_edited.jpg)
Introduction to Triceps training
Importance of Targeting the Lateral Head
When training the triceps muscle, it's important to understand that all tricep heads play a slightly different role in functionality and aesthetics, as every muscle group does. Here we will be talking about the importance of training the lateral head tricep and the different tricep exercises to do so.
If you've ever seen someone with a well-developed lateral head, you'll notice it looks similar to the shape of a "horseshoe", which in bodybuilding, people find aesthetically pleasing. The lateral head plays a large role in giving that "horseshoe" shape.
From a functionality standpoint, the lateral head provides most of the strength needed when performing press movements such as bench pressing and close grip bench press. So, if you're looking to increase your bench press personal record, you should probably pay attention to the exercises in this article.
Understanding Triceps Anatomy and Function
It can be difficult to target the tricep optimally without first understanding the three tricep heads it's made of. The first, and largest of the three, is the long head. located on the back of the upper arm.
The long head is responsible for the extension of the elbow joint and forearms, which means it is most activated during pull movements that utilize a full range of motion. Here are the only long head tricep exercises you need if you are looking to grow your long head optimally!
Next, the reason your probably here, is the lateral head. Also located on the upper arm but positioned towards the outside of your body. The lateral head plays a crucial role during push movements, such as flat bench and bench dips. It also helps to contribute to the overall thickness of your arm, which will help to fill out those shirt sleeves! Keep reading to learn the best lateral head tricep exercises for maximum activation.
The last of the three triceps heads is the medial head. Now it may seem insignificant being the smallest tricep head, but it still plays in important role in elbow extension and overall tricep development. It assists the long head during extension movements and in overall arm stability. It also engages most during movements requiring precise control of the forearm and hand, contributing to the overall endurance for the arm muscles.
Essential Exercises for Lateral Head Triceps Development
1. Close Grip Bench Press
How To perform:
Start by loading a moderate and controllable weight onto the bar
Lie flat on the bench with your feet firmly planted, squeezing your shoulder blades and retracting them down
Grab the bar with your hands placed at shoulder width apart or slightly closer
Take a deep breath and lower the weight until it touch's your chest, keep your elbows tucked closely to your body
Push the weight back up to starting position, squeezing your triceps at the top
The benefits of Close Grip Bench Press
The close grip bench press is a great compound exercise. Not only does it target the triceps, but it targets the chest and shoulders as well. It's a great exercise to put more emphasis on the lateral head while also targeting your other upper body muscles at the same time.
It's best for building strength because you can move the most weight out of any other lateral head tricep exercise, making it great for overloading and increasing strength.
2. Tricep Dips
how to perform:
Start by gripping the dip bar with a neutral grip, and your arms fully extended
Lower yourself, keeping your body straight up and down, with your elbows bent and tucked closely to your body
Push yourself back up, squeezing your triceps at the top
The benefits of Tricep Dips
Tricep dips are a great exercise to increase your overall body control. It puts a huge emphasis on the lateral head because it requires Constant control and stability throughout the entire movement. This is one of the more advanced movements of the lateral head tricep exercises.
If it is too difficult to perform at first, you can utilize resistance bands for assistance or use a tricep dip machine if you have access.
3. Diamond Push Ups
How to perform:
Start by getting into a push up starting position
Place your hands close together directly under your chest, making a diamond shape with your index fingers and thumbs touching
Lower your body until your chest touches your hands, keeping your elbow tucked closely to your body. Make sure to maintain a straight body posture during the entire movement.
Push yourself back up, locking your elbows at the top
The benefits of Diamond Push Ups
Diamond push ups are a great, simple exercise to target your lateral head. It's a well rounded movement that targets the entire upper body including the chest and shoulders.
Even though it requires no equipment it is still a very effective exercise for lateral head activation. It helps to improve body weight control and build muscle endurance. The best part is it can be done anywhere!
If standard diamond push ups are to difficult, you can rest your body on your knees instead of your feet to relieve more of your body weight.
