While developing an upper-body physique, triceps exercises are crucial for balanced arm development. The 32-year-old, bodybuilding enthusiast Jeff Nippard, recently ranked 20 popular triceps exercises, sharing his insights on the best and worst options for muscle growth. His tier list, ranging from S (super) to F (fail), sheds light on which exercises truly stand out.

Posting a video on his YouTube channel to determine the best exercises, Nippard focused on three criteria: high tension in the stretched position, a pain-free, and smooth resistance profile, and simple progression for consistent improvement. With three heads to target – the lateral, medial, and long heads – it’s essential to choose exercises that ensure proportional triceps development.

In the video, Nippard emphasizes that while pressing exercises contribute to triceps growth, they are insufficient for maximizing development, particularly for the long head. He recommends incorporating triceps isolation work, highlighting the importance of training with the arms overhead. This position creates high tension and a deep stretch, essential for long head development.

For comprehensive triceps growth, Nippard advises varying shoulder angles. He also suggests including at least one exercise with the arms overhead, one with the arms down at the sides (like pushdowns), and one with the arms behind the torso (such as cable kickbacks).

Crowning the best triceps exercise, Nippard chose the overhead cable tricep extension. He explains, “This exercise will grow all three heads very effectively and it’s actually been validated as a superior exercise in long-term hypertrophy studies.” This workout stands out due to its effectiveness in targeting all triceps heads.

Conversely, Nippard deemed the dumbbell kickback the least effective, noting, “It’s not that it never has its place, but I do think there are better options.” Despite this, he didn’t classify any exercise as an outright F tier, indicating that even the less favored movements have their merits. For a long time, Nippard has been providing a comprehensive analysis of popular exercises. Let’s take a look at his opinion on dumbbell lateral raises.

Not all dumbbell lateral raises are effective, says Nippard

The natural bodybuilder explains that not all dumbbell lateral raises are equally helpful. While the standing dumbbell lateral raise is a common exercise, it’s not optimal due to its circular resistance path. Nippard notes that this variation provides the most tension at the top and none at the bottom.  Leaning away from an anchor while performing the exercise has similar issues.

Instead, Nippard suggests leaning in while doing the dumbbell lateral raise. This position ensures that the dumbbell provides tension even in the stretched position, making it more effective. Many bodybuilders use cable lateral raises to address these problems. However, Nippard’s lean-in dumbbell lateral raise is a great alternative, when cable machines are unavailable.

Jeff Nippard’s analysis of triceps exercises highlights the importance of variety and targeting all triceps heads. Do you agree with his opinion and rating of the exercises?