unbalanced triceps?

[beachbrat79]

In my pursuit for massive arms, I've been working my triceps exceptionally hard. I have recently noticed though that the outer head is growing nicely and I'm getting the horseshoe look that is so nice, but the inner head of the tricep seems to be lagging some. From looking at medical anatomy diagrams, this inner head seems to be the larger of the two heads of the tricep. It is still growing, but it seems that the outer head is leading the growth. Is this growth form of growth normal and I just need to keep going? Or do I need to add in different tricep exercises that focus more on the inner head? What are some exercises that focus more on the inner head than the outer?

Right now, tricep exercises revolve around the following:

Overhead skullkrushers
2-arm overhead dumbbell press
triangle bar pushdown / rope pushdown / reverse grip pulldown (one of these as I do what I feel like that day)
weighted dips

Thanks for the help

 

[B5150]

JMO...I have seen the most progress when I have made CGBP as my primary tricep excercise. I then follow it with a second excercise of scull crushers (primarily) and cable push downs (alternate with crushers every third or fourth split). For me, less isolation and more compound have been very effective in gaining balanced overall mass in my triceps.

 

[Jeff]

CGBB?

 

[B5150]

CGBB?

Should read CGBP...Close Grip Bench Press.

 

[diamonddave]

My approach is very similar to b5150's. Close grip bench is my core movement. I then follow with skull crushers too. Push downs have never seemd to be very effective for my anatomy, so if I add a third movement, it's usually overhead extensions with an ez curl bar. Exploding out of the fully stretched portion of the movement really works for me. My tri's definitely used to be a lagging muscle for me, but making the core movement a heavy compound exercise has reversed this. I feel they are proportionate now. I think dips may be a good core exercise if you concentrate on staying upright (not leaning forward) to accentuate the tri's. Maybe you could move the weighted dips up to the first exercise and raise the weight and concentrate on hitting the tris with minimal chest involvment. Then, follow with your more isolated movements. jmho


dd

 

[Jeff]

Should read CGBP...Close Grip Bench Press.

Gottcha.

Those are my favorite, although when I do them I notice I get more size on the lateral part of my arm (outer smaller head?), instead of the very back of my arm. Maybe I kick my elbows out too much when I am doing them. I have been trying them with my hands facing 'up' lateley and that seems to really be killing the very back part, I cann't do **** for weight like that though.

 

[B5150]

Yes, elbow orientation is very significant in which head is primarily impacted by this excercise. But then again isn't form significant to all of them

 

[NPursuit]

In my pursuit for massive arms

I agree with B5150 & DD Utilizing CGBP & dips should help.

 

[beachbrat79]

Thanks for all the tips. I think i'm going to have to switch up the routine some now. I definitely like CGBP but I took it out of the routine at my last weight rotation. I have also done reverse grip bench press, but I know that puts a lot of strain on the shoulders. For a mass building workout that hits the inner head, CGBP with elbows in?

Would a workout looking like this be more beneficial for mass gains?:

CGBP
Weighted Dips (upright to focus on tris)
Overhead skull krushers (using the ez curl bar)

Is it more a matter of form that is causing the outer head to get more growth than the inner head? Or are the exercises that I chose to do part of the reason for the outer growth?

Thanks again

 

[Beelzebub]

do ya'll do CGBP on a regular flat or a smith machine?

 

[B5150]

B- I use flat bench BB.

bb79, consider flat (laying) crushers as well. I have experienced more elbow pain with overhead extension than any other tri excercise (at least when I get the weight real heavy) as it stretches my ligaments/joints more than I like when in the down position. Thats just me. Dips are great if you can isolate well. My shoulders do not tolerate dips of any form.

 

[NPursuit]

do ya'll do CGBP on a regular flat or a smith machine?

I use a flat bench. I'm not a fan of the smith machine for any exercise anymore.

 

[Beelzebub]

I spoke with an amateur bb about a year ago and he convinced me to use smith machine. Says when you go heavy on regular flat CGBP, your wrists are put in a stressful position and can cause a serious injury. I've done both and I prefer the smith machine. Personal preference I suppose.

