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The Titan Olympic Tricep Bar was our top pick because of its great build quality and affordable price. The knurled handles and Olympic sleeves make it the perfect bar for any home gym.
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- Olympic sleeves
- Premium build quality
- Aesthetic look
- Multiple grip options
- Cambered design
- More versatility
The triceps bar may be the answer to all your problems if you have sagging arms or nagging injuries. The neutral grips of the bar activate your triceps like no other bar can, while the neutral grips save your shoulders and wrists. After lots of testing, the team at FitDominium determined that the Titan Tricep Bar was the best tricep bar on the market. The combination of an affordable price and great quality made the Titan Tricep Bar hard to beat.
In this guide, we will break down all of the best tricep bars on the market and discuss some of the keys to tricep bar training.
Best Tricep Bars 2023
Every single bar on this list has been tested hands-on by the team of personal trainers and athletes at FitDominium. Aside from testing, the team also compared specs, customer reviews, and pricing.
- Best Tricep Bars 2023
- Titan Olympic Tricep Bar: Best Overall Tricep Bar
- Bells of Steel Industrial Tricep Bar: Best Premium Tricep Bar
- Bells Of Steel Arch Nemesis Bar: Best Multi-Grip Bar
- CAP Olympic Triceps Bar: Best Budget Tricep
- Power Systems Olympic Tricep Bar: Best Tricep Bar On Amazon
- Tricep Bar Benefits
- What Makes A Good Tricep Bar?
- How Do We Test Bars?
- FAQs
Titan Olympic Tricep Bar: Best Overall Tricep Bar
Pros
- Very affordable
- Great build quality
- Good knurling
- Rotating sleeves
- Fits standard weights and collars
Cons
- Lower weight capacity at 200lbs
- Only 1-year warranty
Summary
The Titan Tricep Bar takes top honors for being the best overall bar for most people on this list. This is the bar I personally use and has lots to like. On top of all this, it is actually one of the cheaper bars on this list making it a great value proposition.
The bar itself weighs about 22 pounds and is finished in chrome. Just based on looks, I found the black to look very nice. In the hands, the bar felt stable with a decent knurling.
The great thing about this bar is that it has Olympic sleeves. This means you can use your regular weights and collars on this bar as well. The sleeves also rotate, taking even less stress off your joints.
The area where this bar makes compromises are in the weight capacity. With a weight capacity of 200 lbs, it does not stack up as well as some other bars here. However, since most people will not need more than 200 lbs, I do not really think this is a problem. Overall, the bar simply gets the job done for a great price.
Bells of Steel Industrial Tricep Bar: Best Premium Tricep Bar
Pros
- Cerakote coating
- Gold Titanium Sleeves
- Looks amazing
- Lifetime warranty
- 330 lb weight capacity
- Can use regular Olympic plates and collars
Cons
- Expensive for a tricep bar
Summary
If you truly just want the very best tricep bar on the market, regardless of price, you can’t go wrong with the Bells of Steel Industrial Tricep Bar.
For starters, it just looks and feels like a very high-quality product, The titanium-plated sleeves, and the gold-and-black combination really make it stand out against other tricep bars on this list.
Quality materials are used all around this bar because, on top of titanium-coated sleeves, the bar is also coated in Cerakote. Cerakote is one of the resistance barbell coatings there is. The build quality is also obvious with a 330 lb weight capacity—more than anyone will ever really need but good to have regardless.
For actual use, I found that this bar had a pretty good medium knurling. The neutral handles and rotating sleeves made the bar feel really smooth and comfortable during all of the testing.
As a whole, this bar is probably overkill since most people will just be using their tricep bar for skull crushers and hammer curls. But, the look and feel of this bar is incredible. If you have the money to spare, this tricep bar is the best on the market.
Bells Of Steel Arch Nemesis Bar: Best Multi-Grip Bar
Pros
- More grip options mean more versatility
- Cambered for a greater range of motion
- Light and compact at 24 lbs
- Lifetime warranty
- Knurled grips
- Great value for the cost
Cons
- No fully neutral grip
- Sleeves require specialty collars
If you like the idea of a tricep bar but are looking for even more versatility with a multi-grip bar, the Bells Of Steel Arch Nemesis bar provides the best value on the market.
Multi-grip bars can essentially be thought of as larger tricep bars with more grip options. The higher number of grips makes the bars more suitable for pressing and other exercises that are not mostly arm focused. In the case of the Arch Nemesis bar, it comes with a camber to increase your range of motion.
In the case of the Arch Nemesis Bar, we already named it the best multi grip bar due to the quality and value it provides. With plenty of grip options and even an option to use it as a cable attachment, this bar really is the king of versatility.
During our testing, we found that the bar worked great for all of the movements you may typically want to do with a tricep bar like extensions or hammer curls. The knurling and angle grips added an extra level of comfort.
If you were looking for a tricep bar but want something that can do what a tricep bar can do with even more versatility, the Arch Nemesis Bar is a great option. You will have to spend a bit more compared to getting a tricep bar, but I really think that everything you get in addition is worth it.
