Triceps exercises for the gym and home

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These are the 11 triceps exercises in our library. Each one includes the correct technique, the muscles it works and alternatives if you lack the equipment. You can generate a free routine that includes them based on your level and goal.

Muscles you work when training your triceps

The triceps brachii makes up most of the arm's volume and extends the elbow. Its long head crosses the shoulder, so it stretches when the arm goes overhead: that is why overhead extensions train it through a range that dips or close-grip presses do not reach. Combining one movement with the arm raised and another with the arm at the side covers all three heads.

How to train your triceps: sets, reps and frequency

For muscle growth, the meta-analysis by Schoenfeld, Ogborn and Krieger (2017), covering 15 studies, found a dose-response relationship: more weekly sets per muscle lead to more hypertrophy, and the practical benchmark usually drawn from it is around 10 or more sets a week. Splitting them over two sessions works better than doing them in one (Schoenfeld and colleagues, 2016), and light or heavy loads give similar hypertrophy when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld and colleagues, 2017).

Chest and shoulder presses already add triceps work. Include at least one overhead exercise, such as a cable or dumbbell extension, because it stretches the long head the most. If you are starting out, stay at the low end of the sets and build up gradually. We explain it in how many sets per muscle you need.

The triceps exercise that grew it the most

Maeo and colleagues (2023) trained each of the participants' arms one way for 12 weeks: one with overhead elbow extensions and the other with the arm by the side. The arm that worked overhead grew about 1.4 times more across the whole triceps and around 1.5 times more in the long head.

The reason is mechanical: with the arm raised, the long head works stretched. That is why an overhead extension, with a dumbbell, cable or EZ bar, deserves a fixed spot in your routine on top of your presses.

Blog guides: Triceps

• Best biceps and triceps exercises for bigger arms — The best biceps and triceps exercises according to science, how many sets to do per week, an arm workout and the mistakes that stall your progress.
• Bench press: correct technique and the 7 big mistakes — Bench press: correct technique step by step (back setup, grip, bar path) and the 7 big mistakes that stall your bench or hurt your shoulders.
• Rep range for hypertrophy: debunking the 8-12 rep myth — 8-12 reps are not the only way to gain muscle. The latest science greatly expands the effective rep range for hypertrophy, from low to high reps.

The 11 triceps exercises

Compound exercises (5)

Isolation exercises (6)

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