Are you curious about the best triceps exercises?
The triceps are one of the most important muscle groups in the upper arm. In fact, research shows that the triceps are almost twice as large as the biceps!
If you want to build a pair of big, strong arms, then you have to train your triceps like you mean it!
So what are the best triceps exercises?
The best triceps exercises include dips, skull crushers, JM presses, overhead rope extensions, and cable pushdowns. All of these exercises train the triceps from completely different angles, which is ideal for targeting all three heads of the triceps.
Training the triceps can be a little complicated. The truth is, the triceps have three different muscle heads:
- The long head
- The lateral head
- The medial head
Each of these muscle heads responds best to slightly different exercises.
For example, the long head responds best to overhead triceps extensions, the lateral head responds best to heavy close grip bench presses and skull crushers, while the medial head responds bet to decline presses and extensions.
For optimal results, you also have to train the triceps with a mix of compound and isolation exercises.
For example, you should use different compound triceps exercises like dips, close grip bench presses, and JM presses.
You should also use isolation exercises like skull crushers, overhead rope extensions, and cable pushdowns to train the triceps.
Don’t worry – in this comprehensive guide, I will show you how to use ALL of these exercises (and many more!) to build bigger, stronger triceps.
Now let’s get started!
The 10 Best Triceps Exercises
The tricep are a unique muscle group.
In my experience, they respond best to a wide variety of compound AND isolation exercises. They also respond well to exercises where your elbows are above your shoulders, in front of your shoulders, and below your shoulders.
Let’s start by looking at 5 of the best compound triceps exercises, followed by 5 of the best triceps isolation exercises. Check it out:
The 10 Best Triceps Exercises
- Exercise #1: Dips
- Exercise #2: Close Grip Bench Press
- Exercise #3: Pin Press
- Exercise #4: JM Press
- Exercise #5: Reverse Grip Bench Press
- Exercise #6: Skull crushers
- Exercise #7: Flat dumbbell extensions
- Exercise #8: Overhead rope extensions
- Exercise #9: Overhead dumbbell extensions
- Exercise #10: Cable pushdowns
Let’s take a closer look at each of these exercises.
Triceps Exercise #1: Dips
Free weight dips are one of the BEST triceps exercises that you can perform.
In fact, EMG research shows that dips are a superior exercise for hitting all three heads of the triceps:
- The long head
- The lateral head
- The medial head
One of the great things about dips is they let you use a ton of weight, AND they put the triceps under a very deep stretch.
Many bodybuilding and powerlifting coaches believe that stretching out the target muscle is important for size and strength gains, so this makes free weight dips a great choice.
The key to performing free weight dips is to keep your elbows tucked in towards your sides, and to perform the exercise with an upright posture. This will maximize the mechanical tension on the triceps.
If you flare your elbows out and lean forward, then that will recruit the chest more.
If using your bodyweight is too easy, then you may want to hang extra weights around your waist to make the exercise more challenging.
Of course, free weight dips are not a perfect exercise. Many people find they are uncomfortable on their shoulders, or put too much pressure on their chest.
If this describes you, then you may want to try machine dips instead.
Overall, dips are one of the #1 triceps exercises you can do. They are great for adding mass to your triceps, and for improving your performance on the bench press and the overhead press.
I highly recommend you give them a shot!
Triceps Exercise #2: Close Grip Bench Press
The close grip bench press is another FANTASTIC triceps exercise.
To perform this movement, all you have to do is perform a bench press with a shoulder-width grip. Research shows that the closer, shoulder-width grip places more emphasis on the triceps than a regular bench press.
Based on the latest research, the close grip bench press works the following triceps heads the most:
- The long head
- The lateral head
The long head is mostly worked in the top half of the range of motion, while the lateral head is worked more in the bottom half of the range of motion.
The medial head of the triceps still gets some stimulation from the close grip bench press. However, the long and lateral heads of the triceps are the main focus of this movement.
The close grip bench press trains the triceps through a reasonably large range of motion. It also puts a decent stretch on the triceps, and lets you train with relatively heavy loads.
If your goal is to train in lower rep ranges (say the 1-6 rep range), then the close grip bench press is a great choice!
Overall, the close grip bench press simply a fantastic exercise for training the triceps. Of course, you can also perform the close grip bench press on a decline or incline bench press.
In recent years, the decline close grip bench press has fallen out of fashion. It’s relatively rare to see bodybuilders or powerlifters use this exercise. However, it is still a great exercise to have in your toolbox.
The decline close grip bench press puts a little more emphasis on the following triceps heads:
- The lateral head
- The medial head
Of course, the long head of the triceps still receives some work from this variation. However, the lateral and medial heads are the main focus.
You can also perform the close grip bench press on an incline angle.
Many people find that the incline close grip bench press feels more comfortable on their shoulders.
If this describes you, then the incline close grip bench press may be a great choice. In fact, this is a favorite triceps exercise of the legendary powerlifting coach Louie Simmons!
