You do not need a full gym to build strong, defined arms. Many of the best tricep exercises can be done right at home with just your bodyweight, a pair of dumbbells, or a resistance band. With a smart mix of movements and consistent training, you can add serious strength to the back of your arms and boost your performance on push-ups, bench press, and overhead lifts.
Below, you will find a simple guide to the best tricep exercises you can do at home, plus tips on how to put them together into an effective routine.
Why your triceps matter
Your triceps are the three-headed muscle on the back of your upper arm. They are responsible for straightening your elbow and helping with any pressing motion, such as push-ups or overhead presses.
According to fitness writers at Gymshark, your triceps make up about 70% of your total arm mass, which means they contribute more to arm size than your biceps do. When you focus on the best tricep exercises, you are not only building more noticeable arms, you are also supporting your chest, shoulders, and even core in many compound movements.
Trained triceps help you:
- Push heavier weights in bench press and overhead press
- Perform more push-ups and dips
- Stabilize your elbows and shoulders
- Improve posture when combined with back and shoulder work
Bodyweight tricep exercises at home
If you have no equipment, you can still train your triceps effectively with bodyweight moves. These exercises also challenge your core and shoulders, so you get more out of each set.
Close grip push-ups
Close grip push-ups shift more of the work from your chest to your triceps.
How to do them:
- Start in a high plank with hands placed closer than shoulder width.
- Keep your elbows tucked close to your torso as you lower your chest toward the floor.
- Pause briefly, then push back up, keeping your core tight.
When you keep your hands close and your abs engaged, your triceps and core work together to stabilize and press your body upward, as described by trainers in a Planet Fitness guide.
If this is too hard, drop to your knees or elevate your hands on a sturdy bench or countertop.
Chair or bench tricep dips
Tricep dips are a classic bodyweight move that mainly targets the triceps brachii, while your core keeps your hips off the ground.
How to do them:
- Sit on a sturdy chair or bench and place your hands next to your hips, fingers facing forward.
- Walk your feet forward and slide your hips off the edge so your weight is supported by your hands and heels.
- Bend your elbows to lower your body until your upper arms are close to parallel with the floor.
- Press through your palms to straighten your arms without locking your elbows.
Beginners can keep their knees bent to reduce shoulder stress. As you get stronger, you can straighten your legs or place your feet on another chair to increase difficulty. Planet Fitness suggests starting with 3 sets of 10 repetitions and increasing volume gradually for safe strength gains.
Pay attention to your shoulders. Avoid dipping too low or hunching your shoulders toward your ears, since that can increase joint strain.
Single dumbbell close grip push-up (variation)
If you own one dumbbell, you can turn a standard push-up into a more intense tricep challenge. Place the dumbbell flat on the floor and grip it with both hands, then perform push-ups with your elbows tucked. Research highlighted in Men’s Health UK shows that close grip variations on a single dumbbell emphasize tricep strength and stability.
Dumbbell tricep exercises at home
If you have access to one or two dumbbells, your options expand a lot. Dumbbells allow for a greater range of motion and unilateral work, which can help correct side to side strength imbalances, as explained by Men’s Health UK in a 2024 feature on dumbbell tricep training.
Close grip dumbbell bench press
The close grip dumbbell bench press is one of the best tricep exercises for building strength and size because it is a compound lift that lets you use relatively heavy weight.
How to do it:
- Lie on a bench or on the floor with a dumbbell in each hand.
- Hold the dumbbells over your chest with palms facing each other and the bells close together.
- Keep your elbows tucked near your sides as you lower the weights to your mid chest.
- Press the dumbbells back up and squeeze your triceps at the top.
According to Men’s Health UK, you can often press nearly as much with dumbbells as with a barbell in this close grip style, while putting less stress on your shoulders because your elbows stay tucked and natural.
Lying dumbbell tricep extension (skull crusher)
The lying tricep extension, often called a skull crusher, is excellent for hypertrophy because it stretches the long head of the triceps under load.
How to do it:
- Lie on your back on a bench or the floor, holding one or two dumbbells over your chest with arms almost straight.
- Keeping your upper arms still, bend your elbows and lower the dumbbells toward your forehead or just behind your head.
- Stop when you feel a strong stretch in the back of your upper arm.
- Extend your elbows to raise the weight back to the starting position.
Coaches recommend angling your arms slightly backward rather than straight overhead to avoid losing tension at the top. This position maintains continuous stress on the triceps, which is ideal for muscle growth.
Overhead dumbbell tricep extension
Overhead extensions focus heavily on the long head of the triceps and are among the best tricep exercises for that coveted “horseshoe” look.
You can perform this with one dumbbell held with both hands or as a single arm movement.
How to do it:
- Stand or sit tall and hold a dumbbell overhead with your arm or arms nearly straight.
- Keep your upper arm fixed and close to your head.
