The 10 Best Bodyweight Exercises to Build Your Triceps

People have a tendency to view the triceps as show muscles. Indeed, the three-headed triceps brachii muscle that makes up roughly two-thirds of the mass of your upper arm is what fills out the sleeves of your T-shirt.

But the triceps play a key role in everyday movement, working with the lats to bring the arm toward the body and playing a huge role in the extension of the elbow joint. You can’t sign your name without using your triceps—let alone swing a bat, racket, or golf club. Swimmers use their triceps with every stroke, extending their arms to pull water. The triceps support a basketball player’s elbow extension and follow-through in the jump shot.

In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to name a muscle that’s so aesthetically pleasing in men and women and so vital to the movements of sport and everyday life. So it’s worth spending some time on this three-headed monster, which can be trained hard with just your bodyweight.

Here are 10 bodyweight exercises to help you build triceps. You can use these as part of a regular workout or as a standalone circuit. If you do a circuit, do two sets of 10.

Why: People don’t stretch their triceps often enough. This essential move will not only save your shoulders from pain, but also provide a good barometer of your shoulder mobility.

How: Stand with one hand behind your neck and your elbow pointing up. Hold a rope or towel on both ends, and gently use it to pull down your top elbow. You’ll likely find this easier on one side than the other. Unlike a lot of stretches, you can make relatively quick progress on this one if done daily, to the point where you can forego the towel or rope and gradually grasp hands on both sides.

Prescription: Hold for 10 seconds on each side.

Why: The triceps carry much of the burden for this challenging compound movement.

How: Begin in a forearm plank position. Push from your triceps, placing your right hand on the ground and then your left hand, gradually rising to pushup position. Return to forearm plank by placing your right forearm down, and then your left.

Prescription: 2 sets of 10 reps with 60 seconds rest between sets.

Why: The triceps do most of the work in this pushup variation, which also benefits the back and hamstrings like yoga’s “downward dog” position.

How: Assume the pike/downward dog position. Lower your head to the floor, and raise yourself up with your triceps.

Prescription: 2 sets of 10 reps with 60 seconds rest between sets.

Why: Perhaps the simplest triceps exercise, it’s also one of the most effective and can be done on a bench, chair, parallel bars, or a single bar—even the floor.

How: Position yourself above and between the bars (or with your back to a bench or chair) grabbing them with an overhand grip. The bars should be at about armpit height. Extend your legs, and point your toes slightly in front of you. Lower yourself slowly, and push back up in a controlled manner. If you have the mobility, try to lower yourself so your shoulders are slightly below your elbows.

Prescription: 2 sets of 10 reps with 60 seconds rest between sets.

Why: The bodyweight resistance provided by a suspension trainer like the TRX is an effective, controlled movement that challenges the triceps.

How: Lean forward in a split stance. Extend your arms straight out at shoulder-level in front of you, holding the handles so the TRX hangs diagonally. Keeping your body straight, bend your elbows and lower your body until your hands are next to your head. Extend your elbows and return to starting position. After the first set, switch your split stance.

Prescription: 2 sets of 10 reps with 60 seconds rest between sets.

Why: Like a reverse chest flye, a TRX flye works the triceps. The difference is that your bodyweight is providing the resistance.

How: Stand with feet together facing the TRX anchor. Grab the handles and place your arms at 90° angles. Open your arms by hinging at the elbow, bringing your body to an almost upright position.

Prescription: 2 sets of 10 reps with 60 seconds rest between sets.

Why: Kids (and monkeys) work their triceps on overhead holds without even realizing it. The rest of us need to rediscover our youth.

How: There are three methods. Avoid the one-arm, every-other-bar swinging method. (That’s the most monkey-like, but can strain the shoulders if done improperly.) Instead, start with both hands on the bar, facing the bars. Move one forward, and then the other. Or you can move laterally, starting by facing perpendicular to the bars, reaching from one side and then bringing your second hand over.

Prescription: 2 trips through the bars, usually six or eight rungs with 30 seconds rest between.

Why: This familiar gym-class routine—crab soccer, anyone?—works the glutes, hips, and forearms, but it’s the triceps doing most of the work.

How: Start by sitting on the floor with feet extended out hip-distance apart. Your arms should be behind your back, with your fingers facing the hips. Lift your hips off the floor and begin “walking” by alternating your arms and legs (left hand with right foot, then right hand and left foot). Take 10 “steps” with each limb, and then 10 steps backward to reach the starting position.

Prescription: 2 sets of 60 seconds with 60 seconds rest between sets.

Why: Ever wonder why those 105-lb yogis have such defined triceps? This signature yoga move challenges you to support your entire body with your triceps.

How: From a standard plank position, lower your elbows to shoulder-height, pinning them against your side. Your chest, shoulders, upper arms, and elbows should be in alignment. Push back to plank.

Prescription: 2 sets of 10 reps with 30 seconds rest between sets.

Why: By performing pushups from this position, you take a traditional chest/biceps move and make it a triceps exercise.

How: Assume pushup position with index fingers and thumbs touching to form a diamond shape. Push up using the triceps.

Prescription: 2 sets of 10 reps with 30 seconds rest between sets.