The incline close grip bench press mostly works the following triceps heads:
- The long head
As usual, the lateral and medial heads receive some stimulation from this exercise. However, the long head is the focus. This makes sense, as the long head is worked more whenever you are performing incline and overhead pressing movements.
Of course, you can also perform the close grip bench press in the smith machine.
It’s rare to see a powerlifter perform this movement. However, many bodybuilders have built big triceps using the smith machine close grip bench press.
Just be careful with this movement!
For some people, performing heavy pressing exercises in the smith machine can put unsafe pressure on your shoulder joint.
However, it is another very reasonable triceps exercise that you can try.
Triceps Exercise #3: Pin Press
The pin press is a modified version of a regular close grip bench press.
The main difference between between a pin press, and close grip bench press, is the range of motion.
With a pin press, you start the movement about halfway up your chest. You can do this by resting the barbell on safety pins inside of a power rack.
The pin press is very popular with powerlifters, because it lets you overload the top half of the bench press with an ultra-heavy weight. However, the pin press is also EXTREMELY effective for overloading the triceps – especially the lateral head.
Research shows that the lateral head of the triceps responds well to loads at or above 85% of your 1-rep max.
With the pin press, it is very easy to use loads in this percentile range. In addition, the pin press focuses all of your efforts on the top half of the close grip bench press – aka the part of the range of motion where your triceps is most active.
The main drawback of the pin press is it can put pressure on your shoulder joint, especially if you go super heavy.
However, if your goal is to build big / strong triceps, and this exercise doesn’t bother your joints, then it can be a GREAT exercise to use in your workouts.
Highly recommended!
Triceps Exercise #4: JM Press
The JM press is one of the most effective exercises that you’ve never heard of!
This movement was invented by the famous powerlifter JM Blakely.
The JM press is basically a hybrid between a close grip bench press, and a lying triceps extension. The key is to lower the bar down to your clavicle / chin / nose area, while keeping your elbows elevated as high as possible.
In my experience, the JM press effectively works all three heads of the triceps:
- The long head
- the lateral head
- The medial head
The JM press puts a TREMENDOUS amount of tension on your triceps – especially the part of the triceps near the elbow joint.
It is basically a compound exercise that heavily emphasizes the triceps, maybe more so than the regular close grip bench press. It also puts less stress on your shoulders than a regular close grip bench press, as the elbows stay above your shoulder joint throughout the entire range of motion.
In my experience, the JM press works best when performed with heavy band tension.
However, that is just my preference… many elite powerlifters have gotten excellent results using this exercise with regular “straight weight.”
Of course, the JM press can also be performed in the smith machine. This variation of the JM press can be a little bit easier for beginners to learn than the free weight version of the exercise.
For both versions of the movement, you want to focus on keeping your elbows up throughout the entire range of motion. This increases the stress on your triceps, and keeps the stress off your chest / shoulders.
You also want to focus on “cocking” your wrists forward throughout the entire range of motion.
Once again, this will increase the mechanical tension on your triceps.
Triceps Exercise #5: Reverse Grip Bench Press
The reverse grip bench press is one of the best triceps exercises you’ve never heard of!
This exercise is performed exactly like the regular bench press, but with one major exception: you use a reverse grip! There is some research showing that this exercise hits the lateral head of the triceps quite hard.
Some bodybuilders and powerlifters have used this exercise with success. In fact, it’s not uncommon to see Mike O’Hearn performing reverse grip bench presses with over 400 pound for reps!
Talk about strong triceps!
If you are not afraid of trying something new, then the reverse grip bench press may be a great addition to your triceps workouts.
Of course, the reverse grip bench press can also be performed in the smith machine.
For some people, it is actually easier to perform the reverse grip bench press in the smith machine, rather than with a regular 45-pound barbell.
Just like with the regular smith machine close grip bench press, you have to be careful with this exercise.
If you find that it puts uncomfortable stress on your shoulder joint, then you may want to avoid it in favor of other triceps exercises. However, if this exercise feels good for you, then it can be an effective way to train your triceps – especially the lateral head.
Triceps Exercise #6: Skull Crushers
Now it’s time to talk about the best triceps isolation exercises!
The classic “skull crusher” is one of the most popular and effective triceps exercises you can perform. The idea is simple: you lay down with an ez-curl bar, you lower the bar to your forehead, and you extend the bar back up to lockout.
This exercise is often called a “skull crusher” because you are lowering the bar to your forehead before extending it back up to lockout!
Research shows that the skull crusher places most emphasis on the following triceps heads:
- The long head
- The lateral head
Overall, this is a very effective “mass-building” exercise.
The main problem with the skull crusher is it can be hard on your elbows. This is especially true if you are very advanced, or if you don’t control your weights on the way down.
One easy solution is to perform higher reps, or to use slower eccentric tempos on this exercise.
Another solution is to lay on the floor and pause the weight behind you on each repetition. For example:
This is another extremely effective version of the skull crusher.
This version of the exercise works the long head of the triceps more, as your elbow are a little bit more “above” your body in this variation – especially in the very bottom position of the exercise.
If the skull crusher doesn’t bother your elbows too much, then it is a great exercise to add to your triceps workouts!
