7 Best Exercises to Work & Grow Your Triceps on a Pull-Up Bar

Working out on a pull-up bar is a great opportunity for growing your triceps.

But…

If you don’t know the right triceps pull-up exercises, that task would be impossible to do…

Yes!

You heard it right: there isn’t only ONE triceps pull-up bar exercise out there!

Actually, there are a bunch of different exercises you can do on pull-up bar, that are going to target your triceps and make your arms bigger…

Mastering these exercises isn’t only fun but also so damn important so you able to build your triceps’ mass and get big.

If you stick with me till the end you are going to learn what are the best 7 exercises to work and grow your triceps and exactly how to do do them.

But let’s not stop just there…

If you want to learn EVEN more amazing exercises you can do on a pull-up bar, combined with a ton of useful advice, helpful tips, and tricks I highly recommend you to take 2 seconds, enter your email and download our completely free massive guide Pull Up Bar Training 101: Everything You Need To Know.

It’s worth every one of those 2 seconds!

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But that’s not everything…

If you read this article to the end, you’ll learn more cool stuff like:

  • How to work and grow the triceps using pull-up bar….
  • The best exercises to work and grow triceps using a pull-up bar…
  • Other exercises for building the triceps…
  • Considerations for doing triceps workout on pull-up bar…
  • And many more.

Hi there, my name is Bozhidar, and luckily for you, I tried and tested 7 exercises to work and grow triceps using pull-up bar.

As it turned out, they are 101% effective!

Using scientific, personal, and common knowledge, I will try my best to help you begin working on your triceps today.

So please read the entire thing to grow your triceps.

How to Work your Triceps on a Pull-Up Bar?

You can work your triceps on a pull-up by doing different exercises that target that muscle group from different angles. According to science [1], one of the best ways to grow and develop your triceps is to subject them to many different bodyweight exercises. 

These include:

  1. Over-the-Bar Dips and Explosive Dips
  2. Muscle-Up
  3. Triceps Push-Down
  4. Overhead Triceps Extension
  5. Over-the-Bar Dip Static Hold

Are these exercises suitable for beginners? 

Yes. All these exercises are suitable for beginners. That is, because they are easily adjusted in terms of repetition counts or pressure concentration to suit beginners’ capacity. 

Are you looking for a good pull-up bar but couldn’t find one? I suggest you pay my favorite pull-up bar a visit by clicking the link here. 

I like this pull-up because it’s extra sturdy and you can attach resistance bands to it… 

Continue reading to learn how to do these exercises…

Exercise 1: Straight Bar Dips (Over the Pull-Up Bar Dips)

Example of straight bar dips

Over-the-pull-up bar dips is a type of exercise done on a pull-up bar.

This upper body exercise, is usually characterized by the narrow, shoulder-width position of the arms that specifically trains, grows, and build triceps [2].

But because pull-up bar heights vary based on short and tall, I will divide these exercises into 2 types….

How to Do Straight Bar Dips on a Tall Pull-Up Bar

Here’s how to do dips on a tall pull-up bar:

Step 1- Place an Object Underneath the Pull-Up Bar to Reach It

  • Place a sturdy object right below the pull-up bar where you can step on.
  • Step on it and reach for the bar.

Step 2- Place Your Hands on the Pull-Up Bar

  • Ask someone to remove the object you placed underneath the bar so as not to hit it with your legs when you swing around.
  • Grasp with both hands on the pull-up bar
  • Tighten your grasp.
  • Breath as you prepare to pull up. 

Step 2- Pull Upwards to Straighten Arms

  • After preparing and gathering strength, push your body upwards.
  • Make sure that your arms are straightened at this point. 
  • Maintain the parallel position of your grips. 

Step 3- Gradually Bend Down, Lowering Your Body

  • As you reach your high position, with your arms straightened and stretched, try to stay in that position for at least 2-3 seconds. 
  • Return to the first position. Go back down very slowly.
  • As you are back on first position, make sure to check the angle of your arms. They have to be at a perfect 90-degree angle. One wrong move messes the whole cycle up. 
  • Breathe in and out. 

