How often should I train my triceps for maximum growth?

Author: Lera Schimmel  |  Last update: Tuesday, October 28, 2025

For maximum growth, we suggest training triceps 2-3 times per week, allowing at least 48 hours of rest between sessions. This provides enough stimulus to spur growth while giving your muscles adequate recovery time.

How often should I train my triceps for growth?

Train your biceps and triceps (and every other muscle group) 2-3 times per week. This is the frequency that has been proven to work best for building muscle (source). Once per week can work, but it's the least effective approach.

Is 20 sets of triceps a week too much?

You should hit every muscle group at least twice a week and you should have anywhere between 8 and 20 sets total per week per muscle group.

Is 24 hours enough rest for triceps?

  • In general you need 48 hours for each muscle to rest but if you are new to training or if you are older or if you trained really hard, you may need 72 hours to rest.
  • Make sure when you rest your triceps and biceps you also rest chest and back.

What is the fastest way to get big triceps?

How to build triceps muscles at home? Tricep Pull Down 4 x 15 (alternate). Over Head Extension. X Pushup. Do overhead triceps extension for three sets, 8-12 reps. Do weighted tricep dips for three sets, 8-12 reps. Do dumbbell close grip push up for three sets, 8-12 reps. Take adequate rest between sets.

How Often Should You Train Each Muscle To Maximize Growth?

Why are triceps so hard to build?

The triceps are one of those muscle groups that like to be stubborn. They require sweat, consistency and high-intensity exercise. It's not one of those workouts where you can turn on your tunes and put your brain on cruise control. You have to reach your limits and push.

Do you need to lift heavy for triceps?

Should I lift heavy on triceps? Yes, you should lift heavy on triceps. However, you should only progressively overload. This means you need to get your form on triceps right so that you build strength and tempo.

What muscles recover the fastest?

With that being said, different muscle groups tend to have different rates of recovery, with smaller muscles—biceps, triceps, calves—being able to recover more quickly than larger muscles—lats, quads, hamstrings, etc. In addition, different individuals are able to handle different amounts of training volume.

How to get big arms quickly?

How To Get Bigger Biceps: The 6 Best Exercises
  1. Concentration Curls (short head)
  2. Hammer Curls (long head)
  3. EZ Bar Curls (long / short head depending on grip)
  4. Preacher Curl (short head)
  5. Single Arm High Cable Bicep Curl (short head)
  6. Chin Ups (long / short head depending on grip)

Should I do more reps or weights for triceps?

If your goal is to build big triceps, you'll want to stick within the hypertrophy rep range for the majority of your training (8-12 reps @ 60-80% of your 1 rep max) [3]. If tricep strength is of higher importance, keep the majority of your rep ranges low (1 to 5 reps @ 80-100% of your 1 rep max).

How much is too much for triceps?

Within a training session, we recommend including between 1 and 3 different triceps exercises, but no more than that in most cases, as doing more than 3 triceps movements in one session is likely just a needless burning of potential exercise variations you can save for later mesocycles.

How long does it take to grow triceps?

How Long Does It Take to Build Big Triceps? Building bigger muscles can take anywhere between 6-12 weeks, depending on your training program, experience level, and nutrition. In that time, you can expect to gain ½-1inch on your arms or more.

Are triceps harder to grow than biceps?

Are triceps harder to grow than biceps? Without factoring in genetics, between biceps and triceps, it would be the biceps that you could develop easily. This is because the triceps brachii has 3 heads where, whereas the biceps brachii has only two heads.

How often should I do abs?

Finding the ideal ab workout frequency depends on various factors, including your fitness level, recovery capacity, and overall goals. Generally, 2-3 ab workouts per week provide a good starting point for most individuals.

How often should I train my biceps for maximum growth?

For optimal results when starting out, consider training your biceps no more than twice a week. Two sessions a week gives your muscles enough post-workout recovery to perform at their maximum capacity during the next session.

What muscle takes the longest to grow?

Muscle Groups That Grow Slowly:
  • Calves (Gastrocnemius and Soleus):
  • Forearms (Flexors and Extensors):
  • Abdominal Muscles (Rectus Abdominis, Obliques):
  • Lower Back Muscles (Erector Spinae):

How do you maximize muscle growth?

To maximise muscle growth, you need to pay attention to macronutrients – carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Carbohydrates are your body's main source of energy, providing fuel to tackle intense workouts. Proteins are the building blocks of muscle, repairing and rebuilding tissue after exercise.

Is hitting each muscle once a week enough?

A training frequency of once a week will get you bigger muscles, but research as highlighted below shows that a training frequency of 2-3 times per week is more effective in reaching this goal.

Can you overtrain triceps?

Out of all your bodyparts, triceps are the most prone to overtraining. This is in part because most bodybuilders know the tri's are larger than the bi's, and in their quest for higher-caliber guns, they assume that if they do 12 sets for bi's they should crank out 18 for tri's.

What tricep exercise hits all three heads?

Three exercises that hit all 3 heads of the triceps are:
  • Cable Triceps Pushaway for long head.
  • Diamond Cutter Pushup for lateral head.
  • Close Grip Bench Press for medial head – try an underhand grip to see if you feel it more.

Are triceps difficult to build?

Are triceps hard to build? Triceps are not hard to build if you choose the most effective exercises and focus on progressive overload. It is also important to choose exercises that put the long head of the triceps on stretch, and work all portions of the strength curve.

Do skull crushers hit the whole tricep?

Skull crushers work all three heads of the tricep and can be a helpful tool for building strength and size in the arms. Working your triceps will help to improve pushing movements like the bench press, and can help build overhead throwing strength. Can Beginners Do Skull Crushers?

Is a close grip bench enough for triceps?

Sure, they need to bench to get better at bench, but they also need to add complementary variations and accessory exercises to build up the other muscles involved in the movement. For bench pressers, that means the triceps—and to put even more emphasis on the tris, the close-grip bench press is the go-to exercise.

What is the best superset for triceps?

We can use a mechanical superset to take advantage of mechanical differences between exercises to allow us to take a muscle to failure and then train it beyond failure. The best mechanical superset for triceps is the Pancake Pushup into a Divebomber Pushup into a Diamond Cutter Pushup.

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