4. Neutral Grip Tricep Pushdowns
How to perform:
Start by grabbing a cable rope attachment and loading a lightweight that you can control
Keep your feet shoulder width apart, arch your back and lean forward slightly
Grab the rope at the very bottom with a neutral grip and bring the cable down until your elbows are slightly higher than a 90 degree angle. Keep your arms close to your body and relax your shoulders down.
Keeping your elbows tucked close to your body, push the weight down until your elbows are fully locked, squeezing your triceps at the bottom
Slowly bring the weight back to starting position
The benefits of Neutral Grip Tricep Pushdowns
Cable tricep pushdowns are an amazing isolation movement to activate the lateral head. Since it is the core muscle being worked, it is engaged and isolated more than in a compound lift.
The benefit of the neutral grip (palms facing each other) is that your arms are put in a natural position making it a more comfortable grip. Gripping the rope this way helps to target all three tricep heads more equally because it provides a better contraction of your triceps since your elbows are tucked closer to your body.
Tip: I prefer to utilize a longer rope attachment if you have access to one because it provides a better full extension of the arms then a shorter rope. This allows for a better triceps contraction.
5. Overhand Grip Press downs
How to perform:
Start by grabbing a bar attachment and loading a lightweight onto the bar
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, arch your back and bend forward slightly
Grab the bar with an overhand grip towards the outside of the bar
Keeping the bar close to your chest, elbows tucked close to your body and your upper arms stationary, push the bar down until your elbows are fully locked, squeezing your triceps at the bottom
Slowly bring the bar back up until your arms are at a 90 degree angle
The benefits of Overhand Grip Push Downs
This movement mimics that of the neutral grip pushdown but with a slight variation. When performing this exercise with an overhand grip, there is greater lateral head isolation. This grip forces the elbows to flare slightly more, which Limits tricep contraction of the long head. Forcing the lateral head to compensate for more of the weight.
Whether you use Neutral or overhand grip, it's best to perform both variations of this exercise to build well rounded triceps.
You can also utilize an underhand grip as well. This variation reduces shoulder and wrist strain and incorporates greater medial head activation then the other two grips.
6. Bench Dips
How to perform:
Start by sitting on a sturdy bench, chair, or ledge
Then, place the palms of your hands on the edge of the bench with a shoulder width grip
Extend your legs straight out in front of you, then position your upper arms straight and back behind your body. Position yourself about 6 inch's away from the bench
Lower yourself slowly until your upper arms make a 90 degree angle
Push yourself back up slowly, fully locking out your arms and squeezing your triceps at the top
The benefits of this exercise
Bench dips are another great bodyweight movement that you can really do anywhere. It's a unique exercise since your arms are positioned behind your body. This reduces the chest and front deltoid activation during the movement, which isolates the lateral more than other exercises such as diamond push-ups.
If these are too difficult you can bring your legs higher up and bend them to reduce the weight on your triceps.
Technique and Form Tips for Maximum Activation
Adjusting Grip Width and Position
The most optimal grip to use when performing lateral head exercises is shoulder width apart or slightly less. This way the triceps muscles are most activated and shoulder activation is reduced.
Incorporating a combination of different grip variations such as neutral, overhand, and underhand grips help to target the lateral head from different angles.
Elbow Extension and Flexion
When performing lateral head triceps exercises it's important to fully extend your elbows as to get the greatest tricep activation. This way the triceps fully extend and complete a full range of motion.
It's also important, especially during cable movements, to only bend at the elbows. If you start to move your shoulders or upper arm then your triceps won't be as isolated, resulting in poor activation.
Incorporating Lean Forward and Body Positioning
Leaning forward is a very important aspect of your body positioning, primarily during cable triceps pushdowns because it isolates the tricep muscle and will increase lateral head activation.
If you were to perform the same exercise standing directly under the cable machine, then your lower chest and posterior deltoids (front delts) would become increasingly incorporated in the movement. Thus, reducing tricep isolation.
