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A tricep bar, also known as a hammer curl bar, is specifically designed to help you train and build strong triceps.
You can use other fitness equipment like the barbell or EZ bar to target and train the muscles of your upper body. But a tricep bar can help you do that more comfortably and efficiently. Thus, it can be a great addition to your home gym.
To help you save time combing the web to find the best tricep bar for your budget, our team has spent many days and weeks doing all the hard work for you. Based on our findings, we have put together a list of what we believe are the best triceps bars currently available on the market.
A quick look at our top triceps bars for your home gym
Best Tricep Bar Overall: Titan Fitness Olympic Triceps Bar
Ergonomically designed, and solidly built with a high-quality finish, and offered at a reasonable price point. Read More …
Best Tricep bar High-end: Synergee Tricep Bar
An ergonomic dream for those aiming to target and strengthen the muscles of their upper body. Has exceptional features including medium-depth knurling for a comfortable grip, rotating sleeves for ease of use, and 3 color options, including Cerakote to withstand different situations and weather conditions. Read More …
Best Tricep Bar for the Money: CAP Barbell Olympic Triceps Bar
Better suited to those with wider shoulders looking for a medium-weight bar. Has all the basics to help you achieve your goal to build your upper body. Read More …
Best Threaded Tricep Bar: Marcy Threaded Solid Chrome Triceps Bar
For beginners and light users looking to add some lifting to their training regimen, this affordable threaded tricep bar would be a very attractive option. Comes with spinlock collars to ensure the weights stay on the sleeves when exercising. Read More …
Others to consider
Fitness Maniac 34″ Olympic Tricep Hammer
If you want to add some challenge to your normal fitness routine and move things up a gear or two, this lightweight bar is worth considering. Supplied with spring lock collars to keep the weights in place. Read More …
Ader Sports Regular 34″ Tricep Solid Bar
Another lightweight bar that can set you on your lifting journey. Package comes with spring lock collars. Read More …
You will find that most of the bars in the gym, and for strength training, are straight and long. The design of these bars can put much strain and pressure on your wrists. As a result, many exercisers find it difficult to use these bars for some exercises such as tricep extensions and bicep curls.
A tricep bar is relatively shorter than other fitness training bars. Unlike other bars, it has a neutral grip. The design and shape are such that they can help you overcome the pain that is usually associated with other bars.
Best Tricep Bar That Can Help You Build Upper Body Strength
Let’s look at the best tricep bar that can help you build your upper body muscles with the budget you have in detail
Titan Fitness Olympic Triceps Bar
The Titan Fitness Olympic Triceps Bar is a high-quality design from a company known to produce very reliable and quality fitness equipment for home gyms.
Ergonomically designed for practicality, the diamond-knurled handgrips and revolving sleeves combine to give you the comfort and ease of movement you need when using the product. These also ensure your safety is not compromised in any way.
The Titan Fitness Tricep Bar is solidly built with quite good welds. Spins easily on smooth quiet bearings with hardly any squeaking. It has all the feel of a product that is built to last.
The Titan Fitness Olympic Triceps Bar can take Olympic-sized weights of up to 200 pounds. The length of the bar is good enough to ensure the weight plates do not interfere with your movements when doing your bench press or overhead extensions.
The 1-inch grip size, placed with a reasonable gap between them, makes the bar suitable for many average users. But those with larger hands may not find it very convenient to use, especially when doing the tricep bar hammer curls
Add the reasonable price point and you can’t go wrong if you are looking for a good quality tricep bar for your home gym but would not like to pay a premium price.
Pros
Cons
- High-quality steel construction with good welds
- Holds Olympic sized weights
- Ergonomic hand position for ease of use
- Diamond knurled handles for firm hand grips
- Rotating sleeves to help reduce stress on your muscles
- High-quality steel construction with good welds
- Holds Olympic sized weights
- Ergonomic hand position for ease of use
- Diamond knurled handles for firm hand grips
- Rotating sleeves to help reduce stress on your muscles
Bar Length: 34 inches | Bar Weight: 25 pounds | Weight Capacity: 200 pounds | Plate Compatibility: 2-inch (Olympic sized) plates
Synergee Tricep Bar
The Synergee Tricep Bar is our favorite.
It comes well packaged with adequate wrapping to protect the bar from damage. Take it out of the box and you will notice straight away that it is a bar that is ready to do business.
It comes in various colors, including Chrome, Black Phosphate, or Cerakote, but the red really stands out. The red version is the one to go for if you want to make a statement. The Cerakote comes with a proprietary finish that will withstand different climates and condition
The Synergee Tricep Bar is expertly designed and crafted with a high level of workmanship.
