Lateral Head Triceps Exercises for Bigger, Stronger Arms

If you’re looking to pack size onto your triceps and maximize the development of your upper arms. Building up the lateral head of the triceps is an important step in the process, and these lateral head triceps exercises will help you.

The triceps muscle is made up of three heads: the lateral head, the long head, and the medial head.

So, it’s essential to focus on and work on different tricep head muscles for maximum gains.

In this guide, we will be focusing on exercises that specifically target the lateral head of the triceps muscle.

In this article, I will discuss the following:

• How To Build The Lateral Head Tricep
• How The Lateral Head Tricep Contributes To Performance
• Triceps Muscles (Triceps Anatomy) And Function
• Importance Of Working The Lateral Head Of The Triceps
• How The Lateral Head Tricep Contributes To Performance
• 12 Best Lateral Head Triceps Exercises

How To Build The Lateral Head Tricep

There is a wide range of lateral head triceps exercises to help you increase the size of your arms and strengthen your bench press, overhead press, dips, and other pressing movements.

The two types of Lateral head triceps exercises are compound movements and isolation movements.

• Compound triceps exercises involve extension at the elbow and movement at the shoulder. These include close-grip bench presses and dips.
• Isolation triceps exercises involve just extension at the elbow with no other joint movement, such as Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extension, dumbbell kickbacks.

Although every triceps exercise hits all three heads to some degree, certain ones are better than others at stressing the different heads because of the biomechanics involved. When using lateral head triceps exercises, form is important.

Triceps Muscles (Triceps Anatomy)

The triceps is a large muscle on the back of the arm. It consists of 3 parts, the medial, lateral, and long head.

It begins just below the socket of the shoulder blade and at two distinct areas of the humerus.

The lateral head of the triceps is found on the outer side of the humerus. This is the horseshoe shape that shows on the upper part of the back of your arm.

The medial head of the triceps is found in the middle of the back portion of the upper arm. Originating from the humerus and finishing at the elbow, it lays opposite the long head.

The long head of the triceps is the largest part of your triceps and is found running down the back of your arm. The long head is different from the medial and lateral heads, as it crosses the shoulder joint and assists in shoulder extension.

Lateral Head Of The Triceps Function

The lateral head of the triceps is located on the outer portion of the upper arm and is responsible for extending the elbow, as well as assisting in shoulder extension and adduction.

The primary function of the lateral head of the triceps is to extend the elbow, which is the movement of straightening the arm.

This movement is commonly seen in exercises such as push-ups, dips, and bench press.

The lateral head also helps to stabilize the shoulder joint during exercises like the overhead press and push press. It also assists in adduction movement of the arm.

Importance of working the lateral head of the triceps

The lateral head of the triceps muscle is an important muscle group for overall upper body strength and aesthetics.

Working the lateral head of the triceps specifically can help to create a more defined and symmetrical appearance in the upper arm, as well as increase overall triceps strength.

Additionally, the lateral head of the triceps is involved in many upper body exercises such as push-ups, bench press, and dips.

So having a well-developed lateral head can help improve performance in these exercises.

Focusing on the lateral head of the triceps can also help to prevent imbalances and injuries in the upper arm muscles.

Overall, working the lateral head of the triceps is an important aspect of a well-rounded tricep workout program.

How The Lateral Head Tricep Contributes To Performance

The bench press uses the lateral head of the triceps to achieve the final phase of the exercise. Therefore, a strong lateral head will contribute to a strong bench press.

Overhead movements such as the jerk, push press, and overhead press require lateral head tricep strength as well. Again, mostly in the lockout phase.  

So while the lateral head rarely acts as a prime mover in compound exercises, if it’s weak, then you likely won’t be able to achieve full range of motion in movements that require an extension of the elbow.

12 Best Lateral Head Triceps Exercises

All triceps exercises involve your triceps’ lateral head, but some are better than others for emphasizing this muscle. Here are 12 of the best exercises for your lateral triceps.

1. Diamond Push Ups

Diamond push-ups are a more advanced variation of the classic push-up. Practice diamond push-ups by bringing your hands too close together to form a diamond or triangle shape below your chest.