Step 4- Pull-Up Again

  • Stay in that position very briefly then go back up again. 
  • Continue doing the cycle as per required reps. 

How to Do Straight Bar Dips on a Short Pull-Up Bar 

Here are the steps on doing dips on a short pull-up bar:

Step 1- Simply Reach Out and Grab the Bar With Your Bare Hands 

  • Reach out for the bar with open palms. 
  • Grab the bar and do the rest of the steps stated above.

Note: Another option to do with a tall pull-up bar is muscle-ups. However, not everyone can do it.

And, if you find muscle-ups difficult for you, then you have stick with going on top of that bar.  

Now, to do explosive dips, all you need is to intensify tension in the muscles by doing quick movements…

Doing explosive dips on either short or tall pull-up bar is done exactly the same with the previous steps.

Exercise 2: Explosive Straight Bar Dips

Example of explosive straight bar dips
Example of explosive straight bar dips

How to do Explosive Straight Bar Dips (Step By Step)

  • If the bar is too tall, place a sturdy object underneath it to step on. Then, reach out for the bar to go on top of it. 
  • Grasp the bar with your arms (parallel grip).
  • Brace to pull upwards. 
  • Raise your body to straighten your arms. 
  • Do not slouch.
  • Straighten your upper body. Do not put too much tension on your upper body. Instead, focus the tension on your triceps.
    As you stretch up, straighten your legs.
  • As you sustain the stretched position, slowly go down to prepare for the explosive dips.
  • Upon going down, make sure that your arms form a perfect 90-degree angle. 
  • Breathe in and then suddenly let go of your grasp to throw your body upwards (spring action). Therefore, you’ll have to be doing hops on the bar at this point.
  • Make sure that as your hands land on the bar, your arms fold back to the 90-degree angle.
  • Then, throw your body up again.  
  • You can either speed up or take one cycle at a time depending on your capacity.
  • If you struggle at it, I recommend you do it one hop at a time. 

But wait… I’m only doing this for the first time? What should I do in case I tremble?

It’s completely natural to tremble when you’re doing this exercise for the first time. The best thing that you can do for now is to lower the rep expectations. 

In my experience, doing the typical 10-12 reps instead of the stricter 15-20 helped a lot!

Or, you can simply increase the length of the static positions. By doing this, you train your muscles more intensely without exhausting your energy in doing several fast cycles. 

Why should I include the over-the-dip and explosive dip exercises?

You should Include these 2 exercises in your pull-up routine!

Integrating them is a very important action for introducing your upper body muscles towards more advanced muscle training. 

Also, they increase the strength, mass and mobility of not only your triceps, but of the muscles in your shoulders and chest as well. 

But of course…

They must firstly be done properly to achieve results.

You can also use gymnastics rings for dip exercise. I recommend you to check out my top gymnastics rings pick for better results… 

The over-the-bar dips and explosive dips are extremely effective exercises for growing the triceps. 

However, they are not useful if you don’t incorporate them with the next exercise. 

So, continue reading…

Exercise 3: Negative Muscle Ups

Example of negative muscle ups
Example of negative muscle ups

The muscle-up exercise powers-up not only the triceps, but also several other muscle groups in the upper body. 

If done properly, it promotes great mobility from the muscle mass in the chest to the back. Also, it grows and builds them for great shape and strength. 

The most important part of this exercise has to do with improving your control during transitions from the negative/eccentric phase up.

What should I know about the negative phase? 

Here are some important points you should know about your muscle’s negative phase [3]: 

  • The contraction happens when the muscle mass lengthens, instead of shortens.  
  • It requires less energy, effort, and oxygen to do. But it also creates higher tension within the muscles.  
  • Negative muscle-ups promotes greater flexibility.  
  • Negative muscle-ups train the muscle mass for higher power capacity.
  • If you want to do negative muscle-ups, you would need much space below for your feet to hang.
  • Negative pull-ups are for beginners, while negative muscle-ups are for advanced trainees.

