If you’re tired of your sleeves flapping in the wind and want to fill out your shirts with some serious muscle, you’re in the right place. This barbell tricep workout will turn your upper arms into the envy of the gym.
Featuring the best exercise selection to pack on lean muscle mass, you might be in for the best tricep workouts you’ve had, and all you need is a barbell, a bench, and some weight plates.
Let’s get pumped, and let’s make those triceps pop!
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Triceps Muscle Anatomy and Function
The triceps, officially known as the triceps brachii, is the muscle on the back of your upper arms. Unbeknownst to many, the triceps is one of the largest muscle groups in the upper body.
It makes up about two-thirds of your upper arm’s muscle mass. So, if you’re looking to build bigger arms, focusing on the triceps is just as important, if not more so, than the biceps.
Triceps Anatomy
The triceps are made up of three parts, hence the “tri” in its name. These three parts are called “heads,” and each one has a different origin, but they all come together at one point on your arm.
- Long Head: This one starts at the scapula (the shoulder blade you can never quite scratch) and runs down the back of your arm. It’s the big boss of the triceps, providing most of the muscle’s bulk. lt also helps extend and adduct the arm at the shoulder joint.
- Lateral Head: This head (the one that contributes the most to your triceps strength) begins on the upper part of the humerus (the bone in your upper arm). It’s the outermost part of the triceps, giving that horseshoe shape when you flex.
- Medial Head: This one also starts on the humerus but lies deeper and more towards the middle of your arm. It’s like a quiet workhorse, almost always contributing but rarely getting the spotlight.
All three tricep heads meet and attach to a single point on your elbow, called the olecranon, which is that bony bump you feel at the back of your elbow.
Function of the Triceps
The primary job of the triceps is to straighten your arm, which is called elbow extension.
Anytime you push something away from you, like when doing a push-up or shoving your friend into the swimming pool, you’re using your triceps.
Everyday Uses
You use your triceps more often than you might think. Here are some everyday activities where they play a starring role:
- Pushing: Every time you push something—be it a door, yourself off the ground during a push-up, or your shopping cart full of protein shakes—your triceps are working hard. They extend your elbow, providing the power to complete the movement.
- Lifting: Whenever you lift something overhead, like putting a box on a high shelf or giving someone a high five. In the gym, when you’re doing exercises like the bench press or the overhead press, your triceps help stabilize your arm.
- Straightening the Arm: This is the basic movement of the triceps. Anything that involves extending your arm fully, like throwing a ball or pointing at someone or something.
The Best Barbell Tricep Workout for Muscle Mass and Strength
This barbell tricep workout consists of three great triceps exercises: one multi-joint exercise and two single-joint exercises.
- Close-Grip Bench Press: a fantastic compound exercise that not only hits your triceps but your pecs and front delts, too.
- Barbell Lying Triceps Extension: the king of the triceps mass builders, this isolation exercise hits the entirety of the back of your arms.
- Barbell Standing Triceps Extension: one of the best long head tricep exercises you can do with a barbell.
This tricep workout is suitable for all fitness levels, from beginners to advanced trainees.
- Beginners: do 1–2 sets per exercise.
- Intermediates: do three sets per exercise.
- Advanced: do four sets per exercise.
The barbell tricep workout is available in our workout log app, StrengthLog, which you can download for free with the button for your device:
Barbell Tricep Workout Training Volume, Frequency, and Rest Times
Volume
With this barbell tricep workout, you’ll perform nine to 12 sets of triceps training per workout at intermediate to advanced levels.
That’s great for muscle growth.
And yes, even the intermediate-level nine-set approach is 10+ set for your triceps in reality.
When you train your chest and shoulders with pressing exercises, like bench presses, push-ups, and shoulder presses, your triceps are heaviliy involved. You can count each chest and delt pressing set at 0.5 sets for your triceps, too. For example, four sets of bench presses would count as two sets for your triceps, even if your primary goal was training your pecs.
Frequency
You can do the barbell tricep workout more than once weekly if you want and your training program calls for training each body part several times. However, I recommend you don’t do it more than twice per week to allow for optimal recovery.
Rest Times
Rest for ~2 minutes between sets of the first exercise, the close-grip bench press, and between one and two minutes between sets of the second and third exercises.
Note that those are general recommendations. You don’t have to time your rest intervals to the second. Get at least one minute between sets to recover and do yourself justice, though.
Now, it’s almost time to hit the weights for some triceps training. But first, let’s take a closer look at each exercise you’ll be doing.
