The triceps are concerned in pushing and pulling actions and stabilizing the shoulder, so it’s not arduous to hit them with workout routines like bench presses and overhead presses. However if you’d like actual progress in your arms, you’ve acquired to incorporate workout routines that straight goal the lengthy head of the triceps.
The 11 greatest lengthy head of the tricep workout routines are:
- Shut-grip bench press
- Barbell JM press
- Dumbbell Tate press
- EZ bar pullover to extension
- Dips
- Diamond push-ups
- Impartial-grip dumbbell press
- Rolling DB tricep extension
- EZ bar incline cranium crushers
- Cable tricep extensions
- Dumbbell tricep kickbacks
If you wish to construct arms that’ll flip heads, follow me as a result of we’ll dive into the very best lengthy head of the tricep workout routines. We’ll go over learn how to do these workout routines, why we do them, and when you must use them.
What Is the Lengthy Head of the Triceps?
Your triceps are the muscle on the again facet of the higher a part of your arm. Their anatomical title is the triceps brachii, and there are three heads to this muscle.
You could have the lateral head, the medial head, and the lengthy head. Their essential perform is extension of the elbow, or straightening of the arm. The lengthy head of the triceps additionally occurs to cross the shoulder joint, which implies it’s concerned in shoulder extension and shoulder stability as nicely.
The lengthy head of the triceps sits closest to your physique (it touches your lats when your arms are by your facet) and is the largest and most purposeful head of the triceps.
Take a look at the very best workout routines for the lateral head of the triceps if you wish to practice one other essential a part of the triceps.
Why Ought to You Strengthen and Develop the Lengthy Head of the Triceps?
As I said above, the lengthy head of the triceps is the most important head of the triceps. If you would like aesthetically pleasing arms, it is advisable practice the lengthy head of the triceps straight.
The lengthy head of the triceps additionally crosses the shoulder joint. Because of this it assists in shoulder extension in workout routines like row variations, reminiscent of Pendlay rows, and pull-ups. As a result of it crosses the shoulder joint, it additionally helps to stabilize the shoulder in workout routines just like the bench press.
And let’s not neglect this muscle is liable for elbow extension, so it will likely be the rate-limiting consider each push train you carry out. From the bench to overhead presses and push-ups, you’ll want a robust lengthy head of the triceps to excel.
When you additionally need wholesome shoulders and aesthetically pleasing arms, or all three, you’ll have to practice the lengthy head of the triceps straight.
Compound Workouts for the Lengthy Head of the Triceps
This primary collection of workout routines will encompass the very best compound workout routines for the lengthy head of the triceps. A compound motion is an train that entails multiple joint, just like the squat or bench press.
These workout routines don’t isolate the triceps however will nonetheless successfully goal the lengthy head when finished accurately.
1. Shut-Grip Bench Press
The close-grip bench press is the very best train for the tricep lengthy head. The shut grip and “elbows tucked” place place a lot of the emphasis on the triceps themselves. That is an train you may load heavy for low quantity or go mild and hammer a bunch of reps.
How To Do It
- Lay flat in your again on a bench press setup. Bend your knees to 90 levels and maintain a slight arch in your low again and your shoulder blades squeezed collectively.
- Place your palms proper round shoulder width on the bar. A great landmark is the sting of the knurling (the sandpapery half), which is shoulder width for most individuals.
- Unrack the bar and maintain it proper above your chest.
- Begin the descent by bending your elbows and permitting the bar to journey downward in a straight line.
- Because the bar descends, maintain your elbows near your physique and keep away from flaring them.
- Let the bar contact your chest slightly below your nipple line.
- Press the bar up in a straight line in direction of the ceiling.
Professional Tip
To essentially get essentially the most out of your triceps on this motion, you need to attempt to “break the bar.” Fake the bar is a big handful of dry spaghetti, and also you’ll attempt to break it such as you would earlier than you set it into the boiling pot. This can trigger you to externally rotate your shoulders, placing them in a safer place and permitting the lengthy head of the triceps to be in an optimum place.
2. Barbell JM Press
The JM press is form of like a cranium crusher and a guillotine press. It’s a really tricep-heavy train designed for mild masses and excessive quantity.
How To Do It
- Begin off with the identical setup because the close-grip bench. Keep the identical physique place, and take the identical hand placement on the bar.
- Unrack the bar, and with straight arms, maintain it over your throat.
- To begin the descent, unlock your elbows and maintain them near your sides. There is no such thing as a elbow flare on this motion.