It is constructed with high-grade steel. The precision welding and high-quality finish give it the feel of a high-end product.
It has embossed medium-depth knurling grips to ensure you get the firm grip you need. The rotating sleeves make it possible for the weights to rotate as you go through your exercises. This makes the bar easy to use and helps reduce any undue stress on your muscles.
The handlebars are placed at just about the right position with enough space between them to ensure you get a good grip with the tricep bars
The Synergee Tricep Bar has a 200-pound capacity which is more than enough for most fitness enthusiasts
Given that the bar weighs 25 pounds, has 2-in diameter sleeves, and 6.5-inch long sleeves, the Synergee Tricep Bar is the bar to aim for if you are serious about building your triceps, back, and arm muscles
Pros
Cons
- High build quality
- Different color options
- Cerakote finish to withstand different weather and conditions
- Expertly designed with good ergonomic
- Medium-depth knurling for a better grip
- Rotating sleeves for ease of use
- Precision welding for a high-quality finish
- Replacement Warranty
- Very good value, given the many features
- Priced at the higher end of your budget
Bar Length: 34 inches | Bar Weight: 25 pounds | Weight Capacity: 200 pounds | Plate Compatibility: 2-inch (Olympic sized) plates | Color Options: Chrome, Black Phosphate, Red Cerakote
If you’re looking for the best – and you are happy to pay a bit more for quality and a great looking product – this is the tricep bar to go for.
You can buy it through Amazon. Or buy it directly from Synergee Fitness and get 10% off the advertised price if you use the CODE: LIVELIFE196 at the checkout.
CAP Barbell Olympic Triceps Bar
Weighing just 20 pounds, the CAP Barbell Olympic Triceps Bar is lighter than those from Synergee and Titan fitness. Thus, it will be more suitable for someone looking for a medium-weight bar. But it can still take up to 200 pounds of Olympics discs.
Also, compared with the Titan tricep bar, the 2 handles are much further apart. This may be a good feature, especially if you have wider shoulders, or intend to do such exercises as hammer curls with tricep bar. But, smaller exercisers may find the handles too wide apart compared to many standard tricep bars.
Those with bigger hands may also find the 1-inch size of the handles too small to offer them a good grip.
The revolving sleeves for the CAP tricep bar work quite well, making it easy to use the tricep bar.
While the build quality of the CAP Triceps Bar is good, it is not of the highest quality.
It is constructed with solid steel and comes with medium depth knurling to help give you a good grip. But, the knurling seems a bit rough, thus we will recommend wearing gloves to protect your hands.
The welding looks solid, though better attention could have been paid to the finishing.
It comes with basic collars. Thus, it may be better to get something different, such as snap collars, especially if you intend to change weights regularly
Despite the limitations, the CAP Triceps Bar is still a much better product than many of those on the market.
There are 2 versions of the bar available – one with rubber grips, aimed at those who prefer to train without gloves. The standard version, which sells at a lower price, comes without rubber grips.
And the relatively low price point makes it a very attractive option for those on a budget.
Pros
Cons
- Attractive price point
- Widely-spaced handles would suit those with wider shoulders
- Wide grip handles may not suit those with narrow shoulders
- Below par quality finish
- Lighter weight may not suit heavy lifters
- Basic collars
Bar Length: 34 inches | Bar Weight: 19 pounds | Weight Capacity: 200 pounds | Plate Compatibility: 2-inch (Olympic sized) plates
Marcy Threaded Triceps Bar
The Marcy Threaded Triceps Bar is a smaller lightweight threaded solid chrome triceps bar weighing just 15 pounds. Thus, it seems to be aimed more at light users than serious exercisers who want to build their upper muscles
It comes with knurled handles. However, the knurling seems to be much smoother than we’ve seen on other bars. Thus, it is not easy trying to get a firm grip, especially when using heavier weights.
Also, unlike others, the bar does not have revolving sleeves. This means it could add undue stress to your muscles and grip.
The Mercy Triceps Bar will work with standard 1-inch weight plates. You can hold the weights in place with two spinlock collars. It seems the producers have taken on board complaints from earlier buyers that the spinlock collars fail at times, causing the weight to come off the bar. The latest version comes with rubber O rings and they seem to be quite good at holding the weights in place.
The build quality, including the welding, and overall finish of the fitness equipment looks very acceptable. Thus, it could serve you well for a considerable period.
The price point is also very friendly and many will see it as a very attractive option to start their upper muscle-building journey with.
