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The head of the triceps is an often-overlooked part of the arm. It's easy to see why: It doesn't have much of a role in day-to-day activities, at least not compared to other muscle groups. But don't underestimate this tiny but mighty muscle! The medial head of the triceps brachii is responsible for extending the forearm and helping with elbow flexion—both essential motions for everyday tasks like reaching for a cup or lifting heavy objects.
In other words, if your medial head is weak, you're going to struggle doing basic tasks. So it's important to keep this area strong that will let you do all those things without straining yourself!
Five Best Tricep Exercises to Work the Medial Head Muscles
Here are five exercises that will help strengthen your medial head while improving the balance in others as well.
1. Reverse Grip Cable Pushdown
This exercise emphasizes the medial head of the triceps because you keep your elbows at your sides and use an underhand grip. Moreover, most people find that the underhand grip places less stress on their elbows.
How should you do it?
- Grab the bar attachment of a high pulley machine.
- Stand facing the attachment, with feet shoulder-width apart and palms facing up.
- Lower the bar until your arms are fully extended, keeping your elbows at your sides.
- Bring the bar back up to your chest while inhaling. That's one rep!
- Perform three sets of 12–15 reps for each arm (6–9 per side).
2. Dumbbell or Barbell Reverse Grip Press
This is a compound movement that works the chest and triceps. The reverse grip reduces stress on the shoulders and elbows. It emphasizes the triceps and upper pecs. Therefore, it is quite effective for developing the medial head of the triceps.
How should you do it?
- Start with the dumbbells resting on your knees.
- Lie back on a flat bench and push the weights straight up toward the ceiling, keeping your palms facing toward your shoulders.
- Lower the weights to about chest height, pause for a second, and then press back up.
- Repeat for a set of repetitions.
To target the medial head of the triceps, use a lighter load and do 10–20 reps. However, this exercise can also be effective in the 6–12 rep range.
3. Reverse Grip Floor Press
A simple triceps exercise that focuses on building mass and strength, the floor press targets your triceps effectively. The floor press is done with a barbell in the lockout position of a bench press (upper chest).
The reverse grip allows you to target your triceps differently by hitting them from a different angle.
How should you do it?
- Lie flat on your back with barbell in your hand, palms facing the ceiling.
- Slowly lower your arms until they're about 45 degrees from your body and parallel to the floor while keeping a tight grip on the weights (this is called a reverse grip).
- Press upward until you reach the start position again—the weight should only be an inch or two away from your chest at this point—and repeat for reps as desired or required by training plan.
4. Palm-Out Bench Dip
The palm-out bench dip is a versatile triceps exercise. In fact, it is one of the best medial head tricep exercises.
It targets the medial head of your triceps and can be done with a bench or chair, making it an excellent compound exercise that works for multiple muscle groups simultaneously.
How should you do it?
- At the beginning of each set, sit down on a bench with your hands next to your thighs.
- To do a bench dip, keep your upper arms parallel to the floor and perform a traditional bench dip.
- Then walk your feet out until your legs are extended and lifting your bottom off of the bench and push your body up as far as you can.
- This is one rep. Repeat for desired reps and sets.
5. Tate Press
The Tate press is a very useful medial head tricep exercise. It's a great exercise to finish off a workout or as an isolation movement if you're looking to focus on your medial heads.
This is an advanced movement, so if you're new to lifting or haven't done it in a while, it is recommended to start with other exercises before attempting this one.
How should you do it?
- Start by holding a pair of dumbbells over your chest.
- Keep your feet on the floor, and contract your core muscles.
- Slowly lower the weights until they touch your chest, keeping your upper arms perpendicular to the floor.
- Push your body back up to the starting position.
- Repeat this movement in an alternating manner or simultaneously.
Conclusion
Of course, there is no substitute for training hard and heavy. But if you're looking for some variety in your triceps routine to shock the muscle into new gains, one or all of these exercises could definitely work. Be sure to add them in your routine to sculpt your arms to perfection!