Who is this exercise for?: The muscle-up is an advanced movement that requires a lot of strength, explosive power, and technique. That’s why I recommend this exercise to only advanced people that have the ability to do a couple of normal muscle-ups. If you can’t do more than 2-3 muscle-ups you would better pick the other exercises.

How to Do Negative Muscle-Ups (Step by Step)

Here’s how to do the negative muscle ups for advanced trainees:

Step 1- Get Above the Bar

  • If bar is too tall for you, step on an object to help you reach it and get on top of it. 
  • Grasp the bar with your hands and pull your body upwards. 
  • After you reach your full height (with your arms straightened), breathe in and prepare the descent. 

Step 2- Slowly Go Down to Dip

  • Begin lowering your body down to dip.
  • Make sure that your grip remains neutral.
  • Make sure to do it gradually.

Step 3- Continue Lowering Down and Extend Legs Forward

  • Continue going deeper into that dip.
  • As you go down deeper, extend your legs forward so that you can see them in front of you. 

Step 4- Maintain Your Position and Your Body by Gripping the Bar Tight

  • Stay in this position for at least a few seconds. 
  • Grip the bar tightly to stabilize. This phase (the negative phase) is the ultimate priority of the exercise. 
  • Breathe in as you prepare for the ascent. 

Step 5- Go Up and Down Slowly

  • Go back up also gradually. 
  • Find a good control to maintain during the transition

Step 6- Reverse the Whole Setup Until You Slowly Control Your Descent (Focus on the Negative Part)

  • Reverse the whole cycle by starting from below the dip. 
  • Breathe in to prepare. 
  • Then pull your body upwards as slow as possible (Note: It is important that you slow this process down as much as possible. Allot at least 3 seconds in doing the negative part).
  • Make sure that you subject your muscles to pressure as you go up.
  • The more pressure, the better.
  • Continue the cycle depending on the required number of reps.

Exercise 4: Negative Pull-Ups

Example of negative pull-ups
Example of negative pull-ups

Who is this exercise for?: Because this is very basic exercise it can be done by almost anybody who has decent upper body strength and can easily do 6+ regular pull-ups.

Here’s how to do negative pull-ups for beginners: 

Step 1- Go on Top of the Bar 

  • Look for an object to stand on to support you in reaching for the bar (do this whether the bar is tall or short). 
  • Go up until your chin is over the bar. Make sure your legs are lifted from the platform you are standing on. 
  • Breathe and stay in that position for 3-4 seconds. 
  • While you go up, don’t let your arms give the full effort. Open forward your chest by tightening your shoulder blades, making them meet together.  

Step 2- Slowly Descend 

  • Breathe to prepare for descent. 
  • Go down very slowly (approximately 3-5 seconds to maximize your muscles). 
  • Make sure to take control of the transition from up to down.  

Step 3- Go to a Full Descent 

  • Go fully down by making sure that your arms are stretched (locked and straightened) above your head. 
  • You’ll know if you are fully low when your legs have come in contact with the object you stood before or the floor. 

Step 4- Do Pauses Between Motions 

  • Once you’ve gotten the right hold of the transitions, do 5-6 seconds of pauses in between ups and downs. 
  • Breathe and feel the tension.  
  • After completing the cycle, increase the pause lengths to as long as you can.  

Can I use gymnastics rings for muscle-up?

It’s actually a good decision to use gymnastics rings for muscle-up.

I would recommend using gymnastics rings because they condition your muscles to more intense concentration. 

When you’re using gymnastics rings, you’ll have to find your balance. As a result, you get to build more muscle mass than usual.

Are you looking for the best gymnastics rings? Check out my recommended gymnastics rings for more effective triceps build.

These rings are durable, and they provide strong gripping. 

This exercise may look good, but it can’t completely build the muscles without the rest of the exercises. 

Read on to learn about the next exercise….