CAP Olympic Triceps Bar: Best Budget Tricep
Pros
- Very affordable
- Can use regular plates and collars
- Does the basics right
Cons
- Passive knurling
- 30-day warranty
- The powder coat will chip easily
If you really just want the bare bones, the CAP Tricep Bar is hard to beat. During our testing, we found that the bar did all of the basics correctly for a very low price.
The bar itself is nothing special. The coating is a powder coat. You can expect this to fade and chip as you use it more and more. The knurling was also very passive. It felt almost like there was none there. For most people though, this will not really be a big deal since they will be doing arm isolation work for the most part.
The weight limit is also fairly low at 200 lbs compared to the other bars on this list. However, this should still be more than enough for most people.
Overall, the bar has some limitations and questions in terms of durability, but nothing that would stop me from recommending this bar as the budget pick. Despite the low price, you can still get years’ worth of quality workouts from this bar.
Power Systems Olympic Tricep Bar: Best Tricep Bar On Amazon
Pros
- Rubber grips
- Long 7″ sleeves
- On Amazon
- Can use regular plates and collars
- Good build quality
Cons
- 30-day return policy
For many people, Amazon is the place they do most of their shopping, thanks to how easy it is. With this in mind, we all also tested some of the most popular triceps bars on Amazon. The best one by far was the Power Systems Tricep Bar.
The unique thing about this bar is that it has rubber handles. Personally, I prefer knurling, but I can see why some people would like the rubber. The rubber handles were very comfortable and were even textured to help with grip.
During our use, the bar just also just felt very heavy duty. With 7″ sleeves, you also have plenty of loading room to get as much weight on there as you want. The zinc alloy finish should also provide some resistance to corrosion.
Overall, the Power Systems bar is actually a quality bar. If you are one of those people that just likes the ease of Amazon, you cannot really find a better tricep bar on there than this one.
Tricep Bar Benefits
Here is why a tricep bar is a great addition to any home gym:
Shoulder and Wrist Saver
Anybody who has lifted consistently knows that injuries in your shoulders and wrists are some of the most common, especially during pressing movements. Even if you are very careful, you are bound to have some injuries in these areas from time to time.
The tricep bar helps relieve some of this stress with a neutral grip. The neutral position ensures that your elbows stay tucked in to protect your elbows. Your wrists are also protected, as it is harder for them to bend back and get injured.
Bigger Triceps
The tricep bar is called that for a reason, The bar really does a great job transferring the majority of the load to your triceps during any movement. Whether it is skull crushers or bench, if you use this bar, you will feel a positive impact on your arms.
Considering that your triceps make up about 2/3 of your upper arm, getting big and powerful triceps is crucial for having big arms.
Variation
Many people make the mistake of assuming that the tricep bar can only be used for direct tricep work. But the truth is that you can do so many different kinds of tricep bar exercises:
- Skulls Crushers
- Hammer Curls
- Overhead Press
- Front Raise
- Tricep Extensions
- Bent Over Rows
- Pullovers
- Close Grip Bench
Check out our tricep bar workout guide, to see how you can even design a whole workout with this bar.
What Makes A Good Tricep Bar?
During our evaluation, our team set out some clear standards for testing every tricep bar. Whether you are getting one off our list or looking for one on your own, these are the main things you should look out for:
Handles
The main thing you want to look for in the handles is quality knurling. You probably will not need the knurling for grip strength, but it is still good to have and the sign of a quality bar. You are also going to want to pay attention to the height of the handles. You need enough space for your hands but not so much that the bar becomes unstable.
Coating
The coating will impact the overall durability and look of the bar over time. Coatings like cerakote and stainless steel are much more durable and corrosion-resistant. Meanwhile, a powder coat is more likely to chip or fade.
Sleeves
For the sleeves, the main thing you want to look at is whether they are Olympic or not. This is important because if they are not, they will not work with standard weight plates. You will have to go out and buy specialty weights and collars.
The next thing you want to look at is whether or not the sleeves spin. This is not a dealbreaker but sleeves that rotate will even further the amount of strain that is placed on your wrist.
Weight Capacity
Weight capacity is how much weight the bar can actually hold. Since you likely will not be lifting too heavy, this should not be a problem for most people. But if you are a stronger person or just want a more heavy-duty bar, the weight capacity is a good indicator.
Warranty
We do not think that your tricep bar will snap in half, but it is always nice to have peace of mind. Lifetime warranties are always viewed as a plus.
Price and Value
Lastly, you should really always be comparing the price with the actual value that you are getting. Some bars may be better built or have more features, but how much are they really charging for minor quality improvements? A bar that is way cheaper is only slightly “worse” and will always have better value.
How Do We Test Bars?
Within our team, we have decades’ worth of lifting experience. We have everything from personal trainers, and former athletes, to casual lifters. We let each person try the bar and then conclude as a team to get our final thoughts on the product.
Each bar is taken through a series of workouts that the typical buyer would typically take it through. After we get these impressions, we start looking at specs, prices, reviews, and other information.
For a more detailed guide, check out our product rating criteria.
FAQs
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Daniel Mesa, CPT, is a trusted fitness expert and founder of FitDominium. With his extensive experience and commitment to helping others, Daniel is the go-to source for reliable fitness advice and recommendations.