Why tricep sets and reps matter
If you care about building stronger, bigger arms, how you structure your tricep sets and reps matters as much as the exercises you choose. With tricep sets and reps, small mistakes can quietly stall your progress, or worse, leave your elbows feeling wrecked.
The good news is that you do not need a complicated program. You just need to avoid a few common patterns that go against how your triceps actually grow and recover.
Below, you will see the main triceps training mistakes, what to do instead, and simple templates you can plug into your current routine.
Mistake 1: Training only in one rep range
A lot of tricep workouts live at one extreme. You either grind heavy sets of 5 to 6 on close grip presses, or you chase a pump with endless sets of 15 to 20 on pushdowns.
Your triceps respond best when you train across a range of reps instead of living at a single number.
What the research suggests
Guidelines from RP Strength in 2024 recommend training triceps with loads that let you work between roughly 5 and 30 reps per set, which corresponds to about 30% to 85% of your one rep max (RP Strength, 2024). They group this into three bands:
- Heavy: 5 to 10 reps
- Moderate: 10 to 20 reps
- Light: 20 to 30 reps
About half of your weekly sets should live in that moderate 10 to 20 range so you balance stimulus and fatigue. The rest can be split between heavy work and lighter, higher rep sets.
How to fix it
Instead of always doing 3 sets of 10 on everything, try mixing your tricep sets and reps like this in a week:
- Heavy: 2 sets of 6 to 8 on a close grip bench or weighted dips
- Moderate: 4 sets of 10 to 15 on skull crushers or rope pushdowns
- Light: 2 sets of 20 to 25 on cable pushdowns or band pressdowns
This gives your triceps different types of stress, which helps growth without beating up your joints.
Mistake 2: Doing too many or too few sets
When it comes to volume, triceps are easy to overdo. They are a smaller muscle group, and they already work hard on any pressing exercise you do for chest or shoulders. Piling on endless isolation work on top can slide you past “productive” into “burned out.”
On the flip side, you can also do so little direct work that your triceps never get a strong growth signal.
What an effective weekly set range looks like
Based on 2024 training guidelines, most people grow well on:
- Beginners: about 6 to 9 tricep sets per week
- Intermediates: about 9 to 15 sets per week
- Advanced lifters: about 15 to 18 sets per week
A separate August 2024 recommendation for hypertrophy suggests 9 to 15 weekly tricep sets for most people, spread across multiple sessions.
Remember that these are direct tricep sets, not counting your bench pressing or overhead pressing where triceps are secondary movers.
How to fix it
First, estimate where you are now. If you are doing something like:
- Chest day: 5 sets of close grip bench, 5 sets of skull crushers
- Arm day: 5 sets of pushdowns, 5 sets of overhead extensions
You are already at 20 direct sets per week, not including bench or shoulder work. That is high for most lifters and might explain stalled progress or cranky elbows.
A more balanced weekly layout might look like:
- Day 1 (push or upper): 3 to 4 direct tricep sets
- Day 2 (push or upper): 3 to 4 direct tricep sets
- Optional Day 3 (arms): 3 to 4 direct tricep sets
Total: 9 to 12 direct tricep sets per week
If you are a beginner, trim that to 6 to 9 sets per week. If you are advanced and recovering well, you can work up to 15 to 18 sets, but increase gradually and watch how your joints feel.
Mistake 3: Ignoring exercise variety
Many people pick one favorite tricep exercise, usually cable pushdowns, and do it year round with the same sets and reps. That can work for a while, but eventually your progress slows and your elbows might start to complain.
Your triceps have three heads and work through different angles. Training them with only one movement is like trying to grow your legs with only leg extensions.
What a balanced tricep menu includes
RP Strength recommends:
- 1 to 3 tricep exercises per session
- 2 to 5 different tricep exercises across a typical week
They also suggest covering three basic categories over time:
- Compound presses, for example dips or close grip bench
- Horizontal or standing extensions, for example skull crushers or cable extensions
- Overhead extensions, for example overhead dumbbell or cable extensions
How to fix it
You do not have to cram every variation into one workout. Instead, structure your week like this:
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Session A
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Close grip bench press, 3 sets of 6 to 8
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Rope pushdowns, 3 sets of 10 to 15
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Session B
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Overhead cable extensions, 3 sets of 10 to 15
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Dips (assisted if needed), 2 sets of 6 to 10
This gives you compound and isolation work, horizontal and overhead angles, and keeps your elbows happier by changing the stress slightly.
Rotate specific exercises every few months if you feel stale or notice nagging discomfort.
Mistake 4: Resting too little between sets
If you rush through tricep sets with almost no rest, every set after the first turns into a cardio session instead of a strength or muscle builder. Your lungs and grip give out before your triceps do.
