The Best Tricep Exercises Will Build Big Time Muscle And Strength In Your Upper Arms

The best tricep exercises for building muscle and strength are the subject of this page.

Many people who want bigger arms don't realize that the triceps make up the majority of the upper arm -- not the biceps. If you want to build muscle in your arms, check out all of the best exercises listed below.

Best Tricep Exercises

In no particular order... Dips Bench Press Variations Extensions Kickbacks Pushdown The links above take you further down this page.

Dips

If you attempt to stay as upright as possible throughout the range of motion on dips, you will put more stress on the triceps to do the work. The more you lean forward during dips, the more stress you place on the chest.

Dips are the absolute best exercise for building strength and muscle in the triceps. The only reason I wouldn't include dips in a weightlifting program is when a trainer doesn't want to increase chest size.

Dips also work the chest VERY well.

Bench Press Variations

By changing the grip on the bench press movement, you can target the triceps to a greater extent. The chest will still be used, but the triceps will be stressed more with these different grip positions...

• Move your hands closer together on the barbell




I do not like to go any closer than the video above shows. An even closer grip on the barbell can really tweak the wrists. And I don't risk injury for a closer grip. It's just not worth it.

• Reverse your grip on the barbell




I like to use a much wider grip than my normal bench press grip. Watch the hand placement in the video above. You need to start out with very light weights and find the grip width that feels best to you.

Make sure you place the bar on the padding of your palm. A wider grip usually makes this tricep exercise feel more comfortable.

• Use a parallel grip with dumbbells and keep them close together




The above video isn't great, but at least you get the idea of a parallel grip and the dumbbells closer to each other. This makes the triceps work harder to complete the lift. You can ignore the exercise form used in the video. The guy is pretty shaky.

Extensions

Tricep extensions are one of the better tricep exercises that allow you to isolate the muscle. I do not like tricep extensions simply because they bother my elbows. I wish they didn't because they are a good triceps exercise.

You can do this exercise lying on the floor, lying on a bench, or you can do them seated or on an incline or decline bench. You can use barbells, dumbbells, cables, and even machines.

Kickbacks

I really like tricep kickbacks, but I don't do them as most people attempt to do them. I use both arms at the same time, and I use heavy weights. I don't try to be as strict as humanly possible. Watch the video below. I do not believe in using strict form like that.