If you’re looking for a good bodyweight movement to train and work your tricep lateral head, then diamond push-ups are it.

This is a unique movement because it does a great job of developing the lateral (outermost) tricep head.

Related Post: 15 Bodyweight Triceps Exercises: Beginner To Advanced

Muscles Worked

Primary: Triceps.

Secondary: Lower Pectoralis Major, Upper Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoid.

How To Do

1. Get on the floor with your hands together under your chest. Position your index fingers and thumbs, so they’re touching, forming a diamond shape.
2. Now extend your arms, so that your body is elevated and forms a straight line from your head to your feet.
3. Lower your chest towards your hands, ensuring you don’t flare your elbows out to the sides and keeping your back flat.
4. Stop just before your chest touches the floor, then push back up to the starting position.

Tips

• Keep your body straight and rigid.
• To make the diamond push-up easier, do it on your knees.

2. Bench Dip with Elevated Legs

The bench dip exercise is one of the most basic and best workouts for building the triceps and bigger arms.

Bench Dip are a bodyweight exercise that can be done anywhere, which make it a good at home or on the road lateral head tricep exercise.

How To Do

1. Place your hands on the side of a flat bench so that your body is perpendicular to the bench when you place your feet out in front of you.
2. Sit on one bench and place your feet on the edge of the other bench so that your legs are suspended between the two.
3. Your arms should be fully extended with your palms on the bench.
4. Bend your elbows to lower your body down until your elbows reach 90 degrees.
5. Now extend your arms to lift your body back to the starting position, flexing your triceps hard at the top.

Tips

• Really squeeze the triceps at the top of the movement to get the most out of this exercise.
• Do not dip down too low as it places unnecessary strain on the shoulder joints.

3. Cable One Arm Reverse Grip Triceps Push Down

The cable one-arm reverse-grip tricep push-down is an isolation exercise that builds muscle and strength in all three tricep heads.

Now, push-downs are excellent regardless of the variation used, but the reverse grip may allow you to emphasize more of the outer tricep head.

Reverse grip tricep pushdown allows you to activate the lateral head to a greater extent.

Read More: 15 Best Triceps Cable Exercises For Building Bigger Arms

How To Do

1. Stand near the cable apparatus and grasp the single-grip attachment, with an underhand grip.
2. Keeping your elbows at your body’s sides, press the weight downward, while exhaling throughout the movement. If desired, you may self-spot with your free hand.
3. Slowly allow the weight to rise until your forearms are parallel to the ground, inhaling throughout the negative motion.
4. Repeat steps 3-4 for as many sets as are desired.

Tips

• Keep your upper arm as still as possible, only allowing your forearm to move.
• Squeeze the tricep hard at the top of the exercise to get that extra pump!

4. Close-Grip Bench Press

The close-grip bench press is a variation of the bench press in which the emphasis is placed on the lateral head of the triceps.

This position focuses on building strength and size of the triceps and chest muscles.

The close grip bench press is a superior movement when talking about exercises that will pack mass onto your triceps.

How To Do

1. Lie flat on a bench-press bench with your feet flat on the floor. With your hands shoulder-width apart, grasp the barbell with an overhand grip.
2. Unrack the bar and slowly lower it to your lower chest, keeping your elbows as close to your sides as possible.
3. At the bottom of the movement, your elbows should be a little lower than your shoulders.
4. Press the bar back up to the starting position.

Tips

• Using anything closer than a shoulder-width grip increase triceps involvement.
• Perform the exercise using a slow and controlled movement.

5. Triceps Pushdown

Triceps Pushdown is the most popular tricep exercise by isolating the lateral head of the tricep and focusing on elbow extension alone.

The cable provides a uniform resistance throughout the movement, unlike barbell or dumbbell exercises, where the resistance varies during the lift.

Using the straight bar, a pronated grip (palms down) emphasizes the lateral head of the triceps, whereas a supinated grip (palms up) focuses effort on the long head.

An angled V-shaped bar switches the hands into a neutral grip (thumbs up), equally targeting all three triceps heads.

