Back And Tricep Workout For A Killer Body

Training your back and triceps together offers a host of benefits compared to training both muscle groups separately.

Although this is a combination of two muscle groups, it’s still a form of split training (exercising individual muscle groups separately). In a 2015 study, researchers found split training to be potentially more beneficial than total-body workouts (1). The researchers attributed this to the higher frequency of workouts in split training.

To experience the potential benefits, you just need to get clued up about the best workouts and risk-free ways of performing them.

Can You Train Your Back and Triceps Together?

Training your back and triceps together is a common superset workout (strength training workout where you move from one exercise to another without a break).

Supersets are also referred to as “paired sets”.

You can perform a superset on:

• Opposing muscle groups: for example, back and triceps workouts
• The same muscle group: two different workouts on one muscle group.

A study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology compared the effectiveness of supersets with traditional workouts and tri-sets (workouts on three muscle groups) (2). The findings revealed that supersets and tri-sets could reduce training time and enhance training efficiency.

However, when using superset and tri-set workouts, you need more recovery time after training to avoid muscle overexertion and an overall fatigue.

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Is It Better to Train the Triceps with the Chest or Back?

Training the triceps with either the chest or back can be effective, but it depends on your fitness goals and personal preference. Here’s a quick breakdown:

1. Triceps with Chest: This is a common pairing because many chest exercises, such as bench presses and push-ups, also engage the triceps. Training them together can lead to a more efficient workout as you’re already activating the triceps during chest exercises.
2. Triceps with Back: Doing back and triceps workouts on the same day can be beneficial if you want to focus on pushing and pulling movements in separate workouts. This allows you to give your triceps more dedicated attention without pre-fatiguing them during chest exercises (3).

Ultimately, the best approach depends on your workout routine, goals, and how your body responds to different training splits. You may want to try both combinations to see which one works best for you. 

Read more: Beginner Calisthenics HIIT Workout for Fat Loss

Is a Back and Tricep Workout Good?

One benefit of combining your back and triceps workouts is that it reduces the time you need to exercise. This may be particularly important to you if you’re always strapped for time and can’t manage to squeeze a workout into your jam-packed schedule. 

In fact, in a Gympass study, nearly half of the Americans polled (48 percent) pointed out that they had no time to exercise because they were buried under their work (4).

Training two body parts during a workout may also stop you from plateauing. The combined exercise adds that extra bit of shock to your muscles to keep you on track to achieve your fitness goals.

How to Workout the Tricep and Back Muscles

When working out your back and triceps, it could be a good idea to keep the same rep scheme for both the triceps and back exercises. This means that if you do five sets of back exercises, you should follow it up with five sets of tricep exercises. 

Also, try to get the most out of the workout which targets these specific muscle groups. This means adopting the right posture and getting a good grip on the weights. If need be, use wraps when exercising your back so you don’t have to worry about your grip instead of focusing on your back. It’s important to always remember that proper form is the most important part of the exercises. There’s no need to go heavy with the weight if you can’t perform the reps properly. 

Most importantly, don’t rest when switching from the back exercise to the triceps exercise if you’re hoping to maintain the superset tempo.

Perform the back and tricep exercises back to back and rest after that.

To reap even more benefits from this workout, schedule your forearms workout on a separate day. In this way, you can fully concentrate on getting the most out of each day’s workout.

It’s also possible to work out your triceps using your own body weight. Find out more in our previous post – Triceps Exercises No Equipment.

Now that you’re ready, here are some of the best workouts you can try out to blow up your back muscles and add serious size to your upper arms.

What Is the Best Workout for Triceps and Back?

Here are three of the best workouts for the triceps and back muscles you can do to fast-track the results.

• Front Lat Pulldowns and Rope Pushdowns

In this workout, the lat pulldowns exercise your back and the rope pushdowns target your triceps. It’s a particularly good back and tricep workout for mass. In addition, both of these machines are typically right next to each other, which makes it easy to quickly switch between the two exercises.

Proper form is essential to reap the benefits and avoid injury.

Here’s how to do the lat pulldowns.

Your goal with the lat pulldown is to strengthen the broadest muscle in your back: the latissimus dorsi (5). This muscle promotes good posture and spinal stability.

Follow these steps when doing lat pulldowns: 

1. Select the right amount of weight on the machine to perform 8 to 12 reps with proper form.
2. Keep your bottom on the seat and start by using the inside handle grips of the machine.
3. Keep your core engaged and then start to pull the lever down toward your chest while engaging your lats (the muscle that stretches from your middle to lower back).
4. Exhale while pulling down and inhale while going back up.
5. Keep your elbows pointed down and maintain control when lifting and lowering the weight.

After doing the lat pulldowns, jump straight onto the rope pushdowns.

For the rope pushdowns, you can use a pushdown machine (cable machine) in the gym. At home, if you don’t have such gym equipment, you can simply use a resistance band.

Triceps/rope pushdowns work on all three heads of your triceps.

The triceps brachii muscle, which is located at the rear of your upper arm, has three components (6):

• Long head
• Lateral head
• Medial head

Follow these steps when performing the triceps pushdown:

1. Grasp the machine’s horizontal cable bar or rope attachment with an overhand grip.
2. Adjust the rope or bar attachment to about chest level.
3. Using the pin-and-place adjustment, set a weight that enables you to perform a similar amount of reps as you did in the lat pulldowns.
4. To begin, position your feet slightly apart and brace your abdominals.
5. Tuck your elbows in at your sides.
6. Inhale and then exhale as you push down to fully extend your elbows, but don’t lock them straight.
7. Keep your elbows close to your body when pushing down.
8. Don’t bend forward when pushing down and try to keep your back as straight as possible.
9. Exhale as you return to the starting point in a controlled movement.

