If there was ever a muscle that's forgotten, it's the medial head of the triceps.
The medial head is the smallest of the trio but is still highly recommended to strengthen as it plays an important role in supporting the elbow and helps with elbow extension.
It's located right above the elbow and it can be strengthened with certain exercises.
In this list, you'll find the best exercises for the medial triceps to help fully develop your arms in strength and muscle.
The triceps can't be ignored if you want to develop the most muscular and strong-looking arms.
The reason being is that the triceps make up around 75% of your upper arms.
There are three heads to this muscle, including the long head, lateral head, and medial head.
The medial head is the least noticeable but it's incredibly important to develop.
Not only can it help stabilize the elbows, but it can also support elbow extension.
While it can't be completely isolated, it can still be emphasized and worked on.
There are about 7-10 best exercises for the medial triceps.
But if you're in a rush to the gym now, we can recommend that you at least do dumbbell skullcrushers and underhand tricep cable pushdown.
Try to do at least 3 sets of 10-12 reps for one or two of these exercises every week and you should be set.
We'll go over each exercise to help build strong and balanced medial triceps.
This is one of the more simple and straightforward exercises for the medial head of the triceps.
You only need dumbbells for this and something like a bench to lie on.
Normally dumbbell skullcrushers emphasize the lateral head of the triceps but with higher reps, they also tend to work your medial triceps.
It also helps isolate the triceps without engaging the shoulders or biceps.
How to do the Dumbbell Skullcrushers
Watch the video below for a demonstration on the dumbbell skullcrushers:
By using a supinated grip, this dumbbell variation emphasizes the triceps while putting minimal to no stress on the shoulders and elbows.
Using a higher rep range, between 12-15 reps will help put emphasis on the medial ticeps and it can also provide a stimulus for the upper chest.
Try adding in the reverse grip dumbbell press at the end of your workout or somewhere in the middle for the best results.
How to Perform Reverse Grip Dumbbell Presses
This can also be performances with a barbell, or bands, but the dumbbells tend to be better in terms of isolation. Check out the video below for a demostration for the dumbbell reverse grip presses:
If you have access to a cable pulley machine, then you'll have a great way to isolate your triceps without involving the shoulders or biceps.
The underhand tricep cable pushdowns can engage the medial head, while the standard grip will put more emphasis on the lateral head of the tricep.
I recommend doing at least 12 reps of these to make the most out of them as the medial head of the triceps seems to respond best to higher rep ranges.
How to do the Underhand Tricep Cable Pushdowns:
For a visual demonstration, check out the video below on how to perform the underhand tricep pushdowns with a pulley machine:
There's no better way to eliminate weaknesses than with unilateral exercises.
The cable concentration tricep extensions are going to focus on one arm at a time and should be included in your program if you're going to make the most out of your tricep development.
While the medial head is the focus of this exercise, the concentration extensions are going to work all three heads of the tricep.
The movement is most effective when it's slow and controlled.
You can use an overhand grip but if you use an underhand grip, you'll engage the medial tricep even more.
How to Perform a Cable Concentration Triceps Extension
Watch this video on how to perform the cable concentration tricep pushdowns:
Emphasizing all three heads of the triceps, the overhead cable tricep extensions are great for the medial head as long as you use a full range of motion.
If you don't use a full range of motion, it'll work less of the medial head.
How to Do the Overhead Rope Cable Triceps Extensions
Here's a video on how to perform the overhead rope cable tricep extensions:
The diamond pushups are a classic exercise that can stimulate your tricep muscles without any machines or equipment.
Your own body is the only requirement and it can put more emphasis on the medial head of the tricep head.
Similar to the standard push ups where your hands are shoulder width apart, the diamond push up is performed with your hands closer together.
How to do the Diamond Pushups:
Watch the video below for a demostration:
The bench dips are commonly performed for the triceps but one variation that is underrated for the triceps is the external palm rotation version.
How to Perform Bench Dips with External Palm Rotation:
The video below provides a demonstration on how to perform the bench dip with external hand rotation:
In order to make the most out of your tricep development, it's necessary to understand the anatomy.
The medial head is located right above the elbow.
It is located right below the long tricep head and is hard to notice due to the long tricep head.
Although it's not as visible as the other tricep heads, it plays an important role in stabilizing and extending the elbows.
It'll help make your arms look bigger while also complimenting the overall aesthetic of your upper arms.
Like any other small muscle, very few exercises are available for the medial tricep head and won't completely isolate it.
Creating strong medial triceps will help improve the overall strength of the upper arms as it can be a weak link if it's not worked on.
For full tricep muscle and strength development, it's necessary to use sufficient volume and intensity.
For example, the Renaissance Periodization Tricep Hypertrophy Guide recommends a minimum of 6 sets split into two sessions weekly to develop strength and mass into the triceps.
If you're not a beginner then you'll need at least 8 sets per week.
Here's how you can add medial tricep exercises into your training split:
For at least 4 weeks, add these 3 exercises that you'll perform twice or three times per week;
For sets and reps, perform the skull crushers for 4 sets of 8-12 reps.
For the underhand tricep cable pushdowns, perform 3 sets of 10-15 reps.
For cable concentration tricep extensions, perform 2 sets of 15-20 reps.
Here you can find your FAQ's answered about the medial tricep head...
How often should you train the medial triceps?
Triceps are engaged in any vertical and horizontal pressing movements like the bench press.
If you want stronger arms, then give the medial tricep head at minimum 6 sets per week that can be split into multiple workout sessions.
Generally, the muscles that are the least noticeable can be the most important.
In this case, it's the medial tricep head and it's important for stabilizing the elbows.
It also plays a role in providing maximum strength and muscle development of the upper arms.