Tricep Workout Finisher (Works Every Time)
Summary
Jeff Cavaliere of ATHLEANX presents a four-exercise tricep finisher designed to be performed at the end of a tricep workout. The goal is to push through muscular failure across a back-to-back combo that progressively recruits more muscle groups, allowing you to continue working even when the triceps are exhausted. By selecting a weight based on the weakest exercise in the sequence, lighter dumbbells become a serious challenge by the time later movements are reached.
Key Points
- Choose weight based on the weakest movement in the combo — what feels light going in will feel very heavy once the earlier exercises have driven the muscles to failure
- The finisher is designed to push past failure by chaining exercises that progressively involve more accessory muscles, extending the set beyond what any single exercise could achieve
- Each exercise is performed to failure before immediately moving to the next with no rest between movements
- The sequence moves from isolation to compound — starting with a strict isolation move (kickback) and ending with a bodyweight compound movement (push-up), ensuring you can always squeeze out a few more reps
- The Cobra Push-Up is highlighted as the preferred bodyweight tricep-dominant push-up variation, used as the final movement precisely because bodyweight allows continued reps even in a deeply fatigued state
- The finisher’s purpose is to ensure zero energy is left in the tank — if you can walk out of the gym feeling fresh, you didn’t work hard enough
Exercise Details
The 4-Exercise Tricep Finisher Combo
Perform all four exercises back-to-back with no rest, each taken to failure.
1. Tricep Kickback (on Incline Bench)
- Target muscles: Triceps (isolation, short head emphasis)
- Setup: Positioned inverted/face-down on an incline bench holding dumbbells
- Form cues: Controlled extension of the arm to full lockout
- Weight used (example): 30 lb dumbbells
- Reps: To failure (~12 reps demonstrated)
- Note: This is the weakest position in the combo — weight selection is based on performance here
2. Incline Dumbbell Tricep Extension
- Target muscles: long head of the triceps (stretched overhead position)
- Form cues: Elbows raised up and behind the body/overhead to maximize long head stretch
- Reps: To failure
- Note: 30 lbs would normally feel manageable on this exercise, but following the kickbacks to failure, it becomes significantly harder
3. French Press Variation (Overhead Press with Tucked Elbows)
- Target muscles: Triceps (primary), chest, anterior deltoids (secondary)
- Form cues:
- Elbows tucked tightly into the body
- Ends of dumbbells touching the shoulders at the bottom
- Press straight up overhead — similar to a close-grip bench press movement pattern
- Reps: To failure
- Note: Accessory muscle involvement allows you to push slightly further past tricep failure
4. Cobra Push-Up
- Target muscles: Triceps (dominant), chest and shoulders (secondary)
- Form cues: Standard push-up setup with a cobra-style movement pattern emphasizing tricep drive
- Reps: To failure (bodyweight allows additional reps even in deep fatigue)
- Common mistakes to avoid: Defaulting to a standard chest-dominant push-up form — the cobra variation is specifically chosen to keep triceps as the primary mover
- Note: Serves as the perfect finisher because bodyweight removes load as a limiting factor