9 Best Lateral Head Tricep Exercises: Ultimate Guide to Stronger Arms

The best lateral head tricep exercises effectively target the sides of your triceps to develop the overall shape and aesthetic of your upper arms.

Workouts that isolate the lateral head can help you get massive arms that look strong and feel even stronger.

Interested in finding new workouts to strengthen and define your triceps’ lateral head? We’ll look at some routines you can use, whether you’re an aspiring fitness professional or gym enthusiast.

Best Lateral Head Triceps Exercises

Here are a few optional workout plans you can do to isolate the lateral head of your triceps.

Workout 1— How to Hit the Lateral Head with Dumbbells

For dumbbell lateral head tricep exercises, try modifying your skull crushers with a set of two dumbbells.

This variation requires a bit more coordination than using a barbell. Aim to move both arms at the same time as you lift your weight.

1. Dumbbell Skull Crushers (3 sets of 10-12 reps)

• Set-Up: Grab two light-to-medium weight dumbbells. Lie on your back on a flat weight bench.  With arms extended, hold the weight up over your head.

• Action: Lower your weight towards your forehead or slightly behind your head.

• Reverse: Press your weight back up and overhead to the starting position.

• Reps: Repeat for 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps.

2. One Arm Overhead Tricep Extension (3 sets of 10-12 reps)

One-arm overhead extension, also called single-arm overhead triceps extension is an example of unilateral extension. This exercise allows you to isolate each arm individually.

The effects of unilateral training include working around muscle imbalances to help improve your overall physical stability.

Here’s the rundown on how to do one-arm overhead tricep extension.

• Set-Up: Keep your core engaged and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in one hand. Place the other hand on your waist for stability.

• Extension: Extend your elbow and bring your arm to a straight position, pressing your dumbbell up and overhead.

• Reverse: Bend your elbow to lower your dumbbell back behind your neck. Keep the triceps engaged while you lower your weight.

• Reps: Continue for 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps per arm.

Simple, but highly effective. Hold this stretch for up to 30 seconds on each side and you should come out the other side of your tricep training pain-free.

3. Tricep Kickback (2-3 sets of 10-15 reps)

Here are the steps to properly perform the tricep kickback exercise:

• Grab a dumbbell in one hand and stand next to a flat bench. Rest your opposite knee and hand on the bench, hinging forward at the hips to lean your torso forward.

• Plant your other foot firmly on the floor next to the bench. Keep your back flat and core engaged throughout the movement.

• Start with your upper arm positioned parallel to the floor and your elbow bent at 90 degrees, upper arm tucked close to your side. This is the starting position.

• Exhale and use your tricep to straighten your arm, pushing the dumbbell back until your arm is parallel to the floor behind you.

• Squeeze your tricep at the top of the movement.

• Inhale and slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position by bending at the elbow, keeping your upper arm stationary.

• Repeat for the desired number of reps, then switch arms.

No matter which part of your muscles you work, the Flex App progresses as you do with plate tracking capabilities and auto progression.

Get targeted workouts for strength, growth, and longevity.

Workout 2—  Lateral Head Triceps Exercises at Gym

This group of workouts are the ones you can do with gym equipment.

4. Tricep Pushdown (3 sets of 10 reps)

The adjustable cable machine is the equipment you need to use for this exercise. Here are the steps:

• Stand facing the cable machine with your feet hip-width apart.

• Position the cable attachment at a height above your head.

• Attach the handle or rope and grasp it firmly with a full grip.

• Hold your arms tucked tightly to your sides and your core braced.

• Gently exhale and slowly extend your elbows, pressing the handle or rope down towards the floor.

5. Close-Grip Bench Press (3 sets of 10 reps)

• Lie back on a flat bench with your feet flat on the floor.

• Grip the barbell with a close grip, just outside of shoulder width apart.

• Lift the barbell off the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked.

• As you breathe in, slowly lower the barbell down to your middle chest, keeping your elbows close to your side.

• Pause for a moment, then exhale and press the barbell back up to the starting position using your triceps.

