Exercise library

Exercises for triceps

218 exercises that train triceps, primary or secondary. Tap for technique and tips.

The triceps make up roughly two-thirds of your upper arm volume and are the muscle that really shows when you straighten your arm. It consists of three heads — long, medial, and lateral — each requiring slightly different angles and loading patterns for complete development.

Here you'll find 218 exercises spread across barbells (54), dumbbells (36), kettlebells (26), bodyweight (25), cable machines (20), and more. This means you can build a complete triceps session whether you're in a fully equipped gym, training at home, or on the road.

Triceps respond well to variation. Pick two to three exercises per session, rotate equipment and angles throughout the week, and make sure you're actually progressing in weight or reps — the muscle won't grow if the stimulus never changes.

Foundational exercises to build your session around

Close-grip barbell bench press is the backbone of most triceps sessions — a narrower grip than chest press shifts the load clearly to the back of the arm and lets you go heavy. Bench dips are the strongest option without a barbell and require nothing more than a bench.

For pure isolation, skull crushers with bands are an excellent choice: the band creates increasing resistance at the top of the movement exactly when the triceps are most active. If you want a heavier barbell variant, guillotine press and incline close-grip bench press work well as complements to the horizontal angle.

Variations to target all three heads

The long head — what gives your arm depth from behind — is best activated when the shoulder is in flexion, meaning the arm is overhead. Anti-gravity press and pullovers with bent arms (dumbbell or bar) hit this position well.

For the medial and lateral heads, most pressing movements work: alternating kettlebell press, cable chest press, and bodyweight triceps press are three options using completely different equipment but with similar activation patterns. Bradford press and bent press are more advanced variants that blend in mobility and coordination — best used once basic form is solid.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

The most common error is using too much weight with too little range of motion. Triceps work efficiently in full extension — your elbows should straighten completely, otherwise you lose a large part of the stimulus. This applies whether you're using a barbell, dumbbells, or cables.

Another mistake is relying on chest press as your only triceps work. Bench press trains the triceps, but the shoulder angle is fixed and the long head gets underutilized. Add at least one isolation or overhead variation — skull crushers, anti-gravity press, or cable press — and you'll train the muscle more completely while reducing the risk of imbalance between the front and back of your arm.