How To Do

1. Stand facing a high-pulley cable with a short straight bar attached to it.
2. Slight bend your knees and feet should be about shoulder-width apart.
3. Grasp the Short bar with a pronated grip (palm down) and hold the bar at chest level with your elbows tight against your sides.
4. Keeping your elbows stationary, straighten your arms until they are fully extended.
5. Pause at full arm extension, flex your triceps, and slowly return the bar to the starting position.

Tips

• You can do this exercise with a rope or EZ bar attachment.
• Standing upright with the spine straight is the standard position.

6. Lying Triceps Extension

The lying tricep extension (aka skull crusher) is one of the best tricep-building exercises.

Barbell skull crushers are a single joint exercise that allows you to build a bigger tricep.

A wide grip emphasizes the long head, whereas a narrow grip targets the lateral head of the tricep.

Read More: 7 Best Barbell Triceps Exercises For Mass And Strength

How To Do

1. Lie on a flat bench with your feet on the floor.
2. Hold a barbell at full arm extension over your chest.
3. Keeping your upper arms stationary.
4. Slowly lower your lower arms to bring the bar down to your forehead, then push it back up.
5. Do not lock your elbows out, and repeat for desired reps.

Tips

• Keep the movement in your shoulders to a minimum. Most of the movement should be in your elbows.
• This exercise should be done slowly and carefully under good control.

7. Dumbbell Kick Back

The dumbbell tricep kickback is a versatile and effective exercise that targets the triceps muscles.

It is an isolation exercise that greatly activates the lateral head of the triceps.

This means that unlike other exercises such as the push-up or bench press, the tricep kickback specifically targets the triceps muscle.

Read More: 10 Best Triceps Workout With Dumbbells For Mass & Strength

How To Do

1. Place your right knee and palm on a flat bench so that your torso is parallel with the floor.
2. Hold a dumbbell in the left hand and, keeping the left foot flat on the floor, press your left arm tight against your side with the upper arms parallel to the floor.
3. Extend at the elbow until your arm is straight back and fully extended.
4. Flex the triceps hard for a second, then return to the starting position.
5. Complete all reps on the left arm and then repeat on the right arm.

Tips

• Keep your body as still as possible, move only your forearms.  
• Keep control of the weight as you slowly lower down.

8. Parallel Bar Triceps Dip

Parallel Bar Triceps Dips are one of the most effective compound movements for the upper body pushing muscles – the chest and triceps especially.

The dip is one of the best exercises for building triceps mass when performed on a narrow parallel bar with your torso upright.

If you want to work on your pecs, shoulders, and lateral head at the same time, then the tricep dip is the best exercise for you.

How To Do

1. Grasp the dip bars with your arms extended and locked.
2. Keep your body as vertical as possible to keep the emphasis on the triceps and away from the chest.
3. Keep your elbows as close to your sides as possible as you bend them to lower your body down until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor.
4. Press your hands forcefully into the bars to extend your arms and raise your body back up.
5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tips

• Do not lock out your elbows at the top of the movement.
• To focus effort on the triceps, keep your body upright and elbows tucked in.

9. Dumbbell Squeeze Press

The dumbbell squeeze press is one of the most effective chest pressing exercises you can perform to induce functional hypertrophy in the inner body, particularly the inner pectorals.

During this Lateral head triceps exercises, the dumbbells are kept in contact with each other at all times, and you’re actively squeezing them inward (against each other) as hard as possible.

How To Do

1. Take the dumbbells in your hands and lay down on the bench.
2. Place the dumbbells together side by side and lift them up over your chest.
3. Lower them down together by touching each other, then push the dumbbells back up.
4. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tips

• Breathe out on the way up.
• Maintain more tension through the pecs by not locking out the elbows entirely.

10. One-Arm Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extension

The One-arm lying dumbbell tricep extension is one of the best unilateral tricep exercises for lateral head that you can do because it stretches the muscle and allows for a full range of motion during the movement.

It’s a fantastic exercise for overall tricep development and can be performed in a variety of ways, One-arm lying dumbbell tricep extension is one of them.

