Triceps weight training involves multiple exercises that hit the muscle from different directions. Individual exercises and repetition ranges may emphasize either the lateral, medial or long head of the triceps muscle. Use strict form for each repetition, and concentrate on using triceps strength to perform individual exercise movements. If you do not feel a particular exercise in your triceps, then you may be performing the movement incorrectly or using too much weight.
Long Head
The long head of the triceps is the largest part of the muscle that runs down the back of your arm along the body. Cable or rope triceps extensions are among the best exercises for activating the long head of the triceps. In his February 2010 T Nation article, strength and conditioning specialist Bret Contreras reports electromyography data, which indicates that triceps extensions with a rope or cable produce the most electrical activity in the long head of the triceps among 20 different exercises.
Lateral Head
The lateral head of the triceps is found on the outer side of the humerus bone, which is your long upper arm bone. The lateral head forms the horseshoe shape of the triceps. In a July 2009 article, the editors of T Nation recommend the seated half press for training the lateral triceps. Set up a bench with an 80- to 90-degree incline inside a power rack, which has adjustable bar catchers. Position the bar catchers to hold the bar level with your hairline while seated on the bench. Grasp the bar over your chest, and press the bar up quickly in a bench press fashion. Lower the bar until it stops completely against the pins, then push up again.
Medial Head
The medial head of the triceps is in the middle of the back of your upper arm, just above your elbow. If the size and proportion of your triceps horseshoe is good but lacks depth and thickness, particularly down by your elbow, then focus on training the medial head of the triceps. The close-grip bench press suppresses activity in the long head and emphasizes medial triceps activation. Lie face up on a bench beneath a racked barbell and grasp the bar with a shoulder-width grip. Lower the bar to your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body, then push the barbell back up until your arms are fully extended.
Fiber Types and Repetitions
Individual muscle fiber types respond to particular repetition ranges during weight training. Each head of the triceps may have different muscle fiber types, according to a June 2009 "Journal of Comparative Neurology" study led by Dr. Ana M. Lucas-Osma at the Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos. The medial head may contain more type I fibers, which respond more to weight training with 20 to 25 repetitions. Heavy weight training that exhausts the muscle within four to six repetitions may suit the lateral head, which may contain more type II fibers. The long head of the triceps may respond best to weight training that exhausts the muscle within 12 to 15 repetitions.
References
- Bodybuilding.com; Triceps Building 101; Matt Weik
- T Nation; Inside the Muscles: Best Chest and Triceps Exercises; Bret Contreras; February 2010
- T Nation; Best of Triceps; T Nation Editors; July 2009
- T Nation; Building Bodybuilder Triceps; Clay Hyght, D.C.
- ExRx.net: Barbell Close Grip Bench Press
- Comparative Neurology; Compartmentalization in the Triceps Nucleus; A. M. Lucas-Osma; June 2009
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