3 Triceps Exercises You MUST TRY To Force Muscle Growth!

Todays, I’m going to share my secrets to help you kick your triceps training up a notch, especially if you’re stuck in a muscle building plateau, with 3 of my favorite exercises.

Exercise #1 – Powerbomb

So many people shy away from this movement at the gym and run over to cable pushdowns. This isn’t necessarily bad but in my opinion can be very limiting as you get stronger.

This is because typically what happens is the weight you’re trying to push down starts to push YOU up and you end up having to contort your body to keep your feet on the ground.

OR alternatively…you can find a REALLY enthusiastic and helpful spotter!

However, with Powerbombs, especially if done seated, you have a stable base AND back support so you can keep all the focus on your triceps.

Also, because we’re in an overhead pressing position we’re going to bring a lot more focus to the LONG HEAD of the triceps which is the part that’s going to give your arms that thick well-rounded look from the side.

Having said that, don’t feel like you have to crush your face with your elbows to do this movement correctly. Yes you need to keep your elbows “in”, but you do have some wiggle room.

Whether your arms are close or wide, we’re still extending the elbows which is the function of the triceps.

It’s just that keeping your elbows tucked in will help protect your shoulders during the descent of the movement.

So always do your best to warm-up real good so you can keep your form tight during your sets.

Exercise #2 – Diamond Push-Up

So how is a bodyweight movement going to help you “force growth” if you’re already crushing big weight on exercises like the “Close-Grip Bench Press” and “Powerbombs”?

Well, just like any tool, it’s all about how you USE IT.

For example, let’s say you just crushed a solid set of 8 reps on the Close-Grip Bench Press and you wanted to go for a few more reps to really finish off the set, but you don’t have a spotter. 

So, what’re your options? Well, how about we roll off the bench once we finish our set, hit the floor and pump out as many diamond push-ups as we can until failure.

This kind of overexertion from time to time is great for not only brining more blood to the triceps to help stretch the fascia for more muscle growth, but will also help boost your overall strength.

So really give it everything you’ve got. Maybe even try hitting those Diamond Push-Ups with a medicine ball and with your feet on the bench.

Exercise #3 – Weighted Dip

We need to bring this exercise back! I don’t know about your gym, but at mine I never see anyone doing weighted dips or even regular dips. But I think I know why. 

Even I skipped out on dips for a little while and when I went back, even WITH good mobility, I felt a lot of unwanted tension in my chest and shoulders. That was WEAKNESS that had developed in those areas because I hadn’t done the exercise in a while.

If you do an exercise and you feel weak or more than the normal amount of muscle strain, it’s not always a bad thing. Keep in mind that eliminating this weakness in your upper body will translate over to more strength in other exercises.

For example, the bench press. Yes, we’re targeting the triceps, but dips have the added benefit of building mass in not only your triceps, but your chest, shoulders and back as well.

So even if you have to start with using a band for assistance, your bodyweight or only 5 – 10lbs on the dip belt, do it and start mastering this exercise because the benefits are exactly what you are reading this article for…STRENGTH and MASS.

Lastly, if you’re doing these exercises AFTER your regular chest workout, your elbows should be warmed-up and good to go.

But if you’re training triceps on a separate “arm day”, I recommend you practice a few elbow warm-ups before attempting the exercises which could be something as simple as doing a few light sets with high reps before each exercise, push-ups or even some band extensions. 

Just make sure everything is nice and warm so you stay injury free when training.