Its an age old question, how do i get bigger arms? Well its no surprise that hard work, consistency, genetics, dedication, diet and solid training all play a role in how much your arms will grow. That being said, the purpose of this article is to present 5 of the best tricep exericses, or should we say 5 of the most effective tricep exercises for stimulating the tricep muscle and adding mass to those scrawny arms of yours !

You may know some of the tricep exercises presented in this article, but you might not incorporate them all in your current tricep workout. Sit back and take a look at some of the most effective tricep mass building exercises you can perform to gain overall size to your arms.

Weighted Dips are widely considered as one of the most effective arm exercises for adding overall mass to the triceps. This exercise is typically performed on parallel bars, although they can also be performed using a bench. Primarily a compound movement for developing the Triceps Brachii (Lateral and Long Heads of the Tricep), Weighted Dips are extremely beneficial for development of both the Long Inner Head of the Tricep aswell as the Lateral Outer Head during the mid portion and lockout portions of the lift.

Tips : Make sure to keep your Head and Chest up, if you lean too far forward this places a significant amount of stress on the Rotator Cuffs aswell as placing a larger emphasis on the contraction of the chest (chest dips are slightly different to regular dips).

Make sure to get a full contraction at the top portion of the lift (the lockout) and lower yourself slowly until your arms reach a 90 degree angle; there is no need to go beyond this as once again it places unnecessary stress on the Supraspinatus and can result in a shoulder or even a pectoral injury.

The Close Grip Bench Press is considered as one of the best tricep exericses for building overall mass and thickness in the triceps. The Close Grip Bench Press involves a narrower grip (roughly 6 inches) than the traditional Bench Press which places slightly more emphasis on the Long Head of the Tricep, while the lockout portion of the lift also activates the Lateral Head. So overall this makes it one of the best tricep exericises for overall tricep development and is one of the most popular tricep mass building lifts used by Bodybuilders.

Tips : Make sure to keep your core tight and retract your scapula by arching your back and digging your shoulder blades into the bench. This forms a good base for a lift such as the Close Grip Bench, where large amount of weight can be added.

The Floor Press is a very effective movement as it loads the majority of the strain onto your triceps, even using wider grips. However for the purpose of building the Triceps a narrower grip should be used. Due to the range of motion involved with a floor press, the chest is used less and triceps activated more, due to touching the floor with your triceps when you are at the bottom portion of the movement, unlike a regular Bench Press where you would typically go further and touch your chest.

This places alot more emphasis on the Triceps and especially the Tricep Lockout, so this movement is also recommended if you are having problems with locking out weight on your Bench Press.

Tips : This exercise is best performed in a Power Rack as seen in the image above, if necessary set up the safety pins if you dont have a spotter, you should be able to set the pins 2 notes from the bottom which allows you to still get a good range of motion from the actual exercise. Take a narrower grip if you want to activate the Triceps slightly more.

The Dumbell Tricep Extension can be used as a great supplemental lift to perform after heavier compound exercises like the Close Grip Bench Press, or alternatively it can be used to replace lifts such as Weighted Dips if you do not have access to parallel bars. Extreme amounts of weight can be used for this movement, and it places a large emphasis on the long inner head of the tricep, which you will certainly feel after 3 sets of 12-15 reps.

Tips : This exercise can be performed seated or overhead so there are different techniques for both. If you are seated, place the dumbbell ontop of your knee, and with an underhand grip grasp the dumbell underneath near to the handle, then with your knee flick the dumbbell onto your shoulder and position it just behind your head. If you are standing, the technique is quite similar, simply place the dumbbell onto a bench with the same underhand grip, bend down and lift it onto your shoulder, or if you have the tricep strength you should be able to just position it behind your head, althought some people find it hard to stabilize themselves doing it this way.

Introducing the best Tricep finishing movement of all time, the popular Tricep Kickback. Now before all you hardcore guys say that this movement is an “isolation” exercise and thus useless, the Tricep Kickback is a staple exercise of many IFBB Professional Bodybuilders, and is probably the most superior exercise for pumping the Triceps to the max at the end of a Workout. The Tricep Kickback really places alot of emphasis on the Long Inner Head of the Tricep, aswell as the Medial Head and is great for developing the peak, or the “hang” of the Tricep belly by working on that Inner head.

Tips : Find an adjustable bench or whatever you have at your disposal, place one of your hands on the bench, and then place the corresponding left or right leg (to whichever hand you used) and place it on the bench also. Bend your torso to a 45-90 degree angle and bend your arm to 90 degrees, then extend your elbow and contract the Tricep muscle.