Exercise 5: Triceps Push-Down Using Resistance Bands

Example of triceps pushdown using bands
Example of triceps pushdown using bands

The triceps push-down exercise is one of the most effective and common pull-up exercises for building your triceps and the majority of the muscle mass that is responsible for your arm’s size [4]

What would you need:

  • A resistance band that allows you to do between 6-12 repetitions (click here to see my resistance bands I use)
  • A Stable pull-up bar (you can use all the types except the doorway pull-up bar because it’s not designed to be pulled from different angles)
  • Enough space beneath the pull-up bar so you can do the exercise correctly
My resistance bands

Click Here to check my resistance bands latest price on Amazon

How to Do Triceps Push-Down Using Resistance Bands and A Pull-Up Bar

Step 1- Prepare for the Pull-Down. 

  • Attach the resistance bands securely on your pull-up bar (make a loop around it)
  • Grab the end of the band or the handle with your hand or hands (you can do this exercise 1 arm at a time or both at the same time) 
  • Make sure to use neutral grip when holding the bands
  • Stand upright and forward the chest to straighten back (not too much tension). 
  • Bring your elbows a bit forward. 
  • Open your legs with a distance just at the width of your shoulders. 
  • Bend over a bit. 

Quick Note: You can do this exercise on a number of pull-up bar types. You can cam even do this on a normal door-frame pull-up bar.

The only risky pull-up bar type for this is the doorway pull-up bar.  

That is, because pulling the band from a doorway pull-up bar can cause it to detach from a certain angle, and hurt you.  

Step 2- Slowly Pull the Bands Downward.  

  • With your position intact, slowly pull the bands/handles downward. 
  • Continue pulling down until your arms straighten, locking the elbows. 

Step 3- Squeeze Muscles Tightly.  

  • With your elbows locked, turn your wrists so that your palms are facing down.  
  • Pause for a few seconds to stretch and contract your muscles further. 
  • Turn your elbows in and out to change the concentration of contraction in the muscles. 

Step 4- Go Back to First Position.  

  • Breathe to release tension. 
  • Slowly release the and go back to the first position.  
  • Do the required number of reps.

Alternatives:

The best thing about this exercise is that you are not limited to a pull-up bar because you can attach the resistance bands at many different places. Here are a couple of great alternatives you can in case you don’t have access to a safe and high enough pull-up bar:

Option 1- Attach Resistance Bands to a Pull-up Bar from a Power Rack

Tutorial: Click the link to this video to learn how to do it.  

Option 2- Attach the Resistance Bands to a Door Anchor. 

Tuturial: Click the link to this video to learn how to do it. 

As good as this exercise can get, it won’t be enough without the rest of the options.

So, continue reading… 

Exercise 6: Overhead Triceps Extension Using Resistance Bands and a Pull-Up Bar

Example of overhead triceps extensions using bands
Example of overhead triceps extensions using bands

The overhead triceps extension is one really effective isolation exercise that targets the triceps efficiently. 

What would you need?:

How to do Overhead Triceps Extensions Using Resistance Bands and a Pull-Up Bar (Step by Step)

Step 1: Attach the resistance band and grab it.  

  • Attach the resistance bands on your pull-up bar securely using a loop
  • Grab the ends of the band tightly with your hands. 
  • If you’re using the bands without any anchor, just step on the middle of the bands with your feet and pull-up. 
  • With the band securely gripped, stretch the band/grip handles until your elbows are positioned forward. 

Step 2- Stretch Out Until Arms are Straightened.  

  • Stretch the band and take a few steps ahead if needed until you have enough tension to begin
  • Pull hard using your triceps while keeping your elbows at the same place (they shouldn’t move)

Step 4- Release to First Position.

  • Pause for a second and squeeze as hard as you can in order for the muscles to fully contract. 
  • Breathe out and slowly release back, going down the shoulders and into the first position. 
  • Repeat on desired reps. 

Quick Fact: It actually does not matter if the anchoring position is higher than your head height. Because of how resistance bands work you can attach them at any height.

