Understand your tricep heads
If you want a truly effective tricep heads workout, it helps to know what you are training. Your triceps make up around 70% of your upper arm mass, so focusing on them is essential for building bigger, more defined arms and for boosting pressing strength such as bench presses and push ups, as explained in a Gymshark article updated in June 2024.
Your triceps have three heads, each with a slightly different role.
Long head
- Runs from your shoulder blade down to your elbow
- Largest of the three heads and a major contributor to arm size and shape
- Helps extend your elbow and also assists with shoulder movements like bringing your arm behind you
Because it crosses the shoulder joint, the long head responds best to exercises where your arm is overhead or moves behind your torso.
Lateral head
- Sits on the outer side of your upper arm
- Most visible part of the tricep, important for that “horseshoe” outline
- Used heavily in high intensity pushing movements
The lateral head is very active when your arms are by your sides and you use an overhand or neutral grip.
Medial head
- Lies deeper and closer to your torso
- Smallest and least visible head
- Plays a big role in stability and control during pressing
The medial head responds well to movements with your hands by your sides and, in some cases, a reverse or underhand grip.
When you build your tricep heads workout around these differences, you get more balanced development and more strength carryover to your other lifts.
Choose the right rep ranges and volume
To grow your triceps, you need the right mix of intensity and volume.
Research summarized in a 2024 Gymshark guide suggests that for hypertrophy you should:
- Train mostly in the 8 to 12 rep range
- Use about 60 to 80% of your one rep max
- Aim for roughly 12 to 28 sets per week per muscle group
- Spread those sets over at least two sessions for better recovery and results
You can think of this as a weekly target. For example:
- Beginner to intermediate: 3 tricep exercises per workout, 3 sets each, twice per week
- More advanced: 4 exercises per workout, 3 to 4 sets each, two to three times per week
Keep at least one or two reps in reserve on most sets so you keep good form and stay consistent.
Build a balanced tricep heads workout
A well planned tricep session should include:
- A big compound press that hits all three heads
- One or two moves that emphasize the long head
- One or two moves that emphasize the lateral head
- Optional: one move that focuses on the medial head or simply keeps it involved through full range pressing
Here is how that looks in practice.
Start with a compound press
Compound exercises let you lift heavier, recruit more muscle fibers, and set the tone for your workout.
Good options include:
- Close grip bench press
- Diamond push ups
- Tricep dips
- Military or shoulder press with a closer grip
Using a closer grip in pressing movements targets the triceps more than wider grip variants. This grip adjustment makes a big difference in which muscles you emphasize.
Aim for:
- 3 to 4 sets
- 6 to 10 reps
- Rest 1.5 to 2 minutes between sets
Focus on controlled lowering and strong, smooth presses.
Target the long head
Since the long head crosses the shoulder joint, you train it most effectively with:
- Overhead arm positions that stretch the muscle
- Movements that bring the arm down and back to fully contract it
Recommended long head exercises from recent guides include lying triceps extensions, overhead cable triceps extensions, PRJ pullovers, cable pushaways, triceps kickbacks, drag pushdowns, and dumbbell overhead extension to kickbacks.
Two particularly effective options are highlighted in multiple sources:
- Overhead tricep extensions
- Skull crushers or lying triceps extensions
These place the long head in a lengthened position which supports greater hypertrophy, according to updated training guides and analyses.
You can use:
- Dumbbells
- EZ bar
- Cable with rope or straight bar
- Bands
Aim for:
- 3 to 4 sets
- 8 to 12 reps with heavier loads, 12 to 15 with lighter loads
- Slow, controlled negative and a brief pause in the stretched position
If you want to emphasize time under tension, keep rest short, around 60 to 90 seconds, and avoid locking out harshly at the top.
Emphasize the lateral head
The lateral head is crucial for arm definition and pushing power. It responds well when:
- Your arms are close to your sides
- You use a pronated or overhand grip
- You keep your elbows stable and do not flare them out
Effective lateral head exercises mentioned in recent 2024 and 2025 fitness guides include:
- Dumbbell skull crushers
- Cable tricep pushdowns
- Close grip bench press
- Diamond push ups
- Kettlebell tricep extensions
- Kettlebell overhead tricep extensions
You can also use:
- Rope pushdowns for a strong lateral head stimulus
- Tricep kickbacks with a neutral grip
- Tricep dips with a slight forward lean
For these, use:
- 3 to 4 sets
- 10 to 15 reps
- 60 to 90 seconds rest
Focus on keeping your elbows in place and feeling the squeeze on the outer part of your arm.
Do not forget the medial head
The medial head often gets worked automatically during your presses and extensions, but you can highlight it more with:
- Reverse grip cable pushdowns or underhand press downs
- Any controlled elbow extension with your arms close to your body
Guides updated in 2024 note that reverse grip cable pushdowns are particularly effective for the medial head, while rope or overhand pushdowns bias the lateral head more.