How To Do

1. Lie on a flat bench and hold a dumbbell in your right hand with an overhand grip.
2. Extend your arm so that the dumbbell is straight up from your right shoulder.
3. Without moving your upper arm, bend at the elbow to bring the dumbbell down to the side of your head.
4. Exhale as you extend your elbow and push the dumbbell back up to the starting position.
5. Complete as many reps as desired, then repeat with the left arm.

Tips

• Only move your forearms, not your upper arm.
• Do not lock out your elbow at the top of the movement.

11. Incline Reverse-grip bench press

The reverse grip incline barbell press is a compound lateral head tricep exercise.

An Incline bench barbell press with a reverse grip actually shifts the most focus to the upper pecs and tricep.

Start out light and make sure your thumbs are hooked around the bar for safety.

How To Do

1. Lying on a flat bench, grasp the bar with a supinated (reverse) grip, hands shoulder-width apart, and thumbs around the bar.
2. With your elbows tucked in close to your sides, slowly lower the bar down to your lower pecs.
3. Press the bar back up to the start position in a slight backward arc without letting your elbows flare out.
4. Don’t lock out your elbows at the top of the rep; keep a bend in your arms, maintaining control of the weight at all times.

Tips

• Perform press in a controlled manner.
• Exhale on pushing movement, and inhale when returning to the starting position.

12. Dumbbell Tate Press

The dumbbell Tate press is a variation of the dumbbell tricep extension and an exercise used to build stronger triceps.

It is an advanced lateral head tricep exercise that moves the muscle differently, but still targets and builds the tricep muscle.

For bodybuilders, the Tate press will offer a unique range of motion to target the triceps. This will help in building a complete pair of horseshoe triceps.

How To Do

1. Lie down on a flat bench and your feet firmly planted on the floor at the other end.
2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand so your palms are faced towards your feet.
3. Engage your abs in and keeping your back on the bench, raise the weights to the center of your chest.
4. Without moving elbows, slowly raise your arms up and down by contracting your triceps. Repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.

Tips

• Using a slow eccentric exercise can help improve tension and mind-muscle connection.
• Don’t lock out at the top of the movement to protect your elbows.

Tips And Technique For Doing Lateral Head Tricep Workout

1. Prioritize the Lateral Head Tricep:

If you want to prioritize your lateral head tricep in your workout, it will be essential to include different exercises like kickbacks or overhand-grip press downs in your routine.

To start, it can be extremely helpful to train your triceps after a rest day.

With this strategy, you will need to arrange your training split to fit a new routine, but 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

Multijoint exercises, also known as compound exercises, are performed at best when your energy levels are high, which will usually be at the beginning of your workout routine.

It will have two sets of joints working, such as a close-grip bench press where the shoulder and elbow joints are moving together.

3. Include Multiple Lateral Head Exercises in Your Routine

If you are trying to focus on your lateral head tricep, then 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, to make sure you are taking the proper steps to achieve your fitness goals. 

4. Try new lateral head movements

Avoid a mundane, boring routine—have fun with your workouts, try new things, and make your training sessions even more energizing and beneficial to your body.

To successfully work towards strengthening, stabilizing, and bulking up your lateral head tricep, it will take persistence, motivation, and resilience.

5. Use Various Exercises and Equipment 

It can be beneficial to implement different types of exercises and equipment into your workouts.

To make sure your workout is productive and never boring, mix things up or try something new.

Best equipment to use for the triceps are dumbbells, cable machine, barbell, kettlebells, and resistance bands.

6. Improve Form 

While doing lateral head tricep 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.

7. Allow Time For Rest and Recovery 

With intense training, you are breaking down your muscles so that they can grow even stronger.

But this can only happen if you allow your body adequate time to rest afterward.

What Do You Do If The Lateral Head Of The Tricep Isn’t Growing?

If the lateral head of your triceps is not growing, there are a few things you can try to improve muscle growth:

1. Isolate the muscle

Make sure you are performing exercises that specifically target the lateral head of the triceps, such as close-grip push-ups, tricep dips, and diamond push-ups.

2. Increase resistance

Gradually increase the weight or resistance you use in your exercises to challenge the muscle more.

3. Mix up your routine

Try incorporating different exercises, such as overhead press and bench press, that work the triceps in a different way and stimulate muscle growth.

