The 5 Best Triceps Stretches to Try On Your Next Triceps Training Day

Bodybuilders love bulging biceps, but the triceps are where it’s at. This three-headed muscle—aka the horseshoe—makes up a vast majority of your upper arm, working to enable pushing movements and elbow extensions so you can be an absolute beast on the playing field and in everyday life.

Training your triceps is essential for cultivating overall arm and upper-body strength, but are you stretching them properly before and after the workout? You may not think it’s necessary in the same way that stretching your quads and hamstrings is after a heavy leg day, but it can really make a difference in your triceps flexibility and range of motion. 

RELATED: Dumbbell Triceps Workout

Kate Meier, NASM-CPT, USAW-L1, CF-L1, and GGR senior director of content, shares the five best triceps stretches to help you maximize your performance while minimizing your risk of injury. Check it out below!

The 5 Best Triceps Stretches

1. Overhead Triceps Stretch
2. Cross-Body Stretch
3. Triceps Towel Stretch
4. Triceps Dip Stretch
5. Arm Circles

Overhead Triceps Stretch

Benefits: According to the European Journal of Sport Science¹, triceps brachii hypertrophy is greater when elbow extensions are performed in the overhead position rather than the neutral position. So, it makes total sense that stretching your triceps in the overhead position before or after your overhead triceps extensions will help alleviate that muscle soreness and keep you trucking through your triceps training.

How to do it: 

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Roll your shoulders down and back.
3. Raise your right arm overhead toward the ceiling.
4. Bend your right elbow, placing your right hand in the middle of your upper back with your palm facing toward you.
5. Place your left hand just below your right elbow and apply light pressure.
6. Hold the position for approximately 15 to 30 seconds.
7. Release, reset, and repeat with your other arm.

Cross-Body Stretch

Benefits: The cross-body arm stretch does more than just lengthen your triceps and improve blood flow to the region. According to BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders², it also may increase shoulder mobility and alleviate shoulder pain.

How to do it: 

1. From a standing position, bring your right arm across your body, keeping it straight.
2. Place your left arm underneath the right, bend your left elbow, and gently apply pressure to the back of your arm using your left inner forearm.
3. Hold the position for approximately 15 to 30 seconds.
4. Release, reset, and repeat with your other arm.

Triceps Towel Stretch

Benefits: “People with chronically tight triceps may lack the upper body mobility to really get a good stretch from the standard overhead triceps stretch,” says Kate Meier, NASM-CPT, USAW-L1, CF-L1. “Using a towel helps you effectively stretch your triceps if you’re struggling in that department.”

How to do it: 

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a towel in your right hand.
2. Roll your shoulders down and back.
3. Raise your right arm overhead toward the ceiling.
4. Bend your right elbow, dangling the towel behind your back.
5. Reach behind your back with your left hand and grip the towel.
6. Pull the towel down toward the floor until you feel a stretch.
7. Hold the position for approximately 15 to 30 seconds.
8. Release, reset, and repeat with your other arm.

Triceps Dip Stretch

Benefits: A study performed by the American Council on Exercise³ found that bodyweight triceps dips are among the best triceps exercises available. The triceps dip stretch uses a similar movement pattern to engage your triceps muscles and gets them ready to work.

How to do it: 

1. Position yourself at the edge of a weight bench or sturdy chair with your palms down, feet firmly planted, and knees bent.
2. Slide yourself off the seat so that your weight is distributed between your hands and feet.
3. Slowly lower your body towards the floor by bending your elbows.
4. Continue until you feel a stretch.
5. Hold the position for approximately 15 to 30 seconds.
6. Return to the starting position and repeat as needed.

Arm Circles

Benefits: Static stretching works great during a cool-down, but your warm-up should primarily consist of dynamic stretches and exercises like the classic arm circles. This simple movement also targets various upper-body arm muscles, including your triceps, biceps, and deltoids.

How to do it: 

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms outstretched to your sides.
2. Start moving both arms forward simultaneously in a circular movement.
3. Complete the desired number of circles, then stop and start circling backwards.
4. Perform the same number of reps backwards as you did forward, then rest.

Sample Triceps Stretching Workout

A proper warm-up and cool-down may reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (aka DOMS) following strength training while lowering your risk of injury. 

So, if you want to spend more time getting those #gains and less time on the bench, you’ll want to get in a warm-up before getting into the meat and potatoes of your exercise program. Here’s a sample triceps stretch workout to get your mind and body right before your next arm day!

RELATED: 10 Best Warm-Up Exercises

Benefits of Triceps Stretches

It’s tempting to cut your warm-up, cool-down, and stretching short in today’s fast-paced society, but there are many reasons why it’s well worth your while to set aside the extra time for them. 

