Revealed: 8 Best Triceps Exercises According to Science

Bodybuilding is a time-intensive endeavor. Not only do you have to find time to train four to six times a week, but you also need to eat right, get plenty of rest, do your rehab and prehab exercises, practice your posing, and fit some cardio into your schedule.

Because your time is so valuable, it makes sense to try and make your workouts as effective as possible. Good news: a study by the American Council on Exercise has revealed the best triceps-building exercises. (1)

Using wireless electromyography (EMG), researchers from the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse assessed triceps brachii activation during eight common triceps exercises, aiming to identify the most effective one.

As a veteran personal trainer with over 35 years of experience, I have used these exercises in my clients’ training programs and have consistently witnessed remarkable results. In this article, I reveal the study’s results and how you can use this information to build your best triceps ever!

8 Best Triceps Exercises According to Science

Not sure which exercises are best for building tremendous triceps? Here, in reverse order, are the eight best triceps exercises according to science. Including any of these exercises in your arm workouts will help you sculpt the triceps of your dreams.  

• Close Grip Bench Press
• Lying Barbell Triceps Extensions
• Triceps Pushdowns (Straight Bar)
• Triceps Pushdowns (Rope Handle)
• Overhead Triceps Extensions
• Dips
• Dumbbell Kickbacks
• Triangle Push-Ups

8. Close grip bench press

Sets & Reps	Equipment Needed	Target Muscles
3 x 6-8	Barbell	Triceps (all heads), Pectoralis Major

All types of bench press work your triceps. However, when you move your hands closer together, it biases the triceps. The close-grip bench press lets you lift heavy weights to overload your triceps, so it’s good for building muscle and strength simultaneously.

For safety and comfort, do not do this exercise with your hands too close together. That puts a lot of unwanted stress on your wrists, elbows, and shoulders. Instead, use a slightly narrower-than-shoulder-width grip.

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Intermediate	Pause at the bottom of the movement	Diamond push-ups

Learn how to do close grip bench presses here.

7. Lying barbell triceps extensions (skull crushers)

Sets & Reps	Equipment Needed	Target Muscles
3 x 8-12	Barbell	Triceps Long Head, Triceps Medial Head

This exercise involves lowering a weight to your forehead. Lower the weight too fast or fail completely, and you could crack yourself on the noggin! Safety issues aside, the skull crusher is a very effective triceps exercise. You can do it with a barbell, EZ bar, or dumbbells.

The dumbbell variation is arguably safer and is more effective as you can move your arms through a greater range of motion. You will also get a better triceps workout if you do this exercise on a declined bench, as you’ll need to increase triceps engagement to keep your arms vertical.

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Beginner	Move the elbows toward the ears in the bottom position	Use dumbbells

Read more about lying barbell triceps extensions here.

6. Triceps pushdowns (straight bar)

Sets & Reps	Equipment Needed	Target Muscles
3 x 10-15	Cable Machine, Straight Bar	Triceps Lateral Head, Triceps Medial Head

Triceps pushdowns are near the top of most bodybuilders’ list of must-do triceps exercises. They’re easy to perform and ideal for pump-inducing drop sets. Cable pushdowns also keep your muscles under constant tension, which helps explain why they’re such an effective muscle builder.

However, many lifters lean forward too much when doing this exercise, turning pushdowns into a decline bench press. This might mean you can lift more weight or do more reps, but it takes some of the tension off the target muscles.

So, to get more from triceps pushdowns, keep your torso upright and your upper arms pinned to your sides.

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Beginner	Slow down the eccentric phase	Unilateral variation

Read more about triceps pushdowns (straight bar) here.

5. Triceps pushdowns (rope handle)

Sets & Reps	Equipment Needed	Target Muscles
3 x 10-15	Cable Machine, Rope	Triceps Lateral Head, Triceps Medial Head

According to the ACE study, doing triceps pushdowns with a rope is slightly more effective than using a straight bar. This is probably because using a rope allows for a larger range of motion, and you can squeeze your triceps harder at the end of each rep. Some lifters also find that rope pushdowns are more comfortable and elbow-friendly than the straight bar variation.

Ultimately, straight bar and rope handle triceps pushdowns are pretty interchangeable, but rope pushdowns may be marginally more beneficial.

However, as before, the key to getting the most from this exercise is keeping your torso upright and your upper arms close to your sides.

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Beginner	Close-grip bench press	Diamond push-ups

Learn how to do triceps pushdown (rope handle) here.

4. Overhead triceps extensions

Sets & Reps	Equipment Needed	Target Muscles
3 x 8-12	Dumbbells, Barbell, or Cable	Triceps Long Head, Triceps Medial Head

While the ACE study doesn’t specify if this exercise was done seated or standing or using a barbell, dumbbell, or cable, all variations of overhead triceps extensions, also known as the French press, are effective triceps exercises.

Done with your upper arms next to your ears, this exercise requires good shoulder and thoracic spine mobility, which may help explain why such an effective exercise is not as popular as it should be.

But, whether you use free weights or a cable machine, and providing you can do it comfortably and safely, the overhead triceps extension is an excellent upper arm exercise.

Follow the links to learn more about barbell overhead extensions, dumbbell overhead extensions, and cable overhead extensions. Try all three variations to determine which one is best for you.

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Intermediate	Try single-arm variations	Perform lengthened partials

3. Dips

Sets & Reps	Equipment Needed	Target Muscles
3 x Failure	Parallel Bars/Dip Station	Triceps (all heads), Pectoralis Major (chest emphasis), Deltoids (anterior)

Somewhat controversially, the ACE study analyzed the effect of bench dips rather than regular parallel bar dips. Maybe the participants weren’t very strong?!

