Best tricep mass builder aside from the top 3?

[Josh7000]

I've heard weighted dips, close grip bench press and skullcrushers are the best exercises too add mass to the triceps, I don't do weighted dips as my right shoulder has had an injury before that sometimes flares up and I don't want to risk it, close grip bench press just feels very awkward, and skullcrushers feel very good to start with and hit my triceps like nothing else but even after doing them for 2 workouts my elbows are already starting to hurt so it may end up one of those things that I'll hardly ever be able to do. So seen as these 3 are nearly out of the question what are the next best tricep mass builders in your opinions?

[ChrisRamos007]

Overhead dumbbell extensions.

[oregonredneck]

Overhead dumbbell extensions like said above, and cable pulldowns with a rope or bar.

[oldballs]

You are probably doing close grip bench wrong.

[RFabsik]

Close grip doesn't have to be with your thumbs touching on the barbell. I consider my close grip bench press to be with my pointing finger just off the knurling (not the center but side knurling). Tuck the elbows well. Another choice are neutral grip/parallel grip db benches (flat or incline).

[Josh7000]

You are probably doing close grip bench wrong.

Put it this way on a barbell when I do narrow grip for the discomfort to go away I have to have it nearly as wide as a regular bench press so it's pointless

[TLTrooper]

Single hand pull downs with underhand grip is another.

[Mattastic85]

Single hand pull downs with underhand grip is another.

Think he means "push" downs.

[jamaatalcomilla]

Think he means "push" downs.

no underhand is another variation I do it when I am doing cable work

[eiker_ir]

Try CGBP with an EZ bar, it may feel better

[mtownballer20]

I love overhead extensions

[GravityLee]

This is my current split (I work triceps two days a week with other muscles on a PPL split)

Alternate A:

One Hand Cable pushdown underhand grip (I guess thats what you call it..)

Lying French Press Ez Bar

Lying dumbbell skullcrushers


Alternate B:

Cable Tricep 21's ez curl resembling bar (7 overhand close grip, 7 wider grip underhand, 7 wider grip overhand)

Seated Dip Machine

Rope Cable Pushdown


You'll notice I always start with a cable type exercise. In my opinion cables will give the best warm up and help prevent injuries when done first. Thats just my opinion and I have heard that opinion from seasoned bodybuilders before.

The trick to triceps like a lot of exercise is to squeeze and get full range of motion. I see a lot of jabronis doing this dumb thing where they load up the weight stack and do a rope pushdown or a cable bar pushdown really fast on the push down motion and just letting the weight drop on the negative portion. That is doing next to nothing compared to actually getting a full stretch range of motion, hard contraction, controlled slow negative. Leave the ego at home. The entire time I am reassuring myself I am here to get a stretch of the muscle, I am here to get a hard contraction, I am here to control the weight during the negative part of the movement, I am here to do the whole exercise and not just the positive movement half. At some point in your career you make a decision. Do you want to powerlift so other men in the gym will think you are special (In reality no one will give a damn unless you are competing in powerlifting) or do you want to actually work the muscle so it will grow and you will look like Hugh Jackman in Wolverine? I shouldn't say this but I did my tricep 21's today with 110 pounds on the stack which is nothing I have done more depending on what bar and exercise I was cable tricep exercising. These two guys were in my gym. The one guy loads 160 pounds on the weight stack and does that super fast push down thing. He looked absolutely terrible. I tried to logic it in my head that maybe he is an athlete of some sort maybe an mma fighter or a cop or something in which case I could see wanting to build explosive power without caring about muscle development. I suspect in fact he thought by lifting really heavy weight for a few seconds like that he was doing something productive. If I told him give me a 3 mississippi rep at 110 lbs I doubt he could do one or if he could it would only be a few.

[tenori]

rope extensions and barbell overhead

[GeneralSerpant]

You are probably doing close grip bench wrong.

Strong bro-science.

Close grip doesn't have to be with your thumbs touching on the barbell.

What does this have to do with anything?

Think he means "push" downs.

Technically, you are pulling. Unless you're using a bar I guess.

[9863]

I've always used cable pushdowns as my main tricep exercise, dips are in my chest workout. (done on same day so doesn't matter)
I've never had any issues gaining mass

[RFabsik]

What does this have to do with anything?


Trying to address if he in doing CGBP too close. Old bodybuilder mags often showed guys CGBenching with their hands right next to each other or with thumbs spread out and touching. This grip can be tough on the wrists and potentially the elbows. He later clarified he can only get as close as his "normal" bench grip without pain.

[oldballs]

Strong bro-science.

Yet somehow still a possibility...

[GONZO613]

Dips, wide grip chin ups (palms facing away from you), cable pull downs and Hercules push ups are my go to exercises for tri's.

[Silentpoet]

JM press, floor press, even pin presses.

[Dannylightning1]

personally i do flat bench press, chest dips, than i stack about 120 lbs of plates on my total gym put it to the highest setting and do laying triceps pull downs, close and wide grip some days i will do triceps dumbbell extensions as well but not usually

i probably focus on my triceps the least ( don't do as many sets as other body parts ) but my tri's are getting a good pump and slowly growing, if i did more reps and sets on them i am sure they would really blow up. but those exercises work well for me

[decklan]

First, I agree with others who said don't give up on close grip bench press too early. I used to feel awkward with them too but eventually moved things around a bit to where it felt right. And I also agree "close grip" doesn't mean crazy close so don't feel like that variable is fixed either, I ended up just a tiny bit more narrow than my shoulders.

But to add to your list of other options, I found a way to use the plate loaded dip machine effectively: single arm. I used to think the plate loaded dip machine was the stupidest piece of equipment in my gym. Ours has no seat-belt to hold you down, and even a not-particularly-strong person like me can max out the stack without much trouble. But going single arm fixes both problems. I'm heavy enough to hold myself down, and... not to be pessimistic, but I don't think I'll ever have to worry about being so strong I max the machine out with one arm.