How do you feel about your arms? If you’re like most people, you probably wish they could be a bit more toned—or maybe you even dream of ripped arm muscles. Either way, the triceps comprise a large muscle group in the upper arms that need to be targeted in order to get those toned, muscular arms you’ve been wanting. And we’ve put together a list of tricep exercises that’ll have you on your way to greater upper body strength in no time.
6 Tricep Exercises That’ll Make Your T-Rex Jealous
1. Tricep Dips
You can find a dip machine specifically for this type of exercise at your local gym, but we’ll let you in on a little secret: you can perform this exercise at home with nothing more than a sturdy chair or couch.
- Stand in front of a chair, facing away from it.
- Squat down and place your palms on the seat of the chair, bending your legs out in front of you.
- Now, use your arm strength to lift your body off the ground before lowering it back down.
- Repeat for several reps.
2. Seated Overhead Dumbbell Extension
If you’ve got access to dumbbells, this is an easy yet effective exercise that really targets the triceps.
- Grab one dumbbell and extend it all the way up above your head.
- Then, using your free hand, reach behind your head and grab the elbow of the arm supporting the dumbbell.
- Now, lower the dumbbell towards your neck (as though you have an itch you’re trying to scratch between your shoulder blades)
- Repeat for reps before switching sides.
3. Close-Grip Bench Press
This exercise is just like any other bench press, except placing your hands closer together (and therefore tightening the grip) will result in a greater focus on your triceps. Give it a try and see the difference for yourself!
Low-Calorie Alcoholic Drink Recipes for When Giving Up Alcohol is Just Not an Option
4. Rope Triceps Pressdown
Hit up the rope machine at your local gym for one of the most effective tricep exercises.
- Attach a rope to the pulley/cable station and set your desired weight.
- Bend your arms and grab with your palms facing the floor.
- Pull the rope/bar down towards your sides and repeat.
This is one of my personal favorite tricep exercises at the gym and will leave your burning for more!
5. Lying Triceps Extensions (Dumbell Bench Press)
Lie flat on your back with a dumbbell in each hand. Raise the dumbbells at the same time slowly and with controlled motions towards the ceiling. Slowly return the dumbbells to either side of you. Seems easy enough, but you’ll be feeling the burn on this one tomorrow!
6. The Old-Fashioned Push Up
When all else fails, there’s always the old-fashioned push-up, which is great for those times when you don’t have any equipment with you but you want to get in a quick upper body workout! Wall push ups are a great modifier for those just starting out with tricep exercises, too.
