Your triceps play a significant role in growing serious arm muscles. And in order to fully develop your horseshoe-shaped muscle, you need to equally train your three tricep heads, which include the long head, medial head, and lateral head.
In this article, we're going to show you how to effectively target your lateral head, including highlighting the 9 best lateral head tricep exercises, how to program tricep exercises, and important training techniques for full tricep development (both in terms of strength and hypertrophy).
Table of Contents:
- 9 Best Lateral Head Tricep Exercises
- Programming & Training Tips
- How To Add Lateral Head Exercises To Your Routine
- Tricep Anatomy
- How To Isolate & Target The Lateral Head
- Benefits of Building Your Triceps Lateral Head
The 9 best lateral head tricep exercises are:
- Decline Close Grip Bench Press
- JM Press
- Tricep Pushdowns
- Lateral Single Arm Pushdown
- Triceps Kickback
- Bench Dips
- Tricep Dips
- Close-Grip & Diamond Push Ups
- Decline Neutral Grip DB Skull Crushers
TRICEP ANATOMY
Before we go over the best exercises to hit the lateral head, we’ll go over the anatomy first. Knowing the anatomy of the triceps can help understand its function, making it easier to understand the best exercises.
The triceps, known as the triceps brachii, is a three-headed muscle that is located in the back side of the upper arm. It makes up around 60-70% of your upper arm mass meaning it’s important to build if you want big arms. The three heads are:
- Long head
- Medial head
- Lateral head
TRICEP FUNCTION
The primary function of the triceps is to extend the elbow.
However, it’s actually a biarticular muscle meaning it crosses two joints. In addition to crossing the elbow joint, the long head also crosses the shoulder joint. This allows it to assist in movements that involve shoulder adduction and extension as well as shoulder stabilization.
LATERAL HEAD OF THE TRICEP:
The lateral head of the triceps is the strongest of the three heads. This means it plays a vital role on performance, especially in movements such as the bench press and push-ups.
It also sits on the outside of the arm meaning it’s the one people see from the side. When well-developed, the lateral head and long head come together on the upper portion of the back of your arm creating a horseshoe-like shape.
The lateral heads main job is to perform elbow extension (meaning straightening your arm from a flexed position). However, the lateral head only becomes active during movements that require high force. This means that to optimize training of the lateral head, big movements are a big plus.
CAN YOU ISOLATE THE LATERAL HEAD OF THE TRICEP?
Nope.
It is literally impossible to isolate a single head of the tricep as they function together. However, you can emphasize a certain tricep head by selecting certain exercises (like the lateral head tricep exercises we went over earlier in this article)
Essentially, certain exercises, arm positions, and grip positions will shift emphasis to certain tricep heads, but all three will be activated to some degree no matter what you do.
Note: To target the long head, use exercises that stretch the triceps such as the overhead rope extension.
IMPORTANCE OF EMPHASIZING THE THREE TRICEP HEADS:
Emphasizing different heads of the triceps isn’t much of a concern for beginners. If you have less than a year of progressive training, just concentrate on building your primary movements.
On the other hand, intermediate or advanced lifters may want to alternate focusing on certain muscle heads, especially for aesthetics. To build big, well-defined triceps, it’s vital that you hone in on each of the three heads of the tricep.
By doing so, you can develop some seriously impressive looking triceps by creating a fuller triceps muscle. It can also ensure you don’t have any imbalances.
HOW TO BEST TARGET THE LATERAL HEAD OF THE TRICEP
To give your triceps the greatest strength potential and see the best possible development, you will first need to know how to specifically target the lateral head.
Lateral Head:
To target the lateral head using lateral head tricep exercises, you will want to do the following:
- Perform tricep exercises that keep your arms at your sides.
- Using an overhand grip and neutral grip when doing tricep exercises will allow you to emphasize the lateral head more. If you combine the two (elbows at your sides with an overhand or neutral grip), you will be giving your lateral head the best possible activation.