1. Close-Grip Bench Press
The first exercise in the barbell tricep workout is the close-grip bench press, a variation of the standard bench press where you position your hands closer together on the barbell. The narrower grip emphasizes your triceps more than the wider grip does. It’s like the bench press’s cool, tricep-loving uncle who comes to every family reunion to show off those sculpted arms.
While the close grip bench press is one of the best tricep exercises for loading the barbell with heavy weights, it also works your chest and shoulders, making it a great compound movement for all the pushing muscles.
Tips and pointers:
- Don’t go overboard with the “close-grip” part of the exercise. Aim for shoulder width or slightly narrower. Going too narrow can strain your wrists without benefiting your triceps muscles.
- Also, keep your elbows tucked in to maximize tricep engagement and minimize shoulder stress. Control the barbell’s descent, and avoid bouncing it off your chest, which can lead to injury and reduce muscle activation.
Practice progressive overload by slapping a plate on the bar or doing one more rep than your last workout when possible. You’ll be sporting bigger, stronger triceps triceps no time, and your regular bench press strength might also get a nice boost.
How to Close-Grip Bench Press
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet planted firmly on the ground. Grip the barbell with your hands about shoulder-width apart or slightly closer.
- Make sure your grip is secure and your wrists are straight, not bent.
- Lift the bar off the rack and hold it straight over your chest with fully extended arms.
- Lower the barbell to your mid-chest, keeping your elbows tucked close to your body to maintain tension on the triceps.
- Push the bar back up to the starting position.
- Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.
2. Barbell Lying Triceps Extension
The barbell lying triceps extension is one of the best exercises for building bigger tricep muscles. It is also known as “skull crushers,” but don’t worry—with the tweak to the standard version of the exercise you’ll be doing in this barbell tricep workout, your skull should stay intact.
Instead of lowering the barbell to your forehead, you’ll lower it behind your head, which offers additional benefits.
- You increase the range of motion, allowing for a greater stretch of the triceps, especially the long head, which is responsible for much of the size and shape of your triceps.
- You also train your triceps at a longer muscle length, which is significantly better for muscle growth.
Feel free to use an EZ curl bar (if you have one) to reduce wrist strain compared to a straight barbell.
How to Do Barbell Lying Triceps Extensions
- Lie down on a flat bench with your feet on the floor and your head close to the edge.
- Hold a barbell over your chest with an overhand grip and your arms extended. Keep your hands relatively close together, spaced approximately 6 inches (15 cm) apart.
- Keep your elbows pointing straight up and lower the barbell behind your head, bending your elbows.
- Lower the barbell as far as you comfortably can while maintaining control and tension in your triceps muscles.
- Reverse the motion and extend your arms back up to the starting position.
- Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.
3. Barbell Standing Triceps Extension
The third and last exercise of the barbell tricep workout is the overhead triceps extension. It’s easily one of the best triceps exercises and hits all three heads of the triceps, the long head in particular.
Research shows that performing overhead extensions is 40% more effective than the regular triceps pushdown for muscle growth.1 It’s always a good idea to include some type of overhead extension in your triceps workout, either the overhead cable triceps extension in a cable machine or this one with a barbell. The barbell version has the advantage that you don’t need expensive machines taking up space to do it.
For this exercise, focus on proper form and a full range of motion, even if it means less weight on the bar. Using a heavier weight than you can handle with a controlled and deliberate movement can lead to poor form and reduced muscle engagement.
How to Do Barbell Standing Triceps Extensions
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Grip the barbell with both hands, palms facing up (supinated grip), and your hands placed closer than shoulder-width apart.
- Press the barbell overhead until your arms are fully extended.
- Lower the barbell behind your head by bending at the elbow joint. Keep your upper arms stationary; only your forearms should move.
- Lower the bar as far as you comfortably can without compromising form until you feel a good stretch in the triceps.
- Press the barbell back up to the starting position by extending your elbows and squeezing the triceps at the top of the movement.
- Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.
Track This Barbell Tricep Workout in the StrengthLog App
It’s available exclusively in our workout log app.
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For more stand-alone workouts like this, check out these great resources:
- Chest and Bicep Workout
- Back and Biceps Workout
- Back and Shoulder Workout
- Back and Triceps Workout
- Dumbbell Arm Workout at Home
- Bodybuilding Leg Workout for Mass
- Chest, Shoulder, and Tricep Bodybuilding Workout
- The Best Arm Workout for Muscle Mass and Strength
- Shoulders and Abs Workout
- Shoulder and Arm Workout
- Chest and Shoulder Workout
Good luck with your training!