triceps by equipment

barbell 54dumbbells 36kettlebell 26bodyweight 25other equipment 21cable 20machine 14medicine ball 7resistance bands 5EZ-bar 5
Alternating Cable Shoulder PressbeginnerAlternating Floor PressbeginnerAlternating Kettlebell PressintermediateAlternating Renegade RowadvancedAnti-Gravity PressbeginnerArnold Dumbbell PressintermediateBack Flyes - With BandsbeginnerBand Skull CrusherbeginnerBarbell Bench Press - Medium GripbeginnerBarbell Guillotine Bench PressintermediateBarbell Incline Bench Press - Medium GripbeginnerBarbell Shoulder PressintermediateBench DipsbeginnerBench Press - PowerliftingintermediateBench Press - With BandsbeginnerBench Press with ChainsadvancedBent PressadvancedBent-Arm Barbell PulloverintermediateBent-Arm Dumbbell PulloverintermediateBoard PressintermediateBody Tricep PressbeginnerBody-UpintermediateBodyweight FlyesintermediateBradford/Rocky PressesbeginnerCable Chest PressbeginnerCable Incline Triceps ExtensionbeginnerCable Lying Triceps ExtensionbeginnerCable One Arm Tricep ExtensionbeginnerCable Rope Overhead Triceps ExtensionbeginnerCable Shoulder PressbeginnerChain Handle ExtensionintermediateChain PressintermediateChest Push (multiple response)beginnerChest Push (single response)beginnerChest Push from 3 point stancebeginnerChest Push with Run ReleasebeginnerCircus BelladvancedClean and JerkadvancedClean and PressintermediateClock Push-UpintermediateClose-Grip Barbell Bench PressbeginnerClose-Grip Dumbbell PressbeginnerClose-Grip EZ-Bar PressbeginnerClose-Grip Push-Up off of a DumbbellintermediateDecline Barbell Bench PressbeginnerDecline Close-Grip Bench To Skull CrusherintermediateDecline Dumbbell Bench PressbeginnerDecline Dumbbell Triceps ExtensionbeginnerDecline EZ Bar Triceps ExtensionbeginnerDecline Push-UpbeginnerDecline Smith PressbeginnerDip MachinebeginnerDips - Chest VersionintermediateDips - Triceps VersionbeginnerDouble Kettlebell JerkintermediateDouble Kettlebell Push PressintermediateDouble Kettlebell WindmillintermediateDrop PushintermediateDumbbell Bench PressbeginnerDumbbell Bench Press with Neutral GripbeginnerDumbbell Floor PressintermediateDumbbell Incline Shoulder RaisebeginnerDumbbell One-Arm Shoulder PressintermediateDumbbell One-Arm Triceps ExtensionintermediateDumbbell Shoulder PressintermediateDumbbell Tricep Extension -Pronated GripbeginnerExtended Range One-Arm Kettlebell Floor PressbeginnerEZ-Bar SkullcrusherbeginnerFloor PressintermediateFloor Press with ChainsintermediateForward Drag with PressintermediateFront Raise And PulloverbeginnerHammer Grip Incline DB Bench PressbeginnerHandstand Push-UpsadvancedHeaving Snatch BalanceintermediateHeavy Bag ThrustbeginnerIncline Barbell Triceps ExtensionintermediateIncline Cable Chest PressbeginnerIncline Dumbbell Bench With Palms Facing InbeginnerIncline Dumbbell PressbeginnerIncline Push-UpbeginnerIncline Push-Up Close-GripbeginnerIncline Push-Up Depth JumpbeginnerIncline Push-Up MediumbeginnerIncline Push-Up Reverse GripbeginnerIncline Push-Up WidebeginnerIsometric Chest SqueezesbeginnerIsometric WipersbeginnerJerk BalanceintermediateJM PressbeginnerKettlebell Arnold PressintermediateKettlebell Seated PressintermediateKettlebell Seesaw PressintermediateKettlebell ThrusterintermediateKettlebell Turkish Get-Up (Lunge style)intermediateKettlebell Turkish Get-Up (Squat style)intermediateKettlebell WindmillintermediateKipping Muscle UpintermediateKneeling Cable Triceps ExtensionintermediateLandmine Linear JammerintermediateLeg-Over Floor PressintermediateLeverage Chest PressbeginnerLeverage Decline Chest PressbeginnerLeverage Incline Chest PressbeginnerLeverage Shoulder PressbeginnerLog LiftintermediateLow Cable Triceps ExtensionbeginnerLying Close-Grip Barbell Triceps Extension Behind The HeadintermediateLying Close-Grip Barbell Triceps Press To ChinintermediateLying Dumbbell Tricep ExtensionintermediateLying Triceps PressintermediateMachine Bench PressbeginnerMachine Shoulder (Military) PressbeginnerMachine Triceps ExtensionbeginnerMedicine Ball Chest PassbeginnerMuscle SnatchintermediateMuscle UpintermediateNeck PressintermediateOne Arm Dumbbell Bench PressbeginnerOne Arm Floor PressintermediateOne Arm Pronated Dumbbell Triceps ExtensionbeginnerOne Arm Supinated Dumbbell Triceps ExtensionbeginnerOne-Arm Kettlebell Floor PressintermediateOne-Arm Kettlebell JerkintermediateOne-Arm Kettlebell Military Press To The SideintermediateOne-Arm Kettlebell Para PressintermediateOne-Arm Kettlebell Push PressintermediateOne-Arm Kettlebell SnatchadvancedOne-Arm Kettlebell Split JerkintermediateOtis-UpbeginnerOverhead LatadvancedOverhead SquatadvancedOverhead StretchbeginnerOverhead TricepsadvancedPallof PressbeginnerPallof Press With RotationbeginnerParallel Bar DipbeginnerPin PressesintermediatePlyo Kettlebell PushupsadvancedPlyo Push-upbeginnerPower CleanintermediatePower JerkadvancedPower SnatchadvancedPower Snatch from BlocksintermediatePress Sit-UpadvancedPush PressadvancedPush Press - Behind the NeckintermediatePush Up to Side PlankbeginnerPush-Up WidebeginnerPush-Ups - Close Triceps PositionintermediatePush-Ups With Feet ElevatedbeginnerPush-Ups With Feet On An Exercise BallintermediatePushupsbeginnerPushups (Close and Wide Hand Positions)beginnerReturn Push from StancebeginnerReverse Band Bench PressintermediateReverse Grip Triceps PushdownbeginnerReverse Triceps Bench PressintermediateRing DipsintermediateSeated Barbell Military PressintermediateSeated Bent-Over One-Arm Dumbbell Triceps ExtensionbeginnerSeated Bent-Over Two-Arm Dumbbell Triceps ExtensionintermediateSeated Cable Shoulder PressbeginnerSeated Dumbbell PressbeginnerSeated Triceps PressbeginnerSee-Saw Press (Alternating Side Press)intermediateShoulder Press - With BandsbeginnerSingle-Arm Linear JammerintermediateSingle-Arm Push-UpintermediateSled Overhead Triceps ExtensionbeginnerSled PushbeginnerSmith Machine Bench PressbeginnerSmith Machine Close-Grip Bench PressbeginnerSmith Machine Decline PressbeginnerSmith Machine Incline Bench PressbeginnerSmith Machine Overhead Shoulder PressbeginnerSnatchintermediateSnatch BalanceintermediateSnatch from BlocksadvancedSpeed Band Overhead TricepsbeginnerSpider CrawlbeginnerSplit JerkintermediateSplit SnatchadvancedSquat JerkadvancedStanding Alternating Dumbbell PressbeginnerStanding Barbell Press Behind NeckintermediateStanding Bent-Over One-Arm Dumbbell Triceps ExtensionbeginnerStanding Bent-Over Two-Arm Dumbbell Triceps ExtensionbeginnerStanding Bradford PressbeginnerStanding Cable Chest PressbeginnerStanding Dumbbell PressbeginnerStanding Dumbbell Triceps ExtensionbeginnerStanding Low-Pulley One-Arm Triceps ExtensionintermediateStanding Military PressbeginnerStanding One-Arm Dumbbell Triceps ExtensionbeginnerStanding Overhead Barbell Triceps ExtensionbeginnerStanding Palm-In One-Arm Dumbbell PressbeginnerStanding Palms-In Dumbbell PressintermediateStanding Towel Triceps ExtensionbeginnerStraight-Arm Dumbbell PulloverintermediateSupine Chest ThrowbeginnerSuspended Push-UpbeginnerSvend PressbeginnerTate PressintermediateTire FlipintermediateTricep Dumbbell KickbackbeginnerTricep Side StretchbeginnerTriceps Overhead Extension with RopebeginnerTriceps PushdownbeginnerTriceps Pushdown - Rope AttachmentbeginnerTriceps Pushdown - V-Bar AttachmentbeginnerTriceps StretchbeginnerTwo-Arm Kettlebell JerkintermediateTwo-Arm Kettlebell Military PressintermediateWeighted Bench DipintermediateWide-Grip Barbell Bench PressintermediateWide-Grip Decline Barbell Bench PressintermediateWide-Grip Decline Barbell Pulloverintermediate