Most people have an impression that having bigger arms means that they need to build bigger biceps. Even though it’s true to a point, two-thirds of the mass of your upper arm is made up of your triceps. That’s why even though it’s important to burnish your triceps, you will never be able to maximize your arms’ size if you don’t go for proper triceps training.
Your triceps are made up of three different sections, and some of these parts hold a bigger impact on the appearance of your arms than the biceps or other parts of your arms. The section lying closest to your body and along the inside part of your arm is known as the long head. The long head is the most significant part of your triceps, and you will need to focus on your long head while going through your triceps training.
This article will discuss the best types of long head tricep exercises you can use to build stronger and bigger arms.
Long Head of the Triceps
The triceps muscle is placed on your upper arm’s back, consisting of three heads. They are the long head, the medial head, and the lateral head. Of the three heads of the triceps muscle, the long head is the largest one, contributing the most to the triceps’ overall size. Due to this, you will need to include exercises in your training that will help emphasize your long head in order to build big arms.
As all three heads of your triceps work together in order to straighten your elbow, the triceps get heavily involved in the pressing exercises, such as the overhead press, bench press, and push-ups. That being said, you can easily emphasize the specific portion of your triceps that you want to train by changing your upper arms’ position in relation to your torso while conducting different pressing exercises.
You can’t work on only one head of your triceps, as all triceps exercises that emphasize one particular head also involve the other heads to some degree. So, you will need to choose the exercises that will help you emphasize the long head muscle of your triceps.
Some of the Best Long Head Tricep Exercises at Home
Now we will discuss some of the best long head triceps exercises that you can go for to build big and muscular arms. These long head tricep exercises are-
1. Close-Grip Barbell Bench Press
The close-grip bench press is one of the best tricep exercises that help you emphasize all three of the heads. This exercise will allow you to effectively and safely increase your weights over time, which can be pretty tricky with other exercises. It will also help you train your shoulders, chest, and biceps, which makes it an outstanding and all-around exercise for your upper body.
For this exercise, lie down on a flat bench at first. Then pull your shoulder blades together and down, and slightly arch your back without lifting your butt or shoulders off the bench. Make sure to grip the barbell at shoulder width so it’s above your chest directly, and then unrack it. Take the barbell lower to your lower chest after that, and keep your elbows tucked at around a 30-degree angle relative to your torso. Press the bar back explosively to the starting position when the bar reaches your chest.
2. JM Press
This exercise is a combination of the close-grip triceps extension and bench press. It will isolate your triceps more than the close-grip bench press and will be better for the growth of your muscles.
For this exercise, Lie down on a flat bench first, then pull your shoulder blades together and down. Slightly arch your back without lifting your shoulders or butt off the bench. Then grip the barbell at your shoulder width, maybe a bit narrower than that, and unrack it. Afterward, take the barbell lower towards your neck, and while doing so, keep the elbows in front and over your torso. Also, bend your wrists backward, so your palms face the ceiling. Press the bar back explosively to the starting position when your biceps and forearms come in contact.
3. EZ Bar Skull Crusher
This exercise is great for training all the parts of your triceps. It will help you ensure that you have proportional and defined upper arms. For this exercise, hold an EZ Bar above your chest with a grip on the shoulder width while lying on a flat bench. Then bend your elbow, bring the bar down to your forehead, and reverse the movement from the return to the starting position.
4. Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension
This exercise is one of the best tricep dumbbell exercises for the long head, as you will have to place your arms overhead, and it will make sure that the long heads of your triceps are fully stretched; it will lead to more muscle growth for you.
For this exercise, sit down straight on a bench at first. Then, grip one of the dumbbell’s ends using both palms and lift it overhead. Keep your arms straight. Your palms must remain flat against the dumbbell’s end and face toward the ceiling. Bend your elbow and keep lowering the weight until it gets behind the head, and then get your arms straight from the return to the starting position.
5. Cable Triceps Pushdown
This exercise is specifically suitable for emphasizing the long triceps head. It will also help you train your triceps through a full range of motion, and it’s ideal for the growth of your muscles.
For this exercise, attach the rope handle slightly above head height by setting the pulley on a cable machine. Lean forward slightly or stand upright, and then grab one end of that rope in each of your hands. After that, straighten your elbows and push the rope downward. Make sure to reverse the motion from the return to the starting position once your arms are at your sides and straight.
Final Words
You can’t make your arms grow strong and big if you don’t concentrate on conducting triceps exercises and biceps ones. Since the long head muscles contribute the most to the overall size of your triceps, it’s best if you specifically go for exercises that will emphasize your long heads. You can go for many different long head tricep exercises, and you can easily choose one from the best types of such exercises mentioned above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do you get all 3 heads of the triceps?
Ans: The triceps muscle has three main heads: the lateral head, the medial head, and the long head. You can target each of these heads specifically with different exercises. Try exercises like triceps pushdowns and close-grip bench presses for the lateral head. Try exercises like triceps kickbacks and overhead triceps extensions for the medial head. And for the long head, try skull crushers and lying triceps extensions.