6. Bench Dips (2-4 sets of 8-12 reps)

This practice is one of the easiest lateral triceps exercises that you can either do at the gym or even at home. Here are the steps:

• Find a sturdy, elevated surface like a bench or chair.

• Position yourself just off the edge, with your hands shoulder-width apart on the edge. Your knees should be at a 90-degree angle.

• Draw in and brace your abs.

• Lower your body by bending your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Be sure to keep your back straight.

• Push back up to the starting position.

Workout 3— Lateral Head Triceps Exercises At Home (No Equipemnt)

Don't worry! You can do all the lateral head triceps exercises at home without requiring any equipment. Here are the best exercises to do at home.

7. Diamond Push-Up (3 sets of 8-12 reps)

This one is so easy. If you know how to do regular push-ups, you won't have any problem with doing diamond push-ups. The main difference is the position of your hands.

• Start in a standard push-up position with your hands next to each other. Your hands should be directly below your sternum.

• Move your hands together under your chest so your thumbs and index fingers form a diamond shape.

• Bend at the elbows to lower your body down until your chest nearly touches the backs of your hands.

• Push through your palms to straighten your arms and return to the starting position.

• Repeat for the desired number of reps.

8. Floor Dips (2-4 sets of 8-12 reps)

• Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat.

• Place your hands behind you, directly under your shoulders, with your fingers pointing towards your heels.

• Bend your knees slightly and raise your buttocks off the ground, supporting your weight with your hands and feet.

• Slowly bend your elbows to lower your body into a dip, keeping your back slightly reclined.

• Press your hands through the ground to extend your elbows and return to the starting position.

9. Pike Pushup (3 sets of 8-12 reps)

• Start in a plank position.

• Lift your hips and back until your body forms an inverted V shape, keeping your arms and legs as straight as possible.

• Slowly lower your entire upper body toward the floor, keeping your elbows close to your body and your head pointed forward.

These samples should help you plan effective workouts that target the lateral head of the triceps.

Pro-Tip: Choose one move from each workout group and mash it up for a three-move attack plan for your triceps. You train your triceps as a “push” exercise.

This means that they (along with your chest and shoulders) help generate most of the force that you’d need for pushing movements.

Get the low down on building out a full push day. These resource guides should help you plan your workout effectively:

• Chest Isolation Exercises

• Best Dumbbell Chest Workout

• Chest Workouts With Dumbbells

• Shoulder Cable Workouts

• Sloped Shoulders

These workout guides should help you design or overhaul a full push day.

But let’s say that’s not what you’re in the market for and you simply want a total triceps workout.

We’ve also got tips on the Best Long Head Tricep Exercises and Medial Head Tricep Exercises you can use to build your upper arms. Concerned your triceps aren’t performing at their best?

You may be dealing with an injury or muscle strain. Read about triceps tendonitis to find out more.

Anatomy of the Triceps

So what are your triceps and how do they work anyway?

The triceps brachii (usually just called “triceps”) are the large muscles on the backs of your upper arms. They often take on an arc or horseshoe-like shape. The shape will look more filled out, depending on how hard you work to increase your muscle mass.

With regular tricep training and aesthetic workouts, you can increase the size of your triceps. This can help enhance the look of your arms, giving you more balanced body proportions.

Now, for the functional side: What do your triceps do?

The triceps muscles help you extend your arms at the elbow, allowing you to straighten them.  In many movements, the triceps will serve as antagonist muscles to your biceps, which are the muscles on the insides of your upper arms. That means they are the muscles which serve the opposite function.

Let’s say you were to contract your biceps to bend your elbows in a bicep curl. Your triceps would contract to bring your arms back to a straight position.

See this article to learn more: Muscle agonist-antagonist interactions.

The tricep is made up of the long head, the lateral head and the medial head. Take a look at where these tricep heads sit within your body.

1. Tricep Lateral Head

• The lateral head is positioned above the radial groove on the humerus bone, which means this groove separates it from the medial head.

