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Pressdowns are, by far, the most popular triceps movement used in gyms throughout the United States. They are easy to perform and are especially popular in magazine photo spreads because the triceps really pop out on the exercises. The lower body equivalent would be leg extensions, which showcase the separation of the major muscles of the upper leg. But as with leg extensions, pressdowns are not particularly effective for building strength or mass.
 
Just take a look at the triceps of powerlifters and strongman competitors. They are plenty massive, but very few competitors will waste their time on pressdowns. Along the same line, look at your average gymnasts – most have massive triceps that were built largely by doing plenty of dips and pressing motions.
 
Because so many trainees are fond of pressdowns and may be unsure about what might be better, I offer for your consideration the following “top nine list” of triceps exercises, in order of good to better to best.
 
9. California Press. The California press is a hybrid movement that is actually a cross between a close-grip bench press and a lying triceps extension. It’s a very popular assistance movement used in powerlifting circles, particularly by lifters who need to increase triceps mass and strength to bring their bench press poundages upward.
 
A good starting weight for this exercise would be about halfway between what you use in the lying triceps extension and the close-grip bench press. To perform the California press, assume the same starting position as you would for a close-grip bench press. Instead of lowering the bar to the bottom position of the pecs, lower it to the upper pecs by pivoting the elbows forward. At this point, the forearms will come into contact with the elbow flexors, the bar will be touching the upper chest, and you’ll experience a great stretch in the triceps. From this position, push the bar away and upward from your chest; the elbows should come just short of lockout when you get to the top position.
 
8. Incline Bench Overhead Pressdown. In my opinion, this movement is the triceps equivalent of concentration curls. It removes the temptation of using your abdominal muscles to complete the range of motion. In other words, it offers an incredible degree of isolation. This exercise also offers the advantage of being suitable for a trainee suffering from a bout of lower back pain. I often prescribe this movement last in a triceps workout, after a high percentage of triceps motor units have been knocked off by other exercises.
 
Simply put an incline bench in front of a high pulley (so that when you sit down, you’re facing away from the machine). Adjust the incline to about 60 degrees. Grasp a straight-bar handle and, with your upper arms glued to your torso, extend the forearms. You are, in essence, doing a fairly traditional pressdown, but doing it on an incline bench allows you to keep perfect form. Atlantis has a piece of equipment especially designed for this. When you think about it clearly, it is a way to do pressdowns without cheating by using lats and abdominals to take a share of the load.

7. Seated Half Press in Power Rack. As a testimony to the effectiveness of this exercise, consider that Pat Casey is the first man to have bench pressed 600 pounds and that seated presses were one of his favorite exercises – he claims a personal best of 400 pounds. This variation of the seated press is one that powerlifting guru Louie Simmons has promoted extensively; it is excellent for packing meat on the lateral head of the triceps, which are often the most underdeveloped of the triceps muscles. You can tell when it’s developed, though, as it will make the back of the triceps look like an X, in addition to making you appear to be considerably wider.
 
Place an adjustable incline bench inside a power rack, setting the inclination of the bench at 80-90 degrees (in relation to the floor). The seat portion should be angled also so that you won’t slip off when executing the exercise. Adjust the pins in the power rack so the bar is at hairline level for the starting position. Your grip on the bar should be about shoulder width. The elbows should be pointing outward.
 
Simply press the weight up as if you were doing a conventional press. However, make sure that you use a “dead stop” in the bottom position. In other words, let the weight come to a complete stop against the pins. I’ve found that using dead stops of 2-4 seconds in the bottom position is most effective with this exercise. They will help you build up the triceps, as each rep forces you to fight against inertia. A recommended tempo for this exercise is either 2211 (2 seconds to lower, a 2-second pause, followed by a 1-second lift and a 1-second pause) or 3211, depending on your arm length.
  
6. Lying Triceps Extension. There are several possible bar pathways for the lying triceps extension. You can bring the bar to the bridge of the nose, to the hairline or to the forehead (aka skull crushers). These exercises also can be done by using a handle attached to a low pulley machine. Trying to figure out which is best is futile because you’ll adapt to a particular movement in a matter of a few workouts.
 
It’s important to not turn this movement into a lat exercise. It’s all too easy to do, as the impulse is to employ a pullover motion while extending the forearms. Also, make certain to keep your wrists in a neutral position to minimize the stress on the elbows. 

5. Decline Dumbbell Triceps Extension. MRI studies have shown that the decline dumbbell triceps extension is one of the most effective movements when it comes to recruiting the triceps. One reason I like it is that it provides a great stretch of the triceps.
 
Lie on a decline bench and hook your feet under the padded rollers while holding a pair of dumbbells. Press the dumbbells upward in a bench press fashion. You’re now ready to start the exercise. Use a semi-supinated grip so your palms are facing each other. Hold the elbows stationary and lower the dumbbells until the forearms make contact with the biceps. At this point, the end of the dumbbell will probably be making contact with your shoulders. Lift the dumbbells back to the starting position by extending the elbows. The elbows, of course, should be the only joint moving during this exercise.
 
