5 Best Muscle Building Triceps Exercises Without Using a Barbell

If you want to pack on size and strength for your arms, add these muscle building triceps exercises into your training sessions.

Why Are Strong Triceps Useful?

Strong triceps are essential for many physical activities, including everyday movements and sports performance.

Tricep Dips WODs skull crushers Perfect Triceps Workout Isolation Exercises dumbbell skull crusher Exercises to Force Arm Growth

Here are some reasons why having strong triceps is useful:

Pushing Movements:

The triceps are the primary muscle group used in pushing movements such as push-ups, bench press, overhead press, and dips. A strong triceps can help you perform these exercises with proper form, increase your strength and power, and reduce the risk of injury.

Arm Strength:

The triceps muscles make up a significant portion of your arm’s size and strength. A well-developed triceps will give your arms a more defined and muscular appearance, and help you perform daily tasks that require arm strength, such as lifting and carrying heavy objects.

Upper Body Stability:

The triceps also play an important role in stabilizing the shoulder joint during upper body movements. Strong triceps can help you maintain proper posture, reduce the risk of shoulder injuries, and enhance your overall upper body stability.

Sports Performance:

Many sports require explosive movements and arm strength, such as throwing a ball, swinging a bat or racket, or performing a jump or sprint. Strong triceps can improve your performance in these activities by increasing your power and speed, allowing you to generate more force and energy.

Table of Contents

Why Are Strong Triceps Useful?
Pushing Movements:
Arm Strength:
Upper Body Stability:
Sports Performance:
Triceps Exercises
1. Triceps Pull Down
2. Triceps Dips
3. Triceps Push Down
4. Overhead Triceps Extension Exercise
5. Dumbbell Skull Crusher Exercise
What are the Best Reps and Sets to Build Muscle?
Learn More

Overall, developing strong triceps can benefit your overall physical health, daily activities, and athletic performance.

Triceps Exercises

There are many exercises that can help strengthen and tone your triceps muscles. Here are some of the best ones you can try id you don’t want to use a barbell.

1. Triceps Pull Down

The triceps pull-down exercise is a resistance training exercise that targets the triceps muscles, located at the back of the upper arms. It is typically performed using a cable machine, but can also be done with resistance bands.

Here’s how to perform a triceps pull-down exercise using a cable machine:

Attach a straight bar or rope to the cable machine and adjust the weight to a level that is challenging but allows you to maintain proper form.
Stand facing the cable machine with your feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in your knees.
Grab the bar or rope with an overhand grip and bring your hands close together, keeping your elbows by your sides.
Engage your core and keep your back straight as you exhale and push the bar or rope down towards your thighs, keeping your elbows stationary.
When you reach the bottom of the movement, hold for a second and squeeze your triceps before inhaling and slowly returning to the starting position.
Repeat for the desired number of reps and sets.

Variations of this exercise include using different grips, such as an underhand or neutral grip, and using a single-arm attachment to focus on each arm individually.

The triceps pull-down exercise is a great addition to any upper body or arm workout routine, as it helps to strengthen and tone the triceps muscles while also engaging other muscles in the upper body. It’s important to use proper form, choose a weight that allows you to perform the exercise with control, and avoid using momentum or swinging the weight.

2. Triceps Dips

Triceps dips are a bodyweight exercise that targets the triceps, chest, and shoulders. They are typically performed on parallel bars.

Technique Tips

Find parallel bars or a stable surface such as a bench or step. Place your hands shoulder-width apart on the bars or surface with your fingers facing forward and your palms flat.
Lift your body off the ground and extend your legs in front of you. Your arms should be fully extended and supporting your body weight.
Slowly lower your body by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your body. Lower your body until your elbows form a 90-degree angle.
Pause for a moment, then push your body back up to the starting position by straightening your arms.
Repeat for the desired number of reps.

When performing triceps dips, it’s important to maintain proper form to avoid injury. Keep your shoulders down and away from your ears, engage your core muscles, and keep your elbows close to your body.

To make the exercise easier, you can bend your knees and keep your feet on the ground. To make it more challenging, you can lift one foot off the ground or add weight by wearing a weighted vest or holding a dumbbell between your feet.

Triceps dips are a great addition to any upper body or bodyweight workout routine, as they help to strengthen and tone the triceps, chest, and shoulders while also engaging other muscles in the upper body.

3. Triceps Push Down

The triceps pushdown exercise is a popular resistance training exercise that targets the triceps muscles, located at the back of the upper arms.

