Fitness Volt
  • News
    • Bodybuilding
    • Strongman
    • Powerlifting
    • Armwrestling
    • CrossFit
    • Results
    • Arnold Classic
    • Mr. Olympia
    • 2025 WSM
  • Workouts
    • Training
    • Workout Plans
    • Celebrity Workouts
    • Training Programs
    • Mastering The Deadlift
  • Exercise Guides
    • Muscle Groups
    • Arms
    • Back
    • Chest
    • Core
    • Legs and Glutes
    • Mobility & Stretching
    • Shoulders
    • Yoga
  • Nutrition
    • Diet
    • Fasting
    • Diet Plans
    • Nutrition Tips
    • Supplements
    • Reviews
    • Food Facts
  • Calculators
  • More
    • Forum
    • Strength Standards
    • DIY
    • Profiles
    • Motivation
    • Videos
    • MMA
No Result
View All Result
Fitness Volt
  • News
    • Bodybuilding
    • Strongman
    • Powerlifting
    • Armwrestling
    • CrossFit
    • Results
    • Arnold Classic
    • Mr. Olympia
    • 2025 WSM
  • Workouts
    • Training
    • Workout Plans
    • Celebrity Workouts
    • Training Programs
    • Mastering The Deadlift
  • Exercise Guides
    • Muscle Groups
    • Arms
    • Back
    • Chest
    • Core
    • Legs and Glutes
    • Mobility & Stretching
    • Shoulders
    • Yoga
  • Nutrition
    • Diet
    • Fasting
    • Diet Plans
    • Nutrition Tips
    • Supplements
    • Reviews
    • Food Facts
  • Calculators
  • More
    • Forum
    • Strength Standards
    • DIY
    • Profiles
    • Motivation
    • Videos
    • MMA
No Result
View All Result
Fitness Volt
No Result
View All Result
Home » Workouts » Arms

Exercises for Building Bodybuilder Triceps And To Train All ‘Heads’

Written by Editorial Team

Last Updated on4 January, 2017 | 9:00 PM EDT

Ask Question?

Triceps muscle is one muscle composed of three heads. To get bigger triceps you have to be sure that you are doing triceps exercises that hit every one of the three heads of the muscle in your tricep workouts. In this video, I show you some examples of exercises for your triceps that do just that. I am going to demonstrate how to get bigger triceps by attacking the long head, medial head and lateral head of this muscle for maximum size.

First, it is easiest to concentrate on the long head of the triceps since it is unique in its origin. This head of the tricep muscle doesn’t originate on the upper arm bone but actually on the shoulder blade or scapula. This means that it crosses the shoulder joint and can have actions on the motion at the shoulder joint. In the case of the long head, it can extend the arm behind the body when maximally contracted. This is important since you want to know how to stretch it and place more tension on the muscle when picking exercises to target this head favorably.

In order to do this, you want to find exercises that allow you to place your arms up overhead (which will stretch the long head of the triceps slightly and increase the tension that it can generate because of this). Tricep exercises like push aways or even lying dumbbell extensions and French presses are going to put your arm in this position safely. An overhead dumbbell extension is not as ideal however since it does jeopardize the health of your shoulder due to excessive internal rotation while performing it.

Before moving on to the other two heads, however, I do want to address the concept of active insufficiency. This happens when you maximally shorten the muscle that crosses the two joints by putting both joints at their end range. In the case of the long head, you would extend the elbow at the same time that you prolong the arm behind the body. This position, while generating less tension does generate an incredible contraction as the muscle fibers are maximally shortened. Some argue not to train here, while I totally disagree. This position is very helpful for getting people to feel a contraction and improve mind-muscle awareness which will carry over to better workouts overall.

Get Fitter, Faster

Level Up Your Fitness: Join our 💪 strong community in Fitness Volt Newsletter. Get daily inspiration, expert-backed workouts, nutrition tips, the latest in strength sports, and the support you need to reach your goals. Subscribe for free!

Please wait...
You're In! Let's Crush Your Fitness Goals Together

Expect expert-backed workouts, nutrition advice, the latest in strength sports, and a whole lot of motivation heading your way.

Feel free to include the triceps kickback and cobra push-up as exercises that you can do at the beginning of your tricep workouts to wake up the muscles and help you establish a strong mind muscle connection from the outset.

Next, you have to cover the medial and lateral heads of the tricep muscles. The fundamental difference in exercises for each of these tricep heads is the position of the arms and elbows during the extension of the elbow. Just like with the quads in leg extensions, if you turn your arm in during a pushdown or similar exercise, you will focus more on the outer or lateral head of the triceps. On the contrary, if you turn your arm out our underhand, you will focus more of the attention on the medial head.

