The SECRET to targeting the LONG HEAD of the TRICEPS! (FULL VIDEO)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.พ. 2025
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The long head of the triceps is the biggest part of the biggest muscle in your arm, yet almost nobody knows how to target it with peak contraction. The answer lies in knowing the anatomy. Unlike the other two heads of the triceps (lateral and medial), the long head does not originate on the humerus, instead, it originates from the infraglenoid tubercle of the scapula (in lay terms, the back of the shoulder). This means that in order to fully contract the long head, you must extend your arm behind your back at the shoulder joint. This video will show you how!
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Credits: Anatomy animations are from the Complete Anatomy app
Disclaimer: Michael has not yet finished medical school, and is therefore not a licensed physician. The material and instructions in this video should not be taken as medical advice.
I am 75 and have been training for 61 years. Never to late to learn something new. Thank you 😁
Agreed! Keep it up - your best decade is ahead of you 😜💪
Dude showing his tricep was a jump scared. Talk about a sleeper build dayum
This is the absolute best muscle building advice TH-cam channel
I appreciate that Marlen! :)
agreed
Yes. Nothing better the what's based on science. Great content
I agree
You can’t argue with anatomy like the doctor said 🤷🏼♂️👍
This is my new favourite tri exercise. I have always struggled to feel the contraction in the long head. This nailed it immediately.
Me too just saw this vid have yet to try yet. How has it been for u?
@@bobbyw1074
My longhead was weak. Weak!
2 months later, I see some results.
Note: I use resistance bands. I'm pleased with my results, but I still have some more to go before I am truly satisfied.
@@RTB_1234 thanks yes I feel the contraction and am seeing a little bump on the long head or in other words I see a little horse shoe now. I need it get it bigger though. Also using bands. I’m also trying bands doing overhead and I feel it too.
@@bobbyw1074
Yes, I'm very excited for the beginning growth.
Good luck with your progress 💪
I somewhat realized this a few months ago when i started doing cable kickbacks. Best long head contraction i've ever felt. I hated doing overhead tricep exercises and skullcrushes. Wished i watched this vid last year, but better late than never.
Don’t eliminate overhead movements. I believe they still hit the long head the most, gives the most extension at the most tonnage. But I find it key not to fully straighten the arm, do half partials which will really tax the long head and give a great stretch. Also allows greater tonnage, which would not be available in a full ROM
I prefer to do a dropset on pushdowns with 3 drops and on the last one do 3 rest pauses overhead and superset regular pushdowns. I know sounds crazy It's a 2,5 minute set.
Feeling a stronger contraction doesn't mean the muscle will experience more growth... actually, there's a lot of research that shows training at the lengthened position produces the most muscle growth.
Skullcrushers are KING for tricep size, u should honestly prioritize it, not really overhead extensions
A very underrated but the best fitness channel so far. Coming from someone who has a history of powerlifting.
Appreciate the support!
Remarkable points to consider. Logic is very pleasing to understanding. The visuals are fortifying too
Great to hear!
I have a problem with post cancer treatment neuropathy in my hands. I must use weightlifting hooks since I have little grip strength. Your anatomy based instruction is very helpful as I have to modify my barbell and cable exercises. The trainer at my gym has also helped me.
Get 2 furry white ankle cuffs and 2 wrist sweat band and use cables.Also a sturdy metal link chain and 2 rated carabiners. For one handed I use the other hand to guide the cable lightly to keep it in the right position during the reps.
No hands no wrist bicep and tricep and chest from front raises palm up or delts palm down.
Also you can use a chain and a plate with the cuffs. It helps to grip tennis balls or I use a bic lighter too as a hand gripper during sets. Curls and skullcrushers
Also some 5 10 and 20 lbs ankle weights on the wrist. You will need the sweatbands!
Good luck Robert!
This channel is so good. It should have millions of subscribers.
love the way you showed the anataonmy and explained every muscle usage
The Best muscle building advice! Please show more videos on how to workout the other body parts. Keep-up the great advice!!
