10 Best Medial Head Tricep Exercises: Detailed Guide - Exercise World (2024)

The biggest muscles in your arms are the triceps. And if you want bigger triceps, it makes sense to maximize your tricep workouts.

Additionally, the tricep is made up of numerous components that give it a horseshoe shape. So you need to understand how to target each part to build tricep shape and proportion.

Due to its concealed location, the medial head of the tricep is a muscle group that is frequently disregarded. Your triceps will become stronger and more complete if the medial head is built.

In order to comprehend how the tricep works, you should read this article. Plus, you’ll see 10 of the best medial head tricep exercises.

TRICEP ANATOMY & FUNCTION

Your elbow is extended by the triceps, which are found on the back of your arm. They are the biggest muscle group in your arm and are made up of three heads, which is where it got its name (The long head, lateral head, and medial head are the three heads of the triceps (pronounced TRI-cep).

The longest head on a tricep is the long head. You’ll find it on the inside of your upper arm’s backside. The scapular, which is just below the shoulder joint, is where it starts. As the other two triceps heads originate on the humerus (upper arm bone), only the long head crosses the shoulder joint.

The lateral head, which is outside of the posterior upper arm and is smaller than the long head, is present. Interestingly, the lateral head of the triceps is thought to be the strongest because it has a higher proportion of fast-twitch muscle fibers.

The smallest and least noticeable head is the medial head. On the back of the upper arm’s posterior, it is situated in the bottom center. Similar to how the lateral head does, but at a lower point, the medial head is attached to the humerus. The only tricep head with a higher proportion of slow twitch muscle fibers is this one, making it an endurance muscle head. Overall, whether there is resistance or not, it is significant in elbow extension.

Although each of the three heads originates from a different location, they all converge at the elbow and insert into the ulna and fascia of the forearm. Furthermore, they all contribute significantly to the stability and extension of the elbow.

When all three triceps heads are fully developed, they take on the appearance of a horseshoe. This represents a tricep that is well-developed.

It goes without saying that proportionate tricep muscle development is necessary for attractive-looking triceps.

The different heads don’t seem to be as important when you first start weightlifting, and in some ways this may be true. You will always notice growth if your arms aren’t developed. But as you progress, you might find that one head is more developed than the other or that the growth of your triceps has stopped. You’ll need to start focusing on particular tricep heads at this point.

Exercises that correctly target each head are necessary if you want fully developed triceps. Even though the majority of exercises involve all three heads, depending on the movement or training variable, some exercises can emphasize the involvement of a particular head. This will enable you to enhance a lagging tricep head or simply hit each one more thoroughly.

We have previously covered the long head and lateral head in other articles, so since this one is about the medial head, we will now concentrate on that.

The Medial Head of the Tricep

The medial head cannot be completely isolated, but depending on the exercise you pick, you can emphasize it. It all boils down to how you hold the object and focus on the medial head.

One of the best exercises to strengthen and stabilize the medial head is the reverse grip. You can perform press downs, bench presses, lying extensions, or skull crushers as a few reverse-grip tricep exercises.

Following a detailed examination of the medial head, we’ll talk more about how to best target it and how it interacts with the other heads.

What does the triceps’ medial head look like?

The medial head is small but mighty; it stabilizes your elbow and helps to fill out your upper arm so that it looks proportionate. It cannot be completely separated from the other heads, so you must emphasize its participation in the proper exercises.

The medial head of the triceps is where?

The medial head is located at the back of the arm, below the long head in the middle, just above the elbow. It is the smallest head of the three, and the lateral and long heads cover most of it.

What function does the medial head of the triceps serve?

The medial head has two main jobs: it stabilizes the elbow and helps with forearm extension at the elbow joint. Additionally, it aids in creating a proportionate look by filling out the back of the upper arms. Unlike the long and lateral heads, which are primarily only activated when extending against resistance, this head is active with every forearm extension, even those that are made without resistance.

