You know that "horseshoe" look everyone wants? It’s basically the gold standard for arm development. If you look at your arm from the side and it looks flat, you’re probably neglecting the lateral head. This is the part of the tricep that sits on the outside of your arm. It's the "show muscle." When people talk about tricep lateral head exercises, they usually just think about heavy pushdowns, but there is a lot more nuance to it than just slamming the weight stack down.
Getting that flare isn't just about moving weight from A to B. It’s about the angle of your wrist, the position of your shoulder, and how much you’re willing to check your ego at the door. Honestly, most guys in the gym are just using their momentum and their front delts to cheat through the movement. That won't build a horseshoe. It just builds a sore shoulder.
Why the Lateral Head Is Such a Pain to Target
The triceps brachii has three heads: the long, medial, and lateral. They all share a common insertion point at the olecranon process (your elbow bone), but they originate in different spots. The lateral head starts on the posterior humerus. Because it doesn't cross the shoulder joint like the long head does, it’s mostly responsible for pure elbow extension.
Here’s the thing. You can't truly "isolate" one head of the tricep. They all work together. However, you can definitely shift the emphasis. Most people accidentally over-train the long head because they love overhead extensions. If you want that width, you have to prioritize movements where your arms are at your sides.
Research by groups like the American Council on Exercise (ACE) has shown that the triangle pushup is one of the most effective movements for overall tricep activation. But if we’re talking specifically about the lateral head, we need to look at mechanical tension and the "peak contraction" phase of the lift.
The King of Tricep Lateral Head Exercises: The Weighted Dip
Dips are the squat of the upper body. Period. If you aren't doing them, your triceps are probably lagging. To make this one of the best tricep lateral head exercises, you have to stay upright. Leaning forward turns it into a chest move.
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Stay vertical. Keep your elbows tucked in. If they flare out too wide, you’re putting your rotator cuff in a precarious spot.
I’ve seen guys at the local powerhouse gym strap three 45-pound plates to their waist and do half-reps. Don't be that person. Go for a full range of motion. Feel the stretch at the bottom and the hard lockout at the top. The lockout is where the lateral head really screams. If you can’t do bodyweight dips for 10 clean reps, start with the assisted machine or even bench dips, though bench dips can be kinda rough on the anterior shoulder capsule if you have mobility issues.
Cable Pushdowns: You’re Doing Them Wrong
The cable pushdown is the bread and butter of arm day. It’s also the most abused exercise in the building. To actually target the lateral head, you should consider using a straight bar or a V-bar rather than the rope.
Wait, why?
Ropes are great for the long head because they allow for a greater range of motion at the bottom. But the lateral head thrives on that heavy, pronated (palms down) grip. When you use a straight bar, you can really drive through the heel of your palm.
- Pro Tip: Keep your shoulders pinned back.
- The Cheat: If your shoulders are rolling forward at the bottom, the weight is too heavy.
- The Fix: Step back six inches from the machine. This creates a slight diagonal line of pull that keeps tension on the muscle throughout the entire rep.
The "Diamond" Secret
If you’re stuck at home or don't have fancy cables, the diamond pushup is your best friend. It’s a literal powerhouse for the lateral head. A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research highlighted that narrow-grip pressing movements significantly increase tricep recruitment compared to wide-grip versions.
Your hands should form a diamond or triangle shape directly under your chest. As you lower yourself, keep your elbows tucked. If they flare out to 90 degrees, you’re just doing a weird chest press that hurts your wrists. Tuck them to about 45 degrees. It feels harder because it is harder.
Close Grip Bench Press: The Mass Builder
You want big arms? Stop doing just kickbacks. You need to move some actual load. The close-grip bench press allows for the highest amount of mechanical tension you can put on the triceps.
Don't put your hands so close together that your wrists hurt. That's a myth. Your hands should be just inside shoulder width. About 8 to 10 inches apart is usually the sweet spot. When you lower the bar, aim for your lower sternum. This keeps the forearms vertical and puts the brunt of the load on the triceps.
