Triceps exercises
Straightens the elbow. The long head also crosses the shoulder, so it is stretched and loaded hardest with the arm overhead.
What loads it, and how many ways
21PRIME-MOVER LIFTS
57 more work the triceps as a synergist or stabiliser — real volume, and it counts toward your weekly total. 3 of the 21 need no equipment at all.
Anatomy: Triceps brachii. Two-thirds of upper-arm mass is triceps. Pressing trains it, but the long head needs an overhead or behind-the-body position to be fully loaded.
SOURCE·Published exercise references·PRIME MOVER ASSIGNED BY JOINT ACTION·REVIEWED JUL 2026
How the triceps list is built
- Start from the joint action, not the sensation. A muscle is credited when the action it produces is the one being resisted.
- Credit exactly one role per exercise: prime mover, or synergist and stabiliser. Nothing is listed twice.
- Rank by technical demand on a 1–5 scale — how much practice the movement needs to be done safely, not how hard the set feels.
- Attach the published MET category so the energy figure on every card traces back to the same table.
SOURCE·Published exercise references·ATTRIBUTION BY JOINT ACTION·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Every triceps lift, easiest first
Ranked by technical demand, not by quality. If the movement is new to you, start at the top of the column and earn your way down it.
| Exercise | Equipment | Pattern | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cable Triceps Kickback | Cable machine | Isolation | Isolation | Beginner |
| Cable Triceps Pushdown | Cable machine | Isolation | Isolation | Beginner |
| Dumbbell Triceps Kickback | Dumbbells + Bench | Isolation | Isolation | Beginner |
| Machine Triceps Extension | Machine | Isolation | Isolation | Beginner |
| Resistance Band Overhead Triceps Extension | Resistance band | Isolation | Isolation | Beginner |
| Resistance Band Triceps Pushdown | Resistance band | Isolation | Isolation | Beginner |
| Rope Triceps Pushdown | Cable machine | Isolation | Isolation | Beginner |
| Assisted Dip | Machine | Push | Compound | Beginner |
| Bench Dip | Bench + Bodyweight | Push | Compound | Beginner |
| Close-Grip Push-Up | Bodyweight | Push | Compound | Beginner |
| Crab Walk | Bodyweight | Carry | Compound | Beginner |
| Dumbbell Skull Crusher | Dumbbells + Bench | Isolation | Isolation | Beginner |
| Lying Triceps Extension | EZ bar + Bench | Isolation | Isolation | Beginner |
| Overhead Cable Triceps Extension | Cable machine | Isolation | Isolation | Beginner |
| Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension | Dumbbells | Isolation | Isolation | Beginner |
| Single-Arm Overhead Triceps Extension | Dumbbells | Isolation | Isolation | Beginner |
| Barbell Floor Press | Barbell | Push | Compound | Intermediate |
| Close-Grip Bench Press | Barbell + Bench | Push | Compound | Intermediate |
| Diamond Push-Up | Bodyweight | Push | Compound | Intermediate |
| JM Press | Barbell + Bench | Isolation | Isolation | Advanced |
| Triceps Dip | Dip bars + Bodyweight | Push | Compound | Advanced |
Triceps at home, with nothing at all
No equipment, no gym, no excuse — 3 movements that train this muscle with bodyweight alone.
Also works the triceps as a synergist
These do not have it as the prime mover, but it contributes real work. That matters when you are counting weekly volume.
33 more not shown. Browse the full list of 365 exercises.
How to train it
Straightens the elbow. The long head also crosses the shoulder, so it is stretched and loaded hardest with the arm overhead. Two-thirds of upper-arm mass is triceps. Pressing trains it, but the long head needs an overhead or behind-the-body position to be fully loaded.
Volume is what drives growth: roughly ten to twenty hard sets per muscle group per week suits most people, spread over at least two sessions rather than crammed into one. Beyond that, the honest advice is unglamorous — pick two or three exercises, add weight or reps over time, and keep the technique the same as the load climbs.
The triceps appears in 3 of the 9 movement patterns on this site: isolation, push, carry. Training more than one of them is how you avoid a muscle that is strong in exactly one position.
The questions that come up on the floor
What is the best exercise for the triceps?
There is no single best exercise, but the triceps is the prime mover in 21 movements on this site, across 3 movement patterns. A sensible programme picks one heavy compound movement and one isolation movement rather than collecting ten variations of the same thing. 8 of these are compound and 13 are isolation exercises.
How do I train the triceps at home?
3 of the 21 exercises here need no equipment at all — starting with the close-grip push-up. A further 7 need only home-scale kit such as dumbbells or a resistance band. Progress at home comes from harder variations, slower tempo and single-limb versions rather than from adding plates.
Can I lose fat from the triceps area by training it?
No. Spot reduction does not work — training a muscle does not remove the fat that sits over it. Direct work builds the triceps; fat loss happens across the whole body in response to an overall calorie deficit, and where it comes off first is largely genetic.
What does the triceps actually do?
Straightens the elbow. The long head also crosses the shoulder, so it is stretched and loaded hardest with the arm overhead. Two-thirds of upper-arm mass is triceps. Pressing trains it, but the long head needs an overhead or behind-the-body position to be fully loaded.
Muscle roles follow standard kinesiology references and are described by joint action rather than by gym convention — see how this site is built. Energy figures are derived from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. Every reference is named and dated on the sources page. General information only — not medical or coaching advice. Load, form and progression should be adjusted to your own experience and any injury history. When in doubt, get coached in person.
SOURCE·Published exercise references·MUSCLE ROLES ASSIGNED BY JOINT ACTION·REVIEWED JUL 2026
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