Can You Isolate the Medial Head of the Tricep?

While one tricep head cannot be worked on more than the other, the medial head can be emphasized through a variety of exercises. Numerous exercises can help increase the mass, strength, and overall appearance of your tricep muscles while also strengthening the medial head.

The main lesson to be learned is how to hold your grip and position your elbows when working on the medial head of the tricep. We’ll discuss this shortly, but first…

UNDERSTANDING THE MEDIAL HEAD IS KIND OF LIKE THE BRIDGE BETWEEN THE TWO HEADS

Regarding appearance and hypertrophy, the medial head does not appear to be as significant as the lateral head and the long head. The majority of the triceps are made up of the long head and lateral head, which have much more room to grow.

Nevertheless, the medial head plays a crucial role. It serves as a link between the two heads in addition to enabling more precise movements. A more powerful medial head will result in a more powerful lateral and long head, or triceps that are more powerful overall, which means more growth.

In contrast to the lateral head and long head, which can be focused on very well, the medial head is typically emphasized alongside another tricep head…i.e., the emphasis will be ‘Long Head and Medial Head or Lateral Head and Medial Head.

In compound pushing movements or triceps exercises, the medial head is typically more active intermittently rather than continuously.

In any case, here’s how you can modify tricep exercises to emphasize the medial head even more…

Anatomy of Triceps

The primary purpose of the tricep brachii, which is situated on the back of your arms, is to extend your elbow. Taking up 70% of your arm, the triceps get their name which begins with “tri” because they have three parts called heads.

The three heads are as follows:

1. the Long Head

The triceps’ largest tricep head is the long one. It is situated on the interior of the backside of your upper arm. Just below the shoulder joint, at the scapular, it begins. Only the long head of the triceps crosses the shoulder joint; the other two head ridges are located on the humerus, the upper arm bone.

2. the Lateral Head

The lateral head, which is outside of the posterior upper arm and is smaller than the long head, is present. Interestingly, the lateral head of the triceps is thought to be the strongest because it has a higher proportion of fast-twitch muscle fibers.

3. the Medial Head

The medial head is the smallest and least noticeable. The bottom center of the back of the upper arm is where it is situated. Similar to how the lateral head does, but at a lower point, the medial head is attached to the humerus.

The only tricep head with a higher proportion of slow-twitch muscle fibers is this one, making it an endurance muscle head.

Overall, both with and without resistance, it is crucial for elbow extension.

It stabilizes your elbow and helps to fill out your upper arm so that it looks proportionate. The medial head is small but mighty. Since it cannot be fully separated from the other heads, you must emphasize its participation in the proper exercises.

The medial head helps to stabilize the elbow and extend the forearm at the elbow joint. Additionally, it helps to create a proportionate appearance by filling out the back of the upper arms. Unlike the long and lateral heads, which are primarily only activated when extending against resistance, this head is active with every forearm extension, even those that are made without resistance.

How to Best Target the Medial Head Tricep

There are two main techniques to target the medial head of the tricep:

1. Use an underhand (reverse) grip.
2. Maintain a sideways elbow position.

Furthermore, you should consider the muscle fibers. The medial head responds better to higher reps because, in contrast to the other two heads, it contains more slow-twitch muscle fibers than fast-twitch muscle fibers. Therefore, you can better exhaust the medial head by performing exercises with high rep ranges.

Regardless of the methods used, the exercises will work two or more of the tricep heads, but by focusing on the above factors, you will be emphasizing the medial head.

The exercises listed below and the suggested rep ranges are based on the aforementioned criteria, making them The Best Medial Head Tricep Exercises.

We just want to quickly go over a couple more points before we start the exercises.

The Medial Head Has the Least Growth Potential of the Three Tricep Heads

The medial head is the smallest and least capable of growing of the three heads. But don’t let this convince you that you shouldn’t put effort into developing this muscle. The size and strength of your triceps as a whole depend heavily on the medial head.

