The medial head of the triceps do not cross the shoulder, so biasing them is in a way decreasing the participation of the other two heads relatively by the should position, but also combing a press type motion with the elbow extension.
This type of pressing gets you the most loading at the elbow, much better than say a close grip bench press, while still being in a good mechanical plane for elbow and shoulder health and muscular bias.
I included an EZ bar example as well. But the cable option is definitely my preference.
Learn more about exercise analysis, setup, and selection in our Biomechanics Course
Learn how to apply your biomechanical knowledge to writing workouts with our Program Design Course



The first slide is comparing the ratio of the three heads in this exercise.
The next slide is showing the difference between this exercise and the other lengthened exercises.
The last slide shows the difference between the medial biased exercise and the other short exercises.
Since the medial triceps get maximum range in this motion, I wanted to compare it to both short and long exercises for the other heads.
Because the anatomy and the neurology lines up exactly how we’d expect, I’m very confident in the results. However, we can’t say how significant the hypertrophy differences is, and this will likely carry quite a bit among individuals. Regardless of how much of a difference they do make, it’s also going to be the most that is humanly possible.
Worst case scenario this is another tool you can use when it’s applicable, but no exercise is a must.
Please Log In to Submit Your Question
Please log in to access the menu.
Rapidly customize your workout to your needs.
Drag & Drop from the right to re-order exercise groups.
Drag & Drop from the left to quickly create and update super sets.
Use the checkboxes to select exercises to combine into super sets or split up into straight sets.
Substitute or Add new exercises
Edit any exercise variables.
Use advanced set methods (like integrated partials)
Apply extended set techniques (rest-pause, drop sets, cluster sets, etc.)
After taking our training analysis quiz, you’ll have a long-term plan constructed for you. Your plan will consist of several Phases. Each Phase will present you with a few suggested programs to pick from. Each time you complete a program, you’ll move on to the next Phase and a new set of programs to select from.
This allows flexibility in the split and type of program you can choose, while we strategically periodize the stimulus you’re getting to keep making consistent progress without neglecting any weak links.
For example, a long-term plan with the goal of muscle gain will still occasionally include systemic conditioning or dedicated local metabolic work to keep your recovery capacity high (so you can grow and perform better during your hypertrophy-focused programs).