Triceps Exercise #7: Flat Dumbbell Extensions
You can also perform the skull crusher with dumbbells, rather than with the ez-curl bar.
The dumbbells allow you to use a neutral grip (rather than a pronated grip), and may allow for a slightly greater range of motion.
In my experience, the regular lying dumbbell extension is an OK triceps exercise. However, there are some easy “tweaks” that you can use to make this exercise even more effective.
Louie Simmons popularized a version of this exercise called the “rolling dumbbell extension.” Check it out:
This movement is very popular with powerlifters as a bench pres supplementary exercise.
The basic idea is to “roll” the dumbbells behind your head in the bottom position. This increases the stretch on the triceps – especially the long head. Then, you “roll” the dumbbells forward by extending your shoulders, and perform a hybrid extension / press to get the weight up.
This movement is almost like a JM press, because it is basically a hybrid between a compound pressing movement, and a triceps isolation exercise.
It’s hard to get consistent time under tension on your triceps using this movement, so most bodybuilders avoid it. However, it is a FANTASTIC accessory exercise for powerlifting.
Another great version of the dumbbell skull crusher involves pausing the dumbbells on the ground in between each rep. For example:
This is more of a “bodybuilding-style” version of the dumbbell skull crusher.
By pausing the dumbbells on the ground in between each rep, you maintain constant tension on your triceps through the entire range of motion.
In my experience, it is very difficult to make long-term strength gains using this movement. However, if your primary goal is to build muscular size in the triceps, then this can be a great option.
Triceps Exercise #8: Overhead Rope Extensions
Research shows that overhead triceps extensions are FANTASTIC for recruiting the long head of the triceps.
With that in mind, let’s look at some of the best overhead triceps extensions that you can perform in the gym!
First up is the overhead rope extension.
This is a very effective and joint-friendly triceps exercise. Performing this movement is simple: you grab the rope attachment, and extend your hands up over your head.
Research shows that this movement primarily targets the following triceps heads:
- The long head
The lateral and medial heads of the triceps are also worked, but no where near as hard as the long head.
In my experience, this exercise works best for slightly higher rep ranges. It also tends to work best at the end of your triceps routine.
If you perform this exercise too early in your workout, or for low rep ranges, then you may increase your risk for elbow pain.
Another GREAT way to perform this exercise is using a high pulley cable. For example:
As you can see, the cable is originating from the top of the pulley machine, rather than the bottom.
This may seem like a minor change, but it gives the exercise a completely different feel.
This variation lets you use significantly greater loads, and is much easier on your shoulders and elbows.
This movement still hits the long head of your triceps very hard. However, it puts slightly less of a stretch on your triceps compared to the previous version.
Triceps Exercise #9: Overhead Dumbbell Extensions
The overhead dumbbell extension is another great exercise for the long head of the triceps.
There are two main ways to perform this exercise:
- 2 arms at a time
- 1 arm at a time
Let’s start by looking at the 2-arm version of this movement. The 2-arm dumbbell overhead extension is another great movement for targeting the long head of your triceps.
The most difficult part of this exercise is just getting the dumbbell in the starting position!
After you accomplish this, you just extend your hands up and down to stimulate the triceps.
Another great variation of this exercise is the 1-arm dumbbell overhead extension. For example:
In my experience, this version of the movement is slightly more effective for overloading the tricep.
Because your hand is not locked into a fixed groove, your shoulder and elbow joints can move more freely.
In the long-run, this means you will be less likely to develop shoulder or elbow issues from this movement, as opposed to the 2-arm dumbbell overhead movement.
As usual, this exercise targets all three heads of the triceps, but it puts extra emphasis on the following one:
- The long head
This exercise tends to work best towards the end of your triceps routine, and for slightly higher rep ranges.
This will increase the effectiveness of the movement, and reduce your risk for injury.
Triceps Exercise #10: Cable Pushdowns
Last but not least is the cable pushdown!
If you walk into any commercial gym, this is probably the most commonly used triceps exercise. It’s very easy to see why: this exercise is easy to perform, it’s not that challenging, and you get to watch your triceps “flex” in the mirror.
The cable pushdown mostly works the following two muscle heads:
- The lateral head
- The medial head
The truth is the cable pushdown is less effective than almost any other exercise on this list.
Exercises like dips, close grip bench presses, JM presses, skull crushers etc. are far more effective at building triceps size and strength. However, that does not mean this exercise is useless!
It is a very joint-friendly exercise, and many people with beat up elbows find that performing cable pushdowns first in their routine lets them train arms pain-free.
However, the research is very clear that cable pushdowns are less effective than most other triceps exercises for stimulating overall size and strength gains.
Verdict | The Best Triceps Exercises!
The triceps are one of the most complicated muscle groups in the human body.
They have three different muscle heads, and they respond well to a wide variety of compound and isolation exercises.
Don’t worry – training the triceps doesn’t have to be super complicated. All you have to do is focus on these 10 triceps exercises and you will be well on your way to building bigger, stronger arms!
Thank you for reading and I wish you the best of luck on your strength training program!
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