Why barbell tricep exercises matter
If you want bigger arms and stronger presses, barbell tricep exercises deserve a permanent spot in your routine. Your triceps are responsible for straightening your arm and locking out presses. When you train them with a barbell, you can usually handle more weight, which means more strength and muscle over time.
Barbell tricep exercises like the close grip bench press, skull crusher, floor press, and JM press let you overload the triceps safely while still protecting your shoulders and elbows when you use good form. You will feel the benefits in your bench press, overhead press, and any sport that relies on powerful arm extension.
Below, you will learn how to perform the best barbell tricep moves, how to program them, and how to keep your joints happy along the way.
Know your triceps first
Your triceps brachii has three heads that work together to straighten your elbow:
- Long head
- Lateral head
- Medial head
All three heads help you extend the arm, but the long head also assists with shoulder movement and is heavily involved in overhead and stretch-based tricep work. Barbell exercises are ideal because they allow heavier loading, which promotes more muscle growth and strength as of December 2021.
When you choose a mix of barbell tricep exercises that load the muscle from different angles, you get better balance, bigger arms, and more stable elbows and shoulders.
Master your setup and form
Before you focus on specific movements, dial in your general lifting position. Proper skull crusher and close grip bench press form apply to most barbell tricep exercises.
Use these checkpoints:
- Feet flat on the floor for a sturdy base
- Glutes engaged and lightly pressed into the bench or floor
- Core active so you do not arch your lower back
- Shoulder blades gently pulled back and down for joint stability
- Grip about shoulder width apart or slightly narrower, not ultra narrow to protect your wrists
Keeping your elbows close to your body during pressing versions, and shoulder width and stable during skull crushers, helps keep tension on the triceps and reduces strain on your shoulders.
Close grip bench press
The close grip bench press is one of the most effective barbell tricep exercises for building mass and strength. Compared with a standard bench press, moving your hands closer shifts emphasis from your chest to your triceps.
How to do the close grip bench press
- Lie on a flat bench with your eyes under the bar.
- Grip the bar about shoulder width apart or slightly narrower. Avoid an ultra narrow grip that crowds your wrists.
- Retract your shoulder blades and plant your feet firmly on the floor.
- Unrack the bar and hold it directly over your chest with straight arms.
- Lower the bar toward your lower chest, keeping your elbows close to your body. Do not let them flare wide.
- Pause briefly, then press the bar back up by driving through your triceps until your arms are straight but not aggressively locked.
Coaching tips
- Keep your elbows tucked but not jammed into your ribs.
- Do not bounce the bar off your chest.
- Use a controlled tempo, especially on the way down.
For optimal hypertrophy, you can perform 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions at a challenging weight, with appropriate warm up sets and solid nutrition, including enough protein each day.
Why you should use it
- Allows heavier loads than many isolation tricep moves
- Strengthens your bench press lockout
- Targets the triceps while still training chest and shoulders
Many lifters find the close grip bench press more effective than skull crushers for overall tricep mass because it is a compound exercise with less room to cheat the movement.
Skull crushers with an EZ bar
Skull crushers with a barbell, especially an EZ bar, are a classic isolation move for the triceps. They focus on elbow extension and do a great job targeting all three heads, with special emphasis on the long head when you use a stretch position.
According to Men’s Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S., skull crushers performed correctly isolate the triceps and are highly effective for building balanced arm strength.
Standard EZ bar skull crusher
- Lie on a flat bench and hold an EZ bar with a narrow, comfortable grip.
- Press the bar straight up so it is above your shoulders.
- Keep your upper arms perpendicular to your torso.
- Without moving your upper arms, bend your elbows and lower the bar toward your forehead, ideally touching just above the nose.
- Extend your elbows to push the bar back up, focusing on squeezing the triceps at the top.
Key points:
- Only your forearms should move.
- Keep your elbows shoulder width apart, not flared outward or squeezed inward.
- Maintain a tight core and stable lower body to avoid arching your back.
Stretch focused skull crusher variation
You can shift more emphasis to the long head and sometimes reduce elbow discomfort with a small adjustment.
- Start in the same position as the standard version.
- Angle your upper arms slightly back so they point toward your head instead of straight up.
- Lower the bar behind your head instead of toward your forehead.
- Pause in the stretched position, then extend your elbows to bring the bar back up while keeping your upper arms fixed.
This variation increases the stretch on the long head of the triceps and can feel like a deeper, more intense contraction.
Why the EZ bar is preferred
Some lifters ask if a straight bar can replace the EZ bar. In practice, the EZ bar often allows a more natural wrist angle, better control, and a stronger tricep pump compared to options like the French press variation. It can be more comfortable for your wrists and elbows, particularly if you do higher volume.
Aim for about 4 sets of 10 to 12 reps once or twice a week. As you get stronger, gradually increase the weight and you can drop into lower rep ranges like 6 to 8 for continued strength gains.
JM press
The JM press blends elements of the close grip bench press and skull crusher. It is a powerful barbell tricep exercise when you want heavy loading with a shorter range of motion and intense tricep focus.
How to do the JM press
- Set up as you would for a close grip bench press, with a shoulder width grip and tucked elbows.