- Examples of exercises that follow the above parameters are: Tricep pushdowns with rope attachment, tricep kickbacks, and tricep dips.
- Another way to better target your lateral head is to extend your elbow at an angle that moves your forearm toward the lateral side. For example, crossbody pushdowns or extensions.
If you use an overhand or hammer (neutral) grip, your lateral head will be even more emphasized. For example, neutral grip dumbbell skull crushers or close grip bench press.
The lateral head works closely with the long head as well, which again, occurs when your triceps is stretched such as in an overhead triceps extension.
BENEFITS OF LATERAL HEAD TRICEP EXERCISES
Here are a few great reasons why it's smart to train your lateral head.
- Aesthetics: The lateral head tricep adds a lot to the appearance of the arms due to its visibility from the back and the side. It also creates the converted horse-shoe shape which is the sign of powerful arms. You can not have large arms with a small lateral head.
- Compound Pressing Exercises: The lateral head of the tricep plays a crucial role in pressing movements. This is due to its tremendous strength, especially during the top range of motion aka the lockout. If your lateral head is weak, you’ll have a weak bench press, overhead press, and push presses.
- Elbow Stability & Health: The lateral head plays a key role in the health and resilience of your elbow. The strong it is, the more stable your elbow will be during any activity.
9 BEST LATERAL HEAD TRICEP EXERCISES
While all tricep exercises involve your lateral head (as they do the medial and long head too - we'll talk about this more later on in the article, under the anatomy section), some better target this portion of your triceps.
The 9 best lateral head tricep exercises are:
- Decline Close Grip Bench Press
- JM Press
- Tricep Pushdowns
- Lateral Single Arm Pushdown
- Triceps Kickback
- Bench Dips
- Tricep Dips
- Close-Grip & Diamond Push Ups
- Decline Neutral Grip DB Skull Crushers
If you have been looking for ways to work out your outer (lateral) head tricep and add something new to your fitness routine, these different exercises can help you see the importance of this muscle group and the role it plays in amplifying your arm growth and overall physique.
1. Decline Close Grip Bench Press
Whether you are an aspiring bodybuilder or you are simply looking to bulk up your triceps, the close grip bench press is one of the best exercises you can do. This is a pure mass builder.
You’ll want to start your workouts with this one as it involves heavier weight and higher energy levels.
In regards to the triceps, while the close grip bench press is truly an all around tricep exercise, it can be done in a way that better emphasizes the lateral head.
To shift emphasis from the long head, which the close grip bench press is great for, do it on a decline bench. The decline bench will better target the lateral head.
How to do decline close grip bench press:
- Set the bench to a -15 degree decline.
- If you have a squat rack or a specific decline bench press you can do this with a barbell, if you only have the bench and dumbbells, that’s fine too.
- Lie on the bench and retract your shoulder blades so they are pressed into the bench.
- While keeping your shoulders down, lower the db or barbell and then press back up to full extension. Don’t let your shoulders come up. Try to keep the movement strictly at the elbow.
2. JM Press
The barbell JM press is an awesome exercise to target the lateral head of the triceps. It’s basically a bench press that allows the elbows to come down to the side of the body during the descent.
The movement kind-of looks like a skull crusher if you rotate your arms 90-degrees. Either way, it’s a great movement to palace big loads on your triceps.
How to do JM Press:
- Set up as you would for a normal bench press.
- Grip width should be shoulder-width apart or slightly wider.
- Ensure elbows are locked out over your shoulders.
- Maintain tightness by externally rotating the shoulders.
- Lower the bar to your neck, flexing at the elbows.
- Upon completing the rep, push the bar away until elbows are fully extended.
Note: You can also perform these with a landmine attachment if you have a dual handle attachment. This version can be a bit easier to learn.
3. Triceps Pushdowns (Overhand & Neutral Grip)
Tricep pushdowns are the best lateral head tricep exercise. The lateral head is best targeted with your elbows at your side and that’s exactly what the tricep pushdown provides.
