If you want to train your triceps at home, these push-up variations are all you need to start.
The Push-up is one of the greatest general conditioning exercises for outdoor athletes. It can be performed regardless of where you are, and, best of all, it is completely free—no expensive equipment or annual gym fees required!
There are a whole host of push-up variations available to meet many needs.
Different types of push-ups often involve altering hand and foot positions, which impacts muscle recruitment patterns. That’s why some focus primarily on the chest, some on the triceps, and others on the shoulders.
If you want to increase the size of your triceps, put your hands closer together and keep your elbows close to your sides—the result is bigger triceps.
Let’s discuss the best push-up variations for the triceps and how to do them.
7 Best Push-Ups For Tricep
Here are 7 challenging Tricep Push-Up variations you can conveniently do using minimal equipment. To boost arm size, include some of them during your full-body workouts.
1. Knee Diamond push-up
If you’re looking for simple and effective push-ups to train your triceps, then diamond push-ups on knees are the best option for Beginners.
Practice diamond push-ups on the knee by bringing your hands close together to form a diamond or triangle shape below your chest and by putting the knee on the floor. This position also allows for greater focus on the triceps without the risk of balance.
Once the diamond push-up on knees becomes easy, graduate to performing the exercise on your hands and forefeet.
How To Do
- Get into a push-up position, supporting your body on your hands and knees instead of on your hands and forefeet.
- Your hands should be positioned so that your thumbs and index fingers form a diamond shape.
- Keep your body straight and rigid and your elbows close to your body, and inhale as you lower your chest to the floor.
- Exhale as you extend your elbows and push your body back up to the starting position.
2. Diamond push-ups
Diamond push-ups, also known as triangle push-ups, are a more advanced variation of the classic push-up.
This is a unique movement because it does a great job of developing the lateral (outermost) tricep head. Doing them contributes to the horseshoe tricep look many trainees aspire for.
There are many good reasons to add the diamond push-up to your tricep workout routine. This includes increasing triceps and chest activity, improving core strength and stability, and enhancing shoulder strength.
How To Do
- Get on all fours with your hands together under your chest.
- Position your index fingers and thumbs, so they’re touching, forming a diamond shape.
- Now, extend your arms to elevate your body and form a straight line from your head to your feet.
- Lower your chest towards your hands, ensuring your elbows don’t flare out to the sides and keeping your back flat.
- Stop before your chest touches the floor, then push back up to the starting position.
3. Close Grip Push-Up
This narrower hand position reduces the involvement of the chest to some extent and shifts the workload to the triceps.
Although the triceps take the spotlight in this exercise, the chest still plays a significant role. The close grip engages the inner chest fibers.
It is one of the best bodyweight exercises for building your upper body, including shoulders, chest, and arms.
How to do
- Lay face down on the ground with your legs straight, palm near, and arms supporting the upper body.
- Keep your knees off the ground. Take a narrower push-up stance than you normally would.
- Now, raise yourself off the ground, straightening your elbows and arms, keeping your elbows close to your body.
- Raise until your elbows are locked.
- Now, slowly and steadily lower your body until your chest is close to the ground.
- For intensity and variation, do the decline variation.
4. Stability Ball Push Up
If you’ve mastered the basic push-up, the stability ball push-up is a great way to increase the challenge.
The Swiss ball (or exercise ball) makes triceps pushups harder by making the surface uneven. The stability ball significantly increased the activation of triceps brachii.
You’ll have to focus on keeping your balance on the ball, which allows you to work harder than you would if you were doing the standard push up.
How to do
- Lay on the stability ball with your chest on it. Place your hands on the ball at the sides of your chest, shoulder-width apart.
- Place feet back and lean forward so that your chest is directly over the ball and you are supported on your toes.
- Do not let your lower back sag or your butt rise. Ensure your body is straight and rigid.
- Keep your glutes and core muscles contracted.
- Your neck should be in line with your body, not tilted up, which could strain the neck.
- Push your body until your arms are almost straight (do not lock your elbows). Pause here for a second.
- Breathe out and extend your arms to bring your upper body back to the starting position.
5. Medicine ball push-up
The medicine ball push-up is an upper body strength exercise that targets the chest and shoulders, with slightly more emphasis on the triceps.
It is more challenging than the basic push-up. This bodyweight exercise is similar to the diamond push-up. The medicine ball, however, does provide a form advantage. Along with tricep, it also helps improve core strength and stability.
Do not attempt medicine ball pushups until you can do 20 basic pushups. For an easier variation, you could do them with your knees bent on the floor.
How to do
- Get in the standard push up position with your hands on a medicine ball directly beneath your chest. Your left thumb and forefinger should touch your right thumb and forefinger.
- Do not let your hips sag during the movement.
- Your elbows should be tucked at your sides, not flared out.
- Bend your elbows to lower yourself in a controlled manner.
- Maintain a rigid core as your chest moves towards the top of the ball.
- Hold for one to two seconds before breathing out, extending your arms and pushing your body back to the starting position.
6. Pike Push Up
The Pike Push-up is a advance variation of the push-up that increases strength and stability in the shoulders and triceps. It looks like a mash-up of Downward-Facing Dog and Dolphin Pose, and this move helps to build major strength.
Maintaining the pike position requires substantial core engagement to keep your hips elevated and your body stable. It is an excellent foundational exercise for progressing toward more advanced calisthenics moves, such as the handstand push-up.
How to do
- Start in a standard push-up position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and elbows completely locked out.
- Lift the hips up and back until your body forms an inverted V shape. Keep arms and legs as straight as possible.
- Slowly lower the top of your head towards the ground.
- Once your head is about to make contact with the ground, pause for a second.
- Then slowly push back until your arms are straight and you’re in the inverted V position.
7. Close Grip Dumbbell Push-Up
Push-ups can pose a significant challenge when executed at varying angles and intensities to enhance muscle growth and strength.
Doing a close-grip push-up on the dumbbell effectively works the chest and triceps. You’ll get a better grip and good muscle contraction during this movement.
If you’re a beginner, I would suggest you will do this dumbbell push-up on your knees.
How to do
- Grip a dumbbell in each hand and get into a plank position.
- Exhale and forcefully press yourself up by extending your arms.
- Continue pressing up until your arms are fully extended.
- Then, slowly and steadily lower your body until your chest is close to the ground.
Best Push-Ups For Triceps To Build Bigger Arm At Home
Manish is a NASM-certified fitness and nutrition coach with over 10 years of experience in weight lifting and fat loss fitness coaching. He specializes in gym-based training and has a lot of knowledge about exercise, lifting technique, biomechanics, and more.
Through “Fit Life Regime,” he generously shares the insights he’s gained over a decade in the field. His goal is to equip others with the knowledge to start their own fitness journey.