The Ultimate Guide to the Best and Worst Triceps Exercises for Muscle Growth

Building bigger, stronger arms isn’t just about the biceps. In fact, the triceps—the muscles on the back of your upper arm—make up roughly two-thirds of the arm’s total mass. If you want your arms to look thick, powerful, and well-shaped, training the triceps effectively is essential.

But here’s the problem: with dozens of possible triceps exercises available, ranging from cable pushdowns to skull crushers and dips, it can be hard to know which ones actually deliver the best results. Some exercises look good on paper but fail to provide enough muscle tension. Others feel great but are nearly impossible to overload in the long run. And a few, while popular, may not be worth your time at all.

In this article, we’ll rank 20 of the most popular triceps exercises on a tier list—from S (Super) to F (Fail)—to determine which ones deserve a place in your program. We’ll break down how each movement affects the three heads of the triceps, which variations are most effective, and which exercises you might want to skip. Finally, we’ll crown the best of the best and the worst of the worst triceps exercise for muscle growth.

Understanding Triceps Anatomy

Before we jump into the rankings, it’s important to understand the triceps muscle itself. The name “triceps” comes from the Latin word for “three heads,” and that’s exactly what this muscle has:

The Long Head – The only head that crosses both the elbow joint and the shoulder joint. It contributes significantly to overall arm mass and is heavily involved when the arms are positioned overhead or behind the torso.
The Lateral Head – Located on the outer side of the arm, this is the “horseshoe” shape that gives triceps their aesthetic pop. It activates strongly in most pressing movements.
The Medial Head – Found deep within the triceps, it assists in almost every elbow extension movement. While it’s less visible, it contributes to overall arm thickness and stability.

For complete triceps development, you’ll want to target all three heads. That means using exercises with different arm positions:

Arms overhead → emphasizes the long head in a stretched position
Arms at the sides → great for lateral and medial heads
Arms behind the torso → allows the long head to fully contract

Ranking Criteria

When ranking each exercise, we’ll use three simple but powerful criteria:

High Tension in the Stretched Position
- The best hypertrophy stimulus often comes when a muscle is loaded in a lengthened state. If an exercise doesn’t provide good stretch-based tension, it will rank lower.
Feels Good and Safe
- An exercise shouldn’t cause elbow or shoulder pain. It should also have a smooth resistance profile and allow for a solid mind–muscle connection.
Simple Progression
- To keep growing, you need to progressively overload—add weight or reps over time. If an exercise is difficult to load progressively, it loses points.

Tier List Breakdown of 20 Triceps Exercises

Let’s dive into the rankings, starting with the most popular options and working our way through the full list.

Cable Pressdowns

Bar Attachment → A Tier
Stable, easy to overload, and smooth resistance. Great for the medial and lateral heads, though not much stretch for the long head.

Rope Attachment → B Tier
Feels good and allows more wrist freedom, but harder to overload compared to a bar.

Reverse Grip → C Tier
Biomechanically weaker, grip becomes limiting. Some people feel better activation, but overall not worth the tradeoff.

Overhead Cable Extensions

Bar Attachment → S Tier
Arguably the best isolation exercise for the long head thanks to deep stretch and high tension overhead. Supported by studies showing superior triceps growth compared to pressdowns.

Rope Attachment → A Tier
Still excellent, but slightly harder to overload.

Katana Extensions (cross-cable variation) → A Tier
Unique setup, great stretch and stability, works each arm individually. Loses points for complexity of setup.

Dumbbell French Press (Seated Overhead Extension)

Two-Hand Version → B Tier
Strong stretch stimulus, but resistance curve isn’t as smooth as cables. Can be awkward with very heavy dumbbells.

One-Arm Version → A Tier
Solves bulkiness issue, more comfortable, great for unilateral work.

Skull Crushers (Lying Triceps Extensions)

EZ Bar / Straight Bar → S Tier
Excellent free weight option. Deep stretch, smooth movement (especially with an EZ bar), and easy to overload. A true classic.

Dumbbell Skull Crushers → A Tier
Allows independent arm work but feels less stable and more awkward than barbell variations.

