Tricep Workouts for Building Bigger and Stronger Muscles

Tricep Workouts To Grow Bigger Muscles

Tricep workouts are an essential part of any upper-body strength training routine. Your triceps, which are placed on the back of your upper arms, are responsible for a large amount of your arm’s overall muscle mass and play an important function in stretching the elbow joint.

Building strong, well-defined triceps not only improves the appearance of your arms but also helps with numerous upper-body movements and sports performance.

A tricep workout that is well-balanced will help you enhance arm strength, power, and endurance. It can also help with upper-body activities like bench presses and push-ups. A strong tricep muscle group is required for tasks such as pushing, lifting, and extending the arms.

Do 10-minutes warmup before starting any workouts. Doing warm-ups reduces the risk of strains and injuries.

In this article, we walk through different types of tricep workouts using dumbbells, barbells and cables. We also tell you about the bicep and tricep combination for a superset workout.

Tricep workouts with dumbbells

Here are the top 3 tricep workouts using dumbbells.

1. Dumbbell tricep extension (Skull Crushers)

The dumbbell tricep extension is also called as skull crusher. It is an effective exercise for targeting and strengthening the tricep muscles.

To perform dumbbell tricep extension,

Step 1: Lie on the bench and hold the dumbbell in both hands.

Step 2: Extend your arm straight to the top over the chest.

Step 3: Bend your elbows and lower the dumbbell towards your forehead.

Step 4: Hold the dumbbell in this position for 1-2 sec.

Step 5: Now bring the dumbbells to the starting position and continue doing more reps.

Tips

Throughout the workout, keep your upper arms immobile. The movement should originate in your elbow joint rather than your shoulder joint.

2. Dumbbell Tricep Overhead Extension

Dumbbell tricep overhead extension is one of the best exercises that targets the long head of the triceps.

To perform dumbbell tricep overhead extension,

Step 1: Sit on the bench and hold a dumbbell with both hands overhead.

Step 2: Lower the dumbbell behind your head by bending your elbows.

Step 3: Hold the dumbbell in this position for 1-2 sec.

Step 4: bring the dumbbell to the starting position and continue doing more reps.

Tips

Maintain core engagement throughout the workout to support your back.

3. Dumbbell Tricep Kickbacks

Dumbbell tricep kickbacks is an isolation exercise that targets the lateral head of the triceps.

To perform dumbbell tricep kickbacks,

Step 1: Hold the dumbbell in both hands.

Step 2: Bend your knees and hinge forward to the hips by keeping your back straight.

Step 3: Straighten your arms behind you, keeping your upper arms close to your sides.

Step 4: Hold both the dumbbells in this position for 1 sec.

Step 5: Then return to the starting position and continue doing more reps.

Tips

Keep your upper arms close to your sides during the exercise. This ensures that you’re primarily activating the triceps.

Cable Tricep Workouts

Here are the top three tricep workouts using cable.

1. Cable Tricep pushdown

The cable tricep pushdown is the best exercise for building tricep strength and definition.

To perform cable tricep pushdown,

Step 1: Attach a bar to the high pulley of the cable machine.

Step 2: Stand facing the bar and grab the bar with both hands with an overhand grip.

Step 3: Bend the elbows and push the bar downwards.

Step 4: Hold the bar in this position for 1 sec.

Step 5: Now bring the bar to the starting position and continue doing for more reps.

Tips

Keep your upper arms close to your sides and try not to move them during the workout. This ensures that you’re concentrating on the triceps.

2. Cable Tricep Reverse Pushdown

The Cable tricep reverse pushdown is an effective exercise that targets the lateral and medium head of the triceps.

To perform cable tricep reverse pushdown,

Step 1: Attach a bar to the high pulley of the cable machine.

Step 2: Stand facing the bar and grab the bar with both hands with an underhand grip which means your palms should be facing down.

Step 3: Bend the elbows and push the bar downwards.

Step 4: Hold the bar in this position for 1 sec.

Step 5: Now bring the bar to the starting position and continue doing for more reps.

Tips

Keep a steady and controlled movement throughout. Avoid swinging the bar up and down with momentum.

3. Cable Tricep Kickbacks

Cable tricep kickbacks are an effective exercise for building strength. It mainly targets the lateral and medium heads of the triceps.