In case the pull-up is too weak you can do still do this exercises by using one of the alternative methods below.

Alternatives:

The first and most basic technique you can use is to attach your resistance bands using door anchors. (click here to see an example of a really well-made door anchor)

Tutorial: Click the link to this video to learn how to do it.

Another great option is to use your own bodyweight.

All you have to do is to step into the middle of the band with your feet and pull the tip of the band with both of your hands.

The third and probably the best alternative is to use dumbbells instand of resistance bands. If you have a bunch of weights laying around you can use them instead.

If you currently don’t own any dumbbells I highly recommend you to buy a pair because this is one of the most multi-functional piece of equipment you can get.

Click here to see which are the dumbbells I use.

Tutorial: Click the link here to learn how to dumbbell overhead extension. 

What if I’m using a cable machine? 

If you’re using a cable machine to do overhead extensions you don’t have to be concerned at all with attaching any bands. Most machines come with a comfortable handle that could do the job right.

Add more exercises tips on your list by reading the section below!

Exercise 7: Straight Bar Dip Static Hold (Over the bar dips)

Example of straight bar dips
Example of straight bar dips

Just like the any other exercise, the straight bar dip static hold is an excellent exercise that targets the triceps very well and help you also develop many other muscle groups in your upper body [6].  

How is the straight bar dip static hold exercise different than the regular straight bar dips?

Even if the majority of the movement is the same the main difference is the static hold. This exercise requires staying static on the most difficult position for at least 10 seconds which is far more difficult than doing 5 or 10 of those.

Here’s how to do it… 

How to do Straight Bar Dip Static Hold (Step by Step)

Step 1- Place Your Hands on Parallel Dip Bar or a regular Pull-Up Bar. 

  • In case the bar is too tall for you to reach, just do the previous steps involving stepping unto an object to support you in reaching the bar.

Step 2- Get your body on top of the pull-up bar/parallel bar. 

  • Jump, do a muscle-up or simply climb in order to transfer you weight above
  • Once on top push your body so it’s completely straight and your elbows are locked 

Step 3- Get yourself into position. 

  • Slowly lower yourself until your chest/belly almost touchest the bar

Step 4- Sustain/Hold Static Position. 

  • Stay in that position for at least 15-20 seconds.  
    If you’re shaking too much and can’t keep that long, you can decrease the seconds to 10. 
  • Don’t forget to breathe and once you are done slowly lower yourself and go down back on the ground.  
  • Rest at least 60 seconds
  • Then, go back up again and repeat all the steps above.  
  • Do the required number reps. 

Quick Note: If you want to make the exercise even harder I would recommend you try it on gymnastics rings. They are 10X harder and require way more balance and upper body strength and skills.

Click Here to see my gymnastic rings on Amazon <<

I tried some of the dip exercises and they are really hard. I barely can do 2-3. What can I do?

You are struggling with your dips because they are simply tough to do.

Relax. You’re not alone.

We’re all been struggling with dips at a certain point of our journey.

Dip exercises are difficult because they involve a whole span of motion, not to mention that they use your entire body weight for resistance. 

But if you want to get the max of them here are a couple of things you can do:

  • Reduce the number of reps 
  • Improve your hold/grip (for a more stable handling of weight transfers) through maximizing both concentric and eccentric muscle phases 
  • Use gloves to improve/increase gripping strength. 

Using gloves improves your grip on a gymnastic rings, pull-up bar or parallel bars.

If you currently don’t have any gloves I highly recommend you to take a closer look at mine.

My workout gloves

Click here to learn more about them <<

Let’s get going to learn more stuffs about triceps workouts…

How Many Times Should I Do These Exercises In Order To Grow My Triceps?

According to this study [5], the average number of times you’ll have to do these exercises that target a specific muscle group (in our case the triceps) for muscle growth is 2 times per week.

Science [6], also suggests that targeting any large muscle group 2 times per week is enough.