On the other hand, sitting on your phone for 5 minutes between light pushdown sets wastes time without adding any benefit.
What the guidelines say about rest
RP Strength’s 2024 guidelines suggest:
- Rest times usually fall between 30 seconds and 2 minutes
- Shorter rests (under about 30 seconds) can work for very light, simple moves like cable pushdowns
- Heavier, more taxing lifts like overhead barbell extensions often need around 2 minutes
The key is to rest long enough to feel “very good” recovery before your next set, instead of clinging to a rigid clock.
How to fix it
Use simple rest rules:
- Heavy sets (5 to 8 reps, compound presses or heavy extensions): rest about 90 seconds to 2 minutes
- Moderate to light sets (10 to 30 reps on pushdowns or cables): rest 45 to 90 seconds
You should feel ready to push hard on each set, not still gasping or shaking from the last one.
Mistake 5: Never progressing your tricep work
Even if your tricep sets and reps are in a good range, you will stall if every week looks identical. Same weight, same reps, same effort. Your body has no reason to grow.
You need a plan for progressive overload that is structured but not reckless.
A smart way to progress tricep sets and reps
RP Strength suggests a simple progression model in 2024:
- Keep your target reps steady for several weeks
- Start with about 3 to 4 reps in reserve (RIR) on your first week
- Gradually push closer to failure over a few weeks until you finish near 0 to 1 RIR
- Then increase the weight slightly, reset RIR to 3 to 4, and repeat
For example, if you are doing rope pushdowns for 3 sets of 12:
- Week 1: Pick a weight where you could do about 15 reps, but stop at 12
- Week 2: Same weight, but you are closer to 1 to 2 reps left in the tank
- Week 3: Same weight, you reach about 0 to 1 RIR at 12 reps
- Week 4: Add a small amount of weight, maybe 5 pounds total, and you are back to 3 to 4 RIR at 12 reps
This way you move forward without needing to hit new maxes every workout.
Mistake 6: Training triceps too often or not often enough
You might blast your triceps once a week for an hour and then leave them alone, or you might hit them hard every single day. Both extremes can slow your progress.
Your triceps usually recover quickly enough for multiple weekly sessions, as long as you stay within a reasonable total set range.
Evidence based frequency guidelines
According to RP Strength’s 2024 hypertrophy guide:
- Most people do well training triceps 2 to 4 times per week
- Your volume should sit between your minimum effective volume (MEV) and your maximum recoverable volume (MRV)
- How often you train should be adjusted based on soreness, joint comfort, and performance
Another guideline suggests:
- If you train triceps twice per week, do about 5 to 8 sets per session, which is about 10 to 16 sets per week
- If you prefer one weekly tricep session, do about 10 to 12 sets in that single workout
How to fix it
Ask yourself:
- Are my triceps still sore or weaker on the first few sets of a session? You may need more rest days or slightly fewer sets.
- Do they feel fresh with minimal soreness and no progress? You may need another weekly session or a few extra weekly sets.
Here are sample setups:
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Two day approach
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Monday: 4 to 6 tricep sets
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Thursday: 4 to 6 tricep sets
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Three day approach
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Monday: 3 to 4 sets
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Wednesday: 3 to 4 sets
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Saturday: 3 to 4 sets
Use one structure for at least a month before changing. Track strength and soreness so you can see patterns clearly.
Mistake 7: Treating isolation work the same as big compound lifts
Tricep pushdowns and tricep extensions are not the same as heavy bench presses or overhead presses. They do not need identical loads, rest, or volumes.
If you train every tricep move as if it were a max effort bench press, you can easily overload your elbows without getting much extra muscle growth.
What smart isolation work looks like
For isolation moves like pushdowns or extensions:
- Most of your sets should live in the 10 to 20 rep range
- Light sets of 20 to 30 reps can be very effective, especially on cables or bands
- Heavier 5 to 8 rep sets are best saved for stable compound exercises like close grip bench or weighted dips
Rest times can be shorter on isolation lifts, as long as you still feel ready to push hard. Around 45 to 90 seconds often works well.
How to fix it
Structure your tricep isolation work with clear roles:
- Use heavy sets (5 to 8 reps) on big presses or dips
- Use moderate sets (10 to 20 reps) on skull crushers or rope pushdowns as your main hypertrophy work
- Sprinkle in light sets (20 to 30 reps) on cables or bands for extra volume and a joint friendly pump
This keeps your heaviest efforts on the lifts that benefit most from them while protecting your elbows on more vulnerable isolation moves.
Mistake 8: Sloppy form that wastes tricep tension
Even with perfect tricep sets and reps on paper, poor form can turn a good exercise into a shoulder or lat movement. The cable stack goes up and down, but your triceps do not do most of the work.
