The triceps, when developed completely, look awesome.
Sitting at the back of the upper arm, this horseshoe-shaped three-headed muscle proves two-thirds of the bulk of your arm.
So, if you wanna’ look huge, you better get busy working your tris.
The key to tricep mass is the long head, which sits closest to your body.
In this article, I’ll lay out eight effective exercises to work this part of the muscle.
For the exercises with weights, I’ll provide a home version for those who don’t train at a commercial gym.
You will need a resistance band to do the home version exercises.
There are some exercises that require a cable machine for these triceps extensions.
But there are plenty to do at home if you do not have one.
The triceps is a single muscle that consists of three parts, known as heads.
These are the long, medial and lateral heads.
The medial and lateral heads originate at the top of the humerus, or upper arm, bone.
The long head, though, has its origin on the scapula, just below the shoulder socket.
All three heads insert at the top of the ulna, which is the largest of the two forearm bones.
The job of the triceps is to extend the elbow.
Because it originates on the scapula, the long head is also minimally involved in overhead arm extension.
It is not possible to completely isolate any of the three heads.
That’s because they all insert at the same place.
So, when you straighten the arm, all three heads are equally activated.
It is possible, though, to put slightly more emphasis on the long head by doing exercises that place your hands above your head.
Check out this research and buying guide for the best functional trainers, if you are interested in buying a cable machine at home.
You can do tricep dips at home by setting up a couple of sturdy chairs back to back. Place something heavy on each chair to weigh it down. Alternatively, you can use the angle join of a kitchen or similar bench.
You can make this exercise harder by lowering the height of the bar. Do this exercise at home by grabbing the edge of a desk or bench.
Looking for a mass monster old-school workout from the golden age of bodybuilding? Check out the Dorian Yates workout here.
The single-arm version of the skull crusher allows you to use your non-working arm to keep the working elbow in place. This makes the exercise stricter, preventing the natural elbow flare that happens when the exercise becomes challenging.
Perform the home version with the resistance band. Set it up the same way as the band double-arm skullcrusher, but using one arm at a time. You will have to use a lighter band for this exercise.
Here are some of the exercises to include if you're looking for the best muscle gains workouts.
The eight exercises just described will give you plenty of options for your triceps workouts.
I recommend combining three of them into a nine-set workout.
You should use a wide rep range in order to stimulate both fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fiber.
Here are a couple of sample workouts …
The long head of the triceps will add mass and shape to your upper arm.
The eight exercises described here will not totally isolate the long head.
They will work all three heads, but the overhead extension on most of the exercises will give an extra stretch to the long head.
Work your triceps twice per week, with at least 48 hours between sessions, for the best results.
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