You do not have to isolate the medial head every workout. Simply including a reverse grip pushdown as a finisher once or twice per week can help with balanced growth.
Try:
- 2 to 3 sets
- 12 to 15 reps
- Short rests of 45 to 60 seconds
Sample tricep heads workouts
Use these plug and play routines as a starting point. You can adjust exercises to match the equipment you have.
Workout A: Strength plus size focus
Great if you want to push heavier weights while still targeting all three heads.
- Close grip bench press
- 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps
- Rest 2 minutes
- Overhead dumbbell tricep extension
- 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps
- Rest 90 seconds
- EZ bar skull crushers
- 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
- Rest 90 seconds
- Cable rope pushdowns
- 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps
- Rest 60 seconds
- Reverse grip cable pushdowns
- 2 sets of 12 to 15 reps
- Rest 45 to 60 seconds
This routine blends heavy compound work with targeted long and lateral head training and finishes with the medial head.
Workout B: Bodyweight and cable emphasis
Ideal if you train in a smaller gym or prefer cables and bodyweight moves.
- Diamond push ups
- 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps
- Rest 90 seconds
- Overhead cable tricep extensions
- 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
- Rest 90 seconds
- Cable pushaways or drag pushdowns
- 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps
- Rest 60 to 90 seconds
- Rope tricep pushdowns
- 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
- Rest 60 seconds
- Bench or parallel bar dips
- 2 sets to near failure
- Rest 90 seconds
You can run Workout A early in the week and Workout B later in the week to reach your weekly set target.
Form tips for safer tricep training
Well executed reps matter more than chasing big numbers with sloppy technique. Lateral head tricep guides updated in 2024 highlight several common mistakes and how to avoid them.
Keep your elbows under control
- Avoid letting your elbows flare way out to the sides
- Keep them roughly stacked under your wrists in presses
- During extensions, think about hinging at the elbow without shifting your upper arm too much
This helps direct the work into the triceps instead of your shoulders.
Use a full but comfortable range of motion
- Lower the weight until you feel a strong stretch, especially in overhead moves
- Do not bounce off your joints or rush through the hardest part
- Press or extend until your elbow is nearly straight, but do not snap it into a locked position
Neglecting range of motion is a frequent mistake that reduces both muscle growth and long term strength.
Pick the right weight
Using too much weight tends to:
- Shift the load to your chest and shoulders
- Shorten your range of motion
- Increase your risk of elbow or shoulder discomfort
Choose a load that lets you:
- Maintain control on every rep
- Pause briefly at the bottom without losing tension
- Complete your target reps with one or two reps still in reserve
Breathe and brace
Improper breathing can make exercises feel harder than they need to.
Try this pattern:
- Inhale as you lower the weight or descend into the rep
- Brace your core gently
- Exhale as you press or extend back to the starting position
Consistent breathing keeps you more stable and supports better control over the weight.
Progress and recovery for long term gains
A smart tricep heads workout is not just about what you do in the gym. How you progress, eat, and recover matters just as much.
Progress gradually
To keep your triceps growing, add small, steady challenges over time:
- Increase weight slightly when you can hit the top of your rep range with solid form
- Add an extra set to a key exercise once your recovery feels good
- Use slower negatives on extensions for added time under tension
- Rotate in new variations, such as switching from dumbbell skull crushers to cable extensions, every 6 to 8 weeks
This kind of progression encourages sustainable growth without overloading your joints.
Support your training with basics
Recent guides emphasize that lifting is only part of the picture. You will see the best results when you also:
- Eat enough protein and calories to support muscle repair
- Stay hydrated throughout the day
- Get adequate sleep to recover between sessions
Rest and recovery are vital for safe and effective training, especially as your weekly set count increases.
Space your sessions wisely
Because the triceps assist in many pushing movements, they can get fatigued easily if you train them hard without enough rest.
To manage this:
- Train triceps directly at least twice a week, but not on back to back days
- Avoid doing an extremely heavy chest and shoulder day the day before or after a very high volume tricep session
- Listen to your elbows and shoulders, and reduce volume or load if they feel irritated
If you follow the recommended 12 to 28 weekly sets spread across at least two workouts, and pair that with solid recovery, you will be in a strong position to grow.
Put it all together
If you want tricep heads workout success, build your routine around a few simple ideas:
- Include a heavy compound press to hit all three heads
- Add overhead and lying extension work to emphasize the long head
- Use pushdowns, dips, and close grip presses to swell the lateral head
- Throw in reverse grip work for the medial head when needed
- Train mostly in the 8 to 12 rep range at moderate loads, 12 to 28 sets per week
- Progress gradually while keeping your form tight and your recovery solid
Pick one of the sample workouts, commit to it for the next 6 to 8 weeks, and track your weights and reps. As your numbers go up and your technique improves, your triceps will follow.
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