- Unrack the bar and hold it over your upper chest with straight arms.
- Instead of lowering to the chest, let your elbows bend forward while the bar travels toward your face or throat area.
- Your upper arms stay angled slightly, somewhere between a bench press and a skull crusher position.
- When you reach a comfortable depth, press the bar back up, driving through your triceps.
Programming and difficulty
- Best performed for lower to moderate reps, about 4 to 8 per set.
- This move is challenging to learn, so start light and build up slowly.
The JM press has no simpler progression, so treat it like a skill lift, and keep your focus on technique rather than loading the bar too quickly.
Floor press
The floor press is another excellent barbell tricep exercise, especially if you have shoulder issues or want to strengthen your lockout phase.
Since you lie on the floor instead of a bench, your elbows stop when your triceps touch the ground. This reduces the range of motion and emphasizes the top half of the press where your triceps work hardest.
How to do the floor press
- Lie on the floor under a barbell set in a rack, or have a spotter help you unrack the bar.
- Use a grip similar to your close grip bench, or slightly wider if that feels better on your shoulders.
- Plant your feet or keep your legs straight, whichever feels more stable and comfortable.
- Unrack the bar and hold it over your chest with straight arms.
- Lower the bar slowly until your upper arms rest on the floor.
- Pause briefly, then press the bar back up to full extension.
Why the floor press helps your triceps
- Reduces shoulder strain because you skip the deepest part of the bench press range of motion
- Lets you use relatively heavy weight to attack your tricep lockout strength
- Works great in the 6 to 12 rep range with heavier loads
Many lifters like to use a close grip floor press as a safer heavy tricep emphasis exercise when their shoulders need a break from full range benching.
Other effective barbell tricep moves
You can build a complete barbell focused tricep routine with a few additional moves that each bring something unique.
Single arm landmine press
With a barbell anchored in a landmine attachment, the single arm landmine press trains your triceps along with your shoulders and core. The arcing path and neutral grip can feel more shoulder friendly, and the pressing motion still requires strong tricep lockout.
Board press
The board press uses wooden boards on your chest to shorten the bench press range of motion. This lets you handle heavier weights in the top part of the press, which heavily recruits the triceps. It is popular among powerlifters who want to boost lockout strength.
Overhead barbell tricep extensions and French press
The overhead triceps extension with a barbell, often called the French press, targets all three heads with extra focus on the long head. Since the weight is overhead and your elbows flex deeply, you get a long range of motion and strong stretch based tension, which can help increase upper arm mass.
However, some lifters find this uncomfortable due to elbow flare or awkward joint angles, while others prefer dumbbells or cables. You can experiment to see which variation feels best for you.
Dumbbells and cables vs barbell, what feels best
While this guide focuses on barbell tricep exercises, you might still wonder how they compare with dumbbells or cables.
Some lifters report that dumbbell overhead tricep extensions provide a better long head stretch and a more intense tricep feeling than cable overhead extensions, even though cables theoretically offer constant tension and the option to pull the handles apart at the top.
Reasons dumbbells can feel better for some people:
- More natural arm path
- Ability to rotate your wrists freely
- Back support when seated, which can improve body position
Others find cables more joint friendly over time, especially when volume is high.
Use how your elbows and shoulders feel as a guide. Barbell exercises are excellent for heavy overload. Dumbbells and cables are useful for variation, joint comfort, and higher rep work. A mix of all three over weeks and months will usually give you the best progress.
Sample barbell tricep workout
Here is a simple structure you can use once or twice per week, depending on your overall training plan and recovery:
Option A, Strength and mass focus
- Close grip bench press
- 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps
- Floor press
- 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps
- EZ bar skull crushers
- 4 sets of 10 to 12 reps
Option B, Isolation and lockout focus
- JM press
- 4 sets of 4 to 8 reps
- Close grip bench press or board press
- 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps
- Stretch focused skull crusher variation
- 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps
You can also include barbell tricep work as part of a larger upper body or push day.
Recovery, safety, and joint health
Well trained triceps support healthy shoulders and stable elbows. They also improve performance in sports that require explosive elbow extension, such as football, baseball, and basketball.
To keep your joints feeling good while you push for more strength and size:
- Warm up your elbows and shoulders with light pressing and band work.
- Use a grip that is shoulder width or slightly narrower, not excessively close.
- Avoid letting your elbows flare out hard on pressing movements.
- Start with a weight you can control with clean form, then add load gradually.
- Stop if you feel sharp pain in your elbows or shoulders. Adjust technique, range of motion, or exercise selection.
If a certain barbell movement consistently bothers your joints, swap it for a dumbbell or cable version that trains the same pattern with less discomfort.
Putting it all together
Barbell tricep exercises give you a direct path to stronger presses, thicker arms, and more stable joints. When you combine heavy compound moves like the close grip bench press and floor press with isolation work like EZ bar skull crushers and JM presses, you hit every part of the triceps with enough load and volume to change how your upper body looks and performs.
Start by choosing two or three barbell tricep exercises that feel good on your joints. Focus on solid form, slow and steady progress in weight, and consistent training week after week. Over time, you will feel the difference every time you press a bar overhead or off your chest.
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