Triceps

The search for big arms should always begin with triceps training. While building big biceps is impressive, the opposing arm muscle actually accounts for about 2/3 of the total mass of the arms. As a result, this muscle is crucial in developing the chest and shoulders as well, seeing how it plays a significant role in exercises like the bench press and military press. In addition, this muscle is an important contributor during back training. While it is true that most exercises for the back contract the biceps significantly more than the triceps, the latter are used for stabilization and to prevent injury during back workouts. Take lat pulldowns, for example. During this exercise, your arms are moving in a downward motion to pull the bar toward your chest (or behind your neck). Your biceps are clearly receiving more work than your triceps. Your tri's are linked to the hinge which connects your arms with your torso, however, not your biceps. As a result, if you neglect to train this muscle adequately, you will be placing yourself at a greater risk for injury when performing this exercise. During heavy lat pulldowns, your triceps can be susceptible to tears if they are not strong enough to handle the weight. With this in mind, it is a good idea to always warmup your arms when doing any type of upper body exercises in order to prevent injury. Based on this information, it is easy to see why the triceps, though often overlooked, are actually one of the most important muscle groups.

Unlike biceps training, in which you are limited almost exclusively to curl-type movements, the opposing arm muscle can be trained with many different types of movements. Many exercises also offer the option of using barbells or dumbbells, and you should try to incorporate both into your routine in order to get the best overall development. You can read more about barbells vs. dumbbells in the article on biceps training found here.

Anatomy

The wide variety of movements available for training this muscle are due to the fact that it is composed of three parts: the lateral head, long head, and medial head. Obviously, you should try to work all three parts at each workout. The lateral head is mainly worked during exercises in which you are pushing the weight down, while the long and medial heads are used mostly for overhead pressing movements. The links below explain in more detail how each exercise targets a specific area, seeing how it is sometimes difficult to know which area of the muscle you are working with each exercise you perform. This is especially useful if you are a beginner, or if you are simply looking for new exercises to hit each part of your tri's.