Beginner Triceps Workout

Introduction

For this triceps workout, we will give you a well-structured set of exercises, that will help you develop your triceps in terms of mass and strength. And while this workout doesn’t include intense training principles and methods, it is suited for beginner and intermediate athletes, who are looking for a nice variety of exercises, done under different angles.

The workout uses the second exercise (close grip bench press) as the main builder, where most of the volume goes and is followed by 3 other exercises, that are pretty much isolated and help for in-depth development.

This specific set of exercises allows us to target all 3 triceps heads and develop them evenly, accounting for a well-rounded development of that muscle group.

Workout Priorities

The workout prioritizes the development of all physical properties of the working musculature- Strength, strength endurance, as well as muscle mass. This is why we can see single digit as well as double digit repetitions- The workout includes heavy sets, as well as moderate intensity, high repetition ones.

Exercises

Exercise map

Close grip push-ups

Execution

• Get into a push-up position, where your feet are slightly apart and straight and arms are narrower than shoulder width
• Keep your body completely straight and look down
• Let your body go down slowly, until you are a couple inches away from the ground
• Push up explosively and contract the triceps at the top of the movement, by carefully locking out the elbow and achieving full triceps contraction
• Repeat

Close grip barbell bench press

Execution

• Lie down on the bench press comfortably, placing your feet stably and back and head well rested
• Grab the barbell with a close grip, narrower than shoulder width and un-rack it
• Let the barbell go down slowly to the lower portion of your chest, slowly.
• Avoid resting the barbell at the bottom of each repetition
• Push up explosively, contracting the triceps up top with an easy elbow lock out

Triceps bench dips

Execution

• Set up two benches, so that you can comfortably place your legs on the front one
• Sit on one bench and place your arms by your sides, at about shoulder width or slightly wider
• Place your legs on the opposite bench, so that the heels are touching it
• Lift yourself up on your arms and move a tiny bit forward
• Looking up, let your body go down slowly
• Push up explosively, contracting the triceps at the top with a careful elbow lockout
• Repeat

One arm triceps push-down

Execution

• Stand by the side of the cable machine with your shoulder facing it
• Grab the pulley with an underhand grip and place your opposite arm on your hips to maintain balance
• Step on your feet stably
• Look forward, keeping your back straight and push the pulley down
• At the bottom of the movement, contract the triceps with a controlled elbow lock-out
• Let the pulley return to its original position, stretching the triceps
• Repeat
• Once you’re done with your set, proceed to the opposite arm

Rope push-down

Execution

• Attach the rope to the cable machine and stand with your face against it
• Place feet stably at about shoulder width
• Grab the rope with an overhand grip and keep your back straight
• Look forward, bend knees slightly and push the rope down
• After having achieved full contraction with a controlled elbow lockout, slowly return to the initial position
• Repeat

Workout Tips

Warm up and preparation

Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced, it is always a good idea to prepare your body for the higher levels of intensity, beforehand.

Take 10 to 15 minutes at the beginning of your workout, to warm up your joints and musculature and prepare them for the heavier working sets.

Such an approach will allow you to protect your joints, ligaments and muscles from injuries and overall, the quality of the workout will be drastically improved.

Progressive overload

This training principle is pretty much what will determine whether you will progress or not. Workout after workout, you MUST give your working musculature a new challenge, which it will adapt to and grow/get stronger. You have to either increase the weights (tiny increments), do more reps here and there, or do the same work, but for a shorter period of time.

Progressively overloading will grant you actual progress, in terms of growth and strength.

Nutrition

Last but not least, as a beginner, you should know that one of the most (if not the most) important factors, that will determine whether you will progress or not, is the correct nutritional habit.

Nutrition is what will fuel your workouts and help you recover afterwards. That is why it is a MUST to consume valuable, high-carb foods 1-2 hrs, prior to each workout. Such foods are basically rice, potatoes, oats and most other grains.

A good amount of carbs will load your musculature with energy, which you will use during the workout. After the workout, you will be looking to help your torn muscle fibers recover, which is where protein comes into play. Your post workout meals should consist mainly of proteins and a smaller amount of carbohydrates, to help you recover the energetic reserves within the muscle cells.

Conclusion

Generally, this beginner triceps training scheme will work well, and help you develop strength, strength endurance and muscle mass, if the workouts are well integrated within the rest of your training split.

It is recommended that you include these exercises within, for example, your push workout, where you train chest, shoulders and triceps- The pushing muscle groups. The workout consists of a big number of exercises, however, the total volume of sets is not exceptionally huge, as you only have 7 total working sets.

As in every other workout, we have a 10-15-minute warm-up and work-in window at the beginning and afterwards, we move on to heavier weights. Proper exercise execution should be kept at all times and we should not compromise it for heavier weights.

As in every other training day, our nutrition should consist of high carbs and moderate protein hours prior to the workouts and high protein and moderate carbs after the workouts. Ultimately, you have to gradually increase the weights and repetitions and decrease the time needed for completion.

All of this together, done continuously over time, will lead to progress.