It’s all about extending the shoulder as well as the elbow, says top kinesiologist and trainer Jeremy Ethier
Is finally building sleeve-filling arms on your 2025 wish list? You won’t be alone – but to substantially grow your guns you need more than just curls.
It’s your triceps, not your biceps, that are the biggest muscle in your arms, making it likely your failure to build is down to misdirected focus. So, instead of focusing all of your effort onto the front of your arms, spend this year thinking more about the other side.
‘If you’re struggling with your triceps growth or just want to get bigger triceps – and bigger arms – fast, there’s one triceps exercise that you need to include in your weekly routine,’ says Jeremy Ethier, kinesiologist, fitness trainer, and founder of Built with Science.
Before we get into this magic movement, let’s quickly talk arm-building strategy.
How To Build Bigger Triceps
The most important thing to know is that you shouldn’t rely on compound exercises to grow muscles like your tris. Yes, your triceps are bigger than your biceps, but they’re still small compared to your chest and shoulders.
When you do compound exercises, like a bench press or press-ups, your triceps will be working – but your bigger, stronger muscles will take most of the weight. This means you need tricep-specific movements, otherwise known as isolation exercises, to stimulate the muscle to grow.
Studies show that all of the compound pressing moves can leave the triceps underdeveloped. One study, published at the end of 2024, looked at the effect of ten weeks of bench press training on muscle growth. It found the pectoralis major (muscle in your chest) grew by 20 per cent, compared to a 12 per cent growth of the triceps.
To get technical, Ethier says that’s because the largest of the three “heads” that compromise the tricep are best worked when extending the shoulder rather than just the elbow (which moves when doing horizontal lifts).
‘To get bigger triceps, what I’d recommend is to ensure that you’re regularly performing a triceps exercise that specifically emphasises the long head within your triceps workout,’ says Ethier. ‘Most triceps exercises where the arms are held overhead will effectively accomplish this.’
The Best Exercise for Bigger Arms
According to Ethier, the best move to target your triceps effectively is the pushdown. If you already include this cable exercise in your routine, you might notice that this exercise is not done with your arms overhead, breaking Ethier’s rule.
‘Instead of keeping your elbows locked into your sides, allow them to raise up’
But there’s a simple modification you can make to better engage your triceps. ‘Instead of keeping your elbows locked into your sides, allow them to raise up and initiate each rep by first extending the shoulder and then finishing the rep with elbow extension with your elbows by your sides,’ says Ethier.
Alternatively, you can do the move lying on the floor on your back, with your head towards the machine. Extend the shoulder before you pull the bar down towards your thighs. ‘The line of resistance from the cable forces the long head to constantly work against the resistance to not only bring the elbows down, but to then keep the elbows pinned in place as you fully extend at the end of each rep,’ says Ethier.
If you train at home and have no cable machine, try lying overhead extensions. You’ll see more clearly how this move interacts with the shoulders. Lying on a bench, lift the dumbbells over your chest, then bend the elbows so your arms are at right angles. Send the shoulders back so the dumbbells come past your ears and behind your head, then pull them back again. Extend the elbows so the arms are long, and repeat.
