What are the best lateral head exercises to build your triceps? Here are my top 5 picks to improve size, strength and physique.
If you are interested in building bigger arms, one of the fastest ways to do so is by focusing on the triceps muscle. Within the upper arm, the triceps makes up approximately two thirds of the overall area compared to one third being the biceps. As a result, the triceps is often more desirable for those looking to grow their arms. The triceps muscle is defined by three separate muscles, one of which being the lateral head. The lateral head is attributed to overall muscle mass, definition and assists with compound exercises such as bench and shoulder presses.
1. Triceps Push Down
The triceps push down is a highly effective isolation exercise that promotes strength and hypertrophy through targeting the lateral head. If your goal is to tone your arms, the triceps push down is one of the best exercises to do so. During strength focused days, I like to incorporate this exercise with a focus on heavier weight in the 5-8 rep range. During hypertrophy focused workouts, I will do the triceps push down at the end of my workout with a low weight and aim for 12-20 reps. Doing so constantly stimulates the lateral head to encourage growth and muscular endurance. The result for me has been triceps that are well developed and toned.
How To: To do the exercise, start by facing a cable machine with the preferred attachment in hand. Keep your elbows close to your side and begin to engage the triceps until they are fully extended. Drive your fists towards the ground, squeezing the attachment tightly to engage forearms. At this point, your arms should be fully extended as you begin to go back to the original position. Depending on how much weight you are using, I recommend keeping your arms fully extended for a few seconds to maximize tricep engagement.
Alternate methods: There are a few different attachments that can maximize targeting the lateral head of the triceps. Whether I am training triceps exclusively or simply working through my push routine, I like to do this exercise with at least two different attachments. Doing so prevents my triceps from “getting used to” doing the same movements repeatedly. Some of the most common options are the rope attachment and the straight bar. Using a straight bar will keep your palms facing the floor and tend to be more demanding on the elbows. The rope attachment involves keeping the palms pronated inward, allowing for greater range of motion for the triceps. I have found the rope attachment to be highly effective at training grip strength as well.
2. Overhead Triceps Extension
The next exercise optimal for targeting the lateral head of the triceps is the overhead extension. Similar to the triceps push down, this exercise will run your triceps through the full range of motion and is one of the best exercises for getting a pump, toning the triceps and building size and strength.
How To: The technique for this exercise is simple. Begin by holding a dumbbell behind your head with your elbows bent. Raise the dumbbell over your head, fully extending the arms and squeeze your triceps at the top. Slowly lower the dumbbell and return to the original position.
While dumbbells are optimal for this exercise, a similar range of motion can be achieved by using a cable machine with the same attachments as listed under the triceps pushdown. Additionally, an ez curl bar can be used but is typically more taxing on the elbows. With a dumbbell, the exercise can be conducted either standing or seated. Standing will engage glutes and abs due, increasing core stability. When targeting a smaller muscle group like the triceps, I have found that doing the exercise in the seated position allows me to focus more on isolating the triceps and improving my mind to muscle connection.
3. Skull Crushers
The skull crusher is a great exercise to throw into your push routine to switch up from the regular triceps extension movements. The exercise can be more taxing on the lateral head of the triceps as well as the elbows, and requires a lot more forearm strength than many of the other exercises do.
How To: To do this exercise, lie flat on a bench with your feet on the ground. Hold a barbell or ez curl bar over your chest with your arms extended and palms facing forward. Slowly bend at the elbows, keeping the area between your shoulders to your elbows stationary. The weight should come close to your forehead before extending the arms and returning to the original position. When doing this exercise, avoid letting the elbows flat outward. I typically use a lighter weight when doing this exercise as there is more risk for injury compared to others. If done slowly and correctly, you will burn out your triceps in just a few working sets and achieve a strong pump in the triceps.
4. Dips
Dips are one of the only triceps exercises that requires minimal equipment and technique. There are a couple of variations that are accommodating to different levels of physical fitness, making dips one of my favorite exercises to do on a push day. Dips are my go to triceps exercise when I am at the end of a hard push workout, or when I want to train the lateral head of the tricep to failure.
How To: Begin by placing either hand on a dip bar with your legs straight or slightly bent. Lower your body slowly, bringing your shoulders in close proximity to the hands. Engage the triceps and squeeze your core as you return to the original position.
An alternate method is to place a flat bench behind you (long ways). Place both hands on the bench, legs straightened and feet planted in front of you. Bend at the elbow and lower yourself to the floor and back. I have found this method to be much easier on the upper body, and weight can be added by putting number plates on your lap to build strength. This exercise is great for achieving high reps if your aim is to really burn out the triceps and achieve a pump.
5. Close Grip Bench Press
If you are looking to build your entire upper body while targeting the triceps specifically, the most efficient way to do so is with the close grip bench press. This lift is ideal for a few reasons. First, you are targeting your triceps heavily. Compared to the traditional bench press, the closer your grip is, the more your triceps will be activated. As a result, you will see an increase in both strength and arm definition. Additionally, your biceps will be activated, further sculpting the arms. Overall this is one of my favorite triceps exercises to do on a push day. I have been including it in my routine for several years and I would recommend it to athletes of all experience levels.
How To: This exercise is done just like a regular bench, with the exception of hand placement. Lying flat on a bench, place your hands about twelve inches apart. Fully extend your arms and lower the barbell to your chest. Depending on where you place the exercise within your routine, I have found it beneficial to either go for low reps with more weight or low weight and high reps if I am at the end of my routine. Keep in mind your biceps are a smaller muscle group than the triceps, so they will likely burn out faster.
Conclusion
As a final note, the lateral head of the triceps is one of the best muscles to target if you are interested in both toning the arms and building upper body strength. With just these five exercises, there are ample ways to train and strengthen the lateral head. These exercises can be done as their own routine or worked into any full body, upper body or push workout.