In pursuit of a daunting and proportionate physique, the goal of sculpting excellent triceps should be a priority. Triceps are key to amazing arm development!
Triceps are the secret to incredible upper body strength, having developed and strong triceps not only will enhance performance all around the upper body, but will increase athletic performance as well.
The tricep is the most underrated muscle group in your entire arm, the muscle group that makes up over 65% of your entire arm which is why it is crucial to build them!
Today we will be looking at how to sculpt strong and intimidating triceps as well as look at the anatomy of the triceps to give you a further understanding on the muscle group.
Let's dive into this guide on constructing formidable triceps!
Tricep Anatomy
Before we show you how to work the triceps, it is key that you understand the anatomy of the triceps.
There are 3 heads of the tricep shown below.
NOTE: The picture shown below is of someone who has taken steroids, this is not naturally achievable and is only shown as a reference to the different parts of the tricep.
The Long Head: is the largest part of the tricep and makes up most of the mass of the whole tricep. It is located at the back of the tricep and is best seen when facing the back of the human body.
The Lateral Head: is the most visible part of the tricep when looked at from the side. It is is the widest part of the tricep as seen above, and is one of the most aesthetic parts of the whole arm!
The Medial Head: is the shortest part of the tricep, it is located near the bottom of the long head of the tricep, although it is small it still plays a key role in the strength of the tricep as well as the aesthetic of the whole arm. Medial head tricep exercises often hit other parts of the tricep as well.
Almost every tricep exercise can work all 3 heads of the tricep, there are some that isolate certain heads but keep in mind that although most tricep exercises work all 3 heads, there is usually a specific head being mainly targeted.
For example, Tricep Rope Push Down is an exercise that mainly works the Long head of the tricep and work the Medial and Lateral heads as secondary muscles.
Anyway lets dive into how you should train you triceps for strong and aesthetic arms!
Best Exercises for Strong and Aesthetic Triceps
Here is a list of the best tricep exercises that I have used and that I am using that has given me fairly strong triceps for my 1 year of lifting. They comprise of barbell, cable and dumbbell exercises for the triceps.
The tricep exercises that you pick are important depending on your routine, however all tricep exercises will help make your triceps bigger.
Make sure to look these up for form and technique if you are interested to try some of them!
Long Head Tricep Exercises:
The long head of the tricep is the long, meaty and biggest part of your tricep that runs along the bottom of your arm.
This is by far the most aesthetic part of the tricep and I LOVE using Cable One Arm Tricep extension (look up how to do) as it allows me to feel an incredible burn on my long head and is one of the best exercise for triceps.
Other exercises like rope pushdowns and tricep kickbacks are STAPLE exercises for working out the long head too.
Rope Tricep Push Down
Cable One Arm Tricep Extension (This is one of the best cable tricep exercises)
Tricep Kickback (This is one of the most popular dumbbell exercises for triceps!)
Short Head Tricep Exercises
The short head of the tricep is the meaty part of the tricep that helps you do heavy compound movements.
There are tons of short head tricep exercises but the one's that I recommend helped me increase my tricep size and strength by a LOT in the past year.
The straight bar tricep pushdown is a classic short head exercise, you can load a LOT of weight on it and it will train you raw pushdown movements.
The Dips (best done with weights) are a staple tricep exercise, dips are the most fun tricep exercise by far and since you are pushing the weight of your whole body, you allow yourself to create more tension on your triceps.
Straight Bar Tricep Pushdown
Dips (Full Development)
Medial Head Tricep Exercises
Medial Head tricep exercises tend to not be very isolative. There isn't a SINGLE tricep exercise that won't work all 3 headsl.
However, the medial head is usually hit when working the other 2 heads of the tricep. The best exercises that are full development exercises that I recommend is the skull crusher and the close grip bench press.
Skull crushers are one of the best dumbbell exercises for triceps. Although you can do it with an EZ Bar or a barbell, dumbbells force you to work harder and train for better stability.
Dumbbell exercises for triceps are fantastic in building stability and to get rid of muscle imbalances.
Finally, close grip bench press is also a great tricep builder as it will put the most amount of weight on your triceps which will allow you to make your triceps stronger.
Close Grip Bench Press (Full Development)
Skull Crusher (Full Development)
Make sure you are doing a weight that you can get clean reps in for each exercise as well as keep up the intensity for each exercise, this will stimulate muscular hypertrophy.
Make sure you are not underworking yourself and that you are progressive overloading (doing more weight/reps than last time) for each exercise. This will stimulate growth and make you stronger.
Pick at least 1 of the full development exercises and use that to train for strength (heavier weight, lower volume) as it will build the strength portion of your triceps much faster.
I made the mistake by not including these in my fitness routine which costed me a lot of strength and time.
By following these basic rules and guidelines I can guarantee you will be having strong and aesthetic triceps as long as you are dedicated!
NOTE: FOR ALL EXERCISES THAT I HAVE MENTIONED, PLEASE LOOK UP HOW TO DO GOOD FORM/TECHNIQUE FOR THAT EXERCISE FOR BEST RESULTS ADN UNDERSTANDING!!!
My Tricep Routine + Picture of my Triceps
For those of you looking for a reference guide on which exercises to do on tricep day, here is my tricep routine! Remember, I do these exercises in the order shown below.
YourFitnessHelper's Tricep Routine
JM Press 3x8
Cable One Arm Tricep Rope Extension 3x15
Straight Bar Tricep Pushdown 3x15
Here is a picture of my very own triceps! I know it's not as crazy as you have seen of pictures online but keep in mind I have only been in the gym for 1 year and I am not taking steroids (AND I DO NOT PLAN TO EITHER!).
I still have a lot of work to do but I am very happy for what I have been able to achieve in such a short span of time!
This is an accurate example of what can be achieved in 1 year if you train with intensity and to stimulate muscular hypertrophy.
Here are some additional tips that I HIGHLY urge you to follow to succeed in being fit!
Additional Tips for Muscle Gain
Nutrition: Make sure to get a good protein intake as well as eating whole and healthy foods! Gains are made in the kitchen!
Sleep: Aim for about 7-9 hours of sleep every night for adequate rest and recovery.
Progressive Overload: Make sure you are doing either more weight or more reps than the last time you did an exercise in the previous workout. This will ensure your muscles are under a lot of pressure and will be the basis of your training.
Consistency: You must be consistent in your training, recovery and nutrition. If you are not consistent, you will not grow!
Rest and Recovery: Allow your muscles good rest in between workouts, do not train a muscle group if it is still sore from it's last workout. The golden rule is to wait 48-72 hours before training a muscle group again!
Form and Technique: As mentioned earlier, learning good form and technique (via peers or internet) is crucial to avoid injury and to get maximum benefit from your exercises
Variation: Switch up your routines every couple of months to avoid plateaus in your exercises.
Well that should do it! That was my comprehensive guide on how to build strong and aesthetic triceps!
I hope you enjoyed and are planning to use some of my advice to further help you in your fitness goals!
Thanks for reading!
Just a young man trying to bring fitness to the world!
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