REMEMBER: Triceps workouts are known to be intense. So, you should observe transitions between intensities to avoid causing your muscles to fatigue extremely.  

What is the best number of reps for triceps growth? 

According to science [7], the best number of reps for triceps growth falls around 8-12.  

Keep on going to answer more questions…

Are These 7 Pull-Up Bar Triceps Exercises Enough to Give Me Bigger Arms?

If you do them correctly and use proper form, use enough resistance and give your best in every set you should deffinetly see postive results.

But if you want to get big triceps faster, then doing only 1 or 2 of these exercises won’t be enough.  

Here’s how you can combine them together to get big triceps quickly and more effectively: 

The Triceps Pull-Up Bar Workout You Need To Try… (Get Big Arms)

How often do to the workout: As you read above the recommended frequence for optimal results is 2 times per week meaning you need to have at least 48 hours rest between you do it again.

How long does it take: The workout is short and usually takes about 20-30 minutes to complete.

What do I need: In order to do this workout you would need to have access to a stable and tall enough pull-up bar which has enough space above and below so you can do dips, pull-ups and attach resistance bands. Speaking of which you will need to own at least 1 resistance band that has decent resistance. (you can easily change that by stretching it)

How to do it: In order to complete this workout you would need to complete all the exercises below in a big superset without any rest between the exercises. Meaning you start with the first, you do it, then you do the next, etc. After you are finished with all you take 1-2 minute rest and you repeat the whole circuit for 3-4 times. (depending on your current capabilities)

How many repetitions per exercise?: As previously mentioned if your main goal is muscle development you should do between 6 and 12 repetitions per exercise. If you can do more, make the exercise harder, if you can do less, change it to an easier variation.

The exercises per each circuit: (the superset)

  1. Exercise 1: Straight Bar Dips
  2. Exercise 2: Negative Pull-Ups
  3. Exercise 3: Triceps Push-Down Using Resistance Bands
  4. Exercise 4: Overhead Triceps Extension Using Resistance Bands and a Pull-Up Bar

Other things you need to do to maximize the workout: 

  1. Maintain a proper diet by making sure I consume enough protein.  
  2. Consume sufficient protein powder as a supplement and other forms of supplement.  
  3. Include red meat in my diet for creatine [8] absorption. (not suitable for vegans and vegetarians)

Quick Note: Don’t focus too much on the supplements though. You’ll have to manage your diet first-hand directly from the food you eat. 

You’ve finally learned the 5 exercises effective for growing and building the triceps. 

Pull-Up Bar Exercises: The Next Steps

As you can see there are a ton of different and useful pull-up bar exercises that are going to help you build and develop your triceps and other muscle groups inside the upper body.

But nothing will be useful if you don’t own a solid pull-up bar to begin with…

If you don’t own a pull up bar yet what are you waiting for? This is one of the best investments you can make.

Take a look at my bad boy waiting for me…

My pull-up bar.

If you want to see how much does it cost and what it can do click here <<.

And no matter what you do remember that the 7 exercises above can transform your like.

They aren’t difficult and they can really target your triceps if you follow all the steps and do them preoperly.

But remember that in order to get results these exercises require a proper diet and an overall healthy lifestyle.

With all those things combined you will have massive arms in no time.

If you don’t learn these steps by heart, it would be impossible to grow and build your triceps!

So remember – train, eat, sleep, repeat and your arms will grow like mushrooms!

But what about the other muscles?

What about the back, traps, chest, biceps, abs and even legs? Can you train them as well?

If you want to learn the answer to that question follow these 2 steps:

STEP 1:

If you really want to grow your entire body and get a serious boost in your grip strength and muscle mass with the help of a pull-up bar I highly recommend you to sign up and get instant access to our 100% free guide Pull Up Bar Training 101: Everything You Need To Know.

Enter you email below and start today:

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STEP 2:

If you liked what you just read and you want to learn more awesome and useful information about pull-up bars feel free to see my other highly related articles.

Here are some of the best ones you should begin with:

Let the bars are with you… always…

– Bozhidar

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