The best Triceps workout training tips, how to build your training routines, and a complete selection of triceps routines for whatever your goal.
Tricep routines are one of the most fun to do at the gym because of our large number of highly effective exercises.
Triceps training can be done with any other muscle, although the preferred combination is with the back or its counterpart group, the biceps.
How To Train Triceps
If one recommendation applies to virtually all tricep exercises in terms of technique, it is to isolate the muscle and minimize the involvement of surrounding muscles such as the pectorals and deltoids; This requires keeping your elbows in an extended position regardless of your hand position.
Letting them drift will reduce the effectiveness of the exercise in most cases.
Work On Three Heads
There is only one muscle in the back and upper part of the arm: the triceps brachii, which is made up of three different heads: lateral, medial, and long.
Triceps Heads
- The lateral head works more in the close-grip bench press; The standard pulldown triceps pulldown emphasizes the lateral head slightly more than the other two.
- The medial head is stimulated when the reverse grip is used, such as in tricep pushdowns and reverses grip versions of the bench press or lying extension.
- The long head is most stimulated in tricep exercises where the arms are overhead (all variations of overhead extension).
How to Build Your Triceps Routine
With these tips, you can put together an efficient and effective tricep routine.
These are not universal rules and other compositions of exercises can also give great results, but these types of routines are effective and guarantee to train the triceps from all angles and without causing imbalance.
First Mass Exercise
Everyone knows that compound movements are usually done before isolated movements. Bench press before fly, squat before the extension, right? So, why do so many bodybuilders start their tricep routine with pushdowns?
By choosing a multi-joint exercise to start your tricep workout, you’ll be able to use more weight and build more strength than if you started with isolation movements.
Start by choosing a compound movement when you are at the peak of your strength and power. Correct choices include the straight-body push-up, weighted bench press, and close-grip bench press.
Dips For Triceps
This last exercise incorporates all three heads with the help of the pectorals and deltoids. Remember not to close the grip too tightly; Between 25 and 30 cm would be ideal.
You can follow up with simple Z-bar triceps extension supersets and close-grip bench presses, although this is not considered a “pure” mass exercise.
Second Mass Exercise, Different Angles
Your next exercise should be for mass, which means using a significant amount of weight. Forget about unilateral movements like dumbbell kicks that don’t allow you to use a lot of kilos. A bilateral exercise is your best bet.
On your second exercise, hit the triceps from a different angle with an overhead motion. Good choices where you use both arms and can work appreciable pounds are Z-bar extensions or a dumbbell.
French Press
If you start your triceps workout with an overhead exercise, any parallel push-up variation is fine to follow.
Remember that you train for size and choose weights that produce muscle failure between 8 and 10 repetitions. If you’re doing parallel push-ups, make sure you’re using as much additional resistance as possible.
In many cases, your own weight will be insufficient to produce failure by 10 repetitions.
Exercise Isolation From Different Angles
Here we can choose exercises that crowd the triceps with relatively light weights. Examples include pulldowns, kickbacks, or various tricep extensions using pulleys. (Triceps Workout)
When referring to cable exercises we must emphasize the importance of a slow and controlled movement.
If we want to get the most out of each series, try fully squeezing your arms in the final position for two seconds. It’s not easy, but it’s the difference between just doing one rep and making every rep count.
Pulldowns work the lateral and medial heads like kicks. It’s great to focus work on this area of the triceps, especially if we’ve done a compound movement before. The idea is to work from a different angle, stimulating the muscle in a slightly different way.
With this in mind, the movements to follow should include different angles. Don’t always do two pulldowns with an overhand grip, use supine occasionally.
Even using ropes, where the hands start in a neutral position and end in a prone position, can be a nice change of pace.
Try New Things For Triceps Workout
Learn and incorporate new moves and variations as you progress in your training.
Parallel pushups can be performed in a variety of positions, including a more advanced version of adding weight. Poles offer half a dozen variations simply by changing the handle used.
Exercise variety is the best way to ensure that your hard work develops balanced arms and avoids sticking points and routine boredom.
When To Train Triceps
As you already know, the triceps work during chest and shoulder work, especially in pressing movements. Instead, many shoulder and chest exercises play a notorious role in triceps work. But in many cases, this is not enough to give maximum results to the triceps.
I don’t recommend training triceps immediately before pectorals or deltoids, and if possible and the distribution of your routine allows it, allocate a minimum of two days of recovery time between your last triceps workout and the following shoulder or chest workouts.
Many people say that the triceps should be worked at the same time as the shoulder or chest work. The triceps are already warm and stimulated to some degree. The bad thing is that after they are all out with the chest or shoulders they lack strength and we can’t give them very intense exercise.
