Muscle groups / Triceps
Triceps: exercises and weekly sets
Triceps landmark: 10 working sets a week on the Zyra Workouts dashboard — 5 exercises train it as the primary muscle and 10 credit it at half weight. The full lists, the counting rule and the related groups are below.
Also searched as: tris, triceps brachii.
Landmark and half-weight rule: Zyra Workouts dashboard defaults. Typical rest = the most common default rest among the primary exercises above (the catalog's per-exercise value; the app lets you override it).
Exercises that train triceps
Primary exercises credit triceps with a full set each; secondary exercises credit it with half a set. Open any exercise for its rep targets, progression step and alternatives.
Primary (5)
- Close-Grip Bench PressBarbell · ×1
- Tricep PushdownCable · ×1
- Overhead Tricep ExtensionDumbbell · ×1
- Skull CrusherBarbell · ×1
- Tricep Dip (Upright)Bodyweight · ×1
Secondary (10)
- Bench Press (Barbell)Barbell · ×0.5
- Incline Bench Press (Barbell)Barbell · ×0.5
- Bench Press (Dumbbell)Dumbbell · ×0.5
- Incline Bench Press (Dumbbell)Dumbbell · ×0.5
- Decline Bench Press (Dumbbell)Dumbbell · ×0.5
- Chest Dip (Lean Forward)Bodyweight · ×0.5
- Overhead Press (Barbell)Barbell · ×0.5
- Overhead Press (Dumbbell)Dumbbell · ×0.5
- Arnold PressDumbbell · ×0.5
- Push-UpBodyweight · ×0.5
How secondary work is counted
The app credits every working set to the exercise's primary muscle in full and to each secondary muscle at 0.5. So a week's triceps total is primary sets × 1 + secondary sets × 0.5, and its coverage bar is min(total ÷ 10, 1). Warm-up sets are excluded before anything is counted. In the 4-day upper/lower template that comes to 6 + 6 = 12 for triceps, at or above the landmark.
In plain terms: a set of a big compound movement that merely involves triceps is worth half a set of an exercise built around it. This is the app's bookkeeping rule, not a measurement of anything — a way to make one number comparable across muscles. Check a planned week with the weekly sets calculator.
Frequently asked
How many sets a week for triceps?
The Zyra Workouts dashboard uses 10 working sets a week as the triceps landmark — the target its coverage bar for triceps fills toward (coverage = sets ÷ 10, capped at 100%). It is the app's default for reading a week, not a prescription; a coach or your own log can set a different target.
Which exercises train triceps?
5 exercises in the catalog train triceps as the primary muscle — Close-Grip Bench Press, Tricep Pushdown, Overhead Tricep Extension, Skull Crusher, Tricep Dip (Upright). 10 more list it as a secondary muscle (Bench Press (Barbell), Incline Bench Press (Barbell), Bench Press (Dumbbell), Incline Bench Press (Dumbbell), Decline Bench Press (Dumbbell), Chest Dip (Lean Forward), Overhead Press (Barbell), Overhead Press (Dumbbell), Arnold Press, Push-Up); each of their sets counts half toward the triceps total.
Do secondary exercises count toward triceps sets?
Yes, at half weight: every working set of an exercise that lists triceps as a secondary muscle adds 0.5 to the weekly triceps count, against 1 for a primary exercise. Reaching the 10-set landmark from secondary work alone would take 20 such sets. Warm-up sets never count.
Related muscle groups
Other groups in the upper body — push region:
Compare all 11 muscle groups →
Guides for triceps
Track triceps sets automatically
Zyra Workouts counts every logged working set toward its primary muscle and half toward each secondary one, and shows this week's triceps coverage against the 10-set landmark on its dashboard. It is in development and not yet on the App Store.
Zyra is a training and nutrition tracking tool. Nothing on this page is medical advice, a diagnosis, or an individual prescription. The numbers are estimates from published formulas and the apps' own rules — consult a qualified professional for decisions about your health, and a coach for your training.