There are so many triceps exercises out there, but which ones should you focus your efforts on if you want to build bigger triceps and increase their strength? In this video, I’ll give you the most popular triceps exercises ranked from worst to best and help you figure out which ones you should do and which ones you can probably ditch. That being said, we need to set the criteria for triceps exercise selections. The first thing is that it has to be a multi-dimensional exercise if possible. This means that if it’s only good for hypertrophy, but doesn’t provide the opportunity for overload and for building progressive strength, then it won’t rank up there with triceps exercises that do a good job of both. Also, if the movement doesn’t fully stimulate the triceps muscle, it’ll likely rank lower on the list than others. Remember, there are three heads on the triceps. Two of these only cross the elbow and are therefore only concerned with bending and straightening the joint. The other, the long head, crosses the shoulder, making it especially engaged and capable of a better contraction with certain triceps exercises than others. With that being said, let’s start laying out the list and work our way down the ranking from worst triceps exercise to best. WORST 1. Standing Dumbbell Power Pump 2. Lying Face Crossover Extensions 3. Bench Dips The Dumbbell Power Pump or the overhead dumbbell extension is not one of the best and will always be at the bottom of the list for me. Not only does it put the shoulder joint at a higher risk for injury due to the weighted internal rotation you have to assume to get into position to do the movement, but it also doesn’t give the triceps the best stretch possible. A later variation of this works much better. The Lying Face Crossover Extension is a single-arm variation of the Tate Press. While I have immense respect for that man, I am not a fan of this triceps exercise. The reasons are similar to those stated for the power pump. The arm position during the movement is the same starting position for a Hawkins Kennedy impingement test. Too much internal rotation. Although you are not weighting internal rotation, there are simply better ways to load elbow extension. The bench dip is one I have covered extensively on this channel. BEST 5. Rope Pulldowns 6. Basic Triceps Pushdowns 7. Diamond Pushups Rope pulldowns are not as effective for a triceps exercise due to an issue with the physics of the movement. In order to maximize the force applied to the muscle being worked, you must maintain a line of force perpendicular to the forearm. Basic pulldowns have some of the same limitations. While the tension is high at the start of each rep, it decreases as you approach the fully contracted position of the triceps at the bottom. Diamond push-ups are often too light to provide a growth stimulus (unless performed as a high-rep metabolic exercise at the end of a hard chest or pushing workout). BETTER YET 8. Cobra Push-Ups 9. Reverse-Grip Triceps Pushdowns 10. Overhead Rope Extensions 11. JM Press Cobra push-ups are a tougher version of the basic diamond push-up and give you that long head activation that makes your ability to stimulate triceps growth even better. Reverse-grip push-downs prime the long head for better stimulation, making it a better option. The overhead rope extension corrects the physical limitations of the triceps push-downs. The JM Press uses some momentum and a moving arm throughout the exercise so you can load better. If you feel any elbow or wrist discomfort during this movement, simply switch to a neutral dumbbell position. ALMOST BETTER 12. Kickback 13. Incline Dumbbell Power Pump 14. Weighted Upright Dips 15. Swinging Pulldowns 16. Close-Grip Bench Press These five triceps exercises are at the top of the heap when it comes to the best exercises for building big triceps. Watch the video to see the specific reasons why. BEST 15. Lying Triceps Extensions There is simply no better triceps exercise for building a big back of your arms. Watch to find out why. Build athletic, defined muscles here: https://athleanx.com/espanol Subscribe to this channel here: /athleanxespañol