45 Minutes Beginner Triceps Workout with Barbell
A 45 minutes muscle building workout targeting your triceps using barbell equipment. 3 exercises, 12 total sets, designed for beginner lifters.
45 Minutes
Duration
12
Total Sets
8-12 reps
Rep Range
~630
Est. Calories
The Workout
Start with this as your primary movement. Warm up with 2 lighter sets first.
Form cues
- Lie on a flat bench holding the bar (straight or EZ-bar) above your chest with arms extended.
- Lower the bar toward your forehead by bending your elbows — this is why they are called skull crushers.
- Keep your upper arms vertical and stationary.
Lie on a flat bench and grip the barbell with hands about 12 inches apart.
Form cues
- Lie on a flat bench and grip the barbell with hands about 12 inches apart.
- Lower the bar to your upper chest by bending both at the elbows and dropping them back.
- The bar should travel in a slight arc toward your chin, elbows staying fairly tucked.
Finish strong — take the last set close to failure.
Form cues
- Grip the bar at shoulder-width or slightly narrower — not so close that your wrists hurt.
- Retract shoulder blades and set up as you would for a normal bench press.
- Lower the bar to your lower chest, keeping elbows tucked close to your body.
Why This Workout Works
This workout is built around the principles of muscle building training. Use moderate loads (65-80% of your 1RM) with controlled eccentrics and full range of motion. Prioritize progressive overload by adding reps before adding weight. Train each muscle group 2x per week with 10-20 hard sets per muscle per week.
Training Parameters
- Rep Range: 8-12 reps — the hypertrophy sweet spot for maximum muscle growth
- Rest Periods: 60-90 seconds — long enough for quality reps, short enough for metabolic stress
- Sets Per Exercise: 3-4 sets — optimized for muscle building
Triceps Training Tips
- *Overhead extensions stretch the long head, which is the largest tricep head — do not skip them.
- *Lock out every rep fully to engage the medial head.
- *Dips and close-grip bench press allow heavier loading than isolation work.
Get this triceps workout personalized for you
Revy's AI will analyze your training history, recovery status, and strength levels to customize every set, rep, and weight for maximum muscle building results.