The triceps is an important muscle in the back of the arms. It helps with many tasks we perform throughout our day
The triceps brachii is the full name of the muscle. The muscle contains 3 heads hence the word begins with “tri” meaning 3.
3 Heads of the Triceps:
- Medial head
- Lateral head
- Long head
Action of the Triceps:
The main action of the triceps muscle is to straighten the elbow; however, it also assists in stabilizing the shoulder and keeping the humerus in the socket.
The triceps muscle is on the opposite side of the biceps and therefor they are antagonist muscles. This means they do the opposite action of each other. Check out the biceps exercises here.
When treating patients with elbow and shoulder injuries, I will be sure to include triceps strengthening exercises. This will ensure all around exercises for the areas.
Triceps Exercises:
Triceps push ups
Skull crushers
Kickbacks
Triceps pulldowns
Triceps dips
Overhead Extensions
On my upper body day, I will usually choose 2 triceps exercises. I will perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions of each triceps exercise.
There are other ways to workout the triceps but these are my favorites. They do not take a lot of equipment and some can be done at home.
The triceps is an important muscle in the back of the arms and to stabilize the shoulder. Make sure to include it in your weekly workout routine.