If your goal is to increase your strength along with the size of your lateral head tricep, then all you need to do is use the right attachment and grip position.
The best attachments for hitting the lateral head for tricep pushdowns are the rope, the straight bar, and a v-bar. With all three, you will (or want to have) a more narrow grip, which is best for the lateral head.
- Rope = hammer grip (neutral grip)
- Straight Bar = overhand grip
- V-bar = partly-pronated grip (like a mix between hammer and overhand)
Another great thing to note about the pushdown is that it’s a great exercise for pushing your triceps past failure. So, be sure to implement some sets past failure with this one!
How to do the tricep pushdown:
- Grip the attachment of choice for that particular day (using one of the three grips mentioned above).Keep your chest up and lean forward before beginning the exercise to ensure your body is in the correct position. Bring your shoulders directly over the handle.
- To begin, drive the cables down until your elbows are at a full extension. Be sure to keep your elbows fixed in place and your wrists straight throughout the entire process.
- Guide the handles back to at least 90 degrees of elbow flexion and then repeat.
- Be sure to lockout in full elbow extension with each rep.
4. Lateral Triceps One Arm Pushdown
This is a good variation of the tricep pushdown for the outer tricep as well. It's good to change up angles sometimes so you can stress the muscle differently.
5. Triceps Kickback
Tricep kickbacks are another great exercise for your lateral head. It’s also going to work your long head too depending on the variations (there are many ways to do a tricep kickback).
For the lateral head, the best option is the bent over position using a cable pulley or dumbbell. This has been proven to increase lateral head activation.
So, if you are trying to target the lateral head, do bent over cable or dumbbell tricep kickbacks as pictured.
How to do the tricep kickback for lateral head:
- Using one hand, grab the base of the cable handle. Use a neutral grip. You actually don’t need any handle for this, you can just hold the bottom of the cable just above the carabiner area.
- Bend at the hips, until your torso is parallel to the ground.
- Once in the correct position, you can begin with your elbow flexed at 90 degrees, then drive the hand back into complete elbow extension. Keep your elbow fixed in place throughout the exercise.
- To complete the rep, you will then need to bring your elbow back to flexion.
- Then, repeat this with the other hand, to work both arms equally (if you are using dumbbells, you can do both at the same time, but most people find focusing on one side at a time is best).
6. Bench Dips
This is a classic bodyweight tricep exercise that is great for working your lateral head tricep.
This is especially helpful for those who are new to strength training and want to build up strength to execute tricep dips (parallel handles with body suspended in air) with ease - that’s the next exercise on this list.
How to do bench dips:
- Sit down on the bench and position your hands so your palm is fully on the bench and your fingers pointing behind you.
- Come off the bench with your butt and position your body so it is perpendicular with the floor. You don’t want your body coming out at an angle.
- You can either place your legs with your knees at 90 degree (easy), straight out (medium) and up on another bench or platform (hard).
- From here, bring your body down as low as you can flexing at your elbow.
- When you reach your bottom range, press up through the palm of your hand until your arms are as straight as possible.
- Squeeze, hold and then repeat.
- Be sure to keep your core tight and engaged throughout.
If you want to take the difficulty up a notch, do this with a weight plate on your lap.
Note: You don’t need a bench to do bench dips, you can easily do these just as well with a chair!
7. Tricep Dips
While parallel bar lifts are commonly used to work the pecs, they can also help you increase the mass in your tricep, and more specifically the lateral head when positioning your body properly. Plus, almost every gym has a dip machine.
To place emphasis on your triceps, and naturally your lateral head, you need to position your body so you are dipping with your back upright (for the chest, you want to lean forward).
Now, if you don’t have the strength for this exercise, you can just focus on bench dips, albeit this dip is not exactly the same.
If you don’t have the strength to perform this, you can two options:
- You can either use a resistance band to assist you by looping it on the handles and then putting your knees on top of it. The wider the band, the more help it will provide.
