Want stronger, more defined triceps without loading up a heavy cable stack?
Resistance bands give you linear variable resistance; they get tighter as you press, so your triceps work hardest at the top of each rep, where they naturally fire most.
With the right band moves, you can hit all three heads of the tricep: long, lateral, and medial, for complete development, better lockout strength, and constant tension anywhere you train.
Ready to upgrade your arm workouts? Keep reading for 10 banded tricep exercises to try today.
10 Best Tricep Exercises with Resistance Bands
These resistance band exercises will help define your muscle tone in your triceps, as well as build usable, real-world strength. They are also beginner-friendly. TRX Strength Bands are great to use for these exercises.
1. Standing Overhead Extensions
Step in the middle of the band with one or both feet and hold the handles behind your head. Stand tall, ribs down, and keep your elbows pointing straight up.
Start with your elbows bent so the band is behind your head, then straighten your arms until they are fully extended. Move slowly and keep your elbows in one place. This hits the long head the most, but all three heads of the tricep help finish each rep.
2. Banded Tricep Pushdowns
Anchor the band above head height, like over a door or hook. Face the anchor, grab the band, and stand back so there is tension before you even start. Keep your elbows tight to your sides and push the band down until your arms straight.
At the bottom, twist your hands a bit so your palms face the floor to squeeze harder. Control the band on the way up to keep steady tension on your triceps.
3. Tricep Kickbacks
Step into a staggered stance and hinge your hips so your torso leans forward about 45 degrees. Hold the band handle with your working arm, elbow bent at 90 degrees by your side. Kick your hand straight back until your arm is fully extended, then return to the start without swinging.
If you feel your shoulder rocking or your body bouncing, you are using momentum instead of muscle. Keep the motion small, tight, and slow for real tricep work.
4. Close-Grip Push-Ups with Bands
Loop the band across your upper back and pin the ends under your hands. Set your hands under your shoulders or a bit closer, so your elbows track near your sides.
As you push up, the band stretches and adds more resistance at the top, where your triceps work hardest to lock out. Need it easier? Drop to your knees. Need it harder? Use a thicker band or elevate your feet.
5. Cross-Body Pressdowns
Anchor the band high on one side and stand slightly sideways to it. Grab the band with your far hand and start with your elbow bent across your chest. Press your hand down and across your body toward the opposite hip.
This angle pulls on the long head of the tricep because your upper arm moves in toward your side as you extend. Keep your torso still and avoid swinging so the band does not turn into a full-body workout by accident.
6. Concentration Pressdowns
Anchor the band low, kneel in front of it, and grab the handle with one hand. Place that elbow against the inside of your thigh to lock it in place. Use an underhand grip with your palm facing up, then press your hand down until your arm is straight.
Think about driving the back of your arm tight as you extend. Because your elbow cannot move, this becomes a strict isolation move that lets you really focus on the long head working.
7. Single-Arm Extensions
Step on the band and bring one handle up behind your head with your elbow pointing up. This looks like a one-arm version of the standing overhead extension. Straighten your arm until it is fully extended, then lower under control.
Start each set with your weaker arm and match the same reps with your stronger side. This helps fix strength gaps so one tricep does not always carry the other.
8. Skull Crushers with Bands
Lie on a bench or the floor and anchor the band behind your head, such as under the bench legs or a heavy object. Hold the handles with your arms straight up over your chest. Bend only at the elbows to bring the handles toward your forehead, then extend back to the top.
Your upper arms stay still and tilted slightly back, which shifts stress to different parts of the tricep compared to overhead work. Keep your head still so the "skull" part stays safe.
9. Reverse Grip Pushdowns
Anchor the band high and face it. Grab the band with an underhand grip so your palms face up. Keep your elbows tight to your ribs and press your hands down until your arms are straight.
This grip hits the long head more and pulls your forearm muscles into the fight, which can help with grip strength. If your elbows drift forward, reset and bring them back to your sides to keep the focus where you want it.
10. Tricep Pull-Aparts
Hold the band at chest height with your arms straight out in front of you. Your hands should be about shoulder-width apart to start. Keeping your elbows mostly straight, pull your hands apart by tightening your triceps and squeezing your shoulder blades just a bit.
Think about straightening your elbows hard rather than flapping your arms. Use a lighter band and high reps here to burn out the triceps and build endurance at the end of your workout.
How Do You Choose the Right Resistance Band?
Pick a band that matches how you like to move.
Loop bands are simple and great for wrap-and-go tricep work, but they can roll on your skin.
