The Ultimate List Of Bodyweight Tricep Exercises
To train your triceps effectively by only using your bodyweight, you need to know enough exercises and theory on how to target your triceps.
This list is going to provide you with all the exercises you need to experience quick improvements both in terms of strength & size around your triceps.
Keep in mind that you can't entirely isolate one muscle group with bodyweight training, which is why some of the exercises are going to train your chest, forearms, and shoulders simultaneously.
All exercises on this list are sorted by difficulty from easiest to hardest. In case you don't have a workout routine, yet you will find three different workout sample routines from beginner to advanced below the exercises!
The Top 10 Exercises
Bench Triceps Dip
One of the most beginner-friendly exercises to get started is the bend triceps dip. Start by sitting next to a bench or a box at knee height. Facing the bench with your back, you put both arms onto it while having your legs in front.
Now slowly lower your body down by bending your arms and push back up into the starting position. Depending on how difficult you want the exercise to be, you have two options:
- Keep your legs bent (easy)
- Keep your legs & body straight (more difficult)
Plank to Push-up
Another relatively easy but challenging exercise is the plank to push-up. Not only will this exercise develop your triceps, but it is also an excellent foundation to acquire the core & shoulder strength to perform clean push-ups. Begin in a regular push-up position with your arms straight; then go into an elbow plank by moving one arm down at a time.
Once you're in the elbow plank, go back-up into the push-up position and focus on pushing up with your triceps, while moving one arm at a time. Remember to keep your entire body straight even while going up or down to avoid using your hips/legs etc. to perform the motion.
It is important that the entire motion is primarily performed by your arms & shoulders!
Push-up
One of the most well-known & best functional strength exercises to develop your triceps is the push-up.
Most people know how a push-up roughly looks like, but forget about a couple of key aspects that I'm going to point out.
- Your elbows have to stay parallel to your body!!!
- Contract your abs, legs & back while staying entirely straight
- Go down slowly and try to push-up as explosive as you can
If a regular push-up is too hard at the start, you can place your hands onto a higher surface or do the push-up on your knees. Other than that, you also have the option only to perform the negative part of the motion (going down), while focusing on control & low speed.
Diamond Grip Push-up
Put your thumbs and index fingers together and perform a regular push-up. As a general guideline, you should know that the closer your hands, the more you are going to target your triceps. While if your hands are further apart, you will instead work on your chest.
Archer Push-up
The archer push-up is quite fun to do since the movement is a little bit more engaging & complex than regular push-ups.
Begin in a wide-grip push-up position and then move diagonally down towards either your left or right hand. It is essential that the opposite arms stay entirely straight throughout the range of motion.
Push-up again and then do the push-up on the other side.
Pike Push-up
If you're slightly more advanced, you can try Pike Push-ups, which target both your shoulders & triceps a lot more. Begin in a push-up position but then walk your feet as close as you can to your hands while keeping your feet completely straight.
Then perform a push-up while still keeping your elbows in to avoid unnecessary strain on your shoulders & elbows.
To make the exercise harder, you can elevate your feet.
Triceps Extension
Without a doubt, the triceps extension is by far the best exercise if you're trying to isolate your triceps without moving to machines or barbells.
Find a bar between knee & chest height or use the edge of your bed. Focus on performing the entire motion only by bending & straightening your arms.
For visual reference, I recommend you to watch the video on the side, to gain a better understanding of the exercise.
In case you can't find a low bar, you can do triceps extensions as a push-up variation. Begin in a regular push-up position and then go down by trying to make your elbows touch the floor. Push-up again, only by bending your elbows.
If the exercise is too hard, you can start with your hands further out, which will move more weight to your legs, putting less pressure onto your arms.
Dips
To perform a dip, you need two parallel bars or boxes/chairs/tables next to each other at shoulder-width apart. Begin with both arms straight while your feet shouldn't touch the floor at any time. Then slowly go down by bending your arms. Remember to keep your upper body straight and focus on looking forward (not up or down!). Then push yourself up by using your arms and remember to keep your elbows pointing backward.
If the exercise is too difficult, you can instead only perform the negative part of the motion (going down.)
Chinese Push-ups
The Chinese push-up is similar to the Pike Push-up but with the primary difference being that you perform the same movement as with a triceps extension.
Begin in your pike position and focus on lowering your elbows down to the floor while staying in the pike shape. Push-up again and repeat the exercise.
Straight Bar Dip
Find a bar and put both hands on top of the bar at shoulder-width apart. Slowly lower yourself down as far as you can go, without letting your elbows go to the side.
Keep your legs straight and try to focus on not leaning over the bar too much. Then push yourself up into the starting position.
Impossible Dip
By far, the most challenging exercise on the list is the Impossible Dip. Begin in the same position as with a regular dip but then perform a similar motion to a triceps extension.
Focus on bringing your elbows down to the bar slowly, without moving your entire body backward. Try to push yourself up again without using any momentum from your chest etc.
This exercise can be quite a lot of impact on your elbows, which is why I only recommend to attempt it or integrate into your workout if you're very advanced.
Sample Workout:
To be able to perform any of the workouts, you need to do 8-12 repetitions in each set. Do 3 sets of every exercise listed before moving to the next exercise.
Beginner
- Plank to Push-up
- Push-ups (Hands at knee height)
- Bench Triceps Dips
Intermediate
- Dips
- Triceps Extensions
- Diamond Grip Push-up
Advanced
- Straight Bar Dips
- Chinese Push-ups
- Triceps Extensions
- Archer Push-ups (6-8 each side)
Conclusion
Integrating the exercises or doing the workouts will definetly help you to develop a lot of strength in your triceps. Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions/doubts or want to leave feedback.
Please share this article with your friends if they might find it helpful, or ask a friend to train with you as it often helps to stay more motivated.
If you're interested in other bodyweight exercises check out these articles:
- List of the most important bodyweight exercises
- Bodyweight Back Exercises
- Leg Exercises [Bodyweight]
- Bodyweight Bicep Exercises
- Chest Exercises [Bodyweight]
Keep training & progressing, and remember to have fun by trying out different exercises as well!
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