4. Check your form

Make sure you are performing exercises with good form to ensure that the muscle is being effectively targeted and to avoid injury.

5. Get enough rest and recovery

Make sure you are getting enough rest and recovery time between workouts to allow the muscle to repair and grow.

6. Consider your nutrition

Eating enough protein and caloric surplus can help support muscle growth.

Training Tips for Lateral Head Bicep Exercises

Training Volume (Sets and Reps)

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

Sets

• Beginners: ~10 sets per week.
• Intermediate: ~15 sets per week.
• Advanced: ~20 sets per week.

When a certain amount of volume stops being effective and your progress stalls, you can add sets to increase volume and use that as a driver of renewed progress. 

Reps

The best rep ranges and loads to work with.

• 6-8 reps with heavy load
• 8-15 reps with moderate load
• 15-20+ with light load

The load should bring your to or near failure within the given rep ranges to be effective. 

Lateral Head Triceps Exercises Workout Samples

If your Lateral head triceps is lagging, and you really want to build a big tricep, you can prioritize it, but still don’t forget about your medial and long head of tricep.

Lateral Head Triceps Workout Plan #1:

1. Diamond Push-Ups: 4 sets of 8-10 reps.
2. Triceps Push down: 4 sets of 8-10 reps.
3. Dumbbell Kick Back: 3 sets of 15-20 reps.

Lateral Head Triceps Workout Plan #2:

1. Bench Dip with Elevated Legs : 4 sets of 8-12 reps.
2. Close-Grip Bench Press: 4 sets of 8-12 reps.
3. Incline Reverse-grip bench press: 3 sets of 8-12 reps.
4. One-Arm Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extension: 3 sets of 10-15 reps.

Lateral Head Triceps Workout Plan #3:

1. Lying Triceps Extension: 4 sets of 6-8 reps.
2. Cable one arm reverse grip triceps push down: 4 sets of 8-12 reps.
3. Parallel Bar Triceps Dip: 3 sets of 8-10 reps.
4. Dumbbell Squeeze Press: 3 sets of 8-12 reps.

Takeaway

Well-developed triceps will add a lot to the size and shape of your arms, and that goes double for the lateral triceps. Don’t neglect this part of your arms – hit it hard with the best lateral triceps exercises.

You can’t completely isolate any one tricep head, but you can emphasize a single head with certain exercises, arm positions, grip positions, and you should be doing this if you want the best possible development of your triceps.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some frequently asked questions for the lateral head tricep exercises: 

How can I build my lateral head of my triceps at home?

To build the lateral head of your triceps at home, you can perform exercises such as close-grip push-ups, tricep dips, and diamond push-ups.

These exercises target the lateral head of the triceps specifically by placing the emphasis on the outer portion of the muscle.

You can also try using resistance bands or weight plates to add resistance to your exercises.

Do skull crushers work the lateral head?

Yes, skull crusher, focus on the lateral head of the tricep. Skull crusher exclusively target the lateral head tricep by elbow extension (meaning straightening your arm from a flexed position) and flexion.

What exercise works the lateral head of the tricep?

Whenever you engage in exercises in which you extend your elbow against resistance, your lateral head will be activated. Few Best Lateral Head Triceps Exercises are as under:

1. Bench Dip 
2. Triceps Push down
3. Lying Triceps Extension
4. Dumbbell Kick Back
5. Parallel Bar Triceps Dip

How do you hit the lateral tricep head?

To activate the lateral head of the triceps, focus on exercises that extend the elbow. That means dips, kickbacks, and overhand-grip press-downs are all good choices for targeting the lateral head.

Where is the lateral head of tricep located?

The lateral head of the triceps muscle is located on the outer portion of the upper arm.

It is one of the three heads of the triceps muscle, the other two being the long head and the medial head.

The lateral head is responsible for extending the elbow, as well as assisting in shoulder extension and adduction.

References:

1 — American Council on Exercise: ACE Study Identifies Best Triceps Exercises (source)

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• 21 Best Triceps Exercises for Muscle Mass and Strength

10 Best Lateral Head Tricep Exercises For Bigger Arms