This is especially common on pushdowns and extensions.
Key form cues for tricep pushdowns
Common recommendations from coaches and lifters include:
- Lean forward slightly so your torso matches the cable angle
- Keep your elbows pinned close to your sides, not drifting forward and back
- Use a full range of motion with a deep stretch at the top and a strong lockout at the bottom
- Do not turn the movement into a standing pulldown by swinging your shoulders or lats
- Focus on a mind to muscle connection, feel your triceps extend and contract each rep
If you have to cheat heavily to move the weight, it is too heavy for quality hypertrophy work.
How to fix it
On your next pushdown session, try this:
- Drop the weight by 10% to 20%.
- Stand a step back from the cable and lean forward slightly.
- Lock your elbows just in front of your ribs and keep them there.
- Lower the handle slowly for 2 seconds, then drive down and squeeze hard for a full second at the bottom.
- Let the handle rise under control until you feel a stretch but do not let your shoulders roll forward.
You will feel your triceps far more intensely, even at a lighter weight.
Mistake 9: Copying extreme low volume routines too early
Stories about bodybuilders who grow on very low volume can tempt you to drop your tricep sets way down before you have enough training experience.
For example, Dorian Yates, a former Mr. Olympia, reportedly used:
- V bar pushdowns: two warm up sets plus one intense working set
- Lying tricep extensions: one warm up plus one working set
- A single finisher set of one arm pushdowns or machine extensions
That is only three all out working sets for triceps in a workout, after his chest work, but performed with huge intensity.
Why this can be a trap for you
Yates emphasized that beginners and intermediates should use more sets than he did. His approach was built on years of training, advanced mind to muscle connection, and extremely high effort per set.
If you are still learning form and effort levels, dropping to only one working set per exercise usually means you are not giving your triceps enough quality practice or stress to grow.
How to fix it
If you like the idea of lower volume, you can borrow the spirit of that style without going to extremes:
- Keep 2 to 3 hard working sets per exercise
- Aim for about 6 to 12 total weekly sets for triceps instead of 3
- Make each working set focused and close to failure, around 0 to 2 reps left
As you get more experienced and better at pushing safely near your limits, you can experiment with slightly lower volumes if you prefer.
Putting it all together: sample tricep templates
To make this practical, here are three example ways to organize your tricep sets and reps, based on the guidelines above.
Beginner template (2 days per week)
Goal: 6 to 9 weekly sets, learn form, avoid joint issues.
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Day 1
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Close grip bench press: 3 sets of 8 to 10
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Day 2
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Rope pushdowns: 3 sets of 12 to 15
Keep 1 to 3 reps in reserve on most sets. Rest about 60 to 90 seconds.
Intermediate template (2 to 3 days per week)
Goal: 9 to 15 weekly sets, mix heavy, moderate, and light work.
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Day 1
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Close grip bench: 3 sets of 6 to 8
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Rope pushdowns: 2 sets of 12 to 15
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Day 2
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Overhead cable extensions: 3 sets of 10 to 15
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Cable pushdowns (light): 2 sets of 20 to 25
Total: 10 sets per week, with heavy, moderate, and light ranges covered.
Advanced template (3 days per week)
Goal: 15 to 18 weekly sets, higher volume with smart exercise variety.
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Day 1
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Weighted dips or close grip bench: 3 sets of 5 to 8
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Rope pushdowns: 3 sets of 10 to 12
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Day 2
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Overhead dumbbell extensions: 3 sets of 10 to 15
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One arm cable extensions: 3 sets of 12 to 15
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Day 3
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Skull crushers: 3 sets of 8 to 12
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Light band pressdowns: 2 to 3 sets of 20 to 30
Choose the lowest end of the set ranges if your elbows feel stressed, and build up slowly.
Quick checklist: are your tricep sets and reps on track?
Use this short list to review your current approach:
- You train triceps 2 to 4 times per week.
- You do about 6 to 15 direct tricep sets weekly, depending on your level.
- Around half of your sets are in the 10 to 20 rep range, with some heavier 5 to 10 and lighter 20 to 30 rep work mixed in.
- You use 1 to 3 exercises per session and 2 to 5 across the week.
- You rest 45 to 120 seconds between sets, long enough to feel ready to push again.
- You progress weight or effort slowly, going from 3 to 4 reps in reserve toward 0 to 1 before increasing the load.
- Your form keeps tension on your triceps instead of turning every movement into a shoulder or lat exercise.
If you can confidently check off most of these, your tricep sets and reps are set up well. From there, progress is mainly about patience and consistency.
If not, pick one or two changes from this list and apply them to your next few training weeks. Small, smart adjustments can make a noticeable difference in both arm size and elbow comfort.
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