When it comes to triceps training, most exercisers make a beeline to the cable machine and start cranking out triceps pushdowns like their gains depend on it. And while all those sets of straight-bar, rope, and EZ bar pushdowns can be effective, cable triceps exercises have their limitations.
For starters, always doing your triceps training with your upper arms by your sides means you’re always emphasizing the same triceps head. In addition, it’s hard to go really heavy with any triceps pushdown variation, which could limit growth and strength gains. Use too much weight, and you could well feel pushdowns more in your core than your arms. Finally, if you work out at home, you may not even have access to a cable machine.
The good news is that you can address all these workout shortfalls with an old-school barbell. Barbell training is arguably one of the best ways to build mass and strength, even in your triceps.
In this article, we share a no-frills but high-effect barbell triceps workout that’ll kick your arm development into overdrive.
Triceps Anatomy Basics
Before we unleash our barbell triceps workout on the unsuspecting masses, let’s take a moment to look at the anatomy and physiology of this critical arm muscle.
The triceps brachii, commonly known as the triceps, is a three-headed muscle located at the back of the upper arm. Its primary function is elbow extension, which means it straightens the elbow joint. The triceps are also involved in shoulder extension.
The three triceps heads are:
- Long head: The long head originates from the scapula (shoulder blade) and extends down the back of the arm. It plays a crucial role in shoulder extension and contributes to the overall size and shape of the triceps. Overhead triceps exercises emphasize the long head of the triceps.
- Medial head: The medial head is located on the inside of the arm. It works with the other triceps heads to extend your elbows and contributes to the overall width/thickness of the triceps muscle. Exercises where your arms flare away from your sides emphasize the medial triceps head.
- Lateral head: Located on the outside of the upper arm, the lateral head is responsible for the horseshoe shape often associated with well-developed triceps. It assists in stabilizing the elbow joint during extension. The lateral head works hardest when your upper arms are close to your sides.
Incorporating various exercises with different arm positions into your triceps workout routine ensures that you hit all three heads of the triceps effectively. That’s why focusing almost exclusively on pushdowns could hurt your triceps’ shape and size.
Barbell Triceps Workout – Overview
Now you’ve refreshed your triceps anatomy and physiology knowledge, it’s time to hit the gym and train!
Do the following workout 1-2 times per week as part of a weekly training split, where you train your remaining body parts on different days.
For example:
| Days | Workout | |
| 1 | Monday | Chest |
| 2 | Tuesday | Back |
| 3 | Wednesday | Shoulders |
| 4 | Thursday | Legs |
| 5 | Friday | Triceps |
| 6 | Saturday | Biceps |
| 7 | Sunday | Rest |
But, before you lift any weights, make sure you warm up to reduce your risk of injury while improving workout performance. Start with a few minutes of easy cardio followed by dynamic mobility and flexibility exercises for your muscles and joints, focusing on your shoulders, elbows, and lower back.
Related: How to Warm Up for Strength Training
Warmed-up and ready? Then let’s get to work!
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Recovery | |
| 1 | Barbell close grip floor press | 4 | 6-8 | 3 minutes |
| 2 | Barbell overhead triceps extension | 3 | 8-10 | 2 minutes |
| 3a | Barbell skull crusher | 3 | 10-12 | 90 seconds |
| 3b | Barbell close-grip bench press | |||
| 4 | Barbell behind-the-back triceps extensions | 2 | 12-15 | 60 seconds |
Exercises 3a and 3b are to be performed as a superset. Do the skull crushers and then, without pausing, switch to close grip bench presses using the same bar and weight. Rest a moment and then repeat the pairing twice more to make three triceps-blasting supersets.
Exercise Instructions
There are two ways to do any barbell triceps exercise – the right way and the wrong way. The right way is safe and effective, while the wrong way is dangerous and usually less productive, even if it allows you to lift heavier weights. Follow these instructions to ensure you’re doing the exercises in your barbell triceps workout correctly.
1. Barbell close grip floor press
Muscles targeted: Pectoralis major, triceps, deltoids.
A lot of exercisers view the barbell floor press as the poor man’s bench press. While the floor press IS a good workout option when you don’t have a bench, it’s actually an excellent exercise in its own right.
The floor press forces you to lower the bar under control and push it up from a dead stop, and the close grip will hammer your triceps. Go heavy with this movement; it’ll pack on triceps mass like nothing else.
Steps:
- Lie flat on your back on the floor. Grip your barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart. Hold the bar over your chest with your arms extended. Pull your shoulders down and back, and brace your abs.
- Bend your elbows and slowly lower the barbell towards your chest until your upper arms lightly touch the floor.
- Drive the barbell back up to full arm extension without locking your elbows at the top to maintain muscle tension.
- Continue for the prescribed number of reps.
Benefits:
- A very shoulder-friendly exercise.