Pros
Cons
- Build quality and finish
- Comes with rubber O rings to help keep the weights in place
- Acceptable spacing between the handles
- Very small and lightweight
- Sleeves do not revolve
- Knurling seems a bit smooth to give a good grip
Bar Length: 34 inches | Bar Weight: 16 pounds | Weight Capacity: ? pounds | Plate Compatibility: 1-inch (Standard sized) plates
Fitness Maniac 34″ Olympic Tricep Hammer
The build quality and finish of the Fitness Maniac Tricep Hammer seem quite good.
It is designed to take Olympic plates, has ergonomic handgrips and revolving sleeves for ease of use.
The handles come with knurling. But these seem to be a bit shallow to offer a very firm grip
The only downside is the high price point. The Fitness Maniac Tricep Hammer weighs 16 pounds. Thus, it is also much lighter in weight, compared to others. But it is worth considering if you are looking for a lighter bar to help you meet your fitness goals
Pros
Cons
- Build quality
- Supplied with spring lock collars
- Suitable for beginners and intermediate users
- High price point
- Lightweight, will not suit seasoned lifters
- Basic knurling may not be that effective
Bar Length: 34 inches | Bar Weight: 16 pounds | Weight Capacity: ? pounds | Plate Compatibility: 2-inch (Olympic sized) plates
Ader Sports Regular 34″ Tricep Solid Bar
The Ader Sports Regular 34″ Tricep Solid Bar is another lightweight tricep bar worth considering if you are at the beginning of your lifting journey.
The fitness equipment seems solid and well-built with a reasonably good finish.
It takes standard 1-inch weight plates and it is supplied with spring collars to help keep the weight in place when in use. As some reviewers have rightly stated, the collars are not that great but can do the job for a while.
The build quality and finish are not very exceptional, but acceptable
Pros
Cons
- Acceptable build quality
- Package comes with spring lock collars
- Will be good for beginners and some intermediate users
- High price point
- Lightweight, may not be suitable for experienced lifters
- Basic knurling may not suit everybody
Bar Length: 34 inches | Bar Weight: 17 pounds | Weight Capacity: ? pounds | Plate Compatibility: 1-inch (Standard sized) plates
What Is a Tricep Bar or Hammer Curl Bar?
A tricep bar or Hammer Curl bar is a barbell or fitness equipment made up of two parallel (or more) handles fitted into an oval-shaped cage.
Designed in many cases to put maximum concentration on your triceps, you can use a triceps bar for isolation exercises such as hammer curls, front raises, and triceps extensions. You can also use it for exercises like close grip bench press which is a compound exercise
Benefits of A Tricep Bar
- A tricep bar helps you train your triceps without putting much stress on your wrist, forearms, and elbows as it happens when using a barbell for those exercises.
- If you include shoulder-intensive exercises in your training regimen, using a tricep bar can help isolate your biceps and triceps with no damage to your shoulders
- By employing the neutral grip or hammer grip feature of the bar, you can use the highest amount of muscle mass available to you. This allows you to do more and help you build more strength when doing pull-ups, bicep curls, and similar exercises.
- The tricep bar can also allow you to hold the bar at different angles. This makes it possible for you to make many different curling movements, and hopefully, achieve better results. This can also help reduce the risk of muscle pain
- When doing the neutral grip, your palms face each other. Such a position makes it possible for you to target your brachialis, a muscle that lies between your triceps and bicep. Being able to effectively target the brachialis is believed to be the key to growing bigger and stronger arms.
Tricep Bar vs EZ Curl Bar
The main difference is between the tricep bar and EZ Curl Bar the grip on the bars. This may seem trivial but the way you hold each bar during your training could determine the stress you put on your muscles and the results you get.
By utilizing the neutral grip of the tricep bar you can hold the bar much more tightly and comfortably without putting much pressure on your forearms and associated muscles. This can also expand the number of exercises at your disposal. Thus, you have the chance to build your muscles without compromising your safety.
You don’t get the same luxury when training with an EZ Curl Bar.
Using an underhand grip on an EZ Curl Bar, for example, could be painful and could put much stress on your wrists.
Similarly, you are likely to struggle with wrist strength when using the overhand position.
Despite the above, both bars play a different role in your journey to build your upper body muscles
Why Use a Tricep Bar?
- Makes it possible to utilize the neutral grip or hammer grip during your workout
- Possible to isolate your muscles to target your brachialis to help you build massive hands
- Makes it possible for you to do exercises involving curls and extensions more effectively
Limitations Of the Tricep Bar
- The shape could make it difficult to use the bar for some exercises
- Very limited grip variation and width. This can reduce the number of exercises available to do with the triceps bar
Why Use an EZ Curl Bar
- More grip positions and therefore more exercises
- Exercises like the bicep curls are easier to do
- Helps activate and target some muscles better
- Lighter and safer to use, compared to a barbell
Limitations Of the EZ Curl Bar
- While the strain on your wrist may not be as bad as what you will experience when using a straight bar, it could still be an issue for some
- You cannot use the hammer grip or neutral grip
The Most Important Factors to Consider When Buying a Tricep Bar
Frame Material
This will determine how much weight you can load on the bar.