Bands with handles feel more like a cable machine and are easier on your grip during pushdowns or overhead extensions.
Flat therapy-style bands are light, easy to adjust, and pack small, which makes them good for high-rep or rehab-style tricep training. If you're recovering from an injury or working on rehabilitation, stretch band exercises like these offer joint-friendly resistance that builds strength without added stress.
Resistance levels usually run from extra light to extra heavy, often color-coded. For small moves like kickbacks, use a lighter band so you can control the full range without your form falling apart.
For bigger moves like close-grip push-ups, step up to a stronger band. Keep at least three strengths around. You will use lighter bands to learn a new exercise, then slowly move up as your triceps get stronger.
Here's a Sample Tricep Workout with Resistance Bands to Try
Use this simple resistance band tricep workout as a plug-and-play template. Start with a compound move, then move into focused isolation, and finish with a burnout:
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Close grip push-ups with bands: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, 60 seconds rest.
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Standing overhead extensions: 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps, 45 to 60 seconds rest.
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Banded tricep pushdowns: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps, 45 to 60 seconds rest.
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Tricep kickbacks: 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps, 30 to 45 seconds rest.
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Tricep pull-aparts: 2 sets of 20 to 30 reps, 30 seconds rest.
To scale it, think like this:
Beginner uses 2 sets per exercise, lighter bands, and stay at the low end of the rep range.
Intermediate sticks with the structure above and slowly adds reps until the top of the range feels solid, then moves up to a stronger band.
Advanced lifters use heavier bands, 3 to 4 sets, and shorten rest by about 15 seconds.
A simple rule that works almost everywhere: hit the top of the rep range with clean form twice in a row, then upgrade the band or add a set. For complete body training beyond arms, you can also incorporate resistance band squats and other lower body band exercises for triceps into your routine.
What Are the Benefits of Training Triceps with Resistance Bands?
Bands keep your triceps working from the first inch of the lift to the last. There is no "easy spot" at the top or bottom, so your muscles stay under tension longer, which is great for growth. The resistance also matches your strength curve.
As the band stretches and gets tighter, your triceps are in a stronger position, so you can push hard without feeling jammed up. Not magic. Just physics being helpful for once.
Band work is also friendly to your joints. The resistance builds smoothly instead of slamming your elbows, which makes these tricep exercises with resistance bands perfect for warmups, higher rep sets, and cranky arms that still want to train. Similar to how TRX shoulder prehab routines protect joint health, resistance tube tricep exercises allow you to train hard while staying pain-free.
You can progress by stacking bands, stepping farther from the anchor, or doing drop sets where you quickly switch to a lighter band when you hit failure. That mix gives you constant new stress, so your triceps keep getting stronger instead of getting bored.
The Tricep Anatomy: How Does it Work?
Your triceps is like a three-headed muscle on the back of your upper arm, and all three heads share a common tendon at the elbow. The long head starts on the scapula, just below the shoulder socket, so it crosses both the shoulder and elbow.
The lateral head and medial head start on the humerus, the upper arm bone, on the back side. Together, they straighten your elbow and help pull your upper arm closer to your body in some positions.
This anatomy is why exercise angles matter. Overhead moves, like standing extensions, stretch the long head more because your arm is up by your ear.
Pressdowns and close-grip push-ups lean harder on the lateral and medial heads, which love heavy lockout work.
Cross-body and concentration style moves tweak shoulder and arm position to highlight one head a bit more, so you can build full tricep size instead of just a strong elbow shove.
Time to Transform Your Triceps with Smart Band Training
Before, tricep training might have meant fighting for a cable machine or repeating the same bodyweight moves with so-so results.
Now you've got 10 tricep resistance band exercises that can hit all three heads of the tricep, give you constant tension, and fit in any space.
As you work through them, focus on clean form and steady progressive overload; slightly more reps, thicker bands, or slower tempo over time. Start with the basics, add the tougher variations as you get stronger, and keep coming back to this list whenever your tricep workouts with resistance bands need an upgrade.
Whether you're building strength after knee injury rehab exercises or simply want to add variety to your routine, band exercises for triceps deliver results anywhere you train. And if you need a complete approach to physical therapy and rehabilitation, combining these moves with other recovery-focused workouts creates a balanced program that keeps you moving forward.
References
American Council on Exercise. "ACE Fit | Fitness Facts." American Council on Exercise, www.acefitness.org. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
National Academy of Sports Medicine. "Resistance Training: Adaptations and Health Implications." NASM, www.nasm.org. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
