3 Forgotten Triceps Exercises for Thicker Arms

Big arms are not built by biceps training alone. The triceps make up the largest share of upper arm muscle mass, so improving their size can have a major effect on how thick your arms look from the front, side, and back. Yet many lifters rely almost entirely on cable pressdowns and standard skull crushers, often repeating the same movement pattern for months without much thought.

Those exercises can work well, but they are not the only options. Some older and less fashionable triceps movements offer a useful combination of a deep stretch, stable loading, and a long range of motion. These qualities matter because muscle growth is strongly influenced by sufficient training volume, progressive overload, and challenging sets performed through an appropriate range of motion.

The triceps brachii has three heads: the long head, lateral head, and medial head. The long head is particularly interesting because it crosses both the shoulder and elbow joints. This means that shoulder position changes its length during training. Research has found that elbow extension work performed with the arm overhead can produce greater triceps growth than the same movement performed with the arm by the side, making exercise selection and execution more important than many lifters realize.

Here are three forgotten triceps exercises that deserve a place in your program if your goal is thicker, more muscular arms.

Why Your Triceps Need More Variety

Pressdowns are convenient, easy to learn, and useful for accumulating training volume. However, they keep the upper arm close to the torso, which means the long head of the triceps is not trained at its longest position. This does not make pressdowns ineffective. It simply means that relying on them alone may leave potential growth on the table.

The long head contributes a great deal to overall upper arm size. Because it crosses the shoulder joint, it can be trained under a greater stretch when the arm is raised overhead or moved behind the body. Studies comparing different arm positions during elbow extension training have shown larger increases in triceps size when exercises are performed with the shoulder flexed overhead.

Variety also helps you train hard without constantly irritating the same tissues. A lifter who only performs heavy skull crushers may eventually find that their elbows object to the exercise. Rotating in movements that alter grip, loading angle, and resistance profile can help you continue training the triceps productively while managing discomfort.

This does not mean you need a huge list of exercises. You need a small number of movements that you can perform with control, load progressively, and take close to muscular failure with good technique.

1. Rolling Dumbbell Triceps Extensions

Why This Exercise Works

The rolling dumbbell triceps extension is a smart alternative to the standard lying dumbbell extension. Instead of keeping the upper arms completely still, you allow the dumbbells to travel back toward the shoulders at the bottom of each repetition. You then extend the elbows and press the dumbbells back into the starting position.

This small change makes the movement feel smoother and often more comfortable than a rigid skull crusher. It also allows the triceps to work through a large range of motion while the shoulders contribute slightly as the dumbbells move back into position. The result is a hybrid movement that combines an elbow extension with a controlled pressing action.

For many lifters, dumbbells are easier on the elbows than a straight bar because each arm can move independently. This allows you to use a grip angle that feels natural rather than forcing both wrists and elbows into a fixed position. Dumbbells can also reveal left to right strength differences that are hidden during barbell exercises.

Muscle growth does not require a specific piece of equipment. The important factors are training effort, enough hard sets over time, and a movement that can be progressively loaded. Research shows that hypertrophy can occur across a wide range of loads when sets are performed with sufficient effort. This makes the rolling dumbbell extension useful for both moderate and higher repetition training.

How to Perform It

Lie on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand. Start with the dumbbells above your chest and your palms facing each other. Bend your elbows and allow the dumbbells to travel down toward the front of your shoulders. Your upper arms should move slightly backward rather than remaining completely vertical.

Once the dumbbells reach the bottom position, extend your elbows and press the weights back toward the starting position. Finish with the dumbbells above your chest, keeping your elbows close to shoulder width rather than allowing them to flare excessively.

Use a controlled lowering phase and avoid bouncing the dumbbells off your shoulders. The movement should feel deliberate, with the triceps doing most of the work rather than the chest and shoulders taking over.

A useful starting point is two to four sets of eight to fifteen repetitions. Choose a load that allows you to keep the movement smooth while still making the final repetitions difficult.

