Back And Tricep Workout For A Stronger And Leaner Upper Body

Training both muscles together | Back And Tricep Exercises | Sample Plan

Chiseled back muscles, horseshoe triceps, and a powerful upper body; a good back and tricep workout can help you develop all of these. 

Pairing back and tricep workout can go a long way in achieving both aesthetic and strength-building goals. This pairing makes sense after all since tricep muscles are inevitably involved in all pulling exercises that target the back muscles. 

To get you started, we have 8 back and tricep workouts that have been expertly curated to help you reach your fitness goals. 

Why Train The Back And Tricep Muscles Together?

When it comes to strength training, your back and triceps muscles are two of the most important muscle groups. 

Both muscle groups are often used in many compound exercises like dips, rows, and pull-ups.  Working them together is an excellent way to ensure balanced development throughout the body. 

By training these muscles together, you can help keep your body in proper alignment and balance which reduces injury risk as well as improves performance. 

Additionally, by hitting two major muscle groups in the same session, you can save time since you won’t have to split them up into separate workouts. This is great for those who are short on time or have limited access to a gym.

Lastly, training the back and tricep muscle group together can help you get better results since you’ll be able to maintain higher intensity throughout the workout.

Best back and tricep Workout

Listed below are the best back and tricep workouts for men and women that can effectively improve your upper body strength and shape. Add these to your back and triceps workout at gym or at home routine for maximum results.

1. Tricep Dips

Target Muscles: Triceps, anterior deltoids, and latissimus dorsi ^[1]Cleveland Clinic: Back Muscles

How to do:

1. Sit in front of a flat bench such that your body is perpendicular to the bench. Keep your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
2. Grip the bench with your palms facing downwards.
3. Begin raising your body by pushing off with your arms until your legs and arms are extended. 
4. Slowly lower your body until there is a 90-degree angle between your upper arm and forearm. 
5. Push back up, ensuring you fully extend your elbows at the top of the movement.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Summary: Tricep dips, also known as Bench Dips, are great for building arm and shoulder strength. These are simple but effective bodyweight exercises that can be performed almost anywhere and with many potential modifications in terms of the equipment used and intensity of exercise.

2. Pull ups

Target Muscles: Lats, rhomboids, biceps, triceps, deltoids, and core

How to do:

1. Grab the pull-up bar with an overhand grip wider than shoulder width.
2. Begin to pull your body up until your chest touches the bar and fully extend your elbows at the top of the movement.
3. Lower your body back down slowly while keeping your core tight and elbows close to your sides.
4. Repeat for the desired number of reps, then switch hand grip if needed (palms facing each other).

Summary: Pull-ups are an excellent closed-chain exercise for targeting various upper body muscles including the lats, rhomboids, and biceps. Experiment with different grips and hand position widths for added challenge and intensity.

3. Banded tricep pushdown 

Target Muscles: Triceps brachii, lats, and traps

How to do:

1. Grab a resistance band and secure it around a sturdy post and grip it with both hands.
2. Keeping your elbows close to your body and your core tight, slowly lower the band towards your thighs until you feel a stretch in your triceps muscles.
3. Hold for one count, then use the triceps muscles to release the band back up in a controlled movement.
4. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Summary: Banded tricep pushdowns are an excellent exercise for targeting the triceps muscles. Make sure to keep your core tight throughout the movement while lowering the band towards your thighs.

4. Dumbbell Overhead Tricep Extension

Target Muscles: Triceps brachii, deltoids

How to do:

1. Start by holding a dumbbell with both hands above your head, making sure to keep your elbows tucked in and close to each other as you grip the weight.
2. Keeping your core tight and elbows in place, slowly lower the weight behind your head until you feel a stretch in your triceps muscles.
3. Hold for one count, then use the triceps muscles to push the weight back up and extend your arms straight above the head until your elbows are locked out at the top of the movement.
4. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Summary: Dumbbell overhead tricep extensions activate the long head of the triceps brachii ^[2]National Library of Medicine: Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Triceps Muscle during the shoulder-level elevation phase and the medial head when the elevation rises to 90 degrees or above the shoulders. In addition, this extension exercise is also a tricep shoulder workout that uses the core and shoulder muscles for stabilization.

