The “Flat Triceps” Fix That Finally Built My Arms

I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with my arms. My biceps overpower my triceps, keeping me from achieving my desired physique aesthetics.

I initially overlooked this imbalance and started to pay more attention to my guns so that no one would notice my lagging tris, but as you could imagine, it only worsened the disparity. To make matters worse, I got conflicting advice from varying sources, which led to exhaustion and a lack of motivation to fix the underlying issues.

But I was committed to making it work. I spent over three days researching different tricep training techniques, which exposed a crucial gap in my current approach.

My workouts mainly focused on the lateral and medial triceps heads. I was overlooking the long head. My mind was totally blown when I realized the long tricep head is about 50% of total triceps volume.

In this article, I’ll share the exercises and workouts that helped me (and hundreds of my clients) build ripped horseshoe triceps, including overhead extensions, dips, and vital form tweaks. You will also learn how you can implement these movements in your own regimen.

Understanding Triceps Anatomy and the “Flat” Problem

“I don’t want big arms,” said no one ever.

Most lifters, including me, obsess about building bigger biceps because it is a mirror muscle, meaning you can look at them directly in the mirror while training them. Also, this is the muscle that people can see when you are facing them.

However, the triceps brachii is the largest upper arm muscle group, making up about two-thirds of the total muscle mass.

So, if you want sleeve-ripping arms, you must not skip training your triceps. This is the muscle group that will make your pythons look more dangerous from the side and the back. Understanding your triceps anatomy is the first step toward improving your workouts, as it will help you structure and program your sessions better.

Triceps have three heads:

1. Long head: The largest of the three heads, and it runs along the inside of your arm. It is also the only tricep muscle that crosses the shoulder joint.
2. Lateral head: This is the outermost muscle, which is visible from the side and back.
3. Medial head: A smaller, deeper muscle that only peeks out near the elbow.

All in all, the long triceps head comprises around 30-35% of the total upper arm muscle mass. I am pretty sure you won’t miss training this tricep head ever again. At least I won’t.

My Personal Journey: From Frustration to Breakthrough

Finishing a workout without a pump is always disappointing. But this had become the story of my life when it came to tricep workouts.

Before discovering the role of the long head in improving overall tricep mass, I mainly focused on pressing exercises. For example, cable pressdowns, close-grip bench presses, and push-ups.

While these movements can help target the lateral and medial heads, they do little to nothing for the long head.

As we discovered earlier, the long head is the only tricep muscle that crosses the shoulder and elbow joints. It means that you must incorporate movements in your workout that engage shoulders and elbows simultaneously. This was my ‘aha’ moment.

I remember going into my very next arm workout and balancing the exercises depending on each tricep head, and the muscle pumps were ballistic.

Science Behind Targeting the Long Head

I have told countless people about the structure of the long head and how it crosses both the elbow and shoulder joints. However, only a few ever understand the true meaning of this and never capitalize on this information.

Exercises like overhead cable extensions and skull crushers are some of the most popular long-head-focused exercises. But most people leave gains on the table by focusing on achieving a peak contraction while performing these movements.

Don’t get me wrong, squeezing the muscles with each rep is important. However, you can do this with any tricep exercise.

When it comes to the long head, you must focus on achieving a deep stretch, and that means flexing your elbows fully at the bottom of your range of motion. Advanced lifters can take this a step further and incorporate a little shoulder flexion during the eccentric phase to maximize target muscle fiber stimulation and spark hypertrophy.

A study published in the European Journal of Sports Science concluded that overhead triceps extension exercises lead to 40% more long head activation than pushdowns (1). This should be reason enough for you to add them to your workouts.

The Flat Triceps Fix: 3 Key Exercises

Now that you know everything there is to understand about building bigger triceps by focusing on the long head, it is time to put this knowledge to work. Below are the three exercises that should be staples in your routine:

Overhead Extensions

This move is excellent for isolating the long head as it allows you to work it through its full range of motion. There are several variations of this exercise, but I recommend the version where you stand upright because it allows for better stretch at the bottom and contraction at the top.

Set the cable pulley at waist height and fasten a V-bar handle attachment to it. Grab the handle, face away from the pulley while simultaneously lifting the handle overhead. Your elbows should be fully flexed in the starting position, and your torso must remain upright throughout the exercise.

Brace your core and extend your elbows until your arms are in a straight line. Squeeze your triceps as hard as possible in the top position. Reverse the movement with a slow and controlled motion.

Overhead extensions might look easy, but they can be challenging for people with limited overhead mobility. If this is the case with you, I highly recommend working on your flexibility before or after your workouts.

In the meantime, you can perform the bent-over variation where the cable pulley is set at the highest position, and you do this exercise while maintaining your torso parallel to the floor.

Skull Crushers

In my opinion, skull crushers are the squats of triceps training. Everyone knows about their benefits and effectiveness, but most avoid them because they can be brutal.

