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The triceps are an important, yet often overlooked part of our body’s strength and aesthetics. These muscles, which are located at the back of the upper arm, play a crucial role in both pushing and pulling movements, and make a significant contribution to overall upper-body power.
However, despite their importance, the triceps are often neglected in favor of more “showy” muscles such as the biceps. But with the right approach, calisthenics tricep exercises can provide a highly effective workout for this muscle group, which can lead to marked improvements in both arm strength and definition.
This article will guide you through a series of unique tricep exercises that are designed to target the triceps specifically.
From dips and push-ups to more advanced maneuvers, these workouts will enhance your tricep strength and appearance while also contributing to better posture, improved performance in other sports and activities, and a reduced risk of injury.
Yes, you can indeed build your triceps using a calisthenics chest and triceps workout.
Calisthenics is a form of exercise that uses the weight of the body to build muscle (3). It’s a versatile and accessible way of working out as it requires little to no equipment and can be done practically anywhere.
Before we dive into the exercises, it’s important to have a full understanding of what the triceps actually are.
The triceps brachii is a three-part muscle on the back of the upper arm that is responsible for extending the elbow joint and straightening the arm.
As its name suggests, the triceps brachiiis a three-headed muscle. It consists of the long head, the lateral head, and the medial head.
Each of these heads originates at a different point on the scapula or humerus before converging into a single tendon that inserts onto the olecranon process of the ulna, which is the bony prominence of the elbow.
Each head of the triceps plays a specific role in arm movement. The long head plays a major role in the adduction and extension of the arm at the shoulder joint due to its origin point. At the same time, the lateral and medial heads are involved more in the extension of the forearm at the elbow joint.
In addition to these primary movements, the triceps also plays a crucial role in stabilizing the shoulder joint and assisting in movements such as pushing and pulling. When you push a door open or perform a push-up, your triceps are hard at work.
Strength in the triceps is also essential for activities that require forceful and quick elbow extensions, including throwing a ball or swinging a racket.
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Hitting all the tricep heads with a calisthenics tricep workout using no equipment involves performing a combination of bodyweight tricep exercises targeting each part of the muscle.
Diamond push-ups and dips primarily target the lateral and medial heads, whereas overhead exercises such as the overhead tricep extension engage the long head of the triceps.
By incorporating a variety of these exercises into your workout, you can ensure a comprehensive and balanced approach to tricep development.
In the following sections, we will take a closer look at some of the best calisthenics tricep exercises.
The classic push-up is one of the most effective triceps exercises that requires no equipment. By positioning your hands closer together, you can place more emphasis on the triceps. Close grip push-ups are particularly effective for tricep development due to the muscle activation that is demanded by the hand placement.
If you narrow the distance between your hands in a push-up position, the degree to which your triceps need to engage to lift and lower your body is increased. This intense activation can result in significant strength and muscle growth over time.
Here’s how to perform close grip push-ups:
Dips are an excellent back and tricep workout as they force the triceps to lift the entire weight of the body, placing significant tension on the muscle, which causes it to grow.
This exercise allows for a substantial range of motion, stimulating more muscle fibers in the triceps, which leads to increased strength and size over time. Dips can be performed on parallel bars, but a bench or a sturdy chair can also be used.
To perform dips, you should follow these steps:
Read more: Calisthenics Arm Workouts: Build Massive Arms Without The Gym.
Diamond push-ups are a high-intensity exercise and one of the best tricep exercises. They also work your chest and shoulder muscles. Due to the diamond-like hand placement, this exercise shifts more of the load onto the triceps brachii.
As you perform the push-up, your triceps work against the resistance your body weight provides, which leads to muscle development over time.
This exercise also requires a significant amount of shoulder and core stability, which makes it a comprehensive upper-body workout. Diamond push-ups can enhance overall upper-body strength, improve muscle definition, and contribute to better performance in other exercises and physical tasks.
To perform diamond push-ups, you should follow these steps:
Isometric holds can be an effective way of targeting the triceps. In this type of exercise, you maintain a static position for a certain period, thereby exerting continuous tension on a particular muscle group.
One of the significant benefits of isometric holds is they can help increase muscle endurance as they require the muscle to contract for a longer time than typical concentric or eccentric movements (1). This prolonged contraction helps the triceps become more resilient to fatigue over time.
Isometric holds target the triceps in several ways. For example, consider the plank exercise. Although primarily engaged in strengthening the core, the triceps also play a vital role in maintaining the extended position of the arm, resisting the pull of gravity.
The static nature of the plank requires the triceps to continually engage and contract to keep the body in the correct alignment.
Here’s how to perform a plank:
Remember, the key to effective planks, particularly when targeting the triceps, is maintaining the correct form throughout the exercise. Improper technique can cause less activation of the desired muscle group and potential injury.
Therefore, it’s better to hold a proper plank for a shorter time than an improper one for longer periods.
Tricep extensions are a tried and tested method of isolating and training the triceps muscles. This exercise can be performed standing or seated, using a dumbbell or a bar, or even a cable machine, but the basic mechanics remain the same.
A bodyweight version of this exercise can be done using your own body weight as resistance, which is the principle of calisthenics.
In the context of calisthenics, a bodyweight triceps extension can be performed using a sturdy table, a railing, or on the floor.
The technique involves leaning forward, placing your hands on the surface, bending your elbows to lower your body while keeping your elbows close to your body, and extending your arms to push your body back up.
The movement targets the triceps specifically, which makes it a great addition to any calisthenics workout that focuses on arm strength and definition.
Bodyweight triceps extensions are performed as follows:
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Training triceps with bodyweight can be accomplished through a variety of exercises that specifically target this muscle group.
However, the key to muscle growth is progressive overload – gradually increasing the amount of stress that is placed on the body during exercise.
Progressive overload isn’t simply about doing more reps or sets, it also involves other variables including intensity, volume, and frequency (2). Here are some specific strategies you can use to progressively overload your triceps:
Remember that the key principle is gradual progression. Don’t rush into making big jumps in volume or intensity, as this can result in injuries. Start small and build up steadily to give your triceps time to adapt and grow.
It’s not only okay, it can actually be highly beneficial to incorporate both calisthenics and gym workouts into your routine for triceps growth. By combining the two, you can take advantage of the unique benefits each has to offer.
Both calisthenics and weightlifting can contribute to muscle growth, strength, and endurance, and they complement each other well when used together as parts of a balanced fitness regimen. Just ensure that you give your body sufficient time to rest and recover to avoid overtraining.
Read more: The Ultimate Calisthenics List Of Exercises For Every Level.
Yes, you can get bigger arms with calisthenics. Exercises such as push-ups, pull-ups, and dips are effective for building strength and size in your arms, including the biceps and triceps.
It is absolutely possible to build muscle with calisthenics. Calisthenics exercises use body weight as resistance, which can effectively stimulate muscle growth when performed with consistent effort and progressive overload.
Calisthenics can help you become leaner or bulkier, depending on your workout routine and nutrition. High repetition workouts with a balanced diet can result in a lean, toned physique. If you want to get bulkier, you must progressively increase the intensity of your workouts and consume a calorie surplus to support muscle growth.
Calisthenics is a fantastic method for training the triceps. The body weight exercises that are involved in calisthenics directly target the triceps, stimulating growth and strength increase without the need for any sophisticated gym equipment.
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