Here are a few benefits associated with performing these stretching exercises before you get into your triceps workout.

Helps Enhance Athletic Strength and Power

Sure, we love working out for the innumerable benefits to our general health and wellness, but let’s be real; breaking down barriers, setting personal bests, and defying expectations are often a part of it, too. You feel good when you do well, and why shouldn’t you? You’ve earned it!

So, high-performance athletes and weekend warriors alike will rejoice knowing that, according to Sports Medicine⁴, adhering to a static stretching regimen may enhance your overall strength and power.

Whether you’re about to get into dumbbell triceps kickbacks, super heavy bench press sets, or even just the humble bodyweight push-up, taking the extra time to stretch offers some enticing dividends.

May Reduce Risk of Injury

It’s hard to justify an additional ten minutes in the gym—especially when you have a busy schedule—but that ten minutes could make a difference in your post-workout recovery.

Making that time for yourself is critical because, according to the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports⁵, stretching exercises reduce muscle tightness, improve flexibility, and ultimately reduce your risk of injury during exercise or sports performance. 

So, if you want to spend less time nursing nagging aches and pains and more time pursuing your fitness goals, make the time for a stretching regimen.

RELATED: 6 Workout Recovery Myths, Busted

May Help Improve Shoulder Mobility and Stability

Yes, you read that correctly. Performing triceps stretching exercises may help improve your shoulder mobility and stability. 

How? “The long head of the triceps attaches to the scapula, or shoulder blade, meaning it plays a crucial role in stabilizing the shoulder joint,” says Kate. “That’s how stretching the triceps muscle contributes to improved circulation, an increased range of motion in the elbow and shoulder, and, ultimately, greater shoulder mobility and stability.”

RELATED: The Best Mobility Exercises, From a Physical Therapist

What Muscles Make Up the Triceps

The triceps brachii⁶ comprise a major portion of your upper arm. It contains three heads, each contributing immensely to how your upper body functions:

• The long head of the triceps enables elbow extension, arm extension, and adduction at the shoulder joint and plays a role in stabilizing the shoulder. It also reduces your risk of shoulder dislocation by holding the humerus in place.
• The medial head of the triceps, similar to the long head, assists in elbow flexion and extension. Unlike the long head, the medial head plays no role in shoulder function.
• The lateral head of the triceps is considered the strongest of the three, playing a major role in your overall triceps strength and power.

The three heads of the triceps each have their roles, but since they make up one single muscle, you can’t really target one head specifically during exercise. No worries; performing the above triceps stretches can benefit all three heads. That’s a win-win-win!

Triceps Stretches: Final Thoughts

The triceps probably won’t snatch the spotlight from the biceps anytime soon as far as “pretty muscles” go, but that doesn’t mean they’re not fundamental for building overall upper body/arm strength and muscle.

Performing triceps stretches regularly before and/or after your triceps workouts provides various benefits, including:

• Greater muscle strength and power
• Reduced risk of injury
• Improved shoulder mobility and stability
• Reduced recovery time after exercise

Sure, you’ll need an extra ten minutes or so to get those stretches in, but you’ll ultimately come out ahead when you’re not losing time in the gym to pesky aches and pains.

Don’t just take our word for it; put it to the test and try our triceps stretches during your next gym sesh! 

Triceps Stretches: FAQs

References

1. Maeo S, Wu Y, Huang M, et al. Triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position. Eur J Sport Sci. 2023;23(7):1240-1250. doi:10.1080/17461391.2022.2100279
2. Gharisia O, Lohman E, Daher N, Eldridge A, Shallan A, Jaber H. Effect of a novel stretching technique on shoulder range of motion in overhead athletes with glenohumeral internal rotation deficits: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2021;22(1):402. Published 2021 Apr 30. doi:10.1186/s12891-021-04292-8
3. Boehler B, Porcari JP, Kline D, Hendrix CR, Foster C, Anders M. ACE Terrific Triceps Study. ACE Fitness. Accessed August 5, 2024.
4. Arntz F, Markov A, Behm DG, et al. Chronic Effects of Static Stretching Exercises on Muscle Strength and Power in Healthy Individuals Across the Lifespan: A Systematic Review with Multi-level Meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2023;53(3):723-745. doi:10.1007/s40279-022-01806-9
5. Azuma N, Someya F. Injury prevention effects of stretching exercise intervention by physical therapists in male high school soccer players. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2020;30(11):2178-2192. doi:10.1111/sms.13777
6. Tiwana MS, Sinkler MA, Bordoni B. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Triceps Muscle. [Updated 2023 Aug 28]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan.