7 Best Medial Head Tricep Exercises

The medial head of your tricep helps to stabilize your elbow and you can’t separate it from the other heads of your tricep, so you can choose exercises that emphasize its involvement.

No upper-body workout would be complete without targeting your triceps, and we have some exercises for you to choose from! All of these exercises use all 3 heads of the muscle, but some exercises target the medial head more than other head of triceps.

So here, in this article, we are sharing 7 best medial head tricep exercises so you can target the medial head.

• Also Read : 7 Best Lateral Head Tricep Exercises To Build Bigger Arms
  
  
• Also Read : 07 Best Dumbbell Triceps Exercises – Dumbbell Triceps Workouts

7 Best Medial Head Tricep Exercises

Below are 7 best medial head tricep exercises, that are dips, diamond push-ups, reverse grip pushdowns and more, let’s discuss some more exercises.

01. Close-Grip Bench Press

This is a best compound exercise where your medial head will act as a stabilizer. You can start your tricep workout with this exercise because this will activate all of your tricep muscles and will help you increase the size of your tricep.

How to perform:

• Lay down on a flat bench with your knee bent and your feet placed on the floor.
• Grab the barbell with both hands around shoulder-width apart, they can be slightly closer than that.
• Brace your core and squeeze your shoulder together to stabilize your body.
• Lift the barbell up and hold the movement for a second at the top.
• Slowly, bring the barbell back down towards your sternum. Keep your elbows close to your sides to emphasize your triceps.
• That’s one rep.
• Do 2 to 4 sets of 10 to 14 reps.

02. Reverse-Grip Triceps Pushdown (Cable)

This is one of the best exercises for your triceps and it’s a great variation of the regular triceps push down. The underhand grip will allow you to focus more on the medial head of the tricep. Also, this exercise will keep your shoulder in a proper position at the beginning of the exercises.

How to perform:

• First, attach a bar at the upper end of the cable machine.
• Hold the end part of the bar with both hands with your palms on the solid straight bar handle facing up.
• Start pulling the weight downwards until both of your arms are fully extended. Keep your chest up all the time.
• Hold the position for a second and slowly bring your arms back up to the starting position (arms are at about 90-degree angle).
• Do 2 to 4 sets of 12 to 16 reps.

03. Single-Hand Overhead Tricep Extension

This exercise is great for those who have one side weaker than the other, because you will train each arm separately. Proper extension of the elbow is the key to activate your medial head.

How to perform:

• Stand straight and hold one dumbbell in your right hand and press it straight up over your shoulder (hold    the dumbbell with your elbow extended).
• Your thumb should pint back behind you. Squeeze your core to keep your torso stable, this is your starting position.
• Start lowering the dumbbell behind your head, keeping your elbow close to your ear.
• Hold the position of second and press the dumbbell back up to the starting position and extend your elbow fully at the top to complete the rep.
• Do 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 14 reps for each hand and alternate right hand and left hand.

04. Diamond Push-Ups

Diamond push-ups are bodyweight exercises for your tricep and this will be a great strength building exercise. The ACE study ranked diamond (triangle) push-up as the top best tricep exercise out of the other 7 major tricep exercises.

The triangle push-ups are great exercise for both lateral and medial heads of your tricep. You can try to do this exercise often to increase the overall strength of your upper body.

How to perform:

• Start in a standard push-up position on your stomach with your legs extended and your toes on the floor, but place your hands together so that your pointer fingers and thumbs touch, creating the shape of diamond or triangle.
• Now, bend your arms, lowering your body down towards the ground and keep your torso straight.
• Your elbows should be in and your shoulder should be pinged back.
• Hold the position for a second at the bottom and push yourself back to the starting position.
• Do 2 to 4 sets of 8 to 14 reps.

05. Tricep Kickbacks

Tricep Kickbacks is a great isolation exercise for your triceps which you should add to your tricep workout. This exercise will work all head of your tricep and you can focus on each side separately which will help you to build symmetrical arms:

How to perform:

• Grab a dumbbell on one hand and place your other hand on the bench and also your one leg should be on the bench for support.
• Engage your core and maintain a straight spine as you hinge forward at the waist, bringing your torso almost parallel to the floor. This is your starting position.
• Keep your upper arm in close to your body and your head in line with your spine.
• Then, kick your hands up without lifting the elbow.
• Hold the position for second (fully extended your elbows)
• Then, slowly bring it back to the starting position with full control.
• Do 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps for each arm.

06. Bench Dips

Dips are great exercise and it directly trains your medial and lateral head of your triceps. Dips can be done on the bench or the bar. Make sure to completely extend your elbows at the top to activate the medial head.

How to perform:

• Place your hands on the edge of the bench with your back facing the bench. Make sure your both hands should be shoulder width apart.
• Keep your leg straight with both feet together. Your chest should be up and your shoulders should be rolled back.
• Now, start moving your body downwards by flexing your elbows until it reaches the bottom.
• Hold the position for a second and then, return back to the starting position.
• Do 2 to 4 sets of 10 to 14 reps.

07. Seated Barbell Tricep Extensions

This exercise is one of the great exercises that targets all heads of the triceps. Which will activate the long head and medial head most.

How to perform:

• Sit on a seat and hold the barbell with a close grip. Make sure your back rests on the seat.
• Keep your hands up with your elbows fully extended and this will be your starting position.
• Slowly, lower the barbell and stretch your tricep at the bottom.
• Hold the position for a second at the bottom of the movement and then use your triceps to bring the barbell up to the starting position and elbows fully extended at the top.
• Do 2 to 4 sets of 10 to 14 reps. 

Medial Head Triceps Workout

Already, we explain the 7 best medial head tricep exercises, you can choose any 3 to 4 exercises to add in your tricep workout. Here are two best triceps workouts focusing  on the medial head.

Close-Grip Bench Press	2 to 4 sets of 10 to 14 reps
Diamond Push-Ups	2 to 4 sets of 08 to 12 reps
Single-Hand Overhead Tricep Extension	2 to 3 sets of 10 to 14 reps for each hand

OR

Seated Barbell Tricep Extensions	2 to 4 sets of 10 to 14 reps
Bench dips	2 to 4 sets of 10 to 14 reps
Tricep Kickbacks	3 sets of 10 to 15 reps each arm

FAQs on Medial Head Tricep Exercises

Final Thoughts

Above all the exercises are best medial head triceps exercises, all the exercises will activate the whole triceps muscle but performing these exercises will help you in focusing the medial head more.

However, when you design your workout program for triceps muscles, you should add some major compound exercises and do them first and then do some isolation exercises.

Hopefully, you like this article, if you have any questions and suggestions kindly put them in the comment box below. 

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