For the sake of variety, you can add a pronating motion at the end of the elbow extension (turning the palms away from you), which will further recruit the small anconeus muscle.
 
4. Seated EZ-Bar French Press. Sit on a flat bench with an EZ-bar racked on your clavicles. The bar should be held with a pronated (palms down) grip. The grip width should be slightly narrower than shoulder width. Press the weight overhead until your elbows are just short of reaching the lockout position – this is where you’ll begin the exercise.
 
Start by lowering the bar behind your head until your forearms make contact with your biceps – at this point, you should feel a good stretch on the long head of the triceps. Now extend the elbows, using only your triceps strength, to push the bar back to the start position. To ensure triceps isolation, the forearms are the only bodypart that should be moving during this exercise.
 
3. Decline Elbows Under Bar Close-Grip Bench Press. This one is performed in almost exactly the same manner as the conventional close-grip bench press, except that it’s done while in a decline position,  and the elbows are pointing outward so that they are aligned with the bar especially during the eccentric portion of the lifts.
 
Perform this exercise on a decline bench that is set between 10 and 25 degrees of declination in relation to the floor. Lift the barbell off the rack and hold at arm’s length. Bring the bar to a point about two inches above the nipples, and keep the elbows extended just short of lockout during the pressing portion of the movement.
 
2. Close-Grip Bench Press. From a supine position (lying on a bench), lift the barbell off the rack and hold at arm’s length. Bring the bar to the lower portion of the sternum, and extend the elbows just short of lockout during the pressing movement.
 
The name of the exercise itself is a misnomer, because I advise most individuals to use a 14-inch grip. I don’t believe in the very narrow grip (four to six inches) that you see all around the country, as it creates enormous strain on the wrists and elbows.
 
As soon as the bar is four to six inches above the chest, concentrate on pushing the bar back toward the uprights and move the elbows under the bar to have a more effective biomechanical advantage. Locking out the elbows will take the precious muscle-building tension away from your triceps, so just go to 95 percent of lockout. Of course, besides the obvious safety reasons, I suggest having a partner help you for the unracking and racking of the barbell to ensure the longevity of your rotator cuff muscles.
 
And the number-one exercise for developing the triceps is…
 
1. Convergent Bar Dips (a.k. a. V-Bar Dips). In my opinion, this is the absolute king of triceps builders. Yet, like other ever-demanding movements such as squats and chins, it rarely makes the pages of general fitness magazines.
 
Dips were a key exercise for bodybuilders of the past, and as a result those muscle builders were as strong as they looked. One of the best dippers who made the cover of many muscle magazines is Marvin Eder. Eder could perform a single repetition with 434 pounds at a bodyweight of 198 pounds. Pat Casey, incidentally, at a bodyweight of 300 pounds, could perform a single rep with 380 pounds strapped to his waist.
 
To start the exercise, grasp the bars and boost yourself up until you’ve stabilized yourself at arm’s length over the handles. If you have access to the better V-shaped dipping bar, use as narrow a grip as possible without compromising shoulder integrity. Begin the exercise by lowering your body as far as possible in between the bars, making sure to keep lowering until your biceps make contact with your forearms. In other words, your triceps must get fully stretched. Once you reach the bottom position, press yourself back up by extending the elbows. Try to stay as upright as possible throughout the range of motion. If you lean too far forward, you’ll just be bringing your pecs into the movement.
 
If you can’t lower yourself under control until the biceps make contact with the forearms, go back to collecting stamps, or maybe perform the decline close-grip bench press movement until your elbow extension strength is sufficient. Incomplete range in the triceps dip is a complete waste of time. Further, don’t cheat yourself by performing chopped reps – that is, not going all the way down and coming up only three fourths of the way. Keep in mind that your elbows should only travel to 98 percent of full elbow extension to maintain maximal tension on the triceps.
 
At first, your bodyweight will probably suffice as the means of resistance. As you get stronger, you can progressively increase the resistance by holding a dumbbell between your legs or by hooking a plate or dumbbell in the specialized chin/dip belt. There are a lot of models on the market, but I prefer the ones that consist of standard leather lifting belts with hooks sewn into the belt. Belts that tree climbers use are the best, and can be bought on eBay for pennies to the dollar. Of course, adding chains to the belt will help match the resistance curve even better.
 
And please, don’t resort to the silly Joe Lunchpail version where you put your feet on a bench in front of you and your hands behind you. This exercise, along with Smith machine pressing exercises, is one of the major causes of shoulder impingement syndrome in the bodybuilding community.
 
Okay, so it’s not realistic for you to use all these movements in any one workout. Don’t sweat it. Think of this list as kind of a Chinese menu of triceps movements, and use it to plan current and future workouts. Unfortunately, there’s no fortune cookie to go along with it. But if there were, it would say: “Your future promises long life and humongous triceps.”