Thanks Brian - much more to come! If you have any specific requests, feel free to use the feedback / request form I put in the video description for that and any other content you'd like to see - it'll help push it up my priority list, and I can notify you when the content you requested is available 👍
its kinda crazy that this guy was giving this high quality info 5 years ago, its all stuff that nippard is saying now
Excellent video. The anatomy of tricep muscle group clearly illustrated accompanied by a concise explanation of the technique required to target and hit the longhead. Really pleased I came across this.
Much appreciated my friend! Thank you!
Always struggled with elbow pain doing skullcrushers or Overhead extensions. Tried db Kickbacks to taget the long head but the resistance always felt bad.
Tried the cable version in the video and it felt amazing. No elbow pain and I finally found a solid exercise that really hits the long head. Thank you!
Excellent advice. Thorough explanation without being boring, and great examples of how to actually apply the information into practice.
Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
This is by far the best practical explanation,thanks alot very helpful
Thank you, Dr. Gains. Your channel is very good and I am slowly changing the way I do my exercises in my workout program.
Wonderful to hear! Let me know how it goes!
Damn bro, more i watch more i like you, to the point explanations and easy to understand. Slow talk visually showing anatomy of body. Much thanks my dude. One love
Much appreciated my friend!
Love from India Sir, You Are Great 🙏🏻❤
Dr. Gains is a BADASS name! Letsgoooo!! Great content king!
Appreciate it man!!
Great video! Really liked the 90 degree trick! You show the pronated and supinated one hand grips. BUT there is a third grip that i would like to suggest. Rotate the handle within the cloth so it is in-line with the cable.( pull the cloth while holding the handle stable) this is the neutral grip or hammer grip. Then hold the handle with the cloth in the palm between the hand and the handle. I do the exercise you showed (without the flex at the end) and then on other sets rotate the body 90 degrees to the right for right handed and come across the body. I also do sets that end up with the pronated grip under the groin to hit the middle head and pronate at the bottom. I also like to use an ankle cuff and a wristband for all these when I need to spare my wrist and the other hand to lightly guide the cable so it does not ride up the forearm. Lastly my favorite is to use the ropes or two handles with the hammer grip, a high cable station and a high incline bench with the back to the bench for press downs.
Nice Bicep Bro Thanks for the tip on triceps.Happy Holidays 😁😁😁
Thank you my friend! Happy Holidays!
I will try today in my routine exercises for triceps. Thank you for share this value information
You're very welcome - let me know how it goes!
@@DrGains Excellent! Is very hard in the beginning, I just use little weight and it was very dificult to finish all my set. I trained very hard today following your indications. Highly recommended!
Dr. Gains do you have a set for biceps?
I just found this content. I work out from home. When possible could you demonstrate options with weights or bands? Thank you, in advance.
Hi Carla - welcome! I'll definitely take that into account 👍 Also feel free to add that or any other requests you have to this form - it's what I use to decide what content to prioritize! www.dr-gains.com/content-requests-&-feedback. And just so you know, in my full online training programs, I do include alternative options for all exercises that require equipment, so that everyone can complete them regardless of what equipment they have 👊
I am just getting obsessed with the muscle anatomy knowledge that you are pouring on to the world of fitness..
Honestly, I was like this guys knows so much of muscle roots and anatomy but that perspective went to a whole another level at 1:30 when you popped the triceps out.. Damn man, there I can see the results already even before i try it on myself 👍👍👍
Glad to hear it man, let me know how it goes! :D
@@DrGains sure thing Doc
Mate I love your videos. Anatomy is so cool, I find it all so very interesting! You deserve a million subs. Regards from UK 🇬🇧
I really appreciate that my friend! I do my best to deliver content with true value. A million subs would be nice haha, hope you can help me spread the word! 👊 And if you think you may benefit from one of my full online training programs in the future - jump on this list to be notified when they launch! www.dr-gains.com/online-program-preregistration
Thats Gold, never heard that. I do self-rehab on my shoulder and Trizeps because of forearm/golferselbow and underdeveloped longhead of the Trizeps is my self Diagnose. I did the straight arm back pull with Bands and felt it in the longhead, even with cramps, and was wondering. Thanks, but thats the evidence for me, that with experience and dedication you can heal your body and dont need medication (doctor).