- You can just use the assistance platform that comes with most dip machines at gyms. As you progress, you can use less and less weight assistance, which is controlled by the weight stack pin system near the bottom of the machine.
At some point, you'll be able to do tricep dips without any assistance.
When you are able to do more high reps for multiple sets, it’s time to take things up a notch. To do this, you just need a dip belt. With that, you can attach plates to the belt and then dip with added weight.
A make shift option is to just hold onto dumbbells with your feet by crossing them and having someone place the dumbbell in the crease of your two calves.
How to do tricep dips:
- Step up onto the feet platforms (if it has them) and then place your hands on the handles so your palms are facing in.
- Using your strength, lift your body off of the floor and allow yourself to balance upright with straight arms.
- Keeping your torso upright, lower down flexing at the arms as far as you comfortably can (you want to go to or a little past parallel).
- Then, press up until your arms are fully extended.
Check out our article on the Best Dip Exercise Alternatives for more great variations.
Tricep Pressdown Machine
If you have access to a tricep pressdown machine, which many gyms have, this is another great way to work your lateral head tricep. The mechanics are similar to a tricep dip, but you can easily control the resistance using the pin weight stack system.
8. Close-Grip & Diamond Push Ups
If you are in search of a simple yet effective exercise that will target your lateral head tricep, diamond push-ups are one of the best options out there. Plus, this exercise doesn’t require any equipment so anyone can do it, whether you are working out at home or in a gym.
If you have issues with your shoulder joint, then you can spread your hands a little bit, using a close grip instead. Both are good for the lateral head.
How to do diamond push ups:
- To begin, you will need to create a diamond shape with your index fingers and your thumb, hence the name diamond push-up.
- You will then need to get on the ground in preparation for a push-up with your hands under your lower chest or abdomen, in a high plank position.
- Keeping your body straight, you can lower down to the ground by bending your elbows. Then, you can push up from the ground while fully extending your elbows and repeat.
- Remember to keep your hips level so that they do not drop or shift and your core is tight at all time. Your body should be like a straight, solid board.
9. Decline Neutral Grip DB Skull Crushers
If you are in search of a tried and true tricep exercise, look no further than EZ bar or barbell skull crushers. But, if you want some lateral specific work, then use dumbbells and hold them with your palms facing in. And, to take matters even more into the lateral heads “hands”, use a decline bench at about -15˚.
How to do decline neutral grip dumbbell skull crushers:
- Set the bench to a -15 degree decline.
- Lie on a bench with the dumbbells held firmly in an hammer grip, palms facing in, with your hands shoulder-width apart.
- Next, stretch your arms overhead with your wrists stacked to take the pressure off of them while you flex through the movement.
- Be sure to keep your elbows tucked and your upper arms still, lowering the weight toward your head until you are at a 90-degree angle.
- Pause and squeeze the triceps before extending back into the starting position.
Pro tip: Make sure you start with a lighter weight until you are comfortable with this exercise. Focus on good form first and foremost.
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Programming Lateral Head Exercises: WHAT TO DO IF Your LATERAL TRICEP HEAD IS NOT GROWING?
There’s two likely reasons for your triceps, and more specifically, your lateral head.
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It’s quite possible that your diet is simply not on point. Without eating right, you will not grow your muscles. But that’s a whole other topic so we will just leave it at that.
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In terms of exercising, it’s important that you are overloading the muscle when working out. This comes down to rep schemes, weight load, and total volume. So, let’s go over each of those points.
Best Rep Range & Load for Lateral Head Tricep:
About 67% of your triceps muscle fibers are fast twitch. This has led some to suggest that it responds best to heavy loads.
That said, the research is iffy concerning training based on muscle types. However, unlike the biceps, we do like using heavy rep schemes (>85%1RM , <6 reps) to train the triceps once in a while.