- Slowly bend your elbow to lower the dumbbell behind your head.
- Press the weight back up by straightening your elbow without letting your back arch.
An analysis cited in the European Journal of Sport Science found that tricep exercises that place the muscle in a lengthened position, such as overhead extensions and skull crushers, can be particularly effective for hypertrophy. Men’s Health UK also highlights single arm overhead dumbbell extensions as a key way to engage all three heads of the triceps by maintaining arm position while lowering the dumbbell behind the head.
Dumbbell triceps kickback
The kickback is unique because it trains the triceps in a fully shortened position.
How to do it:
- Place one hand and knee on a bench or support your non working hand on a table, with your torso leaning forward.
- Hold a dumbbell in your working hand with your upper arm tucked to your side and elbow bent to 90 degrees.
- Keeping your upper arm lifted and slightly behind your torso, straighten your elbow to “kick” the dumbbell back.
- Squeeze at the top, then slowly bend your elbow to return to the starting position.
Because your upper arm stays behind your body, the triceps can reach maximum contraction. Men’s Health UK notes that this makes kickbacks especially effective for training full muscle shortening when done with control and without swinging the weight.
Dumbbell JM press
The JM press is a hybrid between a close grip press and a skull crusher, and it is useful for power and strength.
How to do it:
- Lie on a bench or floor with two dumbbells held over your chest, palms facing each other.
- Lower the dumbbells by bending your elbows forward and slightly down toward your throat or upper chest, not directly to your forehead.
- Your elbows initiate the movement and stay pointed forward.
- Explosively extend your elbows to press the weight back up.
Coaches recommend this move to train the triceps to produce force quickly, since the elbows drive the movement and you can use a more explosive concentric phase than with a strict skull crusher.
Resistance band tricep exercises at home
If you have a loop or tube band, you can recreate some of the cable style tricep work you would normally do at the gym. Bands are joint friendly and also improve stability, since the resistance increases as the band stretches.
Planet Fitness trainers highlight the benefits of band work for both the triceps and surrounding muscles and ligaments, noting that the variable resistance strengthens stabilizers while you press and extend.
Band tricep pushdown
To mimic a cable pushdown:
- Anchor a resistance band overhead on a door, pull-up bar, or sturdy hook.
- Grab each end of the band with your elbows bent and tucked by your sides.
- Press your hands down by straightening your elbows until your arms are fully extended.
- Slowly resist the band as your hands return to the starting position.
Use a neutral grip or reverse grip to slightly change which head of the triceps works hardest. Keeping your elbows glued to your sides ensures your triceps, not your shoulders, drive the movement.
Band tricep kickback or overhead extension
You can also step on one end of the band and perform kickbacks or overhead extensions similar to the dumbbell versions. Focus on stable upper arms and full elbow extension.
How often to train your triceps
Your triceps respond best to consistent work and progressive overload, which simply means gradually making things harder over time.
According to reviews summarized by Gymshark, training your triceps at least twice per week with a total weekly volume of 12 to 28 sets, in the 8 to 12 rep range at about 60 to 80% of your one rep max, is an effective approach for hypertrophy. Trainers cited by Planet Fitness suggest working your triceps 2 to 3 times per week and adjusting the weight so that your muscles are close to fatigue around the ninth repetition, especially if you are using lighter loads and higher reps.
To keep progressing:
- Add a few pounds to your dumbbells over time
- Add extra reps or another set when a weight feels easy
- Choose a harder variation, such as moving from knees push-ups to full push-ups
It also helps to change your routine every 3 to 4 weeks to avoid plateaus and keep your body adapting.
Sample at home tricep workout
You can use the best tricep exercises above to build a simple routine that fits into a standard home workout.
Here is a sample you can try 2 times per week:
- Close grip push-ups: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps
- Close grip dumbbell bench press: 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
- Lying dumbbell tricep extension: 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
- Dumbbell triceps kickbacks or band pushdowns: 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
Before you start, spend 5 to 10 minutes warming up with arm circles, light band pull-aparts, and a few easy sets of push-ups or presses. Planet Fitness recommends dynamic stretching and warm-up sets to increase blood flow, enhance range of motion, and reduce injury risk when training the triceps.
Aim for controlled reps, full range of motion, and a weight that makes the final 2 or 3 reps of each set challenging but still doable with proper form. Get 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night and leave at least one rest day between hard tricep sessions so your muscles can recover and grow.
Putting it all together
The best tricep exercises are not complicated, and most of them can be done in a small living room with minimal equipment. If you combine a few bodyweight moves like close grip push-ups and dips with dumbbell or band exercises such as skull crushers, overhead extensions, and pushdowns, you will cover all three heads of the triceps and support bigger compound lifts.
Start with variations that feel manageable, focus on clean technique, and progress slowly. Over a few consistent weeks, you will notice firmer, stronger arms and more power in every pushing movement you do.