Beginners can aim to complete four supersets of 8 reps each, with about 2 minutes of rest between each superset.

If you’re more experienced, there are many ways to manipulate the exercises to make them more challenging. One option could be to go up to 20 reps for each superset and perform more than four supersets. Another option would be to increase the weight of the exercises while still trying to perform 8-12 reps. Progressive overload is the best way to see muscle hypertrophy and this involves manipulating the weight, reps, sets, or intensity of a given exercise.

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• Dumbbell Bent-Over Row and Tricep Extension with an EZ Bar

Here, the dumbbell bent-over row exercises your back, and the EZ bar workout targets your triceps. You could also use the EZ bar for both exercises or dumbbells for both exercises. The choice is yours and it could be easier to just grab 1 piece of equipment rather than multiple pieces.  

The dumbbell bent-over row exerts many muscles in your upper and middle back, including (7):

• Trapezius
• Rhomboids
• Infraspinatus
• Latissimus dorsi
• Teres minor
• Teres major
• Posterior deltoid

Follow these steps for the dumbbell bent-over row:

1. Rest your right knee and hand on a flat bench while your left leg is planted on the ground to the left side of the bench.
2. Place the dumbbell on the left side of the bench in front of your foot.
3. Using your left hand, grab the weight and lift it straight up toward your body while keeping your chest parallel to the ground and exhaling.
4. At the highest point, your elbow should be parallel with your shoulders or slightly higher.
5. Keep your wrists stationary while lifting and don’t move your legs.
6. Make sure you engage your back muscles while lifting.
7. Inhale as you slowly lower the weight in a controlled manner.
8. Switch sides and repeat.

After the dumbbell bent-over row, go straight to the tricep extension with an EZ bar. 

Follow these steps to do it right:

1. Lie on your back on a bench with your arms straight, holding an EZ bar above your chest.
2. In a controlled motion, bend your elbows so your forearm starts to move down to or behind your head. If it’s too heavy, have a spotter nearby or reduce the weight. 
3. In this motion, don’t move your upper arms.
4. Push the bar back over your chest in a controlled motion with your triceps. This will extend your elbows until your arms are pointing straight up.
5. Keep your elbows tucked in and don’t move your upper arms.
6. Repeat the process for a similar number of reps as you did with the back exercises.

• Pull-Ups and Close-Grip Bench Press

Pull-ups offer a relatively simple way to exercise your back and a close-grip variation of the common bench press can effectively target your triceps.

You don’t need special weights for pull-ups and you can do close-grip push-ups instead of close-grip bench presses. In this way, you can comfortably do this back and tricep workout at home. 

Here’s how to do pull-ups the right way:

1. You’ll need a sturdy horizontal bar to hang from.
2. Get a wide grip on the bar for maximum back shredding and pull yourself up.
3. Your chin should reach the bar or go slightly over it.

Once you complete 8-12 reps on the pull-up bar, turn to the close-grip bench press.

Follow these steps to perform the close-grip bench press properly:

1. Lie down on your back on a bench.
2. Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip and hold it with your arms completely straight above your chest.
3. Hold the barbell with your hands close together so your triceps can work harder.
4. Lower the bar straight down by bending your arms.
5. Push the bar back up by focusing on using your chest and triceps.

Read more: Calisthenics Quad Exercises: Top Tips for Muscle Growth and Strength

How to Work Out Chest, Triceps, and Back

One benefit of superset workouts is the wide range of muscle groups that are exerted beyond the two main muscle groups targeted. Triceps and back workouts also tend to exert the chest muscles.

For example, the dumbbell bent-over row that targets the back also exerts the pectoralis major muscle in the chest. Similarly, the close-grip bench press that targets the triceps also exerts your chest muscles.

By applying these back and tricep workout routines continuously, you’ll also develop other muscle groups such as your shoulders, forearms, and chest. In this way, you’ll achieve more in the little time you have to work out.

If you want to incorporate bodyweight exercises into your arm workout routine, check out our previous post – Tricep Calisthenics.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I hit my shoulders after chest day?

Yes, you can train your shoulders after chest day, but it’s important to consider muscle recovery. Both chest and shoulder workouts engage the deltoids, so consecutive training may lead to fatigue or increased risk of injury if not managed properly. 

It’s advisable to monitor how your shoulders feel and ensure adequate rest and recovery to prevent overtraining and ensure optimal performance.

• What muscles work best together?

Muscles that work well together typically involve similar or complementary movements. Common pairings include:

• Chest and triceps: Both are involved in pushing movements, which makes it efficient to train them together.
• Back and biceps: These muscles are engaged during pulling exercises, which allows for synergistic training.
• Legs and core: Many leg exercises also engage the core, providing stability and balance.

Choosing which muscle groups to train together can depend on your workout split and specific fitness goals.

• Is it OK to do back day after chest day?

Yes, it’s generally okay to train your back after chest day. This allows you to focus on pushing movements one day and pulling movements the next, giving the muscle groups adequate time to recover. However, you must ensure you listen to your body and adjust if you experience excessive fatigue or soreness.

Check out our guide Back Workouts Calisthenics to explore exercises you can add to your back and chest workout routine.

• Can girls skip chest day?

While it’s possible for anyone to skip chest day, it’s generally not recommended. Training the chest is important for overall strength, posture, and balance. For women, incorporating chest exercises into their routines can help them maintain upper-body strength and contribute to an aesthetically balanced physique. Workouts can be modified to match individual goals and preferences.