• This tricep head helps you extend (straighten) your arm from the elbow.

• Your lateral head is considered the strongest head of the triceps, so it’s extra important to find the best lateral head tricep exercises to build this section of your muscle.

2. Tricep Long Head

• This tricep head comes from the infraglenoid tubercle of your scapula. This is a part of your shoulder blade.

• The long head helps you extend and adduct your arms (move the arms toward the midline of your body).

• The long head is the only tricep head that crosses your shoulder joint as well as your elbow.

3. Tricep Medial Head

• This tricep head comes from the back of the upper arm bone (dorsal humerus) below the radial groove. This can factor into how your triceps look.

• The triceps are typically known for forming an arch or horseshoe shape on the back of your arm. If you work to develop the medial portion of these muscles, it can help to give your muscles a fuller, more rounded-out look.

• The medial head of your tricep originates from the humerus, which is the main bone in your upper arm. The medial head is the smallest of your three tricep heads but plays a powerful role in elbow extension.

• The medial head also isn’t as resistance-dependant as the other two. Any time you extend your elbow, whether you’re applying resistance to the muscle or not, the medial head steps in to power the muscle. Your lateral and long tricep heads work mostly when more direct force is involved.

Here’s some further information on the triceps’ structure and the function of all three heads: Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Triceps Muscle.

Do Skull Crushers Work the Lateral Head?

Yes!

In fact, skull crushers are a great way to hit all three heads of your triceps at once.

This includes the lateral head. To use skull crushers to hit the lateral head, you can perform dumbbell skull crushers, as described above.

If you have trouble synchronizing your movement between both arms, a preloaded barbell may be easier for you to work with.

Start with a lower weight to get the movement down. This move can be deceptively hard. Most commercial gyms offer 20lb and 30lb preloaded barbells, which can make a good starting point for newbies to this exercise.

Long Head vs Lateral Head Tricep Exercises

What’s the difference between the long head and lateral head of the triceps?

The triceps long head crosses over your shoulder joint, whereas the lateral and medial heads do not.

Since the long head has an insertion point on your shoulder (at the scapular, aka your shoulder blade) it helps to extend and adduct (move toward your body) the arm from the shoulder joint.

Big Picture

“Tri” these moves for bigger, stronger triceps that can ace anything you throw at them on push day.

Our 9 best lateral head tricep exercises are a great way to get defined upper arms for summer. From no equipment lateral head tricep exercises, to dumbbell lateral head tricep exercises, to moves you can perform with simple gym equipment, it’s easy to pick and choose the best moves for you.

Mix and match from our list of simple tricep lateral head workouts to grow and strengthen your triceps for pain-free elbow joint extension.

After you lift, make sure to stretch, rest and recover each time. Fuel up with some protein and you’ll be surprised how quickly you can grow these muscles.

References

Cogley, R. M., Archambault, T. A., Fibeger, J. F., Koverman, M. M., Youdas, J. W., & Hollman, J. H. (2005). Comparison of muscle activation using various hand positions during the push-up exercise. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 19(3), 628–633. https://doi.org/10.1519/15094.1

Kim, Y. S., Kim, D. Y., & Ha, M. S. (2016). Effect of the push-up exercise at different palmar width on muscle activities. Journal of physical therapy science, 28(2), 446–449. https://doi.org/10.1589/jpts.28.446

Gorkovenko, A. V., Sawczyn, S., Bulgakova, N. V., Jasczur-Nowicki, J., Mishchenko, V. S., & Kostyukov, A. I. (2012). Muscle agonist-antagonist interactions in an experimental joint model. Experimental brain research, 222(4), 399–414. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-012-3227-0

Tiwana MS, Sinkler MA, Bordoni B. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Triceps Muscle. [Updated 2023 Aug 28]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK536996/

Zhang, W., Chen, X., Xu, K., Xie, H., Li, D., Ding, S., & Sun, J. (2023). Effect of unilateral training and bilateral training on physical performance: A meta-analysis. Frontiers in physiology, 14, 1128250. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2023.1128250