very start of each rep all the way through the lockout. It’s easy to learn, highly controllable, and available in multiple attachment variations — straight bar, V-bar, rope — each with a slightly different feel. An excellent mid-to-end session exercise after your heavier compound and overhead work.

5. Tricep Kickbacks

Tricep kickbacks are the finishing exercise of triceps training — and they’re more effective than their reputation suggests when done correctly. The fully extended position at the top of each rep places the lateral head in maximum contraction, delivering a squeeze and burn that heavier exercises can’t match at the end range. They work best at the end of your triceps session when your muscles are already pumped and fatigued, squeezing out every last bit of effort with strict isolation and a deliberate peak contraction.

How to Structure Your Triceps Workout

A complete triceps workout should cover compound pressing, overhead extension for the long head, cable work for constant tension, and isolation for peak contraction:

Start with compound pressing — triceps dips first while your strength is at its peak. These build the foundation of triceps mass and allow the heaviest loading.

Follow with overhead extension work — skull crushers or barbell triceps extension next to target the long head through a stretched position while your muscles are still strong enough to load it properly.

Add cable work — triceps pushdowns for constant tension and lateral/medial head focus. The cable machine provides a different resistance profile to the free weight work you’ve already done.

Finish with isolation — kickbacks at the very end for a focused peak contraction burnout.

Example Triceps Workouts

Beginner triceps workout:

Intermediate triceps workout:

Advanced triceps workout:

Advanced superset tip: Perform skull crushers immediately followed by close-grip bench press using the same EZ bar without rest. This pre-exhaustion technique forces the triceps to work harder than either exercise alone.

Triceps Exercises – Training Tips for Maximum Triceps Growth

Keep your upper arms still. On all extension movements — skull crushers, overhead extensions, kickbacks — your upper arms must stay completely fixed. The moment they start moving, your shoulders assist and your triceps do less work. Your upper arms are the anchor — only your forearms move.

Train the long head with overhead work. The long head can only be fully stretched when your arms are overhead. If you only do pushdowns and pressdowns, you’re leaving the biggest head of the triceps significantly undertrained. Include skull crushers or overhead extensions in every triceps session.

Don’t neglect the eccentric phase. Controlled lowering on skull crushers and overhead extensions is particularly important — these movements place the triceps in a stretched position under load, and slow eccentrics in this position are one of the most powerful stimuli for muscle growth.

Train triceps 1–2 times per week. Your triceps already get significant indirect work from every pressing exercise you do — bench press, overhead press, dips. Factor this in when planning your direct tricep volume so you don’t accumulate too much elbow joint stress.

Warm up your elbows before heavy extensions. The elbow joint takes a lot of load during skull crushers and overhead extensions. A few light sets of pushdowns and some elbow mobility work before your heavy triceps work is worth the extra few minutes.

Triceps Exercises – Common Mistakes to Avoid

Focusing only on pushdowns. Pushdowns are popular but they primarily target the lateral and medial heads — the long head is barely involved. Without overhead extension work, the largest head of the triceps is undertrained and your arm development is incomplete.

Elbows flaring on extensions. Wide elbows on skull crushers and overhead extensions dramatically reduces triceps activation and puts the elbow joint in a vulnerable position. Keep them narrow and pointing straight — either toward the ceiling on overhead work or toward the floor on skull crushers.

Too much weight on kickbacks. Heavy kickbacks with poor form — upper arm dropping, torso rotating, dumbbell swinging — are one of the least effective ways to train the triceps. Use a light weight, keep the upper arm parallel to the floor, and focus entirely on the peak contraction at the top.

Training triceps before chest or shoulder day. If you train push muscles together, always do your larger compound pressing work first. Pre-fatigued triceps from direct tricep work means your bench press and overhead press will suffer significantly.

Skipping triceps dips. Many people skip dips because they’re hard. That difficulty is exactly why they’re so effective. They’re one of the few triceps exercises that allows serious progressive overloading — add a weight belt and build from there.

Triceps Exercises – Final Thoughts

Strong, well-developed triceps are the key to building bigger arms and improving your upper body strength. By combining compound movements and isolation exercises, you can effectively target all three heads of the triceps.

Use the triceps exercises above to build your triceps routine.