Here is how to perform this exercise with a picture-perfect form:

1. Sit on a flat bench with an EZ bar placed on your thighs. Grab the bar at shoulder width with an overhand grip.
2. Use your legs to lift the bar as you lie down on the bench.
3. Your arms should be extended straight and perpendicular to the floor in the starting position.
4. While keeping your elbows steady, slowly bring the bar towards your forehead while feeling a deep stretch in your triceps.
5. Hold the bottom position for a second before returning to the top.
6. Contract your triceps as hard as possible for optimal long head activation.
7. Repeat for recommended reps.

Beginners should bring the bar towards their forehead, while more experienced trainers should aim to bring it closer to the crown, as it leads to greater tricep activation.

Prioritize performing this exercise with a full range of motion and avoid chasing heavier weights, as it can increase the risk of injury. Feel free to use any equipment that helps you achieve a better mind-muscle connection.

Some of my clients prefer using the EZ for this exercise, whereas others use a straight bar or even dumbbells, depending on their unique biomechanics.

Dips

Many people assume that dips are a lateral and middle head exercise because they involve the pressing motion. However, unlike the other press-down movements, dips involve shoulder flexion during the eccentric phase and extension during the concentric movement.

The most important factor here is that you must always perform the parallel bar variation of this exercise to target the long head. Using a bench shifts the focus to the medial and lateral heads, as your shoulders are always extended throughout the movement.

Steps:

• Setup: Grab the parallel bars using an overhand grip. Extend your shoulders and elbows so that your feet are off the floor. Flex your knees at 90 degrees so your feet don’t touch the ground at the bottom of your range of motion.
• Movement: Brace your core and slowly lower towards the floor by flexing your elbows and keeping them close to your sides. Your shoulders should be in line with your elbows at the bottom. Explosively extend your elbows to return to the top.
• Pause: Hold the top and bottom position to achieve a deep stretch and contraction.

Focus on your breathing while performing this exercise, as it can improve your performance. Breathe in and hold your breath during the lowering phase. Exhale sharply during the lifting motion to generate maximum force.

Optimizing Your Routine: Programming the Fix

Earlier, I started my workouts with the usual – cable pressdowns and dumbbell kickbacks. But I reprogrammed my sessions after I realized I was overlooking the long tricep head.

Beginning your workouts with the lagging muscle group is always a good idea, as you can train them with a higher intensity as your muscles are fresh. Training them later in the workout when you are fatigued hampers your ability to push yourself to the limit with each rep.

I have since applied this training routine with hundreds of my personal training clients, and it has delivered results every single time.

That said, here is a sample workout that you can try to fire up your triceps:

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Overhead Cable Extensions	4	10-12	60 seconds
Parallel Bar Dips	3	8-10	90 seconds
EZ-Bar Skull Crushers	3	10-12	60 seconds
Close-Grip Bench Press	3	8-10	90 seconds
Cable Pushdowns (Rope)	3	12-15	60 seconds
Diamond Push-Ups	3	10-12	60 seconds

Remember, you can use this workout in your existing training program or perform the three exercises listed above during your chest or shoulder days, if you are following a different split. The key is to prioritize one or two long head moves per workout.

Finally, how often you should perform this workout will ultimately come down to your unique needs.

In my experience, doing this workout twice a week is perfect if you’re trying to fix muscle imbalances or a lagging muscle. Experienced lifters can do it once a week if their primary objective is to ensure overall development while ensuring optimal muscle stimulation.

Things To Consider

Progressive overload is the name of the game and comes to making consistent progress in the gym. You could achieve this by lifting heavier, doing more sets and reps, and increasing the training frequency.

Employing advanced training techniques like drop sets, supersets, and intra-set stretching is also an incredibly effective way to shock your muscles into growing.

Learn to listen to your body. Feel free to take an extra day off from training if you feel fatigued or are experiencing extreme delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). You must also focus on your recovery and nutrition to ensure optimal results.

Conclusion

Adding overhead cable extensions, skull crushers, and parallel bar dips into my routine helped completely transform my triceps by adding width and thickness to my upper arms. Using the right technique is key to maximizing your gains while performing these exercises.

Remember, the long tricep head is a tiny muscle group, and you don’t have to dedicate a full workout to it. Ensure enough volume during your tricep or arm workouts to unlock your maximum hypertrophy potential. Stay consistent and disciplined, and you’ll see the desired results within 6-8 weeks. Best of luck!

References:

1. Maeo S, Wu Y, Huang M, Sakurai H, Kusagawa Y, Sugiyama T, Kanehisa H, Isaka T. Triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position. Eur J Sport Sci. 2023 Jul;23(7):1240-1250. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2022.2100279. Epub 2022 Aug 11. PMID: 35819335.

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