5 Effective Triceps Lateral Head Exercises for Symmetrical Arms

Everybody wants a set of muscular arms to show off at the beach. As you know, the secret to a huge set of sleeve-filling guns is plenty of bicep curls, right?

Well, actually, no – not necessarily.

If you want big arms, the secret is triceps development. The triceps muscle is considerably larger than the biceps and ensure that your arms look large. Why? The triceps muscle has three heads, as opposed to the two heads found on the biceps.

It’s important to vary your training and work on all heads of the triceps. Many people struggle to isolate the outer head of the triceps, known as the lateral head. The problem is that most triceps exercises result in all three heads of the muscle working together simultaneously.

However, according to some studies, we can handpick exercises, which will slightly increase the load on the triceps lateral head when compared to other exercises.

Triceps lateral head exercises

Here’s a look at five effective triceps lateral head exercises that you can incorporate into your training.

Triangle (Diamond) push-ups

First on our list are triangle push-ups. When people hear the term “push -up” they automatically think of the pectoral muscles. Push-ups are indeed a fantastic exercise for working the chest. However, with a little bit of adjusting, they can actually do wonders for your triceps. By adjusting the position of your hands, triangle push-ups help to better target the lateral head of the triceps muscle.

 Here’s what to do:

• Begin by assuming a standard push up position
• Move your hands closer together so that they are under your chest. Your thumbs and forefingers should almost touch (your hands should now make a triangle shape)
• Now, slowly lower your body down until your chest almost grazes the ground
• Hold for a moment, and press yourself back up
• Repeat for as many reps as required

Triceps kickbacks

Up next we have triceps kickbacks. Triceps kickbacks are a vastly underrated exercise. You will need a bench and a dumbbell to perform this exercise.

To perform this exercise:

• Begin by taking a dumbbell in your right hand and placing your left knee and left hand onto a flat bench
• Now, keeping your back straight but maintaining a slight bend at the right knee, slowly lean forward with your waist until your torso is close to being parallel to the ground
• The dumbbell arm should form around 90 degree angle
• Lift the weights using your triceps until you have fully extended your arm (the “kickback”)
• Hold for a second and return to the starting position
• Repeat for as many reps as required, and then switch arms and repeat

Triceps chair dips

Third on our list we have triceps chair dips. This exercise also can help you to deal with a lagging lateral head of the triceps. Best of all is the fact that dips can be performed in the comfort of your own home. Chair dips can really help to add a significant amount of mass to your triceps.

 Here’s a look at how you can perform triceps chair dips.

• Begin by placing a standard chair behind you
• Stand in front of the chair, making sure that you are facing away from the chair’s seat
• Slowly lower your butt down until you are sitting directly on the very edge of the chair’s seat, with your hands behind your hips
• Both palms should be flat on the edge of the chair, roughly shoulder-width apart from one another
• Slowly raise your butt off the edge of the seat and walk your feet forwards slightly. Making sure both hands are placed securely on the seat to anchor you in position
• Keep your head up and your chest elevated, making sure that your knees do not bend past your toes
• Gradually lower your torso down towards the ground, ensuring that your elbows bend no more than 90 degrees
• Now, extend your arms and raise your torso up in the air, making sure to support your weight with your arms. During this movement you torso shouldn’t lean forward. Instead go up and gradually lean backward.
• Repeat for as many reps as required

The more advanced variation is when you also put your feet up on a second chair. To increase resistance, put extra weight (e.g. barbell plates) on your thighs. 

Overhead triceps extensions

The penultimate triceps lateral head exercise is the overhead triceps extension. This exercise can be performed using a single dumbbell, and that’s pretty much it. It’s easy to perform, but you must ensure that you choose the correct weight. Many exercisers have suffered torn triceps as a result of performing this exercise with a dumbbell which was simply too heavy. Begin light, assess your strength, and then work your way up accordingly.

To perform overhead triceps extensions:

• Begin by holding a dumbbell tight in both hands, with your core braced and your feet shoulder width apart
• Now, slowly lift the dumbbell up into the air leaving your arms slightly bent. Your elbows should be  pointing forwards, and your palms facing up into the air
• This will be your starting position
• Bend your elbows and focus on squeezing the triceps as you slowly lower the dumbbell down behind your head
• Lower it until you begin to feel a deep stretch in the triceps
• Hold for a moment, and slowly raise the dumbbell back into the air above your head
• Repeat for as many reps as required

You can perform this exercise sitting on a bench as well.

Triceps v-bar push downs

Finally, we have one of the most popular triceps exercises in the gym. Using a v-bar helps to add tension to the outer head of the muscle.

 Here’s what you’ll need to do:

• Begin by standing in front of a high pulley cable machine with a v-bar attached to it
• Using an overhand grip with palms facing the ground, firmly grasp the bar with both hands
• Make sure to brace your core and to keep your back straight
• Check that your elbows remain as close to your sides as possible.
• Slowly push the bar straight downwards, until it is roughly level with your thighs
• Hold for a second until you feel a tension in the triceps muscle
• Repeat this exercise for as many sets and reps as needed.

To increase tensions in the triceps, you can try changing your torso and elbow position.

Triceps workouts with a focus on the lateral head

Here are two triceps workout examples with a focus on the lateral head:

1. Dips between benches with extra weight: 4 sets of 8-15 reps.
2. Close grip bench press: 3 sets of 8-12 reps.
3. Triceps v-bar push downs: 3 sets of 8-12 reps.

OR

1. Triangle (Diamond) push-ups with extra weight on your back: 4 sets of 8-12 reps.
2. Weighted dips: 3 sets of 6-12 reps.
3. Triceps kickbacks: 3 sets of 8-15 reps.

Reference

1. ACE-sponsored Research: Best Triceps Exercises.
2. Differences in Muscle Activity During Cable Resistance Training Are Influenced by Variations in Handle Types.