Why Aren't My Triceps Growing? 5 Exercises To Try (2024)

Your biceps may look great in front of the camera, but it’s your triceps that let you swing, throw or push things. Strong triceps are just as important as bulky biceps, so it's normal for fitness enthusiasts to ask, “Why aren’t my triceps growing?” ZOZOFIT is here to help.

Why Aren't My Triceps Growing?

Many gym-goers have trouble with developing their triceps because of common mistakes.

Too Many Curls

When it comes to upper-body exercises, dumbbell curls or EZ bar curls are probably the first things that come to mind. Curls are excellent for building strength and bulk for your biceps, but they don’t help your triceps.

Not Enough Love

The triceps have three muscle heads. To get balanced arm growth, you need to spend at least 33% more time on them. If you have an hour for arm day, you would dedicate 35 minutes to triceps versus 25 for biceps.

Not Enough Burn

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.

Fatigue

When someone asks, “Why aren’t my triceps growing?” one of the most common reasons is that the person is leaving triceps exercises for last. It’s hard to push your triceps if your arms are already exhausted from tons of bicep curls. To see gains, you need to give your tris your complete attention.

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What Exercises Are Good for My Triceps?

There is a variety of workouts you can do for your triceps. Gym exercise equipment is a plus, but there are options with at-home dumbbells, EZ bars and bodyweight exercises, too.

1. Bench Press With Close Grip

Any pushing exercises engage your triceps, and bench presses take the cake. You can get results with a normal grip, but placing your hands closer together makes your tris work.

2. Triceps Dips

This exercise involves lifting your body weight using only the power of your arms. It has a similar effect on your tris that squats have on your calves.

3. Overhead Extensions

This is one of the most reliable options for hitting the long head of your triceps. Sit down, stretch your arms toward the sky and enjoy the benefits! Use a dumbbell to increase the difficulty and give your muscles a good workout.

4. Press-Downs (Cable or Resistance Band)

This exercise is quick, simple and versatile for men and women. With a cable machine, you can adjust your weights to continue challenging yourself.

5. Close-Grip Pushups

Any type of pushup can exercise triceps and chest muscles, but to sweat, place your hands closer together. They don’t need to touch, just keep them directly below your shoulders.

With all triceps exercises, build up weight slowly and safely. Aim for 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps each.

Why Aren’t My Triceps Growing After All This?

There’s one more thing you need to consider. When people ask, “Why aren’t my triceps growing?” we usually encourage you to being measuring your muscles. Strong triceps aren’t as noticeable as those “big guns” in front, so you may be surprised to discover they actually have grown!

Use ZOZOFIT to see your true muscle gains instead ofjust trying to guess your measurements when you regularly check in withour state-of-the-art fitness app and digital toolbox.

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Why Aren't My Triceps Growing? 5 Exercises To Try (2024)

FAQs

Why are my triceps aren't growing? ›

Now, your problem involving the triceps is that you might be putting too much effort on the lateral and medial heads and not enough attention on the long head. This lack of muscle activation might be the reason that your triceps aren't growing to their full capacity.

Is 5 exercises enough for triceps? ›

How many tricep exercises should I do? You should do 3-5 tricep exercises per training session, making sure to choose exercises that hit all 3 heads of the triceps, put the long head of the triceps on stretch, and hit overlapping strength curves.

How can I force my triceps to grow? ›

Using bodyweight tricep exercises, such as diamond push-ups and bench tricep dips (use a chair or edge of the sofa if working out from home), means you can grow your triceps without weights. To add resistance and mimic the tricep cable exercises you would do in the gym, get a long resistance band.

Is tricep growth slow? ›

The biceps and triceps are pretty small muscle groups compared to the rest of the body and since they are naturally just smaller, they take more time to grow.

How to get big triceps fast? ›

Here are 5 of the best exercises to get your guns growing.
  1. Dips: Dips are simply to perform and don't require much equipment. ...
  2. Close Grip Bench Presses: ...
  3. Push-downs: ...
  4. French Presses Or Lying Triceps Extensions Or Skull Crushers: ...
  5. Overhead Extensions:
May 26, 2021

Are triceps easy to grow? ›

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.

Is 2 tricep exercises enough? ›

No, 2 triceps exercises are not enough to build muscle and stronger triceps.

How long does it take to build tricep? ›

Typically, it takes around 6-8 weeks for you to start noticing changes in the appearance of your arms. At around the 12 week mark, this is typically when you can expect to see more significant changes, especially if you didn't already have a large amount of muscle mass in the area!

Why are my triceps so underdeveloped? ›

You're Not Training Them Heavy Enough

Did you know that your triceps are primarily fast twitch muscles? The first reason why your triceps is not growing might be because you're not training them heavy enough. Typical bodybuilding reps would be around 8-12, or 12-15 reps with short rest periods in between.

Which muscle is slowest to grow? ›

In general, muscles that have a higher proportion of slow twitch fibers will be harder to grow than those that don't. Most people have a very high proportion of slow twitch fibers in their calves, so they're going to be particularly difficult to grow.

What grows faster triceps or biceps? ›

Secondly, we have the triceps that also run from the elbow to the shoulder, but their main role is to straighten the elbow. The triceps are a larger muscle group than the biceps, which means they have more potential to grow.

Why are my triceps never sore? ›

One of the main reasons you might not be getting sore? You are working the same muscle over and over and you have hit a plateau—basically, your body may have adapted to your workout. While this isn't a bad thing, it also offers an opportunity to up your workout game.

How long do triceps take to grow? ›

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.

Why are my triceps getting smaller? ›

With muscle atrophy, your muscles look smaller than normal. Muscle atrophy can occur due to malnutrition, age, genetics, a lack of physical activity or certain medical conditions. Disuse (physiologic) atrophy occurs when you don't use your muscles enough.

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