If you want to build stronger, larger arms, you should concentrate most of your efforts on the lateral head and long head because they both have excellent growth potential. The medial head, however, shouldn’t be disregarded because it contributes significantly to the triceps’ overall appearance and strength. Because it supports both the lateral and long heads, it contributes to the strength and stability at the elbow, which helps lift more weight and has the potential to result in more significant growth.

A developed medial head will help stabilize your elbow and give your arm the desired proportional appearance, even if it doesn’t grow as large as the other two heads.

Spend roughly 40% of the sets when working your triceps on exercises that target the long head, 40% of the sets when working the lateral head, and 20% of the sets when working the medial head. Therefore, if you perform 10 sets, you will complete 4 for the long head, 4 for the lateral head, and 2 for the medial head.

Benefits of Strengthening the Medial Head of Triceps

The medial head of the triceps should be strengthened because it not only makes the triceps look better but also helps the elbow become more stable. It also helps prevent injuries, particularly when participating in activities like baseball pitching, golfing, etc. that can result in elbow injuries.

In addition, it can help the other two triceps heads grow. As a result, the person may be able to perform more sets and reps by building up their endurance for compound exercises.

Prevention of Injury

Exercising the medial head of the triceps brachii will provide increased stability to the elbow joint. The triceps brachii of the person will be able to help the bone by reducing the pressure it experiences while engaging in particular elbow-related activities as their strength increases through exercise.

This will help the person avoid injuries, especially if they play sports like tennis, baseball, or golf that are prone to elbow injuries.

Assists the Other Two Heads in Gains

There isn’t a single exercise that can entirely isolate the movement for the medial head of the triceps brachii when performing triceps exercises. There are some techniques that can be used to emphasize the medial head during triceps exercises, but most of them will work all three heads simultaneously.

The ability to lift heavier weights when working on the other two (2) heads of the triceps brachii will result from developing the medial head of the muscle. Furthermore, if the medial head is not worked that much unlike the other two heads, it may be fatigued much earlier which may cause a halt to the exercise

10 Best Tricep Exercises for the Medial Head

The top ten tricep exercises listed here will help you develop stronger triceps overall and a bigger, more defined medial head.

1. Reverse Grip Cable Pushdown

This exercise emphasizes the medial head of the triceps because it uses an underhand grip and keeps your elbows at your sides. The underhand grip, according to the majority of people, also puts less strain on the elbows.

Here’s how to perform the reverse grip cable pushdown:

1. A high pulley machine should be connected to the bar attachment (straight or e-z).
2. With your palms facing up, grasp the bar while facing the bar attachment. Grip with shoulders apart.
3. Lower the bar until your sides fully extend your arms while keeping your feet shoulder-width apart and your elbows at your sides. Only your forearms should move throughout the exercise; your elbows and upper arms should stay by your sides.
4. Then, while inhaling, start slowly raising the bar attachment up toward your chest. This is one rep.

Best rep range: 15-20 reps with a weight load that brings you to or near failure.

2. Palm Out Bench Dip

Even though this exercise only requires your bodyweight, it targets the triceps and is suitable for all fitness levels. You can draw attention to the medial head by simply changing how your hands are held. This exercise’s movements will help you become more physically fit overall while boosting your upper body and core strength.

Here’s how to perform the palm out bench dip:

1. Put your hands next to your thighs while seated on a bench to start. Just as you would perform a traditional bench dip, but turn your hands so that they are aligned horizontally with the bench.
2. Once your legs are fully extended and you are lifting your bottom off the bench, start walking your feet out until your arms are fully extended.
3. Start lowering your body as far as you can by hinging at the elbow. You’ll make a 90-degree angle with your arms.
4. back to the starting position by performing a push-up through your palms. This is one rep.
5. Repeat as necessary to complete the desired number of reps and sets.

Best rep range: Perform 15-20 reps; if you find 20–25 reps to be too easy, add resistance by placing a dumbbell or weight plate on your lap rather than continuing to perform reps indefinitely.