5. Lateral pulldown

Target Muscles: Latissmus dorsi, teres major, triceps, pecs, traps, and rhomboids.

How to do:

1. Set up a cable pulley machine with a handle attachment at chest height.
2. Maintain a neutral spine and tighten the core while gripping the handle with a wide overhand grip.
3. Keeping your elbows close to your body and shoulders steady, slowly pull down the handle until it reaches just below chin level.
4. Hold for one count, then slowly return to the starting position in a controlled manner.
5. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Summary: Lateral pulldown is a compound exercise that primarily targets the latissimus dorsi. You can modify the exercise by trying different grips(overhand, wide-grip, narrow-grip, and neutral-grip). Studies have shown that wide and medium tend to increase the activation of the lats and the biceps.

6. Seated Rows

Target Muscles: Latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, trapezius, biceps brachii

How to do:

1. Sit on the seated row machine with your feet on the footrests or platform and grab the handles with your palms facing each other.
2. Keep your back straight, shoulders relaxed, and core engaged.
3. Pull the handles towards your abdomen, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
4. Pause for a moment at the fully contracted position.
5. Slowly release and extend your arms forward, returning to the starting position.

Summary: Seated rows are a strength training exercise that help to build upper body and core strength. This is a great workout to add to your back day routine. Remember to use controlled movements, avoid jerking or using momentum, and adjust the weight/resistance according to your fitness level.

Source: YouTube

7. Diamond pushups

Target Muscles: Triceps, pectoralis major, and anterior deltoids

How to do:

1. Begin in a high plank position on your hands and toes.
2. Move your palms closer and form a diamond shape using your index fingers and thumbs.
3. Lower your chest towards the floor while keeping elbows close to your sides throughout the movement.
4. Once you reach the bottom of the movement, hold for one count before pushing back up to the starting position with your arms completely straight at the top of the movement.
5. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Summary: Simple, yet challenging, diamond pushups are great to add to your triceps routines for targeting different parts of tricep like long head, lateral head and medial head. This is one of the best tricep workouts for men and women alike. For an added challenge, try performing this tricep exercise in an elevated position.

8. Close grip bench press

Target Muscle – Triceps, the anterior deltoid muscles

How to do:

1. Position yourself on a flat bench with your feet firmly planted on the floor.
2. Place your hands slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart on the barbell, palms facing forward.
3. Lift the barbell off the rack and hold it over your chest with arms fully extended.
4. Lower the barbell towards your lower chest while keeping your elbows tucked in.
5. Touch your chest lightly with the barbell, then press it back up by extending your arms and contracting your triceps.
6. Repeat for your desired number of repetitions, maintaining proper form and control.

Summary: The close grip bench press is a variation of the traditional bench press exercise that targets the triceps muscles to a greater extent. This exercise places more emphasis on the triceps and reduces the involvement of the chest muscles compared to the regular bench press.

Source: YouTube

Sample 1-week back and tricep workout plan

Here is a simple one week back and tricep workout routine based on the exercises listed above:

Day	Exercises	Sets	Reps
Monday	Diamond pushups Lateral pulldown	3 3	10 12
Tuesday	Pull-ups Overhead tricep extension Banded tricep pushdown	5 4 3	10 12 15
Wednesday	Rest day	Rest day	Rest day
Thursday	Diamond pushups Bench dips Seated Rows	3 3 3	10 15 10
Friday	Pull-ups Overhead tricep extension Banded tricep pushdown	5 4 3	10 12 15
Saturday	Diamond pushups Lateral pulldown	3 3	10 12
Sunday	Rest day	Rest day	Rest day

 

Conclusion

By following a back and triceps routine, you can achieve a stronger, leaner and more balanced upper body. You can do these back and tricep workouts at home or at gym at your convenience. Remember to combine the above exercises with adequate nutrition, rest and recovery for best results.