From the Lab

Triceps Training for the Slim Woman: 135–160 lbs, Recomp Phase

Name: XPERFORMANCELAB
Rating: 5.0

          May 29, 2026
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          By Xavier Savage
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          Slim
        

Triceps Training for the Slim Woman: 135–160 lbs, Recomp Phase

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If you’re a woman at 135 to 160 pounds who has done countless tricep kickbacks with light dumbbells and seen minimal change in the back of your arms, the issue is not the exercise – it is the loading. Kickbacks with 5‑pound dumbbells produce no progressive overload stimulus over time.

I’m Xavier Savage, a personal trainer based in Houston, Texas. The tricep is the larger muscle group on your upper arm – it makes up approximately two‑thirds of your upper arm’s mass – and it will not change at weights that do not challenge it. I work with women in your exact weight range and phase through XPL online programming across the US, Canada, and the UK, and under‑loaded tricep training is one of the most universal mistakes I find when I take on new clients in the Slim archetype.

Tricep Anatomy

The tricep has three heads. The long head runs from your shoulder blade along the back of your upper arm to your elbow – it is the largest head and the one responsible for overall arm mass visible from behind. It is best trained in the stretched position: overhead tricep extensions. The lateral head creates the horseshoe shape visible from the side of your arm when your elbow is extended. It is emphasized in all pressing movements and push‑down exercises with a pronated grip. The medial head is the deepest and provides power for all tricep movements.

Together, the triceps make up about 60% of your upper arm’s muscle mass. This is why tricep development has a greater impact on total arm appearance than bicep development. Women who focus exclusively on bicep curls while neglecting triceps are developing 40% of their arm while the other 60% remains underdeveloped. Both are required for complete arm development at the Slim archetype’s visual goal.

Objection: “Training the Back of My Arms Will Make Them Look Bigger”

Developing your triceps does not make your arms look bigger in the soft, undefined way that concerns most women. What it does is replace the soft, unstructured appearance at the back of your upper arm with the tight, defined appearance of developed muscle. Trained triceps look smaller at rest than untrained upper arms with the same measurements because developed muscle has a different texture and density. The visual change is from soft and undefined to tight and structured. These are not the same thing.

The Exact Triceps Protocol

Exercise 1: Overhead Tricep Extension (Dumbbell)

Sit upright on a bench. Hold one dumbbell with both hands behind your head – both palms flat against the inner plate, elbows pointing toward the ceiling. From this overhead position, extend your elbows to raise the dumbbell straight up until your arms are fully extended overhead. Lower under control back to the starting position behind your head. The overhead position stretches the long head maximally before the extension movement – this stretched position provides the long head’s primary growth stimulus.

Sets: 3. Reps: 12. Rest: 75 seconds. Starting weight: 20‑25 pounds. Progressive overload: add 2.5‑5 pounds when all 3 sets are completed. Common mistake: flaring your elbows out to the sides – keep elbows pointing toward the ceiling throughout to maintain long head emphasis.

Exercise 2: Cable Tricep Pushdown (Rope Attachment)

Set a cable at the highest position with a rope attachment. Stand facing the machine, grip the rope ends with both hands, elbows tucked at your sides. Press the rope downward by extending your elbows until both arms are fully extended. At the bottom, split the rope ends apart by pulling them outward – this adds a peak contraction that a straight‑bar pushdown does not allow. Let the rope rise back to starting position under control.

Sets: 4. Reps: 15. Rest: 60 seconds. Starting weight: 25‑35 pounds. Progressive overload: add 5 pounds when all 4 sets of 15 are completed with full elbow extension and rope split. Common mistake: allowing your elbows to drift forward – elbows must stay fixed at your sides throughout.

Exercise 3: Close‑Grip Bench Press or Close‑Grip Push‑Up

For close‑grip push‑up: hands placed directly below your shoulders – narrower than the standard push‑up position. Lower your chest to the floor while keeping your elbows close to your sides – do not flare them. Press back to start. This is the primary compound tricep exercise and allows heavier loading than any isolation movement.

Sets: 3. Reps: 10. Rest: 90 seconds. Starting weight for barbell: 45‑65 pounds. Progressive overload: add 5 pounds when all sets are completed. Common mistake: in push‑ups, allowing elbows to flare out – this shifts load from triceps to chest and shoulders.

Exercise 4: Tricep Dip (Bench or Parallel Bars)

Sit on the edge of a bench with hands gripping the edge beside your hips. Walk your feet forward and lower your body by bending your elbows – your back stays close to the bench, elbows travel straight back behind you. Lower until your elbows reach 90 degrees. Press back to start.

Sets: 3. Reps: 12. Rest: 75 seconds. Progressive overload: add a weight plate to your lap when bodyweight becomes easy. Common mistake: allowing your elbows to flare outward – elbows must travel directly backward to maintain tricep emphasis.

Timeline

Week 4: Back‑of‑arm firmness increasing at rest. Pushdown resistance should have increased from starting weight.

Week 12: Horseshoe shape visible from the side when your arm is extended. Long‑head mass visible from behind with your arm elevated.

Complete arm development picture: see the biceps protocol for the pulling chain counterpart. For the dietary framework supporting arm recomp, see the high‑protein protocol. Take the XPL Archetype Quiz to confirm your full program placement.

I train clients in person in Houston, Texas and work with people across the US, Canada, and the UK online through XPL. Take the XPL Archetype Quiz to get your exact protocol, or visit xperformancelab.com/plans-pricing to work with me directly.

The standards behind the standards. — Xavier Savage, XPL Xesthetic Performance Labs, Houston, TX