To perform cable tricep kickbacks,

Step 1: Attach a single handlebar to the low pulley of the cable machine.

Step 2: Grab the handle with a pronated grip.

Step 3: Bend your knees and hinge forward to the hips by keeping your back straight.

Step 4: Bend your elbow to 90 degrees and push the handle behind you.

Step 5: Hold the handle in this position for 1 sec.

Step 6: Now bring the handle to the starting position and continue doing for more reps.

Tips

Throughout the exercise, keep your upper arm close to your body and parallel to the floor.

Tricep Workouts Using a Barbell

Here are the top 3 tricep workouts using barbells.

1. Barbell Skull Crushers Tricep Workouts

The barbell skull crushers is an effective exercise for targeting and strengthening the tricep muscles.

To perform barbell skull crushers,

Step 1: Lie flat on the bench and hold the bar in both hands.

Step 2: Extend your arm straight to the top over the chest.

Step 3: Bend your elbows and lower the barbell towards your forehead.

Step 4: Hold the dumbbell in this position for 1-2 sec.

Step 5: Now bring the dumbbells to the starting position and continue doing more reps.

Tips

Avoid allowing your elbows spread out to the sides; instead, keep them close to your head.

2. Close Grip Tricep Bench Press

The close grip bench press is the best compound exercise that mainly targets the triceps muscles and also targets the chest and shoulders. It helps to build overall upper body strength.

To perform close grip tricep bench press,

Step 1: Lie flat on the bench and grab the bar with both hands closely.

Step 2: The barbell should be positioned above your chest, with your wrists aligned with your elbows.

Step 3: Lift the barbell upwards with your arms fully extended.

Step 4: Hold the barbell in this position for 1-2 sec and squeeze it.

Step 5: Lower the barbell to your chest and continue doing for more reps.

Tips

Keep your upper arms close to your body to highlight the triceps.

3. Tricep dips

Tricep dips is the bodyweight exercise that helps to target and strengthen your tricep muscles.

To perform Tricep dips,

Step 1: Place your hands on the parallel bars or dip station, palms facing down and shoulder-width apart.

Step 2: Stand between the bars with your feet close to each other.

Step 3: Lift your body from the floor with arms fully extended.

Step 4: Lower your body by bending the elbows and continue doing more reps.

Tips

Rather than depending on momentum, concentrate on using your triceps to lift your body.

Bicep and Tricep Workouts

Doing bicep and tricep workouts at the same time gives you a massive pump. You can do bicep and tricep workouts separately also.

For doing bicep and tricep workouts separately follow these workouts.

For Bicep Workouts

1. Dumbbell Bicep curls

2. Barbell Bicep Curls

3. Hammer curls

4. Concentration curls

For Tricep Workouts

1. Triceps Pushdown

2. Skull Crushers

3. Overhead Extension

4. Tricep Kickback

For doing superset follow these workouts and reps,

A superset is made up of alternating sets of two separate exercises with no break in between. You can rest after two back-to-back sets.

1. Barbell Bicep curls and Skull crushers.

Do one set of barbell bicep curls and one set of skull crushers without taking a rest. After doing this you can take a rest and continue doing the same for another 3 more sets.

2. Dumbbell bicep curls and Tricep Pushdown.

Do one set of Dumbbell bicep curls and one set of tricep pushdowns without taking a rest. After doing this you can take a rest and continue doing the same for another 3 more sets.

3. Hammer curls and Tricep overhead extension.

Do one set of Hammer curls and one set of tricep overhead extensions without taking a rest. After doing this you can take a rest and continue doing the same for another 3 more sets.

4. Concentration curls and Tricep Kickback.

Do one set of concentration curls and one set of Tricep kickbacks without taking a rest. After doing this you can take a rest and continue doing the same for another 3 more sets.

The Bottom Line

Tricep workouts help to build strength and definition of the triceps. These exercises target the long heads, laterals heads and medium heads.

Triceps strengthening enhances arm strength, power, and endurance. It aids in pushing, lifting, and stretching the arms, as well as complementing other upper-body exercises like bench presses and push-ups. Triceps strength can benefit both athletic performance and daily functioning activities.

To get the most out of tricep workouts, make sure to practice perfect form, gradually increase the weight or resistance, and eat a well-balanced diet.

A certain amount of rest and recovery is also required for muscular growth and injury prevention.