Building strong, well-defined triceps isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s key to improving your pressing strength and overall upper body performance. But if your triceps aren’t growing despite regular training, there’s a reason (or several) behind it. The good news? You can fix it.
The best trick to knowing how to get bigger triceps starts with mistakes you might be making. So, here's why your triceps might be lagging and what to do about it.
1. You’re Not Prioritizing Compound Movements
Many lifters jump straight into isolation exercises like triceps pushdowns, ignoring the fact that compound movements are the foundation of muscle growth. The triceps are heavily involved in pressing exercises, yet some people don’t take full advantage of this.
How To Fix
Incorporate heavy, compound movements into your workouts! Typically, shoulder and chest exercises target the triceps, such as:
- Close-grip bench press – This emphasizes your triceps more than a standard bench press.
- Dips – One of the most effective triceps builders, especially when performed with added weight.
- Overhead presses – These engage the triceps significantly, helping with overall arm development.
As opposed to isolation exercises, you can go heavier on compound exercises! Remember to use proper form, and consider using wrist wraps to help stabilize and protect your wrists. Using wrist wraps will allow you to lift heavier on compound exercises thus challenging your triceps significantly for better growth!
2. You’re Training Your Triceps Last
Although you should prioritize compound movements, this doesn't exactly mean you should train the triceps last.
If you always train your triceps at the end of your workout, they might already be fatigued from heavy compound pressing exercises like bench presses or shoulder presses. This can limit your ability to effectively train them with enough intensity.
How To Fix
If your triceps are a weak point, prioritize them earlier in your workout. Train them first on certain days to ensure they get maximum effort. You can also alternate between isolation and compound movements.
3. You’re Using the Wrong Rep Range
If you’re always training your triceps with high reps and light weights, you might not be providing enough stimulus for growth. On the flip side, if you’re only doing low reps with heavy weights, you might not be getting enough volume.
How To Fix
So, how many reps should you do?
The best thing to do is to incorporate a mix of rep ranges, for example:
- 4–6 reps for strength using compound exercises.
- 8–12 reps for hypertrophy with a moderate weight.
- 15–20 reps for endurance and pump-focused training.
4. You’re Not Training Triceps Frequently Enough
Only training triceps once per week won’t cut it if they’re a weak point. Unlike larger muscle groups like legs or back, the triceps can recover relatively quickly.
How To Fix
Aim to train your triceps 2-3 times per week. You can incorporate them into your upper body or push workouts, or choose to train them separately. Just make sure to spread out your volume rather than cramming all your triceps work into one session.
5. You’re Not Targeting All Three Triceps Heads
The triceps have three heads—the long, lateral, and medial—and neglecting any of them can leave your arms looking incomplete.
How To Fix
Make sure you incorporate tricep exercises that hit all three heads.
For example:
- Long head: Overhead triceps extensions, skull crushers
- Lateral head: Triceps pushdowns, dips
- Medial head: Close-grip bench press, diamond push-ups
6. You’re Lifting With Poor Form
If your form is sloppy, you could be shifting tension away from the triceps and onto other muscles, reducing effectiveness.
How To Fix
A lot of the time poor form is due to lifting too heavy of a weight for your current fitness level. In short, don't ego lift. What matters the most is the amount of stress you can apply to the muscles. So focus on working your triceps instead of trying to work the weight.
When doing pressing exercises or tricep isolation exercises, remember to...
- Keep your elbows tucked to avoid excessive shoulder involvement.
- Use full range of motion—lower the weight fully and squeeze at the top.
- Control the negative phase of each rep to increase time under tension.
7. You’re Not Giving Your Triceps Enough Rest
Overtraining or failing to allow proper recovery can hinder muscle growth. If your triceps are constantly sore, you might not be letting them rebuild.
How To Fix
Ensure you have a proper training split that allows at least 48 hours of rest between direct triceps workouts. Another thing most lifters forget is that muscles grow outside of the gym, not just in it. So, remember to prioritize nutrition and sleep.
8. You’re Not Using a Variety of Equipment
Always doing the same exercises with the same equipment can cause your progress to stall.
How To Fix
Cycle through the equipment you use to target your triceps. Don't just stick to one piece of equipment throughout your workout, mix it up!
Here are a few examples:
- Dumbbells: Allow a greater range of motion for exercises like overhead triceps extensions.
- Cables: Provide constant tension for exercises like pushdowns and rope extensions.
- Barbells: Great for heavy lifts like close-grip bench press, skullcrushers.
- Bodyweight: Dips and push-ups are highly effective and can be done anywhere.
Push Your Limts With UPPPER
If your triceps aren’t growing, don’t just push through and hope for the best—fix the mistakes holding you back. Prioritize heavy compound movements, train smart with a variety of rep ranges and equipment, and give your muscles the recovery they need. And if you want to push your limits even further, gear up with UPPPER. Our Wrist Wraps give you the support you need for heavier lifts, so you can press, dip, and extend with confidence. Now, no more excuses—it’s time to build those triceps.