 

[diamonddave]

I use flat bench also. If this is new to you, or you haven't done them in a while, you may want to start with a lower, easily handled, weight until you get it down and get comfortable with it. I also prefer the lying crushers, but occasionally add overhead extensions as a finishing movement or to change up my routine for awhile. It does tend to really stretch those elbow tendons, so I don't leave those in all the time. I think the big, heavy compound movements done with proper form force the triceps to work as a muscle group and therefore hit all heads, whereas iso movements can favor certain heads over others. I feel the long head is the hardest to hit with iso movements.


dd

 

[beachbrat79]

thanks for the tips. I don't know why, but the laying krushers are the ones that hurt my elbows at heavy weight. I switched to overhead b/c I couldn't go heavy enough for a good workout without it hurting too badly. On CGBP I also prefer the barbell, but I don't really know b/c we don't have a great gym here at my univ. and we dont have a smith machine at all. Guess I'll try it one day if I run across one.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[Jeff]

How close of a grip do you guys use? I use to do close enough to where I could touch my tips of my thumbs together. I think that is what is causing me to kick me elbows out away from my body.

 

[diamonddave]

I keep mine wide enough to let me drop my elbows almost straight down towards the ground. I guess that comes to around shoulder width.


dd

 

[NPursuit]

How close of a grip do you guys use? I use to do close enough to where I could touch my tips of my thumbs together. I think that is what is causing me to kick me elbows out away from my body.

I use an 8-9" grip. You really need to find whats comfortable for you. Anything inside 12" is working the triceps hard.

 

[Jeff]

thanks dd, npursuit

 

[SJA]

So are you guys saying that you don't try to point your elbows out parallel with the bar when doing CGBP?

 

[PastorofMuppets]

Just don't go too close, internal rotation is a bad thing. And the closer you get, the more stress on the wrists there is.

 

[kelsey]

i do close grips in a power rack, lockouts mostly, you can do about 25-35 % more
weight and isolate inner and lower heads nicely.
preexhaust them with that them hammer pushdowns.

 

[jweave23]

I only do skullcrushers, 1 set each workout (3 sets weekly)....sometimes I really love HST

 

[Longdog]

I spoke with an amateur bb about a year ago and he convinced me to use smith machine. Says when you go heavy on regular flat CGBP, your wrists are put in a stressful position and can cause a serious injury. I've done both and I prefer the smith machine. Personal preference I suppose.

Try a decline. I use decline BB for CGBP, & I find it much easier to eliminate the pecs/isolate the triceps versus a flat bench. Plus the angle seems to reduce some of the stress on my wrists.

Never tried a smith machine for that, but I think I will give it a shot.

 

[LunaHotel]

beachbrat79, I have pretty much the opposite problem from you, although I find that doing the close-grip bench fixes mine easily. To remove the pecs from the movement, I keep my elbows right next to my body during the whole movement, so that my hands come down to just about touching my shoulders in the stretched position. Of course, I keep my thumbs NEXT to my index finger and not on the other side of the bar. It is comfortable enough. My triceps are my most developed bodypart.

I've always done the overhead dumbell extensions with both hands on one dumbell, MAKING SURE TO STRETCH IT ALL THE WAY. I have done 100 lbs with proper form that way.

But I think the overdevelopment of the inside (long head?) of my triceps is due to ONE movement that almost no one does : 45° EZ bar extensions. Lie down on a bench, your head hanging off the edge, take a LIGHT weight - I use 65 lbs - hold it with the thumbs next to the other fingers instead of on the other side of the bar straight out at a 45° degree angle behind your head, then bend elbows til the bar is behind your head, then extend. Slow and deliberate, don't move elbows at all.

 

[ItriedtoripoffBobosonowIamgonehaveaniceday]

Hey Luna...I do my skull crushers in the same way and I credit them for bringing up my triceps. I actually used to have lagging tri's and nice bi's but this exercise alone flipped the script. I am still trying to bring up my biceps because of this!

 

[former_SlimJim]

When doing CGBP with an extremely close grip I use an ez-curl bar and place my hands so the wrists are rotated slightly inward in the bottom position. That takes the stress off of my wrists.

 

[LunaHotel]

MaNiaK1027 dude, I'm just like you : I use to train my biceps and triceps at the same frequency, about 1x to 1.2x per week on average. Doing these exercices, my arms ended up a VERY lopsided 17.5"... Now I stopped training them altogether and doubled my frequency and amount of biceps work. That seems to be working wonderfully, BTW... What are you trying for lagging bis?