Tricep Topography: How to Build the Perfect Pair of Triceps.
One of the most commonly searched fitness related questions on the internet is "How to get bigger biceps". A big set of arms, just as a toned six-pack set of abs, is a highly sought after look in the world of fitness and bodybuilding. As a result of this, it is without question that you could not go to your local gym without seeing a number of people performing some variation of the bicep curl. The bicep is an appealing muscle to have, large biceps form an unmistakable shape that catches the eye of everyone around, that is when you're being looked at from the front at least.
What about when you turn around? Or, when someone takes a look at you from the side? Even more, what happens when someone sees your big set of arms and asks the common question “How much do you bench?”.
Chances are, if you’re only focusing on your biceps, then you won’t have anything meaningful to say as an answer for any of these questions.
So, what’s the solution?
The solution is simple - your Triceps Brachii Muscle.
3 Heads of the Triceps
The Triceps Brachii Muscle, more commonly known as the Triceps, is a three-headed muscle that is located at the posterior (towards the back) of the upper arm. The Triceps is the largest muscle in your upper arm and takes up nearly two-thirds of your upper arm size. The triceps attach at the elbow joint and run adjacent to the posterior side of the humerus, with three different attachment points along the way. The three different points of attachment are a result of the fact that the Triceps muscle is composed of three different heads that work together to achieve the function of the Triceps muscle.
The first of the three different heads of the Triceps is the Medial head. The Medial Head is the smallest of the three heads. It is located towards the bottom portion of the Triceps, closer to its insertion point at the elbow, and attaches right around the midline of the upper arm. Being the smallest, it can be easily written off, but the Medial Head is crucial to the development of a thick set of Triceps (specifically towards the bottom of the upper arm), and a strong bench press.
The second, and arguably the most commonly noticed feature of the Triceps, is the Lateral Head. The Lateral Head encompasses the most outside, lateral, part of the Triceps. Also inserting at the elbow, it runs the length of the upper arm and attaches at the bottom of the shoulder joint. If you were looking at someone with a well built Lateral Head from the side, You would see a firm, bulging muscle head that runs from the lower end of the lateral, outside, side of your upper arm, up towards the shoulder. The lateral head has a definitive line that runs upwards and diagonally towards the backside of the upper arm, forming the majority of the much sought after “Horseshoe” appearance.
Last, but certainly not least, is the Long Head of the Triceps muscle. The Long Head is the largest of the three heads and runs along the backside, towards the inside portion of your upper arm. Being the largest muscle, it inserts at the elbow in the same way that the Medial and Lateral heads do, and runs all the way up to where it attaches at the top of the shoulder joint. It is very important to note where the Long Head attaches because this allows you to properly activate and isolate the Long Head of your Triceps. Visually, the Long Head of the Tricep makes up the most rear and inside portion of the desired horseshoe appearance, adding a ton of thickness to the overall appearance to your arms. For you aspiring bodybuilders out there, picture the Front Double-Bicep pose, in this pose you can see the thickness of the arm and, although much focus is on the bicep, the thickness of the arm in this pose comes from the tricep that appears to hang down from the back of the upper arm. If, while in this pose, your arms appear to be relatively flat along the bottom, you need to work on the Long Head of your Triceps.
What is the Purpose of the Triceps?
The Triceps muscle is incredibly important to any movement that involves the pushing aspect of your upper body. To save time on describing the different planes of motion, we’ll simply refer to them as the horizontal push and vertical push movements. The horizontal push is driven by elbow extension, in simple terms - straightening the arm. When straightening the arm through elbow extension, all three heads of the Triceps work together to achieve this function. Prime examples of this would be the Bench Press and the Push Up. The other function of the Triceps refers to shoulder extension - moving your arm above your head or towards your back side. This function is controlled by the Long Head of your Triceps.
How Do You Train The Different Heads?
To train the different heads of the Triceps, in addition to load and volume, should be that of shoulder angle. By changing the position that you perform your Triceps exercises at, you change the different heads of the Triceps that are being used.
How to Train Your Medial Head
Your Medial Head is best targeted through non-overhead movements done with a supinated (underhand) grip. The Medial Head is not nearly the strongest of the three heads, therefore, it does not take a large amount of weight to effectively stimulate the Medial Head. Instead, working sets for the Medial Head should range from 13-20 reps and be done at the end portion of your workout routine.
