Buzz
While arm day at the gym can be a lot of fun, make sure you're not only focusing on bicep exercises. Your triceps, located on the back of your upper arm, are a much larger muscle group, and they're crucial for overhead lifts and performing pushups. In this post, I'll highlight some of my go-to tricep exercises and provide an overview of the triceps' function and importance.
What exactly are the triceps?
The triceps brachii, commonly known as the three-headed muscle of the arm, is located at the back of your upper arm. Its primary role is to extend your elbow.
Each of the three tricep heads has a unique point of origin near the top of your upper arm: The lateral and medial heads both start on the upper humerus (the bone of your upper arm), while the long head originates from the shoulder blade.
The three tricep heads combine into a large, flat tendon near the lower arm, just above the elbow. This is what creates the recognizable 'horseshoe' shape often visible when someone flexes their tricep. The tendon then continues downward and connects to the olecranon process of the ulna, or more simply, the pointy part of your elbow.
Unlike the deltoid muscles, where the three heads perform different actions, the three heads of the triceps all engage in a similar movement during any exercise that involves straightening your arm.
Why do certain exercises specifically target the 'long head' of the triceps?
Because the long head of the triceps starts on the shoulder blade instead of the upper arm, you can stretch it more effectively by raising your arms overhead. As mentioned in my article about the best bicep exercises, training a muscle in its stretched position is thought to provide the most growth stimulus. Therefore, overhead tricep exercises are often said to better activate the long head.
Will exercises targeting the triceps help to tone the upper arms?
The same misconception that leads people to believe crunches can eliminate belly fat (which isn’t effective) also leads to the idea that tricep exercises can get rid of “chicken wings” or “bingo arms.” Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way for either case.
The only way to reduce fat in a specific area, like the upper arm, is by decreasing overall body fat. You can’t directly control where your body stores fat; however, you can control the total amount of fat you have.
Strengthening a muscle can make it grow and can help highlight its definition (like the horseshoe shape where the muscle meets the tendon). This doesn’t affect the saggy look of your arm when it’s at rest, but it does allow you to flex and show off some muscle tone.
The best tricep exercise: dips
When it comes to the best tricep exercise, I’m giving the crown to dips. While I’ll mention some barbell, dumbbell, and cable alternatives below, if I had to choose just one tricep exercise, it would be dips.
Dips are performed by positioning your hands on handles by your sides and using your elbows to move your body up and down by bending and straightening them.
Dips are a compound movement usually done with only your body weight, but they can be made easier with the help of a band or an assisted dip machine. Once bodyweight dips become easy, you can start adding resistance. You can use a dip belt (which your gym likely has in a bucket of accessories) and add as many weight plates as you like onto the chain. Weighted dips are incredibly underrated and can also boost your bench press performance as a bonus.
Dips can be categorized in two main ways: “chest dips” where you lean forward and flare your elbows, and “tricep dips” where you keep your body upright and elbows close to your torso. Both are excellent exercises. Check out this video for a guide on how to do tricep dips:
If you don’t have access to dip handles (or gymnastics rings, which work well too), the next best bodyweight alternative is tricep pushups. These are regular pushups with your hands positioned close together and elbows kept tight to your sides.
For targeting the long head of the triceps, the best exercise is overhead extensions
As the long head attaches near the shoulder joint on the underside of the shoulder blade, the most effective way to train it is by reaching your arms overhead. A 2023 study found that overhead tricep extensions led to greater hypertrophy (muscle growth) in the triceps compared to pushdowns. Interestingly, this increase wasn't limited to just the long head but affected all three heads of the triceps.
If you're aiming for the most “scientific” or “optimal” tricep exercise, I’d recommend overhead extensions. (That said, many individuals have achieved excellent results with a variety of tricep exercises, so it’s not necessary to stick to this one if you don’t prefer it.)
This video demonstrates a version of the exercise using a cable machine, but a dumbbell tricep extension would work just as well.
For the best barbell tricep exercise, the close grip bench press is a top choice
The triceps are involved in all pushing movements, including the bench press and overhead press. Personally, I enjoy barbell exercises and favor the overhead press, so if I had to choose one exercise for myself, I'd go with the overhead strict press.
However, to be more considerate of the broader gym community, I’ll also highlight a classic tricep exercise: the close grip bench press.
The bench press works various muscles, with the primary movers being the pectorals (chest), which bring the arms together and in front of you, and the triceps, which straighten the elbows. A wider grip engages the pecs more, while a narrower grip requires more from the triceps.
Most people opt for a medium grip width on the bar (hands near or just inside the rings) to balance both muscle groups. As an accessory movement, you can perform the close grip bench, with your hands placed just inside shoulder width.