A tricep bar made with solid steel will usually take more weight than one made with hollow metal A bar made with plastic may not withstand intensive use. Thus, irrespective of your budget a tricep bar constructed with solid steel should be the type to aim for.
Type of Sleeves
The sleeves are where you put the weights or discs.
There are 2 types
Olympic Sleeves
These are usually smooth with no threads. Generally, these can support more weights. You may need clamps to help keep the weight in place if the bar you opt for does not come with clamps.
Threaded Sleeves
These have threads on the sleeves that allow you to screw the weight on. While they may be more secure, some are known to fail with time.
The other limitation is that most threaded bars tend to hold less weight compared to the Olympic sleeve versions. Thus, these are more suited to casual users than serious fitters
Weight Capacity
If you aim to do lighter exercises and movements, then, a tricep bar that can support up to 100 pounds might do. But for those looking to build serious muscle, your goal should be for one with a weight capacity of about 200 pounds
Knurling: Quality, Distribution, and Balance
The knurling is the design carved into the handles of the triceps bar to help you get a good grip.
Ideally, medium knurling is preferred by most lifters. This type of knurling is not too aggressive to cause blisters or damage to your hands It is also not smooth to the extent that your hands slip when you sweat.
Brand Reputation and Customer Service
Some manufacturers have a track record for exceptional designs, high build quality, and good customer service. Buying from a company with such a track record could be a ticket to peace of mind.
Customer Reviews
There could be some question marks as to the reliability of customer reviews.
But these could on many occasions indicate the level of quality for a product. Thus, a fitness equipment with many hundred or thousand positive reviews could be a sign that many buyers of the product are satisfied with its quality and performance
Final Words From LiveLIfe
A tricep bar may not be high on the list of many planning to build and equip a home gym. That may be the case, given that you can use a barbell for all the exercises. Thus, many may even skip its purchase completely.
But tricep bar workouts could help you target specific muscles and perform many different exercises that you may struggle or find uncomfortable to do with a straight bar. Adding one to your gym equipment could help you achieve some very good results without putting your safety and comfort at risk.
A Triceps bar has some very important roles to play in our fitness journey. You should see it as part of your garage gym setup, and we hope the information we have given would help you decide which one to go for.
Can you use a tricep bar for curls?
Yes. A tricep bar is also known as a hammer curl bar. As implied in the name, they make it possible for you to do hammer curls without using dumbbells. Hammer curls help you train your biceps and upper arms. Hammer curls are one of the principal exercises that the tricep bars are noted for.
Are tricep bars any good?
Yes. Tricep bars can be a very good addition to your home gym equipment and fitness training regimen.
They make it possible for you to isolate your bicep and triceps, and in doing so, help you directly target those muscles that can help give you massive arms.
Unlike barbells, the grip handles make it easier for you to work out more comfortably and efficiently without putting much strain on your forearms and wrist. They also make it possible for you to introduce variations into your workout to enable you to achieve better results
How much does a tricep bar weigh?
A tricep bar could weigh anywhere between 15 pounds and 40 pounds. But, the weight you go for must match your fitness goals. Lighter weights are more suited to light users and beginners, while power and seasoned lifters will find that bars weighing more than 20 pounds will help them build and tone their upper muscles much better.
Why Trust LiveLife?
Tonny Sly has been in the fitness industry for many years, both as a writer and a fitness enthusiast. As a researcher, analyst, therapist, and health fanatic Tonny enjoys and likes investigating and studying nutrition, health, and wellness issues. Tonny has been practicing yoga and other related disciplines since the 1970s. Every product you will find recommended on this page has been carefully selected. They have all been tried, tested, and honestly reviewed by many people with diverse experiences.
References
- Triceps extension. (n.d.).
acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/exercise-library/74/triceps-extension - Young S, et al. (2014). ACE study reveals best biceps exercises.
acefitness.org/education-and-resources/professional/prosource/august-2014/4933/ace-study-reveals-best-biceps-exercises - Anders, M. American Council on Exercise. ACE-sponsored Research: Best Triceps Exercises.
- Boehler B, et al. (2012). ACE study identifies best triceps exercises.
acefitness.org/certifiednewsarticle/3008/ace-study-identifies-best-triceps-exercises/ - Kovar, E. American Council on Exercise. 6 Triceps Brachii Exercises for Stronger Triceps. September 30, 2016.