upper

Triceps Exercises

200 movements train the triceps. Browse by difficulty below, or see the How to Choose guide.

104 beginner · 78 intermediate · 18 advanced, computed across all tagged exercises.

200
Exercises
104
Beginner-friendly
158
Compound lifts
25
Equipment-free

Triceps exercises by equipment

According to the open Free Exercise DB and wger.de datasets, the 200 triceps movements split across equipment types as below - barbell leads, and 25 need no equipment at all.

Triceps movements by equipment

Barbell51 exercisesDumbbell34 exercisesBody only25 exercisesKettlebells24 exercisesOther19 exercisesCable16 exercisesMachine14 exercisesMedicine ball6 exercises

What the Triceps Exercise Data Reveals

The PlainExercise database catalogues 200 movements that list the triceps as their primary target. Within that cohort, 104 are tagged beginner, 78 intermediate, 18 advanced, and 0 carry no explicit level classification. Every record is sourced from the public-domain Free Exercise DB and is grouped below by the upstream difficulty tag rather than by a PlainExercise-imposed ranking, so the distribution reflects what practicing coaches and federations have historically classified rather than a synthetic opinion.

This level spread has a practical signal: when a muscle group is dominated by advanced-level records, it typically means the movement patterns require coordination, loaded stabilizers, or technique built across months of practice, and that substitutions at the beginner level are limited. When beginner and intermediate records dominate, practitioners can generally enter the muscle group with bodyweight or light-load variations and progress through the list. For the triceps, the beginner-accessible pool is at least as deep as the advanced pool, meaning new trainees have a clear on-ramp.

Context matters: this database tracks exercise taxonomy, primary muscle, equipment, mechanic, difficulty, but does not account for individual anatomy, joint history, or programming context. "Primary muscle" is a taxonomy label, not a claim that the listed movement exclusively isolates the triceps. Compound lifts trained for the triceps necessarily recruit stabilizers and secondary movers. This page is general educational information, not medical or personal-training advice. Consult a physician, physical therapist, or certified trainer before adding or modifying exercises, especially if you have pre-existing injuries, chronic pain, cardiovascular conditions, or are pregnant.

Beginner (104)

Foundational movements to learn the pattern.

Intermediate (78)

Movements that require basic strength and coordination.

Advanced (18)

Complex or highly loaded movements for experienced lifters.

Training the triceps

200 catalogued triceps movements, here's how to pick from them.

  • Start with the 104 beginner-friendly options to groove the pattern before adding load or complexity. How to choose
  • 158 of these are compound lifts that train the triceps alongside other muscles, anchor your session around one before isolation work. Compound vs isolation
  • No gym? 25 triceps movements need no equipment at all, filter to body-only and train anywhere. Body-only exercises

General information only, not medical or training advice. Stop any movement that causes sharp or joint pain.

Other muscle groups

Source: Free Exercise DB (CC0) + wger.de (AGPL), 2026. See the methodology page.

Disclaimer: General information only. Consult a physician or certified trainer before starting any new exercise program.

Data sourced from official open-source exercise reference databases (wger.de, public exercise repositories). See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainExercise Editorial

Every figure on PlainExercise is compiled from public exercise-science and biomechanics references, no number is typed in by an editor. Muscle-group data is compiled directly from the Free Exercise DB and wger.de, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.