It depends on the injury.. but for many if not most things, you definitely can! If you have chronic shoulder pain however, I would very, very highly recommend you consider registering for my full 10-Stage Gains Without Pains Shoulder program - it's unlike anything else in the industry, and it's exactly what you need. Check it out here: www.dr-gains.com/offers/LYiZbLQx and shoot me an email at michael.kamalu@dr-gains.com if you're interested or have any questions and I'll give you a discount code! 👍
Thank you. Im so glad I’ve found your channel. So refreshing learning from a professional. I’m looking to design a workout lifting program as I’m nearing menopause and want to lose body fat, build muscle and be come strong, overall.
My pleasure! Glad to help!
Just tried it for the first time and I really felt those long heads contracting, thanks!
WTF TH-cam algorithm ? Why do I stumble on this channel only now ?! Just what I want, 100% applicable DATA in short format, no fancy editing or scripting. ( I like some of these channels too but for entertainment.) I'm gonna binge this place I tell tell you (Dopamine boost detected).
For the workout advice part, it would be nice if you could include calisthenics options for us Neanderthal meatheads ! Thx.
Haha welcome my friend - glad you found it! And I'll definitely add that to my list 👊 If you have any other requests in the future, feel free to submit them via this form and I'll notify you once the content you wanted is released! www.dr-gains.com/content-requests-&-feedback
@@lesdoidanlzen1691 Calisthenics are obsolete.
Dude I just tried these a couple minutes ago with a weight I could do 4x10 with, AND OH MY GOD!! These are amazing!!! Great isolation of the long head!!
I did them with no upper body momentum at all, but a slight bend forward the whole movement, and they worked amazing. Thanks bruh
Great info, I especially like the common mistakes. Keep up the vids!
Thank you! And I appreciate the specific feedback! Helps me make better content in the future 👊
Just by doing the motion only i can feel the long head tricep tq!
Hi Michael! Can you make a video on how to target the brachialis the best way and are the regular dumbbell hammer curls effective? This is also a controversial topic in fitness industry and I think your video would bring a lot of value as well as views😎🔥
That was a great point on the cable location. ✌🏽
Why aren’t you stretching the long head fully on the eccentric??
This is amazing ! Thank you. Do you have a home adaptation of the exercise? That would be incredibly valuable
JM Blakley made a video essentially coming to the same conclusion as you do here...I will have to give these a shot for a while and see what happens.
Great video. I work out at home with no cables so my go to long-head exercise is bent over kickbacks. They work well and seem to mimic the cable exercise you demonstrated here. Thanks! Oh and for some reason triangle pushups seem to hit that long head too..
Nice! Yes, those would replicate this very well 👍
i have just hit 79.
been in and out if a gym since the age of 13..
im shorter than you with about the same physique..
but .im always looking for ways to get better workout results.
im blown away.
with all the different body areas your demonstrating to get better results.❤
i just found you today.
and in the gym i used your biceps exercises..👍👍👍.
later its the triceps.
tried the lower abs exercise.
nearly killed me 😅.
but i know i will get there.
thank you very much.
i have 2x sons and a daughter.that im going to send your link too.
just GREAT 😊
You're a legend!
Keep going gramps
This angle tip with the cable in relation to to the teicep is a game changer. I always did tri ex. Standing the incorrect way
Thanks for sharing bro! :D
Awesome video ! Thanks so much ! I have never felt such a hard contraction on my triceps ! I am so glad i finally found somebody who understands muscle intelligence and can communicate it efficiently !
Great to hear my friend! 💪
Game changing info!! 100% results for me!
Great to hear Matt! 💪
Love the info you provided! Simple useful and to the point. I am learning a lot thanks!
🙏
I wonder if this is as useful for tricep gains as you say. You want to train tricep extension with arms overhead to prevent active insufficiency of the long head whilst doing the exercise. The long head will be able to produce less force during elbow extension when the long head is shortened at one end and therefore this will be a worse stimulus for growth for it than an overhead extension.