Regardless, when done with an upright torso, both types of dips are very effective exercises for building bigger, more powerful triceps. However, the bench variation can be hard on the shoulders, so parallel dips are arguably your best option and the one we’d typically recommend. Whichever you do, keep your body as upright as possible to maximize triceps recruitment.

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Advanced	Weighted variation	Use a dip assist machine or band, bench dips

Read more about triceps dips here.

2. Dumbbell kickbacks

Sets & Reps	Equipment Needed	Target Muscles
3 x 10-15	Dumbbells	Triceps Lateral Head, Triceps Long Head

Let’s be honest: many bodybuilders avoid this exercise, and those who do it use too much weight and end up swinging their dumbbells instead of using their triceps. However, done correctly, and according to ACE, the much-maligned dumbbell kickback is one of the best triceps exercises around!

Triceps kickbacks involve shoulder extension and elbow extension, both of which are functions of the triceps. This combination of movements produces a very intense contraction, which explains why this exercise rates so highly.

For best results, do kickbacks using a cable instead of dumbbells. The dumbbell variation is fine, but it’s too easy to cheat. Using a cable means your triceps are under tension for the entire range of motion, and it’s much harder to swing the weight up.

However, it’s important to note that the study measured the effect of dumbbell kickbacks, not the cable version. However, the cable version is likely even better.

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Beginner	Cable variation	Diamond push-ups

Learn how to do cable kickbacks here.

1. Triangle push-ups

Sets & Reps	Equipment Needed	Target Muscles
3 x Failure	Bodyweight	Triceps (all heads), Pectoralis Major

The great thing about triangle push-ups is that you don’t need any equipment to do them, so they’re ideal for home workouts.

Strangely, triangle push-ups involve a very similar movement to close-grip bench presses. Yet, these exercises are at opposite ends of this list.

This may be due to the magnitude of the load used during testing. It makes sense that light to moderate weight close grip bench presses would engage the triceps less than triangle push-ups if the participants were not especially strong.

Regardless, there is no denying that the triangle or diamond push-up is an excellent triceps exercise that deserves a place in your workouts. Even if you only use it as a finisher after some heavier arm exercises.

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Intermediate	Elevate feet, perform decline triangle push-ups	Regular push-ups, incline triangle push-ups

Average EMG Activity

Here is the average EMG of the entire movement (concentric and eccentric) as per the ACE study:

No	Triceps Exercise	Combined Means	Long Head	Lateral Head
1	Close grip bench press	62 ± 15.88	61 ± 16.9	63 ± 15.5
2	Lying barbell triceps extensions	62 ± 16.25	70 ± 20.9	55 ± 14.1
3	Triceps pushdowns (straight bar)	67 ± 20.48	75 ± 29.3	59 ± 14.3
4	Triceps pushdowns (rope handle)	74 ± 22.64	81 ± 32.3	67 ± 15.7
5	Overhead triceps extensions	76 ± 16.09	81 ± 21.4	72 ± 16.5
6	Dips	87 ± 19.87	87 ± 21.3	88 ± 20.0
7	Dumbbell kickbacks	87 ± 26.58	88 ± 33.0	87 ± 23.7
8	Triangle push-ups	100	100	100

Read more about triangle (diamond) push-ups here.

Best Scientifically Proven Workout

Perform this workout at least once weekly for the best results:

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest (Seconds)
Close Grip Bench Press	3	6-8	90-120
Lying Barbell Triceps Extensions (Skullcrushers)	3	8-12	60-90
Triceps Pushdowns (Rope Handle)	3	10-15	60
Overhead Triceps Extensions (Dumbbell)	3	8-12	60-90
Dips (Triceps Emphasis)	3	To Failure	90-120

More Triceps Exercises:

• The 10 Best Medial Head Triceps Exercises
• Best Cable Exercises for Bigger, More Sculpted Triceps
• French Press Exercise Guide, Workout and Alternatives
• The 8 Best Compound Triceps Exercises for Size and Strength
• Best 11 Dumbbell Triceps Exercises For Mass and Shape
• The Best Long Head Triceps Exercises for Thicker, Stronger Arms
• The Best Lateral Head Triceps Exercises for Bigger Arms
• Best Triceps Exercises For Building Bigger and Stronger Arms
• Best Old-School Triceps Workouts

Wrapping Up

Any of the eight exercises included in the ACE study will help you build bigger, more muscular triceps. There are also several other exercises that may be similarly effective but didn’t make it into the study, such as reverse grip pushdowns, single-arm overhead triceps extensions, and bodyweight skull crushers.

However, it seems that, in terms of bang for your buck, triangle push-ups, dumbbell kickbacks, and dips are the best triceps builders, with overhead triceps extensions and pushdowns coming in close behind.

Building your triceps workouts around these exercises should ensure that you get the results you want from your training. However, even though they came out on top, don’t just do these exercises and forget the rest.

Studies have shown that exercise variety is essential for building muscle (2). So, make sure you include several different triceps exercises in your workouts and change movements from one training cycle to the next to avoid boredom and plateaus.  

Related: Best Triceps Exercises For Building Bigger and Stronger Arms

References:

1– American Council on Exercise (ACE): ACE Study Identifies the Best Triceps Exercises https://www.acefitness.org

2– PubMed: The Effects of Exercise Variation in Muscle Thickness, Maximal Strength and Motivation in Resistance Trained Men https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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