- The close grip provides an excellent triceps workout.
- No bench required, so it’s a great movement for home workouts.
Tips:
- You can do this exercise with your legs straight or bent as preferred.
- Lower the bar slowly and then extend your arms explosively to maximize muscle engagement.
- Keep your upper arms close to your sides to maximize triceps engagement.
2. Barbell overhead triceps extension
Muscles targeted: Triceps.
The barbell overhead triceps extension is also known as the French press, although the reason why is unclear. Regardless of the origin of the name of this exercise, it’s a great way to build bigger, stronger triceps and preferentially targets that all-important long head. However, you will need good shoulder mobility to pull it off.
Steps:
- Hold your barbell with a narrower-than-shoulder-width overhand grip. Raise the bar overhead so your arms are next to your ears.
- Bend your elbows and lower the bar down behind your head.
- Extend your arms and repeat.
Benefits:
- An excellent triceps builder.
- Preferentially targets the long head to the triceps.
- Requires and develops good shoulder and elbow mobility.
Tips:
- This exercise can be done seated or standing as preferred.
- Avoid arching your lower back during this exercise. Keep your core braced to support your spine and maintain your posture.
- Use a grip that feels comfortable for your shoulders, elbows, and wrists and doesn’t cause pain in any of these areas.
3a. Barbell skull crusher
Muscles targeted: Triceps.
If awards were given for the exercise with the most bad@$$ name, barbell skull crushers would be the outright winner! This exercise is so-called because if you fail mid-rep, you could hit yourself in the head with the bar. So, take care when doing this exercise, and always leave a rep or two in the tank.
Steps:
- Lie on a bench and hold a barbell over your chest with an overhand, slightly narrower than shoulder-width grip.
- Keeping your upper arms stationary, bend your elbows and lower the bar down slowly to lightly touch your forehead.
- Extend your arms and repeat.
- On completion, transition immediately to the next exercise.
Benefits:
- A very effective triceps isolation exercise.
- A low-tech but high-effect exercise for building bigger, stronger triceps.
- Works well even with lighter loads.
Tips:
- Lower the barbell under control, avoiding any sudden or jerky movements.
- Keep your elbows tucked in and pointing upward throughout.
- Use the same bar and weight for the next exercise. There is no need to change your position.
3b. Barbell close-grip bench press
Muscles targeted: Pectoralis major, triceps, deltoids.
Following skull crushers with close-grip bench presses will blow your triceps up! This demonic combo isolates your triceps and then uses your pecs and deltoids to push your triceps even further beyond failure. It’s gonna hurt, but this pairing will add slabs of muscle to the backs of your arms.
Steps:
- Lie on a bench and hold a barbell over your chest with an overhand, slightly narrower than shoulder-width grip.
- Bend your elbows and lower the bar down to your chest
- Drive the weight back up and repeat.
Benefits:
- A great way to finish off your triceps after skull crushers.
- Delivers a skin-splitting pump and deep triceps burn.
- An excellent exercise for mass and strength.
Tips:
- Keep your shoulder blades together and your chest up to maintain stability during the exercise.
- Keep your upper arms close to your body to emphasize the triceps.
- Use a spotter to assist you, especially when using heavy weights.
4. Barbell behind-the-back triceps extensions
Muscles targeted: Triceps.
You won’t see many people doing this exercise, but that’s their loss! Barbell behind-the-back triceps extensions are a kind of kickback exercise that hammers your triceps, especially the long head. This is your final exercise, so push yourself to failure on both sets.
Steps:
- Hold a barbell behind your back using an overhand, hip-width grip.
- Bend your knees slightly and lean forward until your shoulders are level with your hips.
- Extend your elbows so your arms are straight, and then bend them until the bar lightly touches the back of your legs. Keep your upper arms parallel to the floor.
- Continue for the prescribed number of reps.
Benefits:
- A uniquely challenging old-school triceps exercise.
- Prioritizes the triceps’ long head.
- The perfect end to a barbell triceps workout!
Tips:
- Keep your upper arms close to your body to emphasize the triceps.
- Avoid using your legs or lower back to help you lift the weight. Do as much work as possible with your triceps.
- Go light – this exercise is much more challenging than it looks.
Barbell Triceps Exercises – Benefits
Not convinced that barbells are the best tool for building massive horseshoe triceps? Consider the following benefits and then decide:
Time-efficient
Barbell triceps exercises train both arms simultaneously, which could save you a lot of time compared to working each limb individually.
Ideal for heavy weights
Barbells are ideal for building strength with heavy loads. Lifting heavy weights can also increase muscle density. Most barbell triceps exercises are compound, meaning they involve multiple muscle groups. This means you can lift even heavier loads, pushing and developing your strength to its limit.