If you want to train the long head’s other function of shoulder extension just do a rope pullover in addition to an overhead elbow extension, thereby isolating both functions of the muscle.
Hello my friend. Thanks for the comment - you obviously know your exercise physiology very well. However, in this case, I have to disagree with your assertion. When you say you "want to train...", that depends very much on what your goal is with any particular exercise. You are correct in that max extension of the long head occurs with arms overhead (and elbows bent backwards), but the purpose of this video isn't to explain how to get max extension. Most people already do that. But in order to really efficiently work any muscle, you must work it at BOTH max extension and max contraction. Doing one to the exclusion of the other will always yield poorer results than doing both. So since most people already do max extension with the arms overhead, I wanted to explain what most people DON'T know, and that's how to get max contraction of the long head. Also... the force that a skeletal muscle sarcomere is able to generate is optimized much closer to max contraction than it is max extension. This study explains it well: journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/jappl.1999.86.5.1445. So you'll be able to load more weight on the long head specifically with the arm in a hyperextended position.
@@DrGains Hey man, thanks so much for the reply. Reading back my response it seemed pretty rude I didn't mean it like that, I'm a sub and watcher of your videos and agree with 99% of what you say, I was just curious about whether doing this would be a significant driver of gains.
Thanks for the article, I'll have a look. I'm definitely more of an advocate of training muscles in their mid and lengthened range but I guess I can definitely see how its useful to also train the muscle in its fully shortened range.
Thanks :)
@@DrGains hi does skullcrusher work medial head too much? my medial head is overdeveloped i want to isolate the long/ lateral heads should i do both. I only do rope pushdowns atm
If anyone is moving any part of their body besides the isolated muscle group they’re working when I see them in the gym I want to grab the and yell out “STOP THE EGO LIFTING” their joints won’t appreciate that in 10 years as well. Leave the ego at the garage door
What about passive/active insufficiency factors of biarticulate muscles?
He is totally wrong. Is the oposit
4:35 I have the same doubt why we can't do this on front.
Thanks doc
Great information, very useful for me,thanks for sharing!!!!!!❤
THAT IS THE KEY PERIOD.
6:55 so what you are saying is every muscle needs ful contraction and extension?
Keep these coming doc…. 🎉🎉🎉
Excellent video!
Thank you!
Please add more long head triceps exercises , I somehow think one video is not enough
Hi Doc, by performing such a movement aren't you placing the long head of the tricep into an active insufficiency? You start by shortening it in the elbow joint which means that it won't be recruited in the shoulder joint and the rest of the shoulder extensors are actually taking over. Same idea with the hamstrings for hip extension with bent knees (best for glute max recruitment) and with gastrocnemius for plantar flexion with bent knees (best for soleus recruitment). Thank you for the always interesting content!
Hello my friend - great question! You're correct that there is a measure of active insufficiency that happens to the long head in this exercise... however, that doesn't mean it's not effective. That just means that the muscle isn't capable of generating as much force while there. Even so, you still get benefits by forcing the muscle to do what it can in that position of maximum contraction that you otherwise wouldn't get. I'll have to do a full video on the principle sometime! 👍
@@DrGains yes doc please! A video on active insufficiency ❤️
I wish I found this channel much sooner!
One 'forgotten' exercise which hits the long head (and not the other parts of the triceps) massively, is when performing the so called pullovers. Mostly being used to train the lats, it has an unexpected great result on the triceps long head.
Just lay down flat on your back on a bench, turn your arms behind your back towards the floor and lift the dumbell or barbell from the floor in close grip over your head until it's above your chest.
Subscribed. No other words needed.
Much Appreciated! :D
Thank you for you educating videos. May I ask why do you have a band around your elbow when performing your tricep extension exercise? Thank you!
You're very welcome! For me the band serves two different purposes. The first and main purpose is to alleviate my biceps tendinitis. The second is as a method of blood flow restriction - I'll have to do a video on that sometime soon 👍
@@DrGains Thank you for your respond. Looking forward to your future videos.
@@estevangonzalez2744 My pleasure friend!
