Training Your Triceps

Bigger Arms, Better Pressing, Fewer Injuries

Most people only think about training their triceps when they want bigger-looking arms. Your triceps make up around two-thirds of your upper-arm size, so if you’re after filling out a T-shirt sleeve, training them is pretty much essential.

But at Real World Fitness in Nottingham, we care just as much about what your arms do as how they look.

Your triceps are the engine behind your pressing strength: they finish the lock-out in bench presses, push-ups, dips, overhead presses and even the close-grip work you do for powerlifting or sports performance.

If you neglect them, you’ll hit plateaus on your bench, struggle to progress  with pressing overhead, and often end up with niggly elbows or shoulders.

RWF Personal Training Client Clare learning military push press

Why Triceps Training Matters

• Pressing strength. A stronger tricep lock-out keeps your shoulders healthier and helps shift more weight on the bench and overhead press.

• Joint health. Balanced upper-arm strength reduces stress on elbows and front-shoulder tendons – meaning less injuries and less time lost in the gym

• Size and shape: If you want bigger arms, train the bit that’s two-thirds of the overall mass of the upper arm.

• Athletic carry-over: Racket sports, combat sports, even swimming and throwing sports all benefit from stronger triceps.

RWF PT Client Donna bench pressing

Don’t Skip the Big Lifts

This is where most gym-goers get it wrong. They hammer away at rope push-downs and skull-crushers, but avoid the heavy, compound stuff.

The best triceps builders (when we are talking a combination of strength and aesthetics) are still your compound presses:

• Bench press (flat or slight incline)

• Close-grip bench press

• Overhead / push press

• Parallel-bar or ring dips

• Weighted press-ups

• Heavy dumbbell or barbell floor presses

These give you a base of general strength and muscle thickness you’ll struggle to get from cables alone.

Accessory & Isolation Moves

Once the big lifts are covered, add two or three of these to really hit the long and lateral heads of the triceps:

• Rope or straight-bar push-downs

• Overhead rope extensions or DB overhead extensions

• EZ-bar skull-crushers (keep the elbows tucked!)

• Cable kick-backs for higher-rep pump work

• Banded push-downs as a warm-up or elbow-friendly finisher

Sample Triceps-Focused Day

(All RWF Nottingham Gym benches, racks and cables are perfect for this – ask us to show you the set-ups.)

• Rest 2 min on the heavy compounds, 60–90 sec on accessories.

• Add weight or reps each week on the first 3 lifts, and the others if possible.

Upper-Day Finishers – When You Don’t Want a Full Triceps Day

Already have an upper-body session planned but want to finish the arms off?

Pick one of these finishers to tack on at the end:

1. Rope Push-down Ladder – Start at a weight you can do 12 reps with; do 12, drop a pin, do 10, drop, do 8… until you get as far down the stack as possible.

2. Dip and Push-up Giant Set – 3 rounds of 10 dips, 15 close-grip push-ups, 20 banded push-downs, with 60 sec rest between sets

3. Overhead Extension 100-Rep Challenge – Get to 100 total reps in as few sets as possible with a moderate weight.(AMRAP) at around 60 % of your bench max, with 90 sec rest.

These give you a pump, add some extra weekly volume, and take just over 5 minutes.

Programming Tips We Teach at RWF

• Train triceps directly 2× per week: once heavy/compound-focused, once lighter/higher-rep.

• Progress the big lifts first; the isolation moves are the icing on the cake

• If your elbows flare up, switch to more neutral-grip DB work and keep reps a little higher.

Train Your Triceps at Our Nottingham Gym in Colwick

All of the kit above — racks, benches, cables, speciality bars, dip stations, bands — is ready to go at Real World Fitness, Colwick, Nottingham.

You won’t be queueing for a cable or hunting for a bench in the corner.

👉 Book a free gym visit or chat to one of our personal trainers about building your triceps and pressing strength.

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Triceps Training FAQs

What are the best triceps exercises for real strength?
The big presses first: bench press, close-grip bench, overhead press/push press and dips. Then add push-downs, overhead rope/db extensions and skull-crushers for volume.

How often should I train triceps?
Twice per week works well: one heavier, compound-led session; one lighter, higher-rep accessories/finishers. Most lifters progress nicely on 10–16 total sets per week.

Should I prioritise close-grip bench or dips?
Use both across a training block. Close-grip bench carries to your main bench; dips are brilliant for elbow-friendly loading and lockout power.

Do isolation moves actually help my bench?
Yes — once your compounds are progressing. Extensions and push-downs build the long/lateral heads that finish your press.

What rep ranges build triceps best?
All of them. 4–8 for strength on compounds; 8–12 for meat-and-potatoes hypertrophy; 12–20 for pump work/finishers. Mix across the week.

My elbows hurt on skull-crushers — what now?
Switch to EZ-bar (or DB) with a slight decline, slow the eccentric, and keep elbows tucked. Neutral-grip DB extensions and rope variations are usually kinder.

Do I need cables and machines, or will barbells and DBs do?
You can get strong with just bars and DBs, but cables make it easier to hit long-range tension and squeeze the lockout. We’ve got all of it set up properly at RWF.

What’s a good triceps finisher after an upper day?
Try our 5-minute ladder: rope push-downs 12-10-8- etc, dropping a plate each time; rest 15–20s between drops. Or 3 rounds of dips + close-grip push-ups + band push-downs.

Will training triceps make my arms look bigger?
Yes — triceps are roughly two-thirds of upper-arm size. Get them stronger and your sleeves fill out while your bench and overhead lifts improve.

Can beginners train triceps twice a week?
Absolutely. Keep compounds tidy, start around 8–12 total sets per week, add a set when recovery is good, and use bands/cables for elbow-friendly volume.

If you’re in Colwick, Netherfield, West Bridgford, or anywhere else in Nottingham and you’re considering personal training, now’s your chance!

Book your FREE personal training session today and turn your fitness dreams and transformation goals into an achievable reality.

Don’t just take our word for it; feel the difference in guidance, expertise, and motivation. Nottingham residents, your journey to the best version of yourself starts with just one session.