Accessible
No matter where you train, you should have access to barbells and weights. Most commercial gyms have rows of barbells, and they’re standard equipment in most home and garage gyms, too. While home cable machines do exist, they’re pretty big and expensive, so they may not be practical for many people.
Versatile
There are lots of different barbell triceps exercises to choose from. Whether you want to hit each triceps head with laser-like precision or just build the strongest muscles possible, barbell triceps training will help.
Barbell Triceps Exercises – Drawbacks
While barbells are an excellent triceps training tool, there are a couple of drawbacks to consider, too:
Safety
Exercises that involve holding a weight over your chest, neck, or head can be dangerous. A failed rep can leave you pinned under a heavy load. As such, you should stop your set with 1-2 reps left in the tank or, if you plan on training to failure, make sure you have a spotter on hand.
Joint stress
Some barbell triceps exercises can be hard on your joints. In contrast, the same movements done with dumbbells are often more joint-friendly, allowing you to rotate your wrists, elbows, and shoulders more naturally.
Not practical for drop sets
A drop set is where you rep out to failure, reduce (or drop) the weight by 10-15%, and immediately rep out again to take your muscles beyond failure.
Taking weight plates off a bar takes too long for drop sets to be practical. You’d need to use fixed-weight barbells to do drop sets effectively. That’s why most drop-set workouts involve dumbbells or selectorized weight machines, both of which allow for quick load changes.
Starting weight
The average Olympic barbell weighs a not insignificant 45 pounds or 20kg. This may be too heavy for some lifters, especially beginners or when doing barbell triceps isolation exercises like skull crushers.
FAQs
Do you have a question about our barbell triceps workout or building bigger arms in general? Don’t worry because we’ve got the answers!
1. Can beginners do this workout, or is it more suitable for experienced lifters?
The volume, training methods, and difficulty of some of the exercises in this workout mean that it’s better suited to intermediate and advanced lifters. It’ll probably be too long and hard for a beginner.
If you are new to working out, focus on building some basic strength and improving your training tolerance before attempting this program. Even then, consider doing fewer sets and stopping each set short of failure to get used to this type of training.
2. How many times a week should I do this workout?
Most exercisers will get good results by doing this program 1-2 times per week. However, avoid doing it immediately before or after your chest and/or shoulder workouts, as both also strongly involve your triceps, which might be too much for you to recover from. Arrange your workouts so you do this program before a leg, back, or biceps workout.
3. Can I use an EZ-curl bar for the exercises mentioned in the workout?
While this is a straight barbell workout, there is no reason you can’t use an EZ bar if that’s what you prefer. The angled handles of an EZ bar may put your wrists, elbows, and shoulders in a more comfortable position. Also, you could use an EZ bar for some exercises and a straight barbell for others. Experiment with both options and see which you prefer.
4. Can I combine this barbell triceps workout with other muscle groups on the same training day?
This barbell triceps workout would combine well with a similar biceps program. You could also do it after a back workout. However, it’s already quite lengthy, so expect to spend well over an hour in the gym if you combine this workout with another.
Related: Biceps and Triceps Superset Workout
5. How long should I rest between sets during this workout to optimize performance and recovery?
Generally, the harder and heavier you train, the longer you need to rest between sets. In this program, you’ll rest for three minutes between heavy compound lifts but just 60 seconds between lighter isolation exercises. This is both logical and practical.
However, you should rest for as long as it takes for your muscles to recover and feel ready to attack your next set. If your reps drop significantly or you need to reduce the weights, you probably need to rest a little longer. It’s generally best to rest too long rather than not rest long enough.
6. Can women do this barbell triceps workout, or is it tailored more for men?
While this IS a fairly guy-orientated workout, that doesn’t mean women can’t do it, too. However, its purpose is to build muscle and strength rather than improve muscle tone or burn fat, so bear that in mind if you’re a woman considering this program.
7. Can I combine barbell triceps exercises with other training modalities?
There is no law that says you have to use the same type of equipment for your entire workout. Using different equipment will make your program more varied and interesting, leading to a more enjoyable training experience. For example, instead of using a barbell for all the exercises in our workout, another approach would be:
- Diamond push-ups
- Cable overhead triceps extension
- Barbell skull crusher
- Barbell close-grip bench press
- Dumbbell triceps kickbacks
The movements are largely the same, but you’ll be using different tools and methods to for some of the exercises.
Barbell Triceps Workout – Wrapping Up
Building bigger, stronger triceps is seldom easy, but this workout is designed to help you achieve the arm size and strength you’ve always dreamed of.
Keep in mind that while barbell triceps exercises are incredibly effective, it’s usually best to combine them with other types of training to keep your workouts fun and challenging. You don’t have to go all barbell all of the time.
Now, armed with your new knowledge of triceps anatomy and the power of the barbell, go forth and conquer your triceps-building goals! Remember, though, that muscles don’t grow overnight, but with determination and consistent effort, you WILL see the results you desire.