- Exercises that target your triceps include tricep overhead extensions, kickbacks, and dips.
- You can also tone your triceps and other muscles with push-ups, bench press, and Turkish getups.
- Strong triceps are important for everyday movements that involve pushing, pulling, reaching, throwing, and lifting.
If you’re looking for a natural way to get rid of those flabby underarms that only seem to dangle lower with each passing birthday, then you’ve come to the right place.
Toning your upper body isn’t just about building big biceps. There’s another muscle that often goes overlooked: the tricep brachii muscle, aka triceps, for short.
Your triceps are located below your bicep, on the back of your upper arm. It’s a single muscle, but it consists of three different parts — the medial, lateral, and longhead.
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You use your triceps every day when you carry something heavy or reach for something high up. Basically, it helps your elbow and shoulder muscles work in sync.
So when your triceps are weak or damaged, it can make daily life difficult, especially if you do a lot of lifting, throwing, pushing, or pulling.
On top of that, toning your triceps can help reduce that under-arm flab and give your upper arms more definition, if that’s something that matters to you.
“It’s a muscle I focus a lot on with clients, whether they’re older women, a guy looking to try to get more muscle definition, or a bride trying to have chiseled arms for her wedding” says Lauren Seib, a certified personal trainer and pre- and post-needle exercise specialist with her own private practice.
Whatever your reason may be for targeting those triceps, Seib shared her top 10 tricep exercises below along with tips on avoiding injury and how to ramp up the intensity once you get comfortable with the basics.
Seib recommends starting out with 10-12 reps of each of the following exercises for about one to two times per week. If you’re using dumbbells, choose a weight that is heavy enough to tax your muscles but not so heavy that it disrupts your form.
1. Overhead tricep extension
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Equipment: dumbbell
Muscles targeted: triceps (aka the medial, lateral, and longhead)
How to do it:
1. Start by sitting upright on a bench with your feet flat on the ground, back straight, and core engaged.
2. Take a dumbbell in your left hand and lift it so that it’s vertical and level with your face.
3. Take your right hand and place it on the top of weight with your palm facing up. The dumbbell handle should be between your thumb and index finger.
4. Take your left hand and place it palm facing up so that you form a triangle with your hands around the dumbbell handle. Curl your fingers around the weight.
5. Lift the weight up over your head with your arms fully extended.
6. Slowly lower your hands behind your head, and stop once you’ve made a 90-degree angle with your elbows.
7. Raise the weight back over your head, and complete 10-12 reps.
Quick tip: If you’re working out at home, a dumbbell is perfect for this exercise. However, if you want to kick it up a notch and add more intensity, then Saib says to try the same exercise via a form of suspicion training called TRX (Total Body Resistance Exercise).
2. Tricep kickbacks
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Equipment: dumbbell and bench
Muscles targeted: triceps
How to do it:
1. Place the dumbbell on the bench.
2. Position your left knee and hand on the bench beside the dumbbell, keeping your core tight and back straight.
3. With your right hand, lift the dumbbell up to your chest so your right elbow is level with your shoulder.
4. Keeping your upper right arm in place, hinge at the elbow, and extend your lower arm until it’s completely straight and the weight is behind you.
5. Hinge at the right elbow again, bringing the weight back to your chest and repeat for 10-12 reps.
6. Switch sides and do the same motions but with your left arm holding the weight this time.
Quick tip: If you want to make this exercise easier, alternate your arms. So, instead of isolating one arm and completing 10-12 reps on one side, you perform one rep with your right hand then one with your left, alternating back and forth.
Seib says she sees people throw their weight around and use that momentum to help move the weight. But that is improper form and can lead to injury. Instead, Seib recommends using a light-ish weight to make sure you can fully extend your arm without moving the rest of your body.
3. Tricep dips
Insider; opolja/Getty Images
Equipment: mat
Muscles targeted: triceps
How to do it:
1. Sit on the mat with your butt on the ground, knees bent, and feet flat.
2. Lower your hands so they’re flat on the ground behind you with your elbows slightly bent.
3. Lift your butt off the ground by straightening your elbows.
4. Lower your butt so it just barely touches the floor by bending your elbows.
5. Lift yourself back up and complete 10-12 reps.
Quick tip: Tricep dips can put a lot of strain on your shoulders so make sure you have enough shoulder mobility before trying this exercise.
If you’re just starting out, keep your knees bent throughout the duration of the exercise. But if you’re looking for more of a challenge, Seib says to straighten your legs, which will reduce the support from your knees and work your triceps even more.
4. Narrow push-ups
Insider; Diego Cervo/Getty Images
Equipment: mat
Muscles targeted: chest, triceps, and deltoids (aka shoulders)
How to do it:
1. Place your knees and hands flat on the floor, looking down at the ground.
2. Place your hands closer together, about 4-6 inches apart, than you normally would a standard push up.
3. Step your feet back into plank position.
4. Lower your body by bending your elbows. Don’t lower it to the floor completely. Lower it as much as you would during a normal push up.
5. Lift your body back up into a plank position and complete 10-12 reps.
Quick tip: While narrow push-ups are fantastic for toning your triceps, they’re also more difficult than regular push-ups. Therefore, if you’re having a hard time starting out, Seib recommends placing your thighs on the ground instead of in a plank position.
