Advanced Tricep Workout: Maximum Mass and Strength for Experienced Lifters
This session is built for experienced lifters who already know their way around a pressing movement and are ready to push tricep development further with variable resistance, bodyweight intensity, and controlled eccentric loading. If you've been training consistently for two or more years and want thicker, stronger arms that carry over to your bench press and overhead work, this is your session. We'll walk you through every movement with the precision that level of training deserves.
What the research says
The research behind this session touches on rest intervals, training formats, and adherence — three variables that genuinely shape your results at the advanced level. On rest periods, one 8-week study in resistance-trained men found that 3-minute rest intervals between sets produced significantly greater gains in maximal strength on the squat and bench press compared to 1-minute rest intervals, and also produced significantly greater muscle thickness in the anterior thigh; a trend toward greater triceps brachii thickness was also observed in the longer-rest group. A separate study on low-load training to failure found that both short (30-second) and long (150-second) rest intervals produced significant triceps cross-sectional area increases over 8 weeks, and that those gains were not significantly different between groups in that specific low-load context. On training format, a study comparing workout structures found that superset protocols produced significantly greater total volume than traditional straight-set protocols, which is worth knowing if time is a constraint. Finally, one 4-week study found that a gamified wearable-sensor system significantly improved adherence to prescribed tempo and repetition targets compared to conventional training, and participants in the gamified group showed measurable upper body strength improvements — suggesting that real-time feedback on tempo and form has a meaningful effect on short-term execution.
Moderate overall — the rest interval and training format findings come from controlled studies in trained men with clear measured outcomes, but sample sizes are small (21–22 participants), and the gamification finding is short-term (4 weeks); together they offer useful, directionally reliable guidance rather than definitive prescription.
An 8-week study in resistance-trained men found that 3-minute rest intervals produced significantly greater 1-rep-max gains on both the squat and bench press compared to 1-minute rest intervals, and significantly greater muscle thickness in the anterior thigh; a trend toward greater triceps brachii thickness was also observed in the longer-rest group.
View study →In an 8-week low-load (40% 1RM) training-to-failure study, both a short-rest group (30 seconds) and a long-rest group (150 seconds) showed significant increases in triceps cross-sectional area; the difference in triceps gains between the two groups was not statistically significant.
View study →A 4-week study found that a gamified resistance training system using wearable sensors significantly improved adherence to prescribed tempo and repetition targets compared to a conventional training control group, and participants in the gamified group showed measurable upper body strength improvements.
View study →In a study of 22 resistance-trained men comparing four training formats, the superset (SS) protocol produced significantly greater total volume (8063.2 ± 2270.5 kg) than the traditional set (TS) protocol (7356.8 ± 2279.7 kg), and total work (repetitions) was also significantly greater for the SS and circuit training protocols versus the traditional set protocol.
View study →The routine
Main
Adjust the leader chain, shortening it to the desired length.Place the chains on the sleeves of the bar. Lying on the bench, get your head beyond the bar if possible. Tuck your feet underneath you and arch your back. Using the bar to help support your weight, lift your shoulder off the bench and retract them, squeezing the shoulder blades together. Use your feet to drive your traps into the bench. Maintain this tight body position throughout the movement. However wide your grip, it should cover the ring on the bar. Pull the bar out of the rack without protracting your shoulders. Focus on squeezing the bar and trying to pull it apart. Lower the bar to your lower chest or upper stomach. The bar, wrist, and elbow should stay in line at all times. Pause when the barbell touches your torso, and then drive the bar up with as much force as possible. The elbows should be tucked in until lockout.
For this exercise you will need to place a bench behind your back. With the bench perpendicular to your body, and while looking away from it, hold on to the bench on its edge with the hands fully extended, separated at shoulder width. The legs will be extended forward, bent at the waist and perpendicular to your torso. This will be your starting position. Slowly lower your body as you inhale by bending at the elbows until you lower yourself far enough to where there is an angle slightly smaller than 90 degrees between the upper arm and the forearm. Tip: Keep the elbows as close as possible throughout the movement. Forearms should always be pointing down. Using your triceps to bring your torso up again, lift yourself back to the starting position. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Begin by lying on the bench, getting your head beyond the bar if possible. Tuck your feet underneath you and arch your back. Using the bar to help support your weight, lift your shoulder off the bench and retract them, squeezing the shoulder blades together. Use your feet to drive your traps into the bench. Maintain this tight body position throughout the movement. However wide your grip, it should cover the ring on the bar. Pull the bar out of the rack without protracting your shoulders. Focus on squeezing the bar and trying to pull it apart. Lower the bar to your lower chest or upper stomach. The bar, wrist, and elbow should stay in line at all times. Pause when the barbell touches your torso, and then drive the bar up with as much force as possible. The elbows should be tucked in until lockout.
Secure a band to the base of a rack or the bench. Lay on the bench so that the band is lined up with your head. Take hold of the band, raising your elbows so that the upper arm is perpendicular to the floor. With the elbow flexed, the band should be above your head. This will be your starting position. Extend through the elbow to straighten your arm, keeping your upper arm in place. Pause at the top of the motion, and return to the starting position.
Assume a plank position on the ground. You should be supporting your bodyweight on your toes and forearms, keeping your torso straight. Your forearms should be shoulder-width apart. This will be your starting position. Pressing your palms firmly into the ground, extend through the elbows to raise your body from the ground. Keep your torso rigid as you perform the movement. Slowly lower your forearms back to the ground by allowing the elbows to flex. Repeat.
Cooldown
Sit upright on the floor with your partner behind you. Raise one arm straight up, and flex the elbow, attempting to touch your hand to your back. Your parner should hold your elbow and wrist. This will be your starting position. Attempt to extend the arm straight into the air as your partner prevents you from doing actually doing so. After 10-20 seconds, relax the arm and allow your partner to further stretch the tricep by applying gentle pressure to the wrist. Hold for 10-20 seconds, and then switch sides.
Bring right arm across your body and over your left shoulder, holding your elbow with your left hand, until you feel a stretch in your tricep. Then repeat for your other arm.
Set and rep ranges are general starting suggestions based on this guide's level — adjust to your own experience, and progress gradually.
This content is educational and is not a substitute for professional medical or coaching advice; if you have any existing elbow, shoulder, or wrist issues, consult a qualified professional before performing high-load tricep pressing or bodyweight dip variations, and STOP if you feel sharp joint pain at any point during the session.