There’s no point in trying to build massive quads if your hamstrings remain weak, and you can’t have big biceps if you don’t put any time into your triceps. In fact, the triceps form 60% of the muscle mass in your upper arm muscles, making it critical to know some of the best tricep exercises for men as a part of your training plan.
The triceps are the three muscles – long head, medial head, and lateral head – at the back of the upper arm. Each of these muscles works together to allow for the extension of the elbow and straightening of the arm, working in tandem with the bicep at the front of your upper arm.
Because of how significant the tricep muscle group is to the strength of your arms overall, tricep exercises deserve ample attention when you’re in the gym. Stronger triceps will actually build the strength of your entire arms.
When you’re in the gym next, there are a few things you need to remember to make sure you have as productive a workout as possible. Firstly, remember to take the time to do a proper warm-up, before you try lifting anything really heavy.
Second, if you’re still learning the perfect technique for any of these exercises, make sure you start using guided weights machines before moving on to free weights.
Now that we’ve got our bases covered, let’s take a look at a few of the best tricep exercises that will help build a seriously impressive set of muscles.
When you’re in the gym next, there are a few things you need to remember to make sure you have as productive a workout as possible. Firstly, remember to take the time to do a proper warm-up, before you try lifting anything really heavy. There’s nothing worse than getting an injury by lifting a weight you should be comfortable with, just because you didn’t warm up thoroughly enough.
Second, if you’re still learning the perfect technique for any of these exercises, make sure you start using guided weights machines before moving onto free weights. Finally, no matter if you’re looking to build muscle mass or definition, don’t be afraid to keep going until failure. If you’ve taken the time and effort to get to the gym, you might as well work hard.
Now that we’ve got our bases covered, let’s take a look at a few of the best tricep exercises that will help build a seriously impressive set of upper arms.
RELATED: 10 Best Shoulder Exercises For Men
The following tricep workout routines will run you through some of the best techniques available when it comes to building better, stronger, and more efficient triceps. Whether you’re lying flat on the floor with your feet flat for a dumbbell floor press or using a resistance band with perfect elbow extension, you need to make your triceps workout for you in the most effective way possible.
Why? Triceps take on the majority of your upper arm mass, giving you a great foundation for you to keep on that path of growth, definition and improvement.
Now that you’re aware of the importance of a good, efficient tricep workout, note of the following tricep exercise essentials so you can beef up those muscles in no time.
And always keep in mind proper form. If you need to keep your core engaged, for example, don’t just think of it as optional.
Performing Close Grip Bench Presses will work your triceps, chest muscles and shoulder muscles, including the rotator cuff. We recommend that you use a spotter machine for safety and follow these steps:
Looking for a great way to work your triceps without spending money on expensive equipment or a gym membership? Then you’ll absolutely love Tricep Dips, not just because of how easy they are to do, but because of their effectiveness.
These specific kind of dips are a workout that allows you to work your triceps using your entire weight. All you need are parallel bars, through which you’ll be suspending your body. It’s a great workout if you’re looking to build some upper mass into your triceps, especially around the lateral head.
The Cable Rope Tricep Pushdown is an excellent way of working your triceps, especially if you don’t want to do exercises that require heavier weights. Instead of free weights or your own weight, this exercise uses a cable machine to control the movement and allows your elbow joints to be more stable.
Before trying this exercise, it’s important to remember your feet should be hip-width apart, your elbows bent at 90 degrees, and the back should remain straight.
Also known as skull crusher, the Lying Triceps Extension is another way of enhancing your triceps’ endurance, strength, and even appearance. Like tricep bench dips, the lying triceps extensions are fit for individuals who have experience doing the other tricep workout routines.
Because as the nickname “skull crusher” suggests, it can be dangerous when done incorrectly. Never try this lying triceps extension exercise with a weight you aren’t sure you can lift, as you can drop the weight on your own head.
You can complete this excellent workout using the following steps:
A slightly less dangerous version of the lying tricep extension is the overhead triceps extension, where you sit on a bench rather than lying down.
They say old is gold, and this is true with our old but good Standard Push-Up technique. With it, you can effectively work your entire upper body, including your chest, shoulders, and arms. Of course, this wouldn’t be on the list if it didn’t also deliver a searingly good workout to all triceps muscles in your arms.
Like the typical push-ups, the Close Grip Parallette Tricep Push-Ups will let you work your triceps, shoulder and chest muscles using your weight.
If you haven’t used them before, parallettes are basically a pair of bars that are just off the ground, allowing you to complete a larger range of body weight based workouts.
However, the elevation that your hands get by using the height of the parallette, gives this type of push-up an upper hand as far as properly working out your tricep heads. In other words, the idea behind the parallette height is to transfer all of your body weight to your arms; specifically, the triceps.
Also known as the tricep kickbacks, the Dumbbell Kickback is one of the top-ranked tricep exercises by the American Council on Exercise. The exercise is more effective if you use standard weight dumbbells, but if you’re doing a high number of repetitions, it’s definitely worth lowering your dumbbell weight.
As with all of these exercises, correct posture and technique are important, so always remember to use a bench and follow the steps as closely as you can:
Various studies have found Diamond Push-Ups as one the most effective tricep workouts for achieving muscle mass, strength, and endurance. It involves the application of almost the full body weight to the muscles of your upper arms, making this another one of the best tricep workouts there is.
The diamond push up is also one of the many variations on the standard push up we mentioned earlier, which by itself is a great tricep exercise. If you’re keen to see what you’re made of, here’s how you master this tricep workout:
Tate Press is your perfect exercise if you want to spark the growth of your triceps while giving a treat to the chest and the shoulder muscles. It is similar to the close grip bench press, although the dumbbell Tate press concentrates on triceps more than any muscle.
If you would like to try out the exercise, below is how to do it.
The Tate Press is a non-negotiable as part of this routine, as it’s one of the best and most efficient triceps exercises around.
The Standing Overhead Cable + the Arm Cable Pull-Down will not only work your triceps but also work the lats, posterior deltoids, and other major muscles groups.
The standing overhead cable will also work your back if done in the right way. Below are the steps to follow in case you decide to try out this workout:
Move directly to the straight Cable Pull-Down after you are done with the steps above:
As the name suggests, the 45-Degree Incline Dumbbell Chest Press involves using a bench that is inclined at 45 degrees. So, by using this technique, you will have your back inclined at 45 degrees at the waist rather than 180 degrees associated with workouts like Tate press and the close grip bench press.
Here’s how you can get after it:
Doing the right tricep exercises can be extremely rewarding, not just for building a serious upper body, but also for the overall improvements to your strength that you’ll see. All you need to do is remember the fundamentals of warming up properly, following the correct technique and making sure you’re working hard. Plus, if done as a part of a considered workout program for your entire body, will nicely complement the rest of your weekly routine.
Now that you’ve read all about the best tricep exercises for men, be sure to check out how to beat post-workout muscle soreness.
The best tricep workout routines focus on variation and consistent movement. They are the close grip benchpress, tricep dips, cable rope tricep pushdown, lying dumbbell triceps extension, standard push up, diamond push up, bench dip, close grip parallette tricep push up, single arm tricep dumbbell kick back, tate press, a standing overhead cable triceps extension and a straight arm cable pull-down, and the 45-degree incline dumbbell chest press.
Push ups are great for your triceps, but try and add a little variation to your routine. You'll also want to add close grip parallette tricep push ups, and diamond push ups.
This specific muscle group consists of three parts – the medial, the lateral, and the long head.
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