- Because the bar travels down, your elbows are going to maneuver ahead as a substitute of to the edges like they’d in a bench press.
- Proceed the downward path of the bar till your higher arms are parallel to the bottom and the bar is about two inches over your throat.
- Press the bar in a straight line in direction of the ceiling whereas conserving your elbows from flaring out to the facet.
Professional Tip
Since this motion is designed for larger quantity and lighter masses, management the tempo by squeezing your triceps in the course of the adverse (the downward part). It’ll create extra harm and metabolic byproduct (like lactic acid), so that you’ll be primed to develop.
3. Dumbbell Tate Press
That is an train that’s fairly pec heavy, however it should mild your triceps up. It is a larger quantity and lighter load train, so assume mild to average weight with excessive reps.
How To Do It
- Seize a pair of dumbbells and a bench.
- Lay down on the bench together with your arms straight up within the air and your palms going through ahead.
- Bend your elbows out to the facet and permit the dumbbells to come back down towards your chest.
- Preserve flaring your elbows to the facet as you let the dumbbells journey down towards your chest.
- When the edges of the dumbbells contact your chest, press up towards the ceiling.
- Consider your self doing tricep extensions with each arms as you press up.
Professional Tip
Don’t lose stress on the backside of this motion. When the dumbbells are touching your chest on the backside, you could be tempted to chill out due to the way in which the dumbbells sit in your chest. Struggle this urge and attempt to contact and go whereas sustaining stress in your triceps.
4. EZ Bar Pullover to Extension
This motion combines the very best components of a cranium crusher with the very best components of a pullover. It is a average load, average to excessive quantity train.
How To Do It
- Holding an EZ bar, lay in your again on the bench with the highest of your head hanging off of the bench.
- With an in depth grip, begin together with your elbows locked, holding the bar such as you would in case you had been bench urgent.
- To begin this motion, bend the elbows as in case you had been doing a cranium crusher. Watch out to not let your shoulders transfer as you bend your elbows.
- Bend your elbows till the bar is about 2 inches above your brow.
- Sustaining the identical bend in your elbows, attain again as in case you had been doing a pullover.
- Whenever you hit the tip of your vary of movement reaching again, drive your elbows in direction of the wall in entrance of the bench and observe by means of by straightening your arms on the high.
- Watch out to not straighten your arms till your elbows have cleared your head on the way in which up.
Professional Tip
This motion additionally entails the lats, which connect on the lumbar backbone (low again vertebrae) by means of the thoracolumbar fascia (a tendon-like construction that attaches to the vertebrae within the low again).
As you attain again, you could really feel your decrease again begin to arch. Struggle this by participating your abs and making an attempt to maintain your decrease again flat on the bench. This can be certain that all the strain stays within the shoulders and triceps.
5. Dips (Weighted or Unweighted)
Dips are glorious lengthy head tricep workout routines. They’re nice for rookies and seasoned vets alike. You may load them pretty closely with average quantity or do them with physique weight for prime quantity. They’re a extremely good choice for bench press lockout energy in rookies as nicely.
How To Do It
- You will want a dip bar attachment/machine.
- Begin by putting your palms on the dip bar. The nearer the grip, the extra tricep recruitment you’ll get.
- Whereas sustaining a “proud” and large chest, bend your elbows and maintain them tucked in (near your physique) as you descend.
- Go down till you hit your finish vary and push your self again up in direction of the ceiling.
Professional Tip
Some folks have shoulder ache when performing dips. If that is you, be certain that to maintain your shoulders pulled again as you go down. You might also must shorten the vary of movement, or not go down as far, to maintain it pain-free, which is greater than okay. Partial vary of movement reps are nonetheless very useful for progress.
Questioning whether or not dips or push-ups are higher for the triceps? Take a look at Dips vs Push Ups: Execs, Cons, Which Is Higher?
6. Diamond Push-Ups
The diamond push-up is a push-up variation that basically targets the triceps. By putting your palms in a diamond form, you reduce elbow flare. That locations far more stress within the triceps, making it among the best lengthy head tricep workout routines.
Since this train is a body weight triceps train, your talents will dictate the quantity. Whenever you’re first beginning out, it could be tough to do greater than 5-10 reps. As you get stronger, you may up the reps to the 20-25 vary.
How To Do It
- Begin off in a push-up place together with your palms making a diamond form on the ground straight in entrance of your chest.
- To begin the descent, bend your elbows and maintain them of their path in keeping with your index fingers.