Structuring Your Triceps Workout Routine
Balancing Exercises for Complete Triceps Development
When incorporating your triceps exercises, it's important to target each head of the triceps every single workout that involves triceps. This way no head is underdeveloped, and you can build proportionally, well-rounded upper arms.
For example, if you follow a PPL (Push, Pull, legs) routine, then you should add at least one lateral head focused tricep exercise, and one long head focused exercise in between your shoulder and chest movements. Such as a cable bar pushdown and skull crushers.
You also can't forget about the medial head, though it's small it's still very important for overall tricep growth. Typically, when training the medial head, it's not necessary to directly isolate it since it's already targeted in lots of push movements that involve the lateral head. Although you can, the medial and lateral head go hand in hand when performing push exercises.
It's also important to incorporate at least one compound movement that involves the triceps. This way you can target all three tricep heads in one movement, which helps for progressive overload and increasing strength.
Compound movements are also some of the best lateral head tricep exercises you can do if you're looking to increase lateral head mass and strength.
Progressive Overload Strategies
For tricep training, it's best to utilize a combination of hypertrophy and strength methods, especially for lateral head tricep exercises. This way you can increase your tricep strength and density while also building mass at the same time. Which is important if you want to have a well-developed lateral head.
Progressive overload can be practiced for both hypertrophy and strength training, although it's most effective for strength-focused exercises. For example, Close grip bench press is a great way to progressively overload the lateral head. Since your body is capable of lifting a larger amount of weight when performing compound exercises rather than isolation exercises, it's easier to slowly increase the weight by small increments to increase strength.
You can do this by performing a lateral head tricep exercise, like close grip bench press, twice a week for a month. If you increased the weight by 5 pounds every week, assuming you are eating right and training with high intensity. Then in theory, after a month you'd be able to perform the same number of reps as you were the first week, but 10-20 pounds heavier.
Obviously, there are a lot of other deciding factors that determine how much you can increase your strength, and it differs person to person. Some people will see results quicker than others simply because of their genetics. Someone who is new to working out will also see results much quicker than someone who has be working out for a long time.
Regardless of how new you are or your genetics, if you work towards progressive overloading your lateral head tricep exercises, you will see results with enough given time and consistency.
Sets, Reps, and Rest Intervals
As mentioned earlier, utilizing a combination of hypertrophy and strength training in your lateral head tricep exercises is the key to optimal growth.
When performing a compound exercise for your lateral head, lower volume, heavy weight and long rest intervals will help you to get the most out of your lateral head exercises. This is because compound lifts require a large amount of energy since the weight is so heavy in comparison to other isolating lateral head tricep exercises.
Lateral head tricep workout
Close grip bench press-5 sets 6-10 reps
Cable tricep kickbacks-4 sets 12-15 reps
Neutral grip tricep pushdown 4 sets 10-12 reps
Skull Crushers-4 sets 8-12 reps
Dips-4 sets Until Failure
This triceps workout is a great, simple routine to really pump your arms up. It targets all three triceps heads and incorporates a compound and bodyweight exercise to really cover every aspect of triceps training. I guarantee you'll feel the burn with this one!
No weights? No problem!
Now I know you might be asking:
What if I don't have a gym membership?
What if I can only work out at home?
If you don't have a gym membership or you're limited to the amount of equipment you have access too, don't let that discourage you from getting in shape. You can still perform lateral head tricep exercises at home that will not only give you a great pump but provide enough tricep activation to stimulate growth.
Here's some exercises you can do if you're looking to target your lateral head at home.
Push Up
Diamond or close grip to isolate the lateral head
Triceps dips
You can utilize at home equipment such as bench's or chairs to perform these.
Overhead tricep extension
If you have access to resistance bands or anything that can be gripped and used as a weight, then you can perform a number of tricep exercises with you arms overhead.
I can say that I have personally tried all of these myself, and you can really grow muscle from at home exercises.