Another school of thought suggests that we train the triceps individually or together with the back or biceps. Here the triceps are fresh and ready for maximum overload.
Remember, however, the importance of rest and recovery. Triceps shouldn’t feel sore during your next shoulder or chest workout.
Elbow Pain With Tricep Exercises
Are you starting to have pain in your elbow? There is a very simple possible solution.
From a biomechanical perspective, lying triceps extensions (school crackers) and overhead presses are risky. Arm positions stress both elbows and shoulders. Also, the triceps tendon is damaged and vulnerable to injury.
Even if you particularly like these movements, the obvious solution is to stop causing your pain.
I suggest you put aside the skull cracker (or French press) and overhead tricep extensions and stick to painless and safe exercises, such as rope pulldowns, dips, kickbacks, close-grip bench presses, and push-ups.
The biomechanical coincidence of this exercise is that the arms are closer to the body, so the elbows suffer less.
Triceps Workout Chart
Triceps Workout For Muscle Size
In routines whose main objective is muscle mass, basic exercises should be used, and training relatively heavy but always within the repetition range that produces hypertrophy.
Training with a range of 6-12 repetitions ensures that we work the maximum number of muscle fibers with the objective of hypertrophy.
| Exercise | Series | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Pulldowns with a straight bar | 3 | 12,10,8 |
| Z-Bar French Press | 4 | 12,10,8,6 |
| Interbank funds, with ballast | 4 | 12,10,8,6 |
| Close grip bench press | 4 | 12,10,8,6 |
Giant Series Triceps Workout
This giant set routine is based not only on intensity but also on a variety. The lying dumbbell extension, which closes the routine, not only develops the triceps well but adds size.
The seated overhead dumbbell extension places more emphasis on the long head.
This is followed by the two-armed kick, which gives more size and requires the use of lighter weights.
Finally, close grip pushups work the lateral head very well, especially when using high reps (you only work with your weight). When doing giant sets, first choose an exercise that allows you to use heavy weights, then move on to lighter movements.
| Exercise | Series | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Lying extensions, with dumbbells | 4 | 10,10,10,10 |
| Seated Dumbbell Overhead Extension | 4 | 10,10,10,10 |
| Two-arm dumbbell kick | 4 | 10,10,10,10 |
| Push-ups with hands together | 4 | Failed |
Triceps Routine For Beginners
| Exercise | Series | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| V Bar Pulldowns | 4 | 10,10,12,12 |
| Dumbbell Kicks | 3 | 10,10,10 |
| Low pulley one-arm extensions | 3 | 10,10,10 |
Homemade Triceps Routine
| Exercise | Series | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Low pulley one-arm extensions | 4 | 15,10,6 |
| Reverse Grip Pulley Pulldowns | 4 | 15,10,6 |
| V Bar Pulldowns | 4 | 15,10,6 |
Routine For Priority In The Long Head Of The Triceps
| Exercise | Series | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 45-Degree Lying Z-Bar Triceps Extension | 4 | 12,12,10,10 |
| Seated Dumbbell Overhead Extensions | 4 | 10,10,8,8 |
| Interbank funds, with ballast | 4 | 15,15,10,12 |
| Pulldowns with the straight bar | 3 | 12,10,10 |
Routine For Priority In The Lateral Head Of The Triceps
| Exercise | Series | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Close grip bench press | 5 | 12,10,10,8,6 |
| pull rope | 3 | 12,10,8 |
| Seated Dumbbell Overhead Extension | 3 | 12,10,8 |
Triceps Routine For Strength
| Exercise | Series | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Close grip bench press on multipower | 4 | 4,4,6,8 |
| Press Inglés | 4 | 4,4,6,8 |
| Pulldowns with the straight bar | 4 | 4,4,6,8 |
Triceps Routine For Definition
| Exercise | Series | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Reverse Grip Pulley Pulldowns | 5 | 10,12,12,15,20 |
| Interbank funds, with ballast | 4 | 12,12,15,15 |
| Funds in parallels | 4 | Failed |
Tricep Routine For Super Congestion
| Exercise | Series | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Press Inglés | 4 | 10,10,30,30 |
| Low pulley one-arm extensions | 4 | 10,10,30,30 |
| Pulldowns with a straight bar | 4 | 10,10,30,30 |
Triceps Workout Chart Note:
The workouts described here do not include warm-up sets. Unless otherwise stated, rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets.
In addition to previously published routines, we have a selection of advanced routines with a greater level of detail, did you want? Put your comment below…
Advanced Tips For Your Triceps Workout Chart
You already have the routines and you know the exercises but you need as much knowledge as possible about how your triceps work.