Common Mistakes

The main mistake is turning the exercise into a full dumbbell bench press. Some shoulder movement is normal, but the elbows still need to extend forcefully to finish each repetition. If your chest is doing most of the work, reduce the load and focus on bending and straightening the elbows with control.

Another common problem is lowering the dumbbells too far behind the head. This may place unnecessary stress on the shoulders and make it hard to maintain control. Lower the weights toward the shoulders, not toward the bench behind your head.

2. Bodyweight Skull Crushers

Why This Exercise Works

Bodyweight skull crushers are one of the most overlooked triceps exercises available. They can be performed using a barbell set in a squat rack, a Smith machine, suspension straps, or a sturdy fixed bar. They are simple to set up, easy to adjust, and surprisingly challenging when performed correctly.

The exercise is essentially an inverted triceps extension. Your body acts as the resistance, and you lower your forehead toward the bar by bending your elbows before pushing yourself back to the starting position. Because the body moves through space, the exercise demands coordination and trunk control alongside strong elbow extension.

One of the best features of bodyweight skull crushers is that they are highly scalable. Setting the bar higher makes the movement easier because your body is more upright. Lowering the bar increases the amount of body weight your triceps must move. This makes the exercise useful for beginners, intermediate lifters, and advanced athletes who want a demanding finishing movement.

Resistance training adaptations are highly specific to the effort and tension placed on the working muscles. A bodyweight movement can therefore build muscle effectively when it is hard enough, performed through a consistent range of motion, and progressed over time. You do not need a stack of plates to make your triceps grow.

How to Perform It

Set a barbell in a rack at around chest height to begin. Stand facing the bar and grip it with your hands about shoulder width apart. Step your feet back until your body forms a straight line from your head to your heels.

Keeping your body rigid, bend your elbows and lower your forehead toward the bar. Your upper arms should remain angled slightly forward rather than flaring widely to the sides. Once your forehead is close to the bar, forcefully extend your elbows and return to the starting position.

Keep your glutes and abdominal muscles tight throughout each repetition. This prevents the hips from sagging and makes it easier to focus the work on the triceps.

Perform two to four sets of six to fifteen repetitions. When you can complete the top end of the range with clean form, lower the bar slightly or move your feet farther back to increase the difficulty.

Common Mistakes

The biggest mistake is bending at the hips instead of the elbows. If you turn the exercise into a standing plank movement, the triceps receive far less useful work. Keep your torso firm and let the elbows control the descent.

Another mistake is using a bar that is too low too soon. Start conservatively. This is an exercise that becomes much harder with even small changes in body angle, so gradual progression is the sensible approach.

3. The Overhead Cable Triceps Extension

Why This Exercise Works

The overhead cable triceps extension may not be new, but it has become strangely neglected in many modern programs. Lifters often choose pressdowns because they are convenient, then add skull crushers because they look more hardcore. The overhead cable variation combines several useful qualities in one exercise: continuous cable resistance, a stable setup, and a long muscle length for the triceps.

The long head of the triceps is stretched when the shoulder is flexed overhead. Research comparing cable elbow extension training at different shoulder positions found that overhead training produced greater increases in total triceps muscle volume than training with the arms in a neutral position. The long head showed the greatest difference, which makes sense because it crosses both the shoulder and elbow joints.

This makes the overhead cable extension especially valuable for lifters who want their arms to look thick from the side. It is also a useful choice for people who find lying extensions uncomfortable, since the cable provides a smoother resistance curve and allows you to adjust your body position easily.

The exercise works best when you use a load that lets you reach a deep stretch without losing control. There is no prize for using the entire weight stack if your lower back is arching and your elbows are moving everywhere.

How to Perform It

Attach a rope handle to a low cable pulley. Face away from the cable stack, take the rope in both hands, and bring it over your head. Step forward into a staggered stance and lean slightly forward from the hips.

Start with your elbows bent and pointed upward. Your hands should be behind or just above your head. Extend your elbows until your arms are almost straight, then slowly return to the stretched position.

Keep your rib cage down and avoid leaning backward. Your upper arms should remain reasonably still throughout the movement. A small amount of movement is normal, but the main action should come from elbow extension.