JM Press

Barbell JM Press → B Tier
A hybrid between close-grip bench and skull crusher. Decent for strength carryover but can cause elbow discomfort and doesn’t stretch the long head as much.

Smith Machine JM Press → A Tier
The fixed bar path makes it easier to isolate the triceps without shoulders or chest taking over.

Triceps Kickbacks

Cable Kickbacks → A Tier
One of the few exercises that trains the long head in a fully shortened position. Great finisher, especially in higher rep ranges.

Dumbbell Kickbacks → C Tier
Resistance is poorly aligned—no tension at the bottom, max tension only at the top. Overhated
but still not optimal.

Dips

Close-Grip Dips (Weighted) → B Tier
Strong overload potential, but shoulders and chest often dominate. Long head doesn’t get much stretch.
Bench Dips → C Tier
Easy to connect with triceps but very difficult to progressively overload.
Machine Dips → B Tier
More stability, better isolation, but chest and delts may still contribute heavily.

Close-Grip Bench Press & Push-Ups

Close-Grip Bench Press → A Tier
One of the best compounds for triceps overload. Hammers lateral and medial heads, but long head engagement is limited.
Close-Grip Push-Ups → C Tier
Great for beginners, but tough to overload once strong.
Diamond Push-Ups → B Tier
Harder variation, good finisher, but still limited by lack of progressive overload compared to barbell pressing.

Summary of Rankings

S Tier (Super)
- Overhead Cable Extension (bar)
- Skull Crushers (EZ bar or straight bar)
A Tier (Excellent)
- Bar Pressdowns
- Overhead Cable Extension (rope)
- Katana Extension
- One-Arm Dumbbell Extension
- Dumbbell Skull Crusher
- Smith Machine JM Press
- Cable Kickbacks
- Close-Grip Bench Press
B Tier (Good)
- Rope Pressdowns
- Dumbbell French Press (two-hand)
- JM Press (barbell)
- Close-Grip Dips
- Machine Dips
- Diamond Push-Ups
C Tier (Average)
- Reverse Grip Pressdown
- Dumbbell Kickbacks
- Bench Dips
- Close-Grip Push-Ups
F Tier (Fail)
- None (surprisingly, all have at least some use case)

The Best and Worst Triceps Exercises

After looking at the evidence and ranking based on stretch, feel, and progression, here are the winners and losers:

Best of the Best (S+): Overhead Cable Extension (bar)
- Provides unmatched stretch-based tension on the long head.
- Smooth resistance profile.
- Validated by research showing superior hypertrophy.
Worst of the Worst: Dumbbell Kickback
- Biomechanically flawed resistance curve.
- Hard to overload effectively.
- Better alternatives exist for both stretch and contraction.

How to Build the Perfect Triceps Workout

To maximize growth, you don’t need all 20 exercises. Instead, pick 2–3 movements that complement each other by targeting the triceps through different arm positions:

Overhead Exercise (for long head stretch)
- Overhead cable extension or skull crushers
Pressdown or Pressing Exercise (for lateral & medial heads)
- Bar pressdowns or close-grip bench press
Shortened Position Exercise (for long head contraction)
- Cable kickbacks or dips

This simple combination ensures you hit all three heads of the triceps in both stretched and contracted positions, which is the recipe for maximum hypertrophy.

Final Thoughts

The triceps are a complex, three-headed muscle that requires more than just pushdowns to reach their full potential. By combining exercises that target the muscle in both stretched and shortened positions, you can build thicker, stronger, and more defined arms.

If you want to focus on just one exercise, make it the overhead cable extension. If you want to save time, pair it with a close-grip bench press and finish with a cable kickback for full development.

And if you want to stop wasting your time, avoid dumbbell kickbacks as your main triceps exercise—they’re better as an occasional burnout move than a true mass-builder.

With the right strategy, smart exercise selection, and consistent progressive overload, your triceps can become one of the most impressive muscles on your physique.

آخر الأخبار

The Best & Worst TRICEPS Exercises (Ranked Using Science)

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The Ultimate Guide to the Best and Worst Triceps Exercises for Muscle Growth

Understanding Triceps Anatomy

Ranking Criteria