10 Tricep Exercises That Give You Great Looking Arms

Want to build big, strong upper arms you can be proud of? You don’t even have to join a gym to do it. Yes, you can have the body you’ve always dreamed of and arms that look amazing bulging out of any shirt. All you need is some hard work with these triceps exercises, a protein-rich diet, and some motivation.

The triceps is a muscle in the shoulder with three muscles: a long, a medial, and a lateral. It works every time you straighten a limb at the shoulder or elbow. But to build your triceps, you need to move your arm under load.

Ten Tricep Exercises You’ll Want to Try

Ready to get started? Here are the ten most common triceps exercises that will help you build the body you want.

Here are some of my favorite triceps exercises. Repeat each exercise 10 times before moving on to the next. You can make this a circuit workout and repeat the entire circuit for 3 rounds.

1. diamond push-ups

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In normal push-ups, most of the effort is on the chest muscles. In diamond push-ups, the emphasis is on the triceps due a narrow hand position.

Rest your palms on the floor so that your thumbs connect to form a “diamond”. Tense your abs and buttocks to keep the correct body shape, lower your shoulders.

Do full range push-ups until your chest touches the floor.

2. Reverse bench push-ups

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Another exercise without special equipment. Find a low support, with your back turned to it, and place your palms with your fingers facing away from each other. This unusual positioning of your hands will make your shoulder joints move forward less and thus reduce your chances of damaging them.

Straighten your legs without raising your shoulders. Lower yourself until your shoulders are parallel with the floor, and then push yourself up. Try to do the exercise smoothly, without jerking: this way you will maximally load the triceps and will not injure the joint.

3. push-ups on uneven bars

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This exercise can be done with or without extra weight if your muscles are not yet ready for weight.

Grab the bars, do not lift your shoulders, and bring your shoulder blades together. Lower yourself until your shoulders are parallel with the floor. Keep your body straight, don’t lean forward: this will maximize your triceps load. Push yourself up and repeat the exercise.

If you are not yet able to perform push-ups on the bars with your body weight, try doing it with an expander. Put a rubber band on the bars, put your feet in the loop, and do push-ups with support.

4. French Bench Press

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Different bars can be used for this exercise: Straight, EZ or W. A curved barbell allows you to grasp the bar at a slight angle, which is more comfortable.

Lie on the bench with your feet pressed to the floor. Lift the bar in front of you and bring your straight arms behind your head. If they are perpendicular to the body, the triceps will rest at the extreme point.

Now bend your arms at the elbows and lower the barbell behind your head. The shoulders do not change their position, only the forearms work. Bring the bar back and repeat.

5. Dumbbell press behind head

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In this exercise, the triceps first stretch under load and then contract to return the arms to their original position.

Wrap both hands around the dumbbell bar, lift it up and bring it behind your head. Now bend your arms at the elbows, lower the dumbbell and raise it again. Make sure your shoulders do not move: only your forearms work.

6. Arms extension with dumbbells in an incline

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This exercise works the triceps as well as the posterior deltoid bundle. They are small and weak muscles, so do not take a big weight.

Bend forward with a straight back, arms with dumbbells bent at right angles in the elbows and held close to the body.

Extend your arms and then return to the starting position. Do not change the angle of your back, do not move your shoulders – only your forearms work.

7. One arm extension with support on the bench

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Unlike the previous exercise, here you are leaning on the bench and working with one hand. So you can take more weight and better pump your triceps.

Place your left hand and knee on the bench, keep your back straight and your shoulders down. Take a dumbbell in your right hand, bend your elbow at a right angle. Straighten it, keeping it close to your body, then bring it back.

8. Arm extensions on a rope grip block

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Turning your arms outward allows you to load the lateral head of the triceps, i.e. its outer side, more.

Hang the rope handle on the block, grasp both ends of the rope handle. In a stable position, straighten your back, lower your shoulders, and keep your elbows close to your torso.

Pull the handle down until your arms are straightened. At the same time, pull the ends of the handle apart, turning your arms with your elbows to the sides.

9. Arm extensions on the block in reverse grip

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This design allows you to better load the medial head of the triceps, which is closer to the inner part of the arm.

Hang a regular grip on the block and grasp it with a reverse grip. Extend elbows until arm is fully straightened and then bend back.

10. Extension on the block from behind the head

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In the starting position, the triceps are stretched. This increases the load on the muscles and allows you to work them better.

Stand with your back to the block, grasp the rope handle and raise it above your head. Bend your arms in the elbows at right angles, put your bent leg forward to take a stable position.

Keep reading: 9 exercises for fast weight loss that you can do at home without any equipment

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