Some of my favorite ways to target my Medial Triceps are with:
Supinated (Reverse Grip) Cable Pressdowns - Keep your elbows pinned tight to your side, grasp the bar with a supinated grip, and perform your reps in a slower, more controlled manner, with a pause at the peak of the repetition.
Supinated (Reverse Grip) Smith Machine Push-Ups - Perform your push ups while gripping the smith-machine bar with a supinated group and the bar at a low or relatively low locking point. Press through your Triceps as you push yourself away from the bar with a tight core and the results will speak for themselves.
How to Train your Lateral Head
Your Lateral Head is most effectively targeted through non-overhead means. Stronger than the Medial Head, your Lateral head is more effectively targeted through heavier weight and lower repetitions. The working range for movements that target your Lateral Head, is between 3-12 reps. Personally I like to work in the middle right around a heavy 6-8 range. I find this to be very beneficial for the strengthening and growth of my Lateral Head. Just as in the Medial Head exercises, and for all Triceps work in general, you want to make sure that you're keeping yourself from allowing your elbows to flare out.
Some of my favorite ways to target my Lateral Triceps are with:
Close-Grip (shoulder-width) Barbell Bench Press - Grasp the bar with a pronated (overhand) grip at shoulder width apart - many people go far too close in their grip, and perform your heavy close grip bench press. Ensure full range of motion and add in a pause at the bottom to really stimulate your Triceps. This exercise will also target your Medial Head.
Cable Press-Downs - Grasp a bar, rope, or triangle, with a pronated grip, your elbows pinned tightly to your sides, and perform your cable press-downs. Ensure that you press the weight all the way down, pausing at full extension, and then slowly control the weight back up on the eccentric portion of the repetition. The concentric part however, the pushing downwards portion of the rep, can be executed more explosively. Challenge yourself with heavy weight - without sacrificing form.
Dips - Weighted Triceps Dips - To perform a proper dip that focuses on the Triceps rather than the Pectoralis, you want to limit the amount of forward tilt in your body, keeping your body perpendicular to the floor. These dips can be done on parallel dip bars or they can be performed as Bench dips. If you cannot do more than 10 repetitions, work with your bodyweight, as you get stronger, add weight to your dips and work in that 6-8 rep range.
How to Train Your Long Head
Your Long Head, being the largest head of your Triceps, is quite strong. It requires the same level of focus on high weight, low repetition protocols for maximum stimulus, as does the Lateral Head. The difference in targeting your Long Head versus your Lateral Head is presented through changing your shoulder angle. Since the Long Head attaches at the top of the shoulder joint, it is most effectively targeted through any type of overhead, Triceps focused exercise. Although the Long Head could handle weights as heavy as your 3 rep max, it is not as safe to perform exercises above your head with this type of weight. Instead, I recommend performing your Long Head focused exercises with weights at your appropriate 5-12 rep maxes. Again, I find the 6-8 rep range to be very effective for my Triceps.
Some of my favorite ways to target your Long Head are:
EZ Bar Tricep Extensions - With a pronated (overhand grip), Grip the EZ Bar and press it over your head. By pivoting at the elbow joint, while keeping your elbows tight, lower the weight, in a slow and controlled manner, behind your head, and press the weight back upwards - straightening out your arms over your head.
Overhead Tricep Rope Extensions - Grip each handle of the rope and face away from the cable machine with the ropes in front of you. Raise your Elbows until they are above your shoulder level and step outwards to a comfortable point of tension. With the rope above your head, extend your elbows, keeping them tight throughout the process and above your shoulder joint, and push them until your arms are straightened. Pause for a second at the peak of the repetition before performing a slow eccentric phase of the rep, back to the starting point.
Tricep Topography - In Summary
The Triceps are a muscle that is constantly overlooked, despite it being the most important muscle when achieving maximum arm size. By understanding the Triceps, where they are, what they do, and how to target each of the different heads, you can more effectively build bigger arms, and stronger upper body push movements.
Author:
Joshua Horn - Master Personal Trainer, Strength & Conditioning Coach, Bodybuilder, Marine Corps Infantry Veteran, Redcon1 Athlete.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshthehorn