Want your perfect workout program?
Take QuizFact checked by Kirsten Yovino, CPT Brookbush Institute
Your triceps play a significant role in growing serious arm muscles. And in order to fully develop your horseshoe-shaped muscle, you need to equally train your three tricep heads, which include the long head, medial head, and lateral head.
In this article, we're going to show you how to effectively target your lateral head, including highlighting the 9 best lateral head tricep exercises, how to program tricep exercises, and important training techniques for full tricep development (both in terms of strength and hypertrophy).
Table of Contents:
The 9 best lateral head tricep exercises are:
Before we go over the best exercises to hit the lateral head, we’ll go over the anatomy first. Knowing the anatomy of the triceps can help understand its function, making it easier to understand the best exercises.
The triceps, known as the triceps brachii, is a three-headed muscle that is located in the back side of the upper arm. It makes up around 60-70% of your upper arm mass meaning it’s important to build if you want big arms. The three heads are:
The primary function of the triceps is to extend the elbow.
However, it’s actually a biarticular muscle meaning it crosses two joints. In addition to crossing the elbow joint, the long head also crosses the shoulder joint. This allows it to assist in movements that involve shoulder adduction and extension as well as shoulder stabilization.
The lateral head of the triceps is the strongest of the three heads. This means it plays a vital role on performance, especially in movements such as the bench press and push-ups.
It also sits on the outside of the arm meaning it’s the one people see from the side. When well-developed, the lateral head and long head come together on the upper portion of the back of your arm creating a horseshoe-like shape.
The lateral heads main job is to perform elbow extension (meaning straightening your arm from a flexed position). However, the lateral head only becomes active during movements that require high force. This means that to optimize training of the lateral head, big movements are a big plus.
Nope.
It is literally impossible to isolate a single head of the tricep as they function together. However, you can emphasize a certain tricep head by selecting certain exercises (like the lateral head tricep exercises we went over earlier in this article)
Essentially, certain exercises, arm positions, and grip positions will shift emphasis to certain tricep heads, but all three will be activated to some degree no matter what you do.
Note: To target the long head, use exercises that stretch the triceps such as the overhead rope extension.
Emphasizing different heads of the triceps isn’t much of a concern for beginners. If you have less than a year of progressive training, just concentrate on building your primary movements.
On the other hand, intermediate or advanced lifters may want to alternate focusing on certain muscle heads, especially for aesthetics. To build big, well-defined triceps, it’s vital that you hone in on each of the three heads of the tricep.
By doing so, you can develop some seriously impressive looking triceps by creating a fuller triceps muscle. It can also ensure you don’t have any imbalances.
To give your triceps the greatest strength potential and see the best possible development, you will first need to know how to specifically target the lateral head.
To target the lateral head using lateral head tricep exercises, you will want to do the following:
If you use an overhand or hammer (neutral) grip, your lateral head will be even more emphasized. For example, neutral grip dumbbell skull crushers or close grip bench press.
The lateral head works closely with the long head as well, which again, occurs when your triceps is stretched such as in an overhead triceps extension.
Here are a few great reasons why it's smart to train your lateral head.
While all tricep exercises involve your lateral head (as they do the medial and long head too - we'll talk about this more later on in the article, under the anatomy section), some better target this portion of your triceps.
The 9 best lateral head tricep exercises are:
If you have been looking for ways to work out your outer (lateral) head tricep and add something new to your fitness routine, these different exercises can help you see the importance of this muscle group and the role it plays in amplifying your arm growth and overall physique.
Whether you are an aspiring bodybuilder or you are simply looking to bulk up your triceps, the close grip bench press is one of the best exercises you can do. This is a pure mass builder.
You’ll want to start your workouts with this one as it involves heavier weight and higher energy levels.
In regards to the triceps, while the close grip bench press is truly an all around tricep exercise, it can be done in a way that better emphasizes the lateral head.
To shift emphasis from the long head, which the close grip bench press is great for, do it on a decline bench. The decline bench will better target the lateral head.
How to do decline close grip bench press:
The barbell JM press is an awesome exercise to target the lateral head of the triceps. It’s basically a bench press that allows the elbows to come down to the side of the body during the descent.
The movement kind-of looks like a skull crusher if you rotate your arms 90-degrees. Either way, it’s a great movement to palace big loads on your triceps.
How to do JM Press:
Note: You can also perform these with a landmine attachment if you have a dual handle attachment. This version can be a bit easier to learn.
Tricep pushdowns are the best lateral head tricep exercise. The lateral head is best targeted with your elbows at your side and that’s exactly what the tricep pushdown provides.
If your goal is to increase your strength along with the size of your lateral head tricep, then all you need to do is use the right attachment and grip position.
The best attachments for hitting the lateral head for tricep pushdowns are the rope, the straight bar, and a v-bar. With all three, you will (or want to have) a more narrow grip, which is best for the lateral head.
Another great thing to note about the pushdown is that it’s a great exercise for pushing your triceps past failure. So, be sure to implement some sets past failure with this one!
How to do the tricep pushdown:
This is a good variation of the tricep pushdown for the outer tricep as well. It's good to change up angles sometimes so you can stress the muscle differently.
Tricep kickbacks are another great exercise for your lateral head. It’s also going to work your long head too depending on the variations (there are many ways to do a tricep kickback).
For the lateral head, the best option is the bent over position using a cable pulley or dumbbell. This has been proven to increase lateral head activation.
So, if you are trying to target the lateral head, do bent over cable or dumbbell tricep kickbacks as pictured.
How to do the tricep kickback for lateral head:
This is a classic bodyweight tricep exercise that is great for working your lateral head tricep.
This is especially helpful for those who are new to strength training and want to build up strength to execute tricep dips (parallel handles with body suspended in air) with ease - that’s the next exercise on this list.
How to do bench dips:
If you want to take the difficulty up a notch, do this with a weight plate on your lap.
Note: You don’t need a bench to do bench dips, you can easily do these just as well with a chair!
While parallel bar lifts are commonly used to work the pecs, they can also help you increase the mass in your tricep, and more specifically the lateral head when positioning your body properly. Plus, almost every gym has a dip machine.
To place emphasis on your triceps, and naturally your lateral head, you need to position your body so you are dipping with your back upright (for the chest, you want to lean forward).
Now, if you don’t have the strength for this exercise, you can just focus on bench dips, albeit this dip is not exactly the same.
If you don’t have the strength to perform this, you can two options:
At some point, you'll be able to do tricep dips without any assistance.
When you are able to do more high reps for multiple sets, it’s time to take things up a notch. To do this, you just need a dip belt. With that, you can attach plates to the belt and then dip with added weight.
A make shift option is to just hold onto dumbbells with your feet by crossing them and having someone place the dumbbell in the crease of your two calves.
How to do tricep dips:
Check out our article on the Best Dip Exercise Alternatives for more great variations.
If you have access to a tricep pressdown machine, which many gyms have, this is another great way to work your lateral head tricep. The mechanics are similar to a tricep dip, but you can easily control the resistance using the pin weight stack system.
If you are in search of a simple yet effective exercise that will target your lateral head tricep, diamond push-ups are one of the best options out there. Plus, this exercise doesn’t require any equipment so anyone can do it, whether you are working out at home or in a gym.
If you have issues with your shoulder joint, then you can spread your hands a little bit, using a close grip instead. Both are good for the lateral head.
How to do diamond push ups:
If you are in search of a tried and true tricep exercise, look no further than EZ bar or barbell skull crushers. But, if you want some lateral specific work, then use dumbbells and hold them with your palms facing in. And, to take matters even more into the lateral heads “hands”, use a decline bench at about -15˚.
How to do decline neutral grip dumbbell skull crushers:
Pro tip: Make sure you start with a lighter weight until you are comfortable with this exercise. Focus on good form first and foremost.
Want to build massive triceps and pack on pounds of muscle? Check out our SFS Hypertrophy Program developed by Garett Reid (NSCA, CSCS, CISSN, M.S.E.S.S).
Prepare to maximize your gains with our exclusive 12-week hypertrophy training program. Choose between a 4 or 5 day training split and gain 2-12 pounds of muscle over 90 days...
There’s two likely reasons for your triceps, and more specifically, your lateral head.
It’s quite possible that your diet is simply not on point. Without eating right, you will not grow your muscles. But that’s a whole other topic so we will just leave it at that.
In terms of exercising, it’s important that you are overloading the muscle when working out. This comes down to rep schemes, weight load, and total volume. So, let’s go over each of those points.
About 67% of your triceps muscle fibers are fast twitch. This has led some to suggest that it responds best to heavy loads.
That said, the research is iffy concerning training based on muscle types. However, unlike the biceps, we do like using heavy rep schemes (>85%1RM , <6 reps) to train the triceps once in a while.
That said, you should still work through a whole range of rep schemes
This is how you should split up your rep ranges for lateral head triceps training:
Regardless of what range you use, use a weight that brings you near or to failure. For most tricep exercises, you can bring yourself to failure without much concern for safety or injury.
PRO TIP: Push past failure sometimes. Utilize training methods such as rest-stop, drop sets and forced reps.
In terms of volume, it is going to depend on where you are at in your fitness journey as well as your goals. With that said, most people should be somewhere between 10-20 working sets per week. However some people can handle it more quite easily.
Then, split your total weekly volume into 2-3 training sessions per week.²
Give this a try for 8-12 weeks and then see how you’ve progressed.
Here are some more training tips for you to grow your lateral head tricep.
Choose exercises that favor the lateral head when writing your program. This includes both compound and isolation exercises.
Another useful tactic is to train your triceps after a rest day. By taking a rest day before you work your triceps, you can prepare your body to work hard at the gym.
Multi-joint exercises are performed best when your energy levels are high. This will usually be at the beginning of your workout routine. This includes
Once you start to tire out, you can then utilize single-joint movements to continue your training.
If you are trying to focus on your lateral head, 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.
While doing lateral head 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.
Pro tip: Use a mirror or find a workout partner to help you make sure you are using the right form and doing everything correctly to target your lateral head.
With intense training, you are breaking down your muscles so that they can grow back even stronger than before, but this can only happen if you allow your body adequate time to rest afterward. While working out plays a key role in bulking up and gaining muscle, recovery is just as important too.
Prepare to maximize your gains with our exclusive 12-week hypertrophy training program. Choose between a 4 or 5 day training split and gain 2-12 pounds of muscle over 90 days...
Let's end with a few pointers that will help you take your triceps to the next level.
All in all, don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try something new, adding what works best for you to your workouts. Also, push yourself. You need to train smart AND hard.
By taking advantage of these lateral head exercises, you will be able to see optimal strength and hypertrophy results in your triceps, which in turn will improve other areas of your fitness.
Don't neglect your other tricep heads. Target them using the best Medial Head Triceps Exercises and Long Head Triceps Exercises for serious horseshoe-muscle growth.
References
Sign up to get the latest on sales, new releases and more…
© 2025
SET FOR SET.
Powered by Shopify
Kiel DiGiovanni
Author