Complete triceps workout for all 3 heads of triceps. Strengthening the medial head can help tremendously with elbow pain.
Proper strengthening of the triceps will create a defined arm musculature, increase your athletic performance and make sure your elbows stay safe.
Big and strong triceps aren't only for bodybuilders. Structurally balanced arms will help an athlete or a martial artist to avoid elbow pain while also increasing overall performance. For gym enthusiasts, specific triceps training is needed to create fully defined arms.
One of the most important benefits of specific triceps training is that it can fix, alleviate or prevent elbow pain.
One of the most common injuries and joint problems people have is elbow pain when they do skullcrushers or pull ups.
Chronic injuries are almost always the result of lack of structural balance. If your muscles were fully functional and healthy, the muscles would absorb all of the strain instead of the strain going straight to the tendons or joints.
With exercises like skullcrushers, the elbow pain is often the result of lack of strength and control in the medial head of triceps. People are using too much weight (which the medial head cannot hold) and they haven't developed enough strength in the lockout.
With tricep exercises you need to lockout the elbow to properly work the medial head of triceps. People are avoiding the lockout to "protect their elbows" when in reality they are doing the opposite.
If you don't lockout, the lateral and long heads will do majority of the work. Eventually your lateral and long heads will become stronger while the medial heads either stay weak or shrink even further. The result? Elbow pain.
The exercises below will work all of your 3 heads to their maximum. You have to use light weights and do high repetitions (10-20 per set) for the best results. Use slow tempo and control. All isolation exercises should be done in this way.
If you cannot fully extend the elbow without your arm shaking or you are otherwise having problems controlling the movement, then you are using way too much weight.
Long Head of Triceps Exercises
1. Triceps Kickback
Triceps kickback is a great exercise to emphasize the long and medial heads of triceps.
Using a cable or a resistance band can produce the best results because there will be tension during the entire range of motion.
Common mistake is to use too much weight and move the weight by moving the upper arm backwards. Control and slow tempo will produce the best results.
2. Straight Arm Pullover
Straight arm pullover will work the long head of triceps, but also your lats and chest muscles. You can use barbells or dumbbells for pullovers.
One of the great benefits of the pullover is that it will stretch the lats, serratus anterior and the long head of triceps, which will improve your upper body mobility.
3. Behind the Back Raise
Behind the back raise will isometrically work all the heads of triceps, but the shoulder extension will primarily train the long head of triceps. You can vary the width of your grip to change the stimulus of the exercises.
The exercise will hit your triceps very differently which makes it a good addition to your triceps workout. You can also expect to improve your shoulder mobility with this one.
You don't need to use much weight in behind the back raises - just a broomstick can be more than enough to feel a massive burn.
Lateral Head of Triceps Exercises
1. Bodyweight Triceps Extension
Bodyweight tricep extensions or tiger bend push ups are a great way to blast your triceps with just your bodyweight.
You will work all heads of the triceps, but lots of emphasis is on the lateral head.
2. Overhead Triceps Extension
Overhead tricep extensions will stretch the long head of the triceps and work all heads of the triceps.
This exercise is good for shoulders and triceps mobility when done right because most people tend to have real difficulty in straightening their arms overhead without using lots of momentum.
For best results, try to keep your upper arms stationary and focus only on extending the elbows.
3. SkullCrusher
Skullcrusher is one of those exercises where lots of people experience elbow pain. In order to do these safely, you need to use light weights and make sure your medial head of triceps is strong to do the exercise.
Skullcrusher will work all heads of the triceps. Your long head of triceps will work on shoulder extension while the lateral and medial heads will push the weight up.
Medial Head of Triceps Exercises
1. Side Lying Triceps Extension
Side lying tricep extension is a phenomenal exercise because it will allow you to steadily control the weight and maximize the quality of the elbow extension.
For this reason this exercise is excellent for training the medial head of triceps. Keep the upper arm stationary (you can use your other arm to hold it in place) and focus on the best and the most pure elbow extension you have ever done.
2. Cable Side Triceps Extension
Similar to the lying elbow extensions, cable side triceps extension will allow you to easily control the entire range of motion which will make it easy to work the medial head of triceps.
Using the cable is a great asset because it will keep tension in your triceps the entire duration of the repetition. Lock down the elbow and try to feel a nice burn in the triceps by using mind-muscle connection.
