How to pump triceps - exercises and techniques

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2012-01-05

Exercises for the triceps are more varied than those for the biceps. This is understandable, as the triceps muscle has three heads, which means there are more variations of movements that activate at least one of them. Next, I will try to answer the question: how to effectively build the triceps?

One of the main exercises for training this muscle is

It is essential that the distance between the dip bars is shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. The elbows should be pulled back, not flared outward. This technique, in my opinion, is the safest and primarily loads the triceps. You should lower yourself until your shoulder is slightly below your elbow.

Those who are not yet capable of doing dips can perform

The principle here is the same. It's better to place your legs on a platform (you can use another bench). You can place weight plates on your legs if necessary. Once you can do this with a 20 kg plate for 10 repetitions, you can move on to the dip bars.

How narrow should the grip be? I recommend maintaining a distance between your thumbs of 30-40 cm. In other words, when you hold the bar with your arms extended, they should be parallel to each other. During the movement, be sure to keep your elbows close to your body. If you grip too narrowly, it will be harder to control your elbows, and they will flare out to the sides.

This is an excellent exercise. It's great because you can place your hands on platforms and dip even deeper. You can also put a platform under your feet to further increase the load on your arms. Finally, you can place weight plates on your back. When doing dips, be sure to keep your elbows close to your torso. One variation of this exercise involves doing dips with kettlebells, where the kettlebells serve as your hand supports.

In all the aforementioned exercises, in addition to the triceps, the chest muscles will also be engaged. Now, let's discuss some more isolated exercises that primarily work the triceps.

French presses, whether standing or lying down, are another good option. All French presses are risky as they place significant strain on the tendons of the triceps near the elbow joint. Therefore, I don’t recommend performing such presses for longer than three consecutive months. The weight should be manageable enough for you to complete at least 10 repetitions.

If performed standing, using dumbbells is preferable to using a barbell. This allows you to keep your elbows stationary, which is the essence of all French presses. This exercise is also beneficial because it is relatively simple and well-suited for beginners, both guys and girls.

If performed lying down, it is better to use a barbell. I do not recommend this exercise for first-time gym-goers, as the load on the tendons is quite high. It’s best to lower the barbell slightly behind your head, keeping your arms not vertically aligned, but slightly angled towards your head. This will further stretch the triceps at the bottom of the movement.

Another exercise to consider is

Here you can use either a straight handle or straps (ropes). The simpler option is with the handles. However, the straps will require the triceps to contract more strongly, as the movement goes not only downwards but also slightly to the sides. If using straps, it’s good to twist your wrists with palms facing up at the top and down at the bottom. This will enhance the pump in the triceps.

Now, let’s discuss how to more intelligently structure your triceps workouts. You can train your triceps twice a week, but one session should be high volume, and the other should be lower volume. For example, on Monday, you could perform dips or a close-grip bench press, followed by standing French presses with dumbbells, and then cable tricep extensions. Then, on Friday, do narrow grip push-ups. Four exercises a week are more than enough to make your triceps grow.

Basic exercises such as bench pressing and dips should be done for at least 6-8 repetitions per set. While other exercises should be performed for at least 10 repetitions per set. If you are working on building volume, aim for no more than 20 repetitions per set.

Of course, this article does not cover all exercises, but rather focuses on the main ones. I hope you’ve learned a lot of useful information. Good luck!