Superb video ! Very Informative.
Wow, great tip!
Please, do more vids with dumbbells. 🥰🌸💗🙏
So do Dips work the long head well because the arms are behind the shoulder?
I don't think so, they just start out behind your back but move towards neutral
How many days takes tricep long head building
Excellent video. This is what I been looking for. Thank you.
Great to hear!
It's amazing, I love your explanations
As always, a great job.
I appreciate that
Thanks for this valuable information already subscribed
🙏
Awesome video. Thank You
Valueable information.
Doc,would you make video about barbell or dumbell only,elbow/shoulder friendly Tricep Longhead exercises ?
Oooh, this is why I get a triceps pump when I'm doing cable pull overs
Thank you so much! How are u not famous or smt, ur a fucking doctor for gods sake
Excellent video
Thank you!
@@DrGains i also saw your video to hit side deltoid, went to the gym yesterday and for the first time ever, had the mind muscle connection I’ve been looking for. The connection was so good, I kept cranking reps because I could finally feel that connection. Your material is bar none best I’ve seen. Thanks bro.
Young medical student should learn that absolute extension under load is much more effective for muscle growth than “contraction” and therefore overhead extensions are much more effective. Maybe he’ll learn that in residency.
Great information. What other muscles are being worked as I focus on the long head of the triceps? Thanks
Homie got that sleeper build
Really helpful video
Can you do a video on the medial head? The medial head on my left arm is much bigger than the one on my right and is very noticeable.
I really like your video channel.
This movement is almost exactly like the "hated" dumbbell kickback. Can I do this with dumbbell kickbacks where I rise the dumbbell at the end?
How do work the bottom part of the triceps. The part under the horseshoe close to the elbow?
Hey Juan - there's actually not any tricep muscle fibers in that region - it's all tendon and fascia. Unless I'm misunderstanding what part you're referring to
@@DrGains thanks for your response. I realized that you are right. Love your videos.
Great video. I learned a lot. Thank you! Subscribed!
Thanks for the sub! I appreciate that!
Don’t let the scrubs fool you. Doc is jaaaaacked
Thank you
Made perfect sence 👍
Also imagine you’re gonna do one more rep when about to end. This will give you more time under tension in the eccentric phase.
Great advice doc!💪
Wow, I just realized muscle ups are probably the single best tricep long head exercise, you get a full extension and contraction of the muscle.
What do I call these ropes if I wanna order my own to use at my gym??
Well done thanks
Will trying these on the arms day session
Great info send!
So basically do a Db Kickback? thats basically what this is is a DB kickback
I use free weights at home so how would I carry out these exercises for the triceps? I only lift light weights because I'm a 65 year old female. It's especially important for elderly people to lift weights.
It's extremely important indeed - great work! It's usually difficult to exactly replicate cable workouts with free weights, due to the fact that you can't adjust the angle of resistance with free weights - it's always straight down (gravity). However you can get close to replicating this one by doing dumbbell tricep kick-backs while leaning forward as much as you can (ideally you want your upper body horizontal to the ground - you can support yourself by having your opposite arm on a bench), and making sure you get full contraction of the long head by hyperextending your shoulder behind your back once you reach full extension of the elbow. Hope that's helpful! If you'd like me to create a video on it or have any other requests, please feel free to use this form! 👉 www.dr-gains.com/content-requests-&-feedback
A home gym has many pros, but this is one of the limitations -- machines. They're particularly important if you have physical limitation or are rehabbing an injury -- what they were originally designed to do.
So it works both the long head and the posterior delt?
Can you please do a vedio for the same with dumbbells
I'll add that to my to-do list! Feel free to also use the feedback / request form I put in the video description for that and any other content you'd like to see - it'll help push it up my priority list, and I can notify you when the content you requested is available 👍
Hi doc , I have a question how does active and passive insuffeciency of muscles affect hypertrophy , i mean Are those very shortened and very lengthened positions good sign of hypertrophy
Will do tomorrow😃
Let me know how it goes! 👊
Good hacks. Thanks a lot.
Good content! Thanks!
Glad you liked it!