It is typically performed using a cable machine, but can also be done with resistance bands or a pull-up bar.

Technique

Attach a straight bar or rope to the cable machine and adjust the weight to a level that is challenging but allows you to maintain proper form.
Stand facing the cable machine with your feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in your knees.
Grab the bar or rope with an overhand grip and bring your hands close together, keeping your elbows by your sides.
Engage your core and keep your back straight as you exhale and push the bar or rope down towards your thighs, keeping your elbows stationary.
When you reach the bottom of the movement, hold for a second and squeeze your triceps before inhaling and slowly returning to the starting position.
Repeat for the desired number of reps and sets.

Variations

Variations of this exercise include using different grips, such as an underhand or neutral grip, and using a single-arm attachment to focus on each arm individually.

It’s important to use proper form, choose a weight that allows you to perform the exercise with control, and avoid using momentum or swinging the weight.

4. Overhead Triceps Extension Exercise

The overhead triceps extension exercise is a resistance training exercise that primarily targets the triceps muscles. It is typically performed using dumbbells or a barbell, and involves extending the arms overhead while holding the weight.

Here are some benefits of the overhead triceps extension exercise:

Triceps strength and size: The overhead triceps extension exercise specifically targets the triceps muscles, which are responsible for extending the elbow joint. By regularly performing this exercise, you can increase the strength and size of your triceps.

Improved shoulder stability: The overhead position of the arms during this exercise requires engagement of the shoulder stabilizing muscles, which can help to improve shoulder stability and reduce the risk of injury.

Increased range of motion: The overhead triceps extension exercise requires a significant range of motion at the shoulder joint, which can help to improve flexibility and mobility in the shoulders.

Increased muscle activation: This exercise requires activation of multiple muscles in addition to the triceps, including the core, upper back, and shoulders. This can help to improve overall upper body strength and muscle activation.

Versatility: The overhead triceps extension exercise can be performed with various types of equipment, including dumbbells, barbells, and resistance bands, making it a versatile exercise that can be easily incorporated into a workout routine.

The overhead triceps extension exercise is a highly effective exercise for targeting the triceps muscles and improving overall upper body strength and stability.

It can be used as part of a well-rounded resistance training program to help achieve a variety of fitness goals, including increased muscle strength and size, improved flexibility and mobility, and reduced risk of injury.

5. Dumbbell Skull Crusher Exercise

The dumbbell skull crusher exercise is a popular triceps exercise that can be done with a set of dumbbells. It involves lying on a bench and using both arms to lower dumbbells to the sides of the head, then extending the arms to bring the dumbbells back up.

Here’s how to perform the exercise:

Lie flat on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand. Your palms should be facing each other and your arms should be fully extended above your chest.
Keeping your elbows in and your upper arms stationary, slowly lower the dumbbells towards your head by bending your elbows. Lower the dumbbells until they are just above your forehead.
Pause for a moment, then extend your arms back up to the starting position, squeezing your triceps at the top of the movement.
Repeat for the desired number of reps and sets.

The dumbbell skull crusher exercise is a great way to target the triceps muscles, and is particularly effective at isolating the long head of the triceps. It can be incorporated into an upper body or arm workout routine, and can help to improve triceps strength, size, and definition.

It’s important to use proper form, choose a weight that allows you to perform the exercise with control, and avoid using momentum or swinging the weights.

What are the Best Reps and Sets to Build Muscle?

The best reps and sets to build muscle depend on several factors, including your fitness level, training goals, and the specific exercise being performed. Generally, there are two main approaches to building muscle: high volume and heavy weight.

For high volume training, a common rep range is 8-12 reps per set, with 3-4 sets per exercise. This approach emphasizes moderate weight and high repetitions, which can help to create metabolic stress and increase muscular endurance. This type of training is often used for hypertrophy, or muscle growth, as it can help to increase muscle size by creating more muscle damage and stimulating muscle protein synthesis.

For heavy weight training, a common rep range is 1-6 reps per set, with 3-5 sets per exercise. This approach emphasizes heavy weight and low repetitions, which can help to create mechanical tension and increase muscular strength. This type of training is often used for maximal strength development, as it can help to increase the amount of weight that can be lifted for a given exercise.

It’s important to note that both high volume and heavy weight training can be effective for building muscle, and the best approach will depend on your individual goals and training preferences. It’s also important to vary your reps and sets over time to avoid plateaus and keep making progress. A periodized training program that incorporates both high volume and heavy weight training can be a great way to optimize muscle growth and strength gains.