Lower Triceps Workouts

Your triceps consist of three parts, or heads, that work to extend your elbow. Every time you straighten your arm, you recruit your triceps. This includes all forms of pressing movements, including the bench and overhead press. This also includes every form of extension movement, including barbell and dumbbell extensions and any type of pushdown. However, you cannot specifically work the lower portion of your triceps. Consult a health-care practitioner before beginning any strength-training program.

Function

The three heads of your triceps all work together. Like all muscles, the fibers, or small bundles of protein that provide power and strength, contract inward to exert a pull on a joint. In this case that joint is the elbow. The innermost, or lateral head of your triceps crosses your shoulder joint, and, unlike the other two heads of your triceps, works harder when your arms are stretched in some sort of overhead extension. When the fibers of your triceps contract, they contract along the length of your triceps. This means to work the lower portion of your triceps, you must work the entire muscle.

Compound Movements

Compound movements involve multiple joints and allow you to use more weight than isolation movements. Exercises such as the close-grip bench press and dips allow you to train under heavy load, building strength and mass. To perform the close-grip bench press, lie flat on a bench and grip the bar with your hands between 12 and 18 inches apart, lower the bar to your chest and press to full extension. To do dips, brace your hands on a dipping stand or parallel bars and lower yourself down as far as you can by bending your elbows, then push yourself up.

Isolation Movements

Isolation movements involve a single joint, and when training your triceps that joint is the elbow. Lying flat on your back, lower a bar to your forehead and then straighten your elbows. Your hands should be no wider than your shoulders. You can do this with dumbbells, but lower the dumbbells to the top of your shoulders. You cannot use as much weight on these exercises as you can with compound movements, so you may wish to train with more volume. For better results, combine both types of movements in the same workout.

Stretch

The lateral head of your triceps crosses your shoulder joint, and to work this portion of your triceps you must stretch your arms overhead. While seated, hold a dumbbell in both hands over your head, and lower the dumbbell as far behind you as you can without hurting yourself. Then raise the dumbbell by straightening your arms. Do not move at any joint other than the shoulder. As you develop proficiency in this exercise, you can switch to a barbell.