I've only ever exercised at home with pretty limited equipment and I've managed to put on 40+ pounds of muscle in the last couple years. I do now have access to a lot more equipment. But when I first started lifting, I only had a few rusty weights, and an old wobbly bench.
So don't think that you can only build muscle at a gym. With enough consistently, you can build muscle even with limited equipment.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Overarching the Lower Back
Now I know this may send mix signals. Throughout this article one of the many aspects of proper form is to arch the lower back when performing cable movements or close grip bench presses.
Although arching the back helps to reduce shoulder activation and target the lateral head more, overarching can do the opposite. It puts more stress on the spine, which can increase the chance of lower back injury.
Also, the lack of stability can cause the shoulders to over compensate, which can then lead to shoulder injury as well.
All of this also reduces lateral head activation, which can waste the energy you put into an isolation movement. Proper form is crucial for maximum activation and optimal breakdown of muscle fibers.
Flaring Elbows During Pressing Movements
When performing any press movements, especially if they involve heavy weight, it is crucial to maintain proper form to reduce the chance of injury and to isolate the muscle as much as possible.
This also applies to lateral head exercises. Flaring the shoulder and elbow joints increases shoulder activation, thus reducing the workload put onto the triceps muscle. This in turn can lead to shoulder joint stress, and will decrease your strength and muscle building results.
Focusing Solely on Heavy Weights
Now lifting heavy weight is not a negative thing by any means. It's actually very important in stimulating muscle growth and conditioning your body. But it's also important to practice a well balanced workout routine. Especially with a smaller muscle group like the triceps.
When training for strength using heavy weight, it is more beneficial for larger muscle groups such as the chest, back, and legs. Since they are larger muscles, strength training helps to stimulate the muscle fibers and help to target all of the different areas the muscles are made of.
The triceps are a smaller muscle that don't get isolated as much during heavier compound movements. This is why it's crucial to also incorporate isolating movements to put more stress directly on the triceps and each head they are composed of, like the lateral and medial heads.
Benefits of Developing Well-Rounded Triceps
Improved Arm Strength and Stability
The triceps play a vital role in overall arm functionality. The triceps are responsible for providing the strength and stability needed to perform push, throw, and lifting movements.
The lateral and medial heads are the main contributors to pushing activities. This is beneficial for both daily activities and athletic performance. Such as physical labor jobs that require the lifting of heavy objects overhead or sport activities like shot-put.
Having well rounded triceps are also important for arm extension. This role is performed primarily by the long head. Especially during movements that occur over the head. The long head also contributes to the bulk of triceps mass.
Conclusion: Achieving Optimal Results
Importance of Consistency and Proper Form
One of the most important aspects of performing lateral head exercises, or any exercise in general, is consistency and proper form.
Consistency is vital, because the truth is, results don't happen overnight. This is one of the many reasons many people struggle with finding the motivation to exercise and better themselves. You don't get to see the fruits of your labor right away. It takes months of consistent training to start seeing any slight changes in your appearance and strength.
The upside of having consistency is that you don't need to be exercising for hours on end, 7 days a week. Even just three days a week for an hour each day will show massive results with enough given time.
That's the power of consistency.
With that being said, as important as consistency is. It could all go to waste if you don't have the proper form.
The reason performing proper form is so essential is because that is the most optimal way of working the focused muscles without injuring yourself. Every muscle and joint has a natural and safe way that it operates. When these muscles operate in the way they're supposed to, not only will the chance of injury decrease, but the amount optimal muscle fiber tear will increase.
Recap of Key Points
As you've probably noticed, the triceps have many different functions and benefits. Each tricep head plays a different, but important role in arm movement. Neglecting even one can have a large impact on your arm development, and performance in the gym.
The lateral head especially. Which helps to form that signature "horseshoe" shape in your triceps that really makes your arms pop, and contributes heavily to the strength needed to perform push movements effectively.
I hope this article was helpful, and I hope you can see the same results from these lateral head triceps exercises as I have!