Use two to four sets of ten to twenty repetitions. Moderate and higher repetition ranges often work particularly well because the cable keeps tension on the triceps without requiring extremely heavy loads.

Common Mistakes

Many people stand too upright and allow the cable to pull their elbows backward. This can make the setup unstable and reduce the quality of the contraction. Take a step forward, brace your core, and find a position where the cable pulls consistently against your hands.

Another mistake is cutting the range of motion short at the bottom. The stretched position is one of the main reasons to use this exercise. Lower the rope with control until you feel a strong stretch in the triceps, provided it remains comfortable at the elbows and shoulders.

How to Program These Exercises for Bigger Arms

You do not need to perform all three exercises in every session. In fact, using all of them at once may be unnecessary if you already perform pressing exercises such as bench presses, dips, or overhead presses. Compound presses train the triceps, but direct isolation work is often useful when arm size is a priority.

A practical approach is to choose one exercise that emphasizes the overhead position and one that provides a different loading style. For example, you could use overhead cable extensions after your main pressing work, then perform bodyweight skull crushers or rolling dumbbell extensions later in the week.

Train the triceps with enough weekly volume to make progress, but do not add endless sets simply because you want bigger arms. Research indicates that higher weekly resistance training volume can support greater muscle growth, although the amount each person can recover from varies. Start with a manageable amount of direct triceps work and increase only when you can recover, perform well, and continue progressing.

For many lifters, six to twelve challenging direct sets per week is a productive starting range. This total can be spread across two or three sessions. Keep a record of your repetitions, load, body angle, or cable setting. Progressive overload is easier when you know exactly what you did last time.

The final repetitions of each set should feel demanding, but technique should remain controlled. You do not need to reach complete failure on every set. Training close to failure is often enough to create a strong growth stimulus while allowing you to maintain quality across the rest of the workout.

The Bottom Line

Thicker arms require more than endless curls. Your triceps deserve deliberate training, especially if you want upper arms that look substantial in a shirt and powerful when flexed.

Rolling dumbbell triceps extensions offer a joint friendly way to train through a large range of motion. Bodyweight skull crushers provide a scalable and challenging option using minimal equipment. Overhead cable triceps extensions place the long head in a stretched position and are supported by direct research on triceps hypertrophy.

Pick one or two of these movements, perform them consistently, and focus on steady progression. The forgotten exercises are often not forgotten because they are ineffective. They are forgotten because most people stop looking beyond the cable pressdown station.

References

• American College of Sports Medicine (2009) ‘American College of Sports Medicine position stand: Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults’, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 41(3), pp. 687 to 708.
• Grgic, J., Schoenfeld, B.J., Skrepnik, M. and Davies, T.B. (2021) ‘Effects of rest interval duration in resistance training on measures of muscular strength: A systematic review’, Sports Medicine, 51(7), pp. 1373 to 1392.
• Krieger, J.W. (2010) ‘Single versus multiple sets of resistance exercise for muscle hypertrophy: A meta analysis’, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 24(4), pp. 1150 to 1159.
• Maeo, S., Wu, Y., Huang, M., Sakurai, H., Kusagawa, Y., Sugiyama, T., Kanehisa, H. and Isaka, T. (2023) ‘Triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position’, European Journal of Sport Science, 23(8), pp. 1240 to 1250.
• Schoenfeld, B.J., Grgic, J., Ogborn, D. and Krieger, J.W. (2017) ‘Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low versus high load resistance training: A systematic review and meta analysis’, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 31(12), pp. 3508 to 3523.
• Schoenfeld, B.J., Ogborn, D. and Krieger, J.W. (2017) ‘Dose response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta analysis’, Journal of Sports Sciences, 35(11), pp. 1073 to 1082.
• Vieira, A.F., Umpierre, D., Teodoro, J.L., Lisboa, S.C., Baroni, B.M., Izquierdo, M. and Cadore, E.L. (2021) ‘Effects of resistance training performed to failure or not to failure on muscle strength, hypertrophy, and power output: A systematic review with meta analysis’, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 35(4), pp. 1165 to 1175.

Key Takeaways