There are many tricep exercises that you can do and only some of them are shown in this video. The key is, the science behind their selection will not change. In order to maximally work the triceps in any workout, you will want to hit them from all angles by choosing exercises that hit every head.


This article is written by a member of the Fitness Volt Editorial Staff. If you have any questions or require further clarification about this article, please leave a comment below. The Fitness Volt team will get back to you as soon as possible.

Stay on top of the latest fitness news and updates by adding Fitness Volt to your Google News feed: Follow us on Google News You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for even more content.
Facebook Twitter Reddit Flipboard LinkedIn Pinterest
Categories: Arms Workouts
Previous Post

WATCH: Shawn Rhoden vs Dennis Wolf At Arnold Classic 2014

Next Post

WATCH: Jay Cutler’s Best Olympia Moment – Complete Interview

Editorial Team

Editorial Team

Fitness Volt Team, Your #1 source for workouts, news, analysis, opinion, and entertainment in bodybuilding & fitness sports.

Related

Brett Wilkin
Bodybuilding

Brett Wilkin Ramps Up Intensity With Controlled Push Day Workout 14 Weeks From Olympia to Maintain Size and Strength

Jeremy Buendia
Bodybuilding

How Jeremy Buendia Transformed His Upper Body Workout and Training Style to Maximize Muscle Growth Ahead of Olympia 2025

Phil Heath
Bodybuilding

Phil Heath Prioritizes Controlled Reps and Muscle Contraction During Upper Body Workout

Pro Bodybuilder
Bodybuilding

Pro Bodybuilder Reveals His 5 Most Effective Exercises for Growing Huge Delts

Alan Ritchson
News

Alan Ritchson Shows Off Ripped Upper Body, Hits ‘Low-Ish Weight & High Volume’ Workout for Hypertrophy and Longevity

Arnold Schwarzenegger
Bodybuilding

Mr. Olympia Icons Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronnie Coleman Team Up for Delt and Arm Workout at Gold’s Gym Venice

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest

Stiff Hips? Do This One Daily Exercise to Unstick & Strengthen

Keone Pearson Looks Huge in Latest Physique Update 14 Weeks Before Title Defense at 2025 Mr. Olympia

Mr. Beast Challenges Brian Shaw To a Tug-of-War Against a Lion

Lee Priest Reveals His Top Barbell Exercises for a Massive Back

Jay Cutler Explains His Current Training Split at 51 Years Old

Spring Power Surge: 3 Overlooked Exercises to Add 10lbs to Your Bench Press by Summer

Fitness Volt

At Fitness Volt, our mission is to empower every individual on their fitness journey by providing expert advice, the latest research, and comprehensive resources. Whether you are a beginner or an elite athlete, we are here to support your goals with trustworthy and up-to-date information in strength, fitness, and nutrition. Read more.

For inquiries, please contact us at:
Email: [email protected]

About Us | Careers | Contact Form

Topics

  • Mr. Olympia
  • Bodybuilding
  • Strongman
  • WSM
  • Powerlifting
  • CrossFit
  • Workouts
  • Exercises
  • Training
  • Reviews
  • Nutrition
  • Discussion Forum

More

  • Calculators
  • Fasting
  • Mastering The Deadlift
  • Workout Plans
  • At-Home Workouts
  • Programs
  • Supplements
  • Newsletter
  • Review Process
  • Accessibility
  • Advertise
  • Syndication
  • Sitemap
  • DMCA
  • Copyrights
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Disclaimer

© Copyright 2010 - 2024 Fitness Volt IBC. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Bodybuilding
    • Powerlifting
    • Strongman
    • Armwrestling
    • CrossFit
    • Results
    • Mr. Olympia
    • 2024 WSM
    • Arnold Classic
  • Forum
  • Workouts
    • Training
    • Workout Plans
    • Muscle Groups
    • Celebrity Workouts
    • Programs
    • Mastering The Deadlift
  • Exercise Guides
    • Arms
    • Back
    • Chest
    • Core
    • Legs and Glutes
    • Shoulders
    • Yoga
  • Nutrition
    • Diet
    • Fasting
    • Diet Plans
    • Supplements
    • Nutrition Tips
    • Reviews
    • Food Facts
  • Fitness Calculator
  • More
    • DIY
    • Strength Standards
    • Motivation
    • Videos

© Copyright 2010 - 2024 Fitness Volt IBC. All Rights Reserved.