You can also amp up the intensity by placing your hands even closer together forming a diamond shape with your hands. This variation is called a diamond push-up.
5. Dumbbell skull crusher
Insider; Marcos Repetti/Getty Images
Equipment: dumbbell and mat
Muscles targeted: triceps
How to do it:
1. Lay down with your back and head flat on the ground (or bench), facing the ceiling.
2. Take a dumbbell and grip it on both ends.
3. Extend your arms and lift the dumbbell up over your head.
4. Hinge at the elbows and lower the dumbbell to your forehead.
5. Lift the dumbbell up over your head again and complete 10-12 reps.
Quick tip: Though the name sounds intense, the dumbbell skull crusher is relatively simple and straightforward. Seib likes to challenge her clients by having them perform a glute bridge pose simultaneously with this exercise.
“That way you engage your hamstrings and glutes, too,” she says.
6. Bench press
Insider; Rob Lewin/Getty Images
Equipment: dumbbells and mat or a barbell and bench
Muscles targeted: chest, deltoids, triceps, biceps, upper rib (aka serratus anterior)
How to do it:
1. Lie down with your back on the bench, feet flat on the floor, and eyes toward the ceiling.
2. Position yourself so your head is under the barbell.
3. Place your hands on the barbell about 8-12 inches apart.
4. Lift the barbell, extending your arms fully, and make sure the barbell is located above your chest, not your neck or face.
5. Slowly lower the barbell until your elbows make a 90-degree angle.
6. Raise the barbell so that your arms are fully extended and complete 10-12 reps.
Quick tip: If you’re using a set of dumbbells instead of a barbell for this exercise, Seib recommends alternating arms to ramp up the intensity and engage the core more.
7. Turkish getup
Insider; SrdjanPav/Getty Images
Equipment: kettlebell and mat
Muscles targeted: triceps, lats, hamstrings, calves, glutes, traps, lower-back muscles
How to do it:
1. Lay down with your back flat on the mat.
2. Bend your right knee with your right foot flat on the floor.
3. Keep your left leg on the ground and slide it out slightly so you make a v-shape with your legs.
4. Using your right arm, lift the kettlebell up and fully extend the arm. You will keep this position with your right arm throughout the entire movement.
5. Place your left hand flat on the floor, and slide the arm out slightly so it makes a 45 degree angle with your torso.
6. Keeping the right arm fully extended, lift your torso so your left elbow is now bent at 90 degrees.
7. Using your core and left arm muscles, lift your torso until your left arm is fully extended.
8. Pushing with your right foot, move your hips forward, lifting your butt off the floor.
9. Take your left leg and sweep it under, behind your right leg, placing your left knee on the ground.
10. Lift your torso so your left hand is off the ground.
11. Pivot your left leg slightly clockwise to square your hips.
12. Lift yourself off the ground standing with both feet flat on the ground.
13. Reverse your movements and complete 10-12 reps, then swap sides so your left hand holds the kettlebell.
Quick tip: The Turkish getup is not any easy or simple exercise. Therefore, if you find yourself having trouble with it, Seib recommends simplifying it by starting out with a half Turkish getup. The half Turkish getup includes steps 1-8 described above, so you never actually stand up.
8. Overhead press
Insider; Willowpix/Getty Images
Equipment: dumbbells or barbell
Muscles targeted: chest, deltoids, triceps, upper back (aka trapezius)
How to do it:
1. Pick up a dumbbell in each hand and stand up straight.
2. Lift the dumbbells so they’re at shoulder height and your elbows make a 90 degree angle. Your wrists should be facing each other.
3. Fully extend both arms, lifting the dumbbells straight up.
4. Bring the dumbbells down so your elbows make a 90 degree angle and repeat 10-12 times.
Quick tip: To make this exercise more challenging with dumbbells, Seib recommends alternating arms instead of lifting them simultaneously.
She also recommends trying variations of the overhead press including the strict press and military press.
9. Dolphin push-ups
Insider; fizkes/Getty Images
Equipment: mat
Muscles targeted: deltoids, triceps, chest
How to do it:
1. Start in a downward dog yoga position.
2. Bend your elbows and lower your body so it’s parallel with the ground.
3. Push your torso up while keeping your butt down so that you end in a cobra pose.
4. Reverse your movement and complete 10-12 reps.
Quick tip: Dolphin push-ups can be more difficult than regular push-ups because they require more upper body strength to move down to the ground from that downward dog position.
If you’re having a hard time with these, Seib recommends only bending your elbows half way or first trying these exercises while standing facing a wall instead of on the ground.
Insider’s takeaway
It’s important to keep your tricep muscles strong because they help your shoulders and elbows move in sync for basic tasks like reaching, pulling, and pushing. Toned triceps can also help prevent flabby underarms.
“It’s a pretty muscle,” Seib says. “It’s also a muscle that doesn’t get enough love and attention when it comes to functional movement.”
There are plenty of tricep-targeting exercises like tricep extensions, kickbacks, and dips.
But there are other exercises that’ll work your triceps and other muscle groups for a more well-rounded workout. Some of these exercises include the Turkish getup, dolphin push ups, and bench press.
Seib recommends any of these exercises for beginners — except she says the Turkish getup takes a lot of coordination, so it may be the one exercise in this lineup that’s not for everyone.