Below you will find gifs of the most popular and effective tricep exercises.
Barbell Exercises
Close Grip Bench Press
- Have the elbows out to hit the Lateral Head.
- Keep the elbows in to hit the Medial/Long Heads.
- Straighten the arms each rep to hit the tricep fully.
- Lower it slowly under control.
- Try a pause at the bottom of the movement.
French Press
- The French Press hits the Long Head of the tricep.
- To make it easier on elbow and wrist joints, use an E-Z Curl Bar.
- Palms face forward, lower behind the head and extend to straight arm.
- You can also do this from a standing position.
Skull Crushers
- This works all three Tricep Heads.
- Lower it behind the head for a fuller range of motion.
- Come back to straight arms every rep to hit the triceps.
- Best for higher rep work (10-15 reps) with 2 mins rest or less.
- Try a false grip (don’t wrap thumb round bar).

Dumbbell Exercises
Dumbbell Kickback
- The dumbbell kickback hits the Lateral Head of the triceps.
- Full extension is important, so don’t go too heavy.
- To increase the contraction, hold at full extension for 1 second.
- Keep the elbow high for all reps.
- If you have access to a cable machine, that is a better alternative.
Dumbbell Tricep Extension
- A variation of the French Press.
- This can hit all three Tricep Heads.
- You can also do this exercise from standing.
- For added focus, try the movement with one arm.
- Extend the arms straight overhead, keep the body stiff.

PJR Pullover
- This hits the Long Head of the Triceps.
- Rest the upper back on a bench, keep the core tight.
- The movement comes from shoulder extension, not the elbows.
- Don’t lower too far as the back will hyper-extend.
Single Arm Dumbbell Extension
- This can hit all three Tricep Heads.
- You can also do this exercise seated.
- Keep the core engaged.
- Lower behind the head and return to full extension.
Body-weight / Other Exercises
Bench Dips
- This primarily hits the Lateral Head.
- To make it harder, place a weight in your lap.
- To make it easier, use straight legs and place them on the floor.
- Keep the back straight.
Cable Kickback
- This hits the Lateral Head of the triceps.
- Full extension is important, so don’t go too heavy.
- Pause briefly when the arm is fully extended to make it more effective.
- Keep the body tight and initiate movement through the elbow.
- This can be done standing or with a forward lean

Cable Kickback
- This hits the Lateral Head of the triceps.
- Full extension is important, so don’t go too heavy.
- Pause briefly when the arm is fully extended to make it more effective.
- Keep the body tight and initiate movement through the elbow.
- This can be done standing or with a forward lean

Cable Tricep Pushdown
- This primarily hits the Lateral and Medial Heads.
- Initiate the movement with elbow flexion and extension.
- Make sure you straighten the arms fully to hit the triceps best.
- Good finisher exercise to end a session.
- Keep elbows at the side, abs tight, body upright.
Cable Tricep Pushdown (Reverse Grip)
- This primarily hits the Long and Medial Heads.
- Elbows in but slightly in front of the body. Slight forward lean.
- Use a lighter weight as there is more elbow stress.
- Pause at full extension.
- This is a good finisher with 15-20 reps.

Dip Machine
- The dip machine hits All Three Heads of the tricep.
- Make sure the arms go fully straight.
- Hold for a count of one with arms extended.
- Focus on feeling the triceps working.

Tricep Dips
- This works all three Tricep Heads.
- Watch this to understand how to hit the triceps more.
- Avoid too much forward lean, as that hits chest more.
- Lower until shoulders are slightly below the elbow.
- Head in line with spine.

Thanks for reading!