The Nuance of the "Kickback"
Most people hate on the tricep kickback. They call it a "finesse" move or a "waste of time." They’re wrong—mostly. It’s a waste of time if you’re swinging a 35-pound dumbbell like a pendulum.
But if you use a cable? Different story.
Using a cable for kickbacks provides constant tension. In the peak contraction—the very top of the movement where your arm is straight—the lateral head is working overtime. Use a light weight. Hold the contraction for a full second. Squeeze it like you’re trying to crush a grape in the crook of your elbow’s opposite side. It sounds silly, but the mind-muscle connection here is what separates the horseshoe arms from the "just okay" arms.
Anatomy and Mechanics: Why Wrist Position Matters
Believe it or not, your grip matters. A pronated (overhand) grip tends to favor the lateral and medial heads. A supinated (underhand) grip—like in an underhand cable extension—shifts some focus but can be really tough on the wrists and often limits how much weight you can move.
If you really want to blow up the lateral head, stick to pronated or neutral (palms facing each other) grips. The neutral grip, often found on "Easy Bar" (EZ) attachments or when using hex dumbbells for "Tate Presses," is a fantastic middle ground.
The Tate Press: The Bodybuilder’s Best Kept Secret
Named after powerlifter Dave Tate, this move is awkward until it isn't. You lie on a bench like you’re doing a dumbbell press, but you point your elbows out. You lower the dumbbells toward your chest by hinging at the elbow, then press them back up.
It looks like a broken bench press. However, the lateral head activation is insane. It takes the chest out of the equation and forces the triceps to do the heavy lifting from a dead stop at the chest. Give it a shot with light weights first. It’s a "feel" movement, not a "heavy" movement.
Common Mistakes That Kill Your Gains
- Elbow Flaring: We’ve touched on this, but it bears repeating. When your elbows fly out to the sides, you're using your pecs and delts. Keep 'em tucked.
- Short Changing the Lockout: The lateral head is most active at the very end of the extension. If you stop 5 degrees short of a straight arm, you’re skipping the best part of the rep.
- Too Much Volume: Triceps are small. You don't need 30 sets. 8 to 12 high-quality sets per week is usually plenty if the intensity is high enough.
Managing Elbow Health
You can't do tricep lateral head exercises if your tendons are on fire. Overuse injuries like "lifter’s elbow" (lateral epicondylitis) are common when people jump into heavy extensions too fast.
Always warm up. Start with two sets of light, high-rep pushdowns (20+ reps) just to get blood into the joint. Use elbow sleeves if you have to. If a movement hurts the joint rather than the muscle, stop doing it. There are a dozen ways to hit the triceps; don't marry an exercise that hates your anatomy.
Sample Specialization Routine
If you want to focus on the lateral head for a 4-week block, try adding this to your routine:
- Close Grip Bench Press: 3 sets of 6-8 reps. Focus on a slow eccentric (the way down).
- Weighted Dips: 3 sets of 10. Stay vertical!
- Straight Bar Cable Pushdowns: 4 sets of 12-15. Hold the squeeze at the bottom.
- Cable Kickbacks: 2 sets of 20. Purely for the pump.
The Reality of Genetics
Look, some people naturally have a longer lateral head. Genetics dictate the "shape" of the muscle, but you dictate the "size." You might never have Phil Heath’s triceps, but you can certainly maximize what you were born with by being surgical with your exercise selection.
Stop thinking of triceps as just "one muscle." Start thinking of them as a complex system that requires different angles to fully develop.
Actionable Next Steps
To get the most out of your next arm session, start with your heaviest compound movement first—the Close Grip Bench Press or Dips. This is when your central nervous system is freshest and you can move the most load. After your heavy work, move to the cable station for pushdowns. Swap your usual rope for a solid straight bar and focus on driving the bar through the bottom of the rep with a full lockout. Finally, finish with a high-rep "pump" move like diamond pushups or cable kickbacks to flush the muscle with blood and nutrients. Consistent tension and full lockouts are the two non-negotiables for lateral head growth.