That said, you should still work through a whole range of rep schemes
This is how you should split up your rep ranges for lateral head triceps training:
- 25% in the 3-6 rep range
- 50% in the 8-12 rep range
- 25% in the 15+ rep range
Regardless of what range you use, use a weight that brings you near or to failure. For most tricep exercises, you can bring yourself to failure without much concern for safety or injury.
PRO TIP: Push past failure sometimes. Utilize training methods such as rest-stop, drop sets and forced reps.
Best Volume for Triceps:
In terms of volume, it is going to depend on where you are at in your fitness journey as well as your goals. With that said, most people should be somewhere between 10-20 working sets per week. However some people can handle it more quite easily.
Then, split your total weekly volume into 2-3 training sessions per week.²
Give this a try for 8-12 weeks and then see how you’ve progressed.
TRAINING TIPS & TECHNIQUES FOR TRICEP GROWTH:
Here are some more training tips for you to grow your lateral head tricep.
1. Prioritize the Lateral Head Tricep
Choose exercises that favor the lateral head when writing your program. This includes both compound and isolation exercises.
Another useful tactic is to train your triceps after a rest day. By taking a rest day before you work your triceps, you can prepare your body to work hard at the gym.
2. Start Your Triceps Routine with a Multi-Joint Movement
Multi-joint exercises are performed best when your energy levels are high. This will usually be at the beginning of your workout routine. This includes
Once you start to tire out, you can then utilize single-joint movements to continue your training.
3. Include Multiple Lateral Head Exercises in Your Routine
If you are trying to focus on your lateral head, it can be helpful to incorporate multiple exercises into your routine that targets this muscle especially.
Remember to mix it up and utilize exercises that differ from one another.
4. Improve Form
While doing lateral head exercises, having the proper form will be crucial. By keeping your elbows tucked to the side and staying in control of your movements, you will be able to maintain the perfect form during your workouts.
Pro tip: Use a mirror or find a workout partner to help you make sure you are using the right form and doing everything correctly to target your lateral head.
5. Allow Time For Rest and Recovery
With intense training, you are breaking down your muscles so that they can grow back even stronger than before, but this can only happen if you allow your body adequate time to rest afterward. While working out plays a key role in bulking up and gaining muscle, recovery is just as important too.
Prepare to maximize your gains with our exclusive 12-week hypertrophy training program. Choose between a 4 or 5 day training split and gain 2-12 pounds of muscle over 90 days...
Lateral Head Tricep Exercises: Key Takeaways
Let's end with a few pointers that will help you take your triceps to the next level.
- You can’t completely isolate the lateral tricep head. However, you can emphasize a single head with certain exercises, arm positions, grip positions,
- Tricep exercises that keep your elbow at your side and/or use an overhand or neutral grip will emphasize the lateral head.
- Incorporate various rep ranges and weight load for your triceps exercises.
- Aim for 10-20 sets of triceps per week with at least one third emphasizing the lateral head.
- You can split up the above volume (sets) in throughout the course of the week.
All in all, don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try something new, adding what works best for you to your workouts. Also, push yourself. You need to train smart AND hard.
By taking advantage of these lateral head exercises, you will be able to see optimal strength and hypertrophy results in your triceps, which in turn will improve other areas of your fitness.
Don't neglect your other tricep heads. Target them using the best Medial Head Triceps Exercises and Long Head Triceps Exercises for serious horseshoe-muscle growth.
References
- Campos GE, Luecke TJ, Wendeln HK, Toma K, Hagerman FC, Murray TF, Ragg KE, Ratamess NA, Kraemer WJ, Staron RS. Muscular adaptations in response to three different resistance-training regimens: specificity of repetition maximum training zones. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2002 Nov;88(1-2):50-60. doi: 10.1007/s00421-002-0681-6. Epub 2002 Aug 15. PMID: 12436270. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12436270/
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Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2016 Nov;46(11):1689-1697. doi: 10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8. PMID: 27102172. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27102172/
Kiel DiGiovanni
Author