- Go down till you may’t anymore, then straighten your elbows by pushing your self up towards the ceiling.
Professional Tip
Everybody’s vary of movement might be completely different right here. With the palms so shut collectively, getting your chest to the bottom might trigger wrist ache. If so, keep in a pain-free vary of movement and attempt to get increasingly more depth over time.
7. Impartial-Grip Dumbbell Bench Press
It is a nice dumbbell bench press variation that may actually goal your triceps. You need to use this motion as a energy builder or high-volume muscle grower. You’ll want a pair of dumbbells and a bench.
How To Do It
- Lay down on a bench, holding dumbbells together with your palms going through one another and your arms straight up over your shoulders.
- To start the descent, pull your shoulders again and bend your elbows, permitting them to journey ahead.
- As you go down, maintain your wrists and dumbbells straight over your elbows.
- Preserve happening till your elbows are simply barely beneath parallel.
- Whenever you get to the underside, push your palms up towards the ceiling till your arms are locked.
Professional Tip
A great thoughts trick for any pushing train is to check pushing your self away from the burden. Whereas your aim is to push the burden up, pondering of pushing your self away from the burden will ensure you maintain your higher again and shoulders in a very good place.
8. Rolling Dumbbell Tricep Extension
This is likely one of the greatest workout routines for the lengthy head of the triceps to do close to the tip of your exercise. It’s meant to be light-weight with larger quantity. You’ll want a bench and a pair of dumbbells.
How To Do It
- Lay down on a bench, holding dumbbells together with your palms going through one another and your arms straight up over your shoulders.
- To start the rep, bend your elbows and permit them to journey ahead such as you would in case you had been doing a neutral-grip dumbbell bench press.
- Whereas conserving your elbows tucked near your physique, decrease the dumbbells till your higher arms are parallel to the bottom.
- Whenever you get to the underside, attain the dumbbells again towards your ears by pushing your elbows up towards the ceiling.
- When the dumbbells are subsequent to your ears, drive your elbows again to the underside place and “punch” your palms up towards the ceiling in a single easy movement.
- The dumbbell path on this motion ought to make considerably of a J sample.
Professional Tip
To maximise tricep activation all through this motion, squeeze your triceps the entire time. This can maintain a lot of the stress in your triceps as a substitute of your shoulders.
Isolation Workouts for the Lengthy Head of the Triceps
The following collection of workout routines are isolation workout routines.
Compound workout routines are the “cake” and will make up the majority of your energy pursuits. Isolation workout routines are the “icing” on this cake and ought to be used to focus on the lengthy head of your triceps extra straight. You are able to do these workout routines usually, even once you need to practice your triceps two days in a row.
These workout routines ought to all be finished for larger quantity with mild to average masses.
9. EZ Bar Incline Cranium Crusher
This is a superb cranium crusher variation that locations extra stress on the lengthy head of the triceps. The angle of your shoulders when at an incline locations a larger stretch on the lengthy head of the triceps. This turns them on to a larger diploma than once you’re flat in your again.
How To Do It
- Set a bench to a 45-degree angle.
- Lay on the bench holding an EZ bar straight up in direction of the ceiling with an in depth grip.
- Whereas conserving your higher arm pointed straight up in direction of the ceiling, bend your elbows till the EZ bar is about 2 inches from the highest of your brow.
- With out permitting your elbows to push ahead, straighten out your arms till you’re again to the beginning place.
Professional Tip
Performing this train on an incline makes your leverages considerably worse than laying flat in your again. This implies you gained’t have the ability to deal with the identical quantity of weight. Be sure you begin off with very mild weights to asses your energy on this train.
When you want a bench to carry out this train at residence, try our favourite weight benches for residence gyms. Most of the benches on our record will be set to an incline.
10. Cable Tricep Extensions
This train gained’t add a ton of lockout energy to your bench, however it should undoubtedly assist provide you with that horseshoe look you need. That is an “finish of the exercise” high-volume train. You’ll want a cable machine and a triangle attachment. There are numerous variations of this tricep isolation train, however we are going to deal with the commonest right here.
How To Do It
- Set the cable to the highest and fasten the triangle attachment.
- Place your palms on both facet of the triangle with the sting of your hand on the ends.
- Pull your elbows right down to your facet with out straightening your arms. That is your beginning place.
- Whereas conserving your elbows by your facet, push your palms down in direction of the bottom till your arms are straight.
- When you hit the underside of this motion (straight arms), permit the burden to tug your palms again towards your chest with out letting your elbows transfer ahead.
- Repeat with out letting your elbows transfer away out of your physique.
Professional Tip
If you wish to hit the lengthy head of the triceps extra, have your begin place be the identical as above however together with your elbows ahead about 2 inches. This places extra of a stretch on the lengthy head, permitting it to create extra stress.
It is a transfer reserved for these with extra expertise as a result of it’s difficult to take care of that place all through the motion.
11. Dumbbell Tricep Kickbacks
This is likely one of the greatest tricep workout routines for the lengthy head due to the angle of the shoulder. By being in a bent-over place, you pressure the lengthy head of the triceps to assist stabilize the shoulder along with straightening the arm. It is a light-weight, average to high-volume train.
How To Do It
- Seize a lightweight dumbbell and one thing to lean in opposition to.
- Set your self up such as you would in case you had been doing a single-arm dumbbell row someplace between 45 levels and parallel to the bottom.
- To get into this place, stagger your toes, hinge again, and lean right into a bench or dumbbell rack.
- Whereas conserving your again flat, pull your arm again as in case you had been doing a single-arm dumbbell row. Maintain this place.
- Whereas on this place, straighten your arm by squeezing your triceps till your arm is totally straight.
- Whereas nonetheless squeezing your triceps, slowly permit your hand to journey again to the beginning place.
Professional Tip
This isn’t an train that must be heavy to provide you advantages. Preserve it mild and maintain the motion gradual and managed in case you’re on the lookout for good and outlined triceps.
Pattern Lengthy Head Tricep Exercise Routine
Imagine it or not, you may really do a complete coaching session devoted to your triceps — they’re that purposeful and essential.
You’ll begin with compound workout routines to extend your energy. You then’ll observe that with isolation workout routines to essentially goal the lengthy head and end up with body weight workout routines to failure.
Compound and isolation workout routines
- Shut-grip bench press – 5 units of 5 reps
- Impartial-grip DB press – 3 units of 6-8 reps
- EZ Bar pullover to extension – 3 units of 10-12 reps
- Cable tricep extension – 3 units of 12-15 reps
Finishers
Carry out 2-3 units of the next:
- Dips – Executed to failure
- Diamond push-ups – Executed to failure
When you’re actually trying to bust out of your shirt, pair every train (excluding the close-grip bench press) with a bicep train. These are some nice bicep workout routines to incorporate.
Steadily Requested Questions
How Do You Isolate the Lengthy Head of the Triceps?
You may’t actually isolate the lengthy head of the triceps. Since all three heads of the triceps are innervated by the identical nerve, when one fires, all of them do. Nonetheless, you may place the shoulder at completely different angles, like with the EZ bar pullover to extension, in an effort to emphasise the lengthy head.
Do Tricep Pushdowns Goal the Lengthy Head?
Tricep pushdowns do and don’t goal the lengthy head. You may’t independently hearth the lengthy head. Nonetheless, once you place your shoulder into slight flexion (transfer it ahead), you may place far more stress within the lengthy head of the triceps.
Do Diamond Push-Ups Work the Lengthy Head of the Triceps?
Diamond push-ups goal the triceps as an entire and are among the best lengthy head tricep workout routines. The nearer grip targets the triceps extra successfully than normal push-ups.
Do Dips Work the Lengthy Head of the Triceps?
Dips work the lengthy head of the triceps. They’re one of many solely body weight tricep workout routines that put extra pressure on this a part of the muscle, making them the very best train for the triceps lengthy head. Dips contain the shoulder joint as nicely, and the lengthy head of the triceps is liable for shoulder stabilization.
Closing Ideas
If you would like arms that may’t be held in by your sleeves, you’ve acquired to deal with the triceps. They make up three-fifths of the dimensions of your arms, and the most important head of the triceps is the lengthy head.
Focusing your efforts on the very best tricep lengthy head workout routines on this article gives you arms which are aesthetically pleasing and also will enhance your urgent energy.
In regards to the Writer
Connor Lyons is a graduate of the College of South Florida’s Morsani Faculty of Drugs and is a Licensed Energy and Conditioning Specialist. He spent the previous 14 years as a energy and conditioning coach in each the NCAA setting and the non-public sector working with NFL, MLB, ATP, and NHL athletes. He’s a former NCAA hockey participant and was the energy and conditioning coach for USA Hockey’s Ladies’s Olympic Crew which captured gold in 2018. He now owns The Lyons Den Sports activities Efficiency simply outdoors of Tampa, Florida.
