Triceps

The triceps are the muscles at the rear of the upper arm. They make up 3/5 of the mass of the upper arm muscles. Most people focus on biceps, but neglect triceps. Big mistake! Always aim for balanced development, or you will end up with joint problems and an unbalanced appearance.

The 3 tricep muscles of the muscle group 'triceps brachii' are the lateral (outer) head, (origin: upper half of rear of humerus), medial (inner) head, (origin: lower half of humerus), and long head (origin: scapula ie-shoulder blade, near armpit) . So the medial and lateral heads are used only in elbow extension, whereas the long head is also involved at the shoulder joint. The insertion of all 3 heads is the ulna, one of the forearm bones, and inserts near the elbow joint.

The medial head gives bulk to the lower triceps. The other 2 heads give bulk to the upper triceps.

The triceps enable all pushing motions of the arm, and allow you to straighten the arm from a bent position. Strong triceps also assist you in all chest exercises, and in the seated shoulder press above head.

If you have no access to gym equipment, one of the best tricep exercises require no equipment at all: pressups (otherwise known as pushups). To hit the triceps best, perform pressups with your hands a bit closer to each other than you would with regular pressups. The wider your hands, the greater the impact on the chest.

Best exercises for triceps

(Perform all the movements slowly and with strict form, to ensure you isolate the triceps. If you go too fast or too heavy, you'll find your chest/back muscles coming into play. This is where a personal trainer or gym buddy comes in handy, to ensure you're performing the exercise safely and effectively.)

Standing cable pressdowns (palms down) - targets medial head mostly

Reverse standing cable pressdowns (palms up) - most effective for the lateral head, the outer portion of the triceps

Cable pressdowns with rope - targets lateral head mostly

1 arm cable pressdowns - targets medial (inner) head

Dumbbell kickbacks (bent over) - great for lateral head - feel the burn!

Dips - great for whole triceps, mainly long head and lateral (outer) head

Close grip bench press

Barbell 'skull crushers' - lying on your back on a bench, extend a light barbell above your head.

Standing dumbbell tricep extension - 1 arm only,  keep upper arm still and vertical, dumbbell slowly descends behind your head, then press up, don't lock out the elbow joint at the top. Follow this up with a set of bent-over tricep extensions, and squeeze the tricep at the top of each rep.