3. Dumbbell Or Barbell Reverse Grip Press

The chest and triceps are the main movers in this large compound movement, which engages many upper body muscles.

The reverse grip works your triceps and upper pecs more while relieving pressure from your shoulders, shoulder joint, and elbow joint.

It works especially well on the medial head of the triceps.

Overall, it isn’t a medial head exercise per se, but it is great for the medial head and allows you to go relatively heavy, which is good for hypertrophy and strength.

As a compound movement, this exercise is best performed at the beginning of your workout because it demands more energy.

A barbell or dumbbell can be used for this exercise.

Here’s how to perform the dumbbell reverse grip:

1. You will hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your face. This grip is comparable to performing a bicep curl.
2. The dumbbells’ ends will rest on your knees as you start out by settling on the end of a flat bench. On the bench, you will then gradually recline.
3. The dumbbells will then be raised directly above your chest by you. Ensure that the palms of your hands are facing the shoulders.
4. Dumbbells should be slowly lowered to chest height, held for one second, and then raised to the starting position. This is one rep.
5. To get the desired number of reps, repeat the movement.

Best rep range and weight: Aim for 10 to 20 reps with a lighter load if you really want to hit the medial head hard. The range of 6–12 reps, however, can also be productive for this exercise.

4. Reverse Grip Floor Press

This straightforward and highly effective triceps-friendly pressing variation aids in triceps mass and strength development. The floor press concentrates on the bench press portion of the chest press, which is when the triceps are most engaged. It is typically done to enhance lockout strength and concentrate on tricep development. The reverse grip merely enables you to change the method of striking the triceps (i.e. medial head).

Given its restricted range of motion, this exercise is also beneficial for people who have shoulder problems. At the bottom of the bench press range, the shoulder joint is typically under the most stress.

Here’s how to perform the reverse grip floor press:

1. Starting from the floor beneath the barbell, you will position yourself. Legs can be straight or bent, and eyes should be positioned beneath the bar. (similar to laying on the bench to do a bench press)
2. At this point, pull your elbows in toward your torso while holding the bar with your palms facing up. You should have the floor in contact with the backs of your arms. This is where things begin.
3. Make sure your elbows are fully extended before driving the weight up. Avoid raising your shoulders off the ground. Put all of your efforts into pressing your body into the ground.
4. After that, lower your elbows again, pause at the bottom, and repeat. This pause aids in improving control and stability while maximizing contraction. Throughout the entire lift, make sure you are keeping tension and strength.

Best rep range: 8-20 reps.

5. Tate Press

This tricep isolation exercise gives the muscles a deep stretch, making it a good exercise for increasing mass and strength. Stretching tension has been proven to be very effective in promoting hypertrophy and strength. Exercise doesn’t just involve contraction tension.

This exercise is efficient for all three of the triceps muscle heads, and it does a good job of keeping the medial head intensely activated the entire time.

Here’s how to perform the tate press:

1. As you begin, imagine that you are about to perform a DB bench press. Keep your feet placed on the ground, core engaged, and pull your shoulder blades down.
2. Dumbbells should be placed at the top of the bench press, directly above your shoulders. Move the dumbbell ends down to your chest by bending your elbows now. Make sure to maintain triceps contraction and do not let the muscles relax even when they reach the chest.
3. Make sure to maintain control of the dumbbells as you push them back to the starting position by extending your elbows. This is one rep.
4. This can be done alternately or simultaneously.

Best rep range: 10-15 reps

6. Jm Press

A compound exercise that works the triceps, pecs, and delts is the JM press. This exercise will help you lift more weight during pressing variations like the bench press and overhead press in addition to increasing the size and overall strength of your triceps.

This is a fantastic all-around tricep exercise that keeps the medial head highly engaged.

Here’s how to perform the JM press:

1. Lay back on a bench and grab the barbell with your hands, wrapping your thumbs around the bar, about shoulder-width apart.
2. With your arms fully extended overhead, unrack the bar, and bend your elbows 45 degrees so that they point in the direction of your feet.
3. Starting now, controllably bend your elbows as you lower the bar until your forearms and biceps touch.
4. After that, extend your elbows quickly. This is one rep.

Best rep range: 8-12 reps

7. Cable Concentration Extension

Muscle imbalances can be corrected by training one side at a time with the cable concentration extension. It’s a great tricep exercise overall because it works all three heads very well and puts more strain on the medial head than some other tricep exercises do. This is one of those exercises where you have to fully engage your mind and muscles, concentrating on slow, controlled repetitions with a full range of motion and tension.

To further increase the activation of the medial head, use an underhand grip.

Here’s how to perform the cable concentration extension:

1. Start by fastening a single grip handle to a high cable pulley.
2. Grab the handle with your right hand and kneel down. Ensure that your right foot is firmly planted on the ground and that your left knee is firmly planted on the floor.
3. Rest your right arm’s back on your inner thigh while keeping your torso upright and tall; this will resemble doing concentration curls.
4. Once your arm is straight, extend your forearm down while flexing your triceps. Throughout this part of the workout, exhale.
5. Inhale throughout this part of the exercise as you slowly extend your elbow until your forearm is parallel to the floor. This is one rep.
6. Repeat for the desired number of sets and reps alternating arms between sets.
7. You’ll need to put your left foot on the ground and your right knee on the floor in order to use your left hand.

Best rep range: 15-20 reps

8. Cable Rope Pushdown

Although the cable rope tricep pushdown is technically a lateral head exercise, EMG studies have shown that it is also excellent for the medial head. Actually, for this exercise, both participants’ levels of activation are almost identical.

With this one, you can really overload and exhaust your medial head if you perform many repetitions.

Here’s how to perform the cable rope pushdown:

1. To begin, fasten the rope attachment to the cable machine and grasp the rope with an overhand grip.
2. The ropes will be at chest level when you start. And place your feet just slightly apart.
3. To push down until your elbows are extended while keeping your elbows close to your body and bending your knees, tighten your abdominals and tuck your elbows. Then, take a slow breath in.
4. The pushdown should be performed with your back straight.
5. Following an exhalation, go back to your starting position. This is one rep.
6. Repeat as many sets and reps as needed.

Best rep range: 15-25 reps

9. Cable With Rope Overhead Extensions

With an emphasis on the long head, this exercise will work all three heads. Your medial head will, however, experience significant activation if you use a high rep range and don’t cheat on your reps (completely extend).

Here’s how to perform the cable with rope overhead extension:

1. Beginning with the cable pulley’s lowest position, attach the rope attachment to it.
2. With your feet shoulder-width apart and your back straight, turn to face away from the cable pulley while holding the rope in a neutral grip with both hands. Your elbows will be bent with your forearms touching your biceps behind your head. This is where things begin.
3. The rope will then be brought overhead as you extend your elbows. This is one rep.
4. The desired number of sets and reps should be performed.

Best rep range: 15-25 reps

10. Diamond Pushup

The best tricep exercises include this one if you want to develop your triceps. You need to make a challenging movement to achieve the desired horseshoe shape. More quickly than any exercise machine, it targets the medial and lateral heads of the triceps. Similar to a traditional pushup, the slight modification to the hand positions will make the exercise more difficult and change the muscles worked.

Here’s how to perform the diamond pushup:​​

1. Put yourself in the pushup position to start. and place your hands directly under your chest in the shape of a diamond on the ground.
2. Make sure your elbows are at a 45-degree angle.
3. Squeeze your glutes and engage your core while keeping your back straight, then slowly lower yourself to the ground. Make sure to maintain proper form.
4. Stop pushing up when your chest is almost touching the floor, and then push back up straight with your back and elbows. This is one rep.
5. Repeat as many sets and reps as needed.

Best rep range: Failure each set.

Best Rep Range and Load for Medial Head Triceps

Type I slow-twitch muscle fibers, which make up a higher percentage of the muscle fibers in the medial head, need more repetitions to strengthen and develop. Thus, performing exercises with high rep ranges is the best way to overload your medial head tricep. Use a load that pushes you to or nearly at the point of failure during those high rep ranges.

Whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced player will affect the sets you use. In general, 8–20 sets for the triceps per week are beneficial.

Of course, the number of sets and reps will be determined based on your fitness journey, but here is a great starting point:

• Beginners: 10 sets weekly.
• Advanced: 15 sets per week.
• Twenty sets per week for experts.

Suppose you perform 20 sets per week. You should complete roughly 50% of those sets with 10–20 reps, 25% with 5–10 reps, and 25% with 20–30 reps over the course of two–four training sessions per week.

Additionally, you’ll divide those sets into three groups based on the emphasis on the tricep head: 40% long head, 40% lateral, and 20% medial. Again, all three triceps will be worked regardless, and some exercises that are supposed to be long and lateral will actually be long and medial or a combination of the other two. However, this is only the overall emphasis.

If you don’t want to perform all the sets in one workout, you can divide the total number of weekly sets into two to three workouts. However, how you split your workouts determines this.

How to Implement Medial Head Tricep Workout into Your Routine

Here are two examples of tricep exercises that make sure the medial head is not overlooked and are very well rounded.

Workout #1:

1. Close-Grip Bench Press: 4 sets of 8–6 repetitions.
2. Extensions of the overhead rope with cables: 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions.
3. Pushdowns using a straight bar and cables: 3 sets of 15–10 repetitions.
4. 3 sets to failure for the diamond pushups.

Workout #2:

1. 4 sets of 6–8 reps on the JM Press.
2. Reverse Grip Cable Pushdown: 4 sets of 8–10 repetitions.
3. Skull Crushers: 3 sets of 10–20 repetitions.
4. 3 sets of 8–10 repetitions for the cable concentration extensions.

What Tricep Exercises Work All 3 Heads Best?

There are countless excellent medial head triceps exercises that you can do to increase the strength and size of your arms. Nevertheless, compound exercises like the close-grip bench press are best when it comes to working all three heads of the triceps. These exercises include:

• Close grip bench press
• Barbell JM press
• Skull crushers
• Weighted tricep dips on parallel bar

Use our unique 12-week hypertrophy training program as a means of maximizing your gains. Choose between a 4- or 5-day training split to add 2–12 pounds of muscle over a 90-day period…

The Importance of Training Each Head

There’s no denying that the tricep muscles must all be proportionately developed to create aesthetic-looking arms. It may not seem as crucial to emphasize the various heads when you first begin weightlifting, and in some ways this is true.

No matter what, you will always notice growth when your arms are underdeveloped.

However, as you progress, you’ll start to notice that your triceps development has slowed down or that one head may be more developed than the other.

You need to perform exercises that specifically target each head of the triceps in order to have fully developed triceps.

All three heads can be worked by the majority of exercises, but depending on the movement or training variable, some exercises can emphasize the involvement of a particular head.

Key Takeaways

Without a doubt, each tricep head that makes up the triceps contributes significantly to the development of powerful, clearly defined arms. Without working your triceps, no upper-body exercise is complete. And because you cannot completely isolate a single tricep head, it’s important that you train the triceps that are lagging. By comparing the size of the muscle in each head to one another, you can determine which head is behind.

Once you know which head this is, you can target it with exercises, arm positions, and grips that emphasize the specific tricep head that needs to be worked on. This will contribute to the best possible triceps development.

Here are some other important takeaways from this article:

• To highlight the medial head, take a reverse grip with your elbows at your sides.
• When working on the medial head, use higher repetitions and lighter weight loads.
• With about 20–25% of your triceps sets emphasizing